Stephen King "Guns" A Notion that guns belong solely to those that lack courage""

 I saw this on Quora, I personally think King is a leftist elitist that is out of touch with reality and is shielded from reality by his personal wealth and bodyguards.  The rest of "us" don't have that luxury.  Here is some background on the "Nairobi Incident".   I have my own incidents where being armed saved me from a beating and possibly getting killed.   I will probably post that one tomorrow.

The notion that guns belong solely to those who lack courage represents a basic view. A true story reveals the incorrect nature of this belief.

Christian Craighead served as a British soldier who assisted at the Nairobi terrorist attack in 2019. Using his gun and skills, 

Through his heroics he protected numerous people who followed his direction to safety.

Fought against several terrorists

He utilized local police forces to conduct the necessary attack prevention.

During an attack on Nairobi the public named him Obi Wan Nairobi because of his heroic demeanor combined with exceptional skill as a certified expert. He received an exceptional award because of his courageous behavior.

The story demonstrates that guns function as any instrument without essential moral value. The outcome depends on how gun operators utilize their weapons. People who cause harm depend on guns as their instrument of injury to others. Gun ownership in trained hands of courageous individuals such as Craighead brings life-saving benefits through which they successfully stop terrible events.

The members of Craighead's team express their spirit with "Who Dares Wins". The events in Nairobi demonstrated how owning a weapon enables one to perform brave acts that disprove the belief firearms make individuals cowardly.

    Now in the spirit of the post, I surfed around and got information on the rifle used by

"Obi-Won Nairobi".  The sources is "The Sandboxx"

January 2019 feels like a decade ago at this point, but I’m sure many of us remember the pictures coming out of Nairobi. Five Al-Shabaab terrorists attacked civilians at the DusitD2 complex, and an unlikely hero emerged. At the time, an unnamed, masked SAS commando showed up to save lives and kick ass. His pictures became famous as he escorted civilians out and engaged the enemy. We know him now as Christian Craighead. We know the man, but about his rifle? Today we are going to break down Craighead’s Nairobi rifle.

The Nairobi rifle base gun

In contrast to the rest of the British Army, the British SAS do not use the L85 rifle, a weapon that’s arguably one of the worst modern service rifles. Instead, they have teamed up with the Commonwealth and use Colt Canada rifles. The Colt Canada C8 series rifles are essentially AR-15s, or M4/M16s at their core.

From Craighead’s Instagram

The C8 represents the carbine version of the rifle; the British call it the L119, with Craighead using the L119A2. The L119A2 takes the C8 and heavily modernizes it. The weapon features a monolithic upper receiver designed by LMT.

The rifle is produced in two barrel lengths, a 10-inch, and 15.7-inch barrel. The Nairobi rifle uses a 10-inch barrel. Monolithic uppers are very rigid, and this helps the accuracy and zeroing of both large optics and laser aiming devices.

Understandably the rifles use 5.56 and use pretty standard M4/M16/AR15 controls. There are a few changes, the most common being the larger Colt Canada charging handle and an ambidextrous safety and ambidextrous magazine release. The weapon has a safe, semi, and full auto mode.

Related: Rifles in Ukraine – Beyond the AK

The Optic – SIG Romeo4T

When the Nairobi rifle first surfaced, people were shocked to see a SIG optic. SIG’s optics are rather new, so it was a nice surprise. SIG’s Romeo4T is a compact red dot optic that’s part of their premium-grade optics. It’s got a solar backup panel, a selection of four different reticles, and an interchangeable mount.

This was not a standard-issue optic but provided for Test and Evaluation. Apparently, the SAS purchased a few more Romeo4T optics eventually.

The Stock – Magpul CTR stock with riser

The L119A2 seems to come with the Magpul CTR stock, a six-position collapsing stock. It’s a simple stock, but it’s very well made and is a proven stock platform. It’s more minimalist than several options. Craighead seems to have attached a riser to allow for a higher cheek weld when using his optic. I’m not sure if that’s just something he prefers, or if it’s standard among SAS commandos.

Related: This is what spy fiction leaves out about the CIA

The Light – Surefire M620

The Surefire M620 is distinct from the other M600 models by its mounting platform. The mounting flatform tells us it’s an M620. The M620 is a 500-lumen white light with 13,000 candelas. Surefire lights are tough as nails and have been the choice of numerous military forces across the world. Craighead seems to have an IR filter sitting on his light.

Magazine – Magpul Gen 3

The Nairobi rifle feeds from a Magpul P-Mag, specifically the Gen 3 model. Gen 3 represents Magpul’s attest effort and is their toughest, most reliable magazine yet. It’s rugged, works in the worst environments in the world, and is the standard magazine for the United States Marine Corps.

Related: The Marine Corps has a weapon maintenance problem

Sling – Proctor Rifle Sling

I could be wrong here, but it seems that Craighead used the Proctor Rifle Sling, which would be an odd choice. The Proctor sling is a 2.3-ounce minimalist design that comes ready to mount. It’s relatively easy to adjust and is simplistic but effective.

Suppressor – Surefire FA556SA

I’m not a huge suppressor guy. I love them but can’t identify most suppressors just by looking at them. So, I’m trusting some online sources that said that the suppressor on the Nairobi rifle is the FA556SA. On a 10-inch rifle, a suppressor is a godsend. It helps reduce noise which is especially valuable for shorter-barreled rifles as they tend to be on the louder side. It also helps tame muzzle rise, and reduces muzzle flash, as well as concussion.

Laser Sight – LA-5 PEQ 15

See that weird-looking box in front of the optic? That’s a laser aiming device. It’s used mostly in conjunction with night vision for aiming under night vision. However, it does have a visible laser with numerous IR options. I would say Craighead likely didn’t fight much at night with the Nairobi rifle due to the awkward placement of the device. It’s present but out of the way as well. I’m not sure why else he’d set the device up this way, but he is clearly a competent professional.

Who dares wins

Christian Craighead certainly lived up to the SAS’ motto that day. He stormed in to assist local security forces, took down at least two of the five attackers, and saved countless civilians. He did this with a mask on, a pair of Armani jeans, and his Nairobi rifle.

This event was one of the first times the L119A2 was seen in an operational capacity and showed us once more that Stoner’s gun will never die

Terrorist Attack in London

 

This is a scene similar to Berlin where a person from the middle east decided to steal a truck, kill the driver and drive it through a bunch of Christmas shoppers in Berlin.  Now we have the same thing happen in London.  The person that drove the SUV also was a follower of Islam.  He killed 4 people and injured 29 according the the latest count...

The follower of Islam is a local guy, from the pic, has been known to the MI5 and somehow he slipped through the cracks...right...the government and police are soo politically correct that they can't even say the words 'Islamic Terrorist" for fear that it might offend the followers of islam.

Islamic State was last night top of the list of groups thought to be behind the Westminster attack.

As security experts said the brutality of the crime pointed towards the terrorists, IS supporters posted gloating messages online.

On private messaging app Telegram, one user shared pictures of the attacker’s route.

Another post features a mocked-up image of the Elizabeth Tower on fire with the message: ‘Soon. Our battle upon your land. Not started yet. Be upon you. Only waiting.’

According to Ahmet Yayla, senior research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Violent Extremism, the messages were shared on a ‘credible’ IS channel.

Last night security experts said the attack had the hallmarks of IS. A source added: ‘It would be a fair assessment because of the methodology used – driving vehicles into people in a horrible random attack in a crowded place.’

Just before Christmas, IS released a manual which instructed jihadis to plough a lorry into an outdoor market and inflict a ‘bloodbath’.

The terror group’s Rumiyah magazine said using a vehicle was the most successful in ‘harvesting’ large numbers of non-believers.

It said the tactic was ‘superbly demonstrated’ in Nice when 86 people were massacred by a lorry on Bastille Day last July.

Then in December, a lorry plouged through a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 and injuring nearly 50.

Unwritten Military Traditions...and some musings

I saw this when I was in the service...certain things are not written of but are lore that is passed down from the crusty old bastards to the new boots.  Before I present the following traditions...there are many that I didn't present..I do have some words for what happened to Paris a couple of days ago.  My prayers go to France after this....France said that they were the United States right after 9-11 when we were attacked by islamist.  This is sad and ironic that this attack happened right "Dear Leader" said that ISIS is contained......He still couldn't say the words "islamic terrorist"..

  To him the biggest threat is "climate Change"...the stuff that only seems to affect the western based societies.  All the others seem to get the pass.....This seems to be the only thing he cares about....

This is Obama/the Democrat's religion..."Global Warming, Global cooling...er....ahh Climate change...To me the "Greens" are the new "Reds"   I call them "Watermelons"..same tired collectivist crap wrapped in a new green packaging since the communist/collectivist/Marxist red packaging seems dated.

     My heart goes out to the French, they still supported us in Afghanistan, and from everything that I read...the French troops over there are very good.   Now to solve the problems with the muslim over there is to basically stop the  invasion immigration encouraged by the Germans trying to commit nationalistic suicide..

..to me it is the ultimate act of penance for WWII.  I honestly believe that that is the goal in Merkel's heart to erase Germany from the map and hand the people and land over to the muslims.  I am of the mindset that we need to leave the middle east to their own devices and let them self destruct.....and prevent their entry to the civilized lands since their belief structure isn't compatible with it.

The U.S. military

is awash in regulations, laws, and official traditions. How troops march and salute, what uniform to wear to what event, or what you are supposed to say when greeting a superior are all examples of “on-the-books” behaviors expected of service members.

And then there are the “off-the-books” traditions. They are the unwritten rules: traditions that go back way before the books were printed. These activities — especially the ones involving hazing — are often frowned upon, but still continue to happen, usually without any official recognition.

Here are eight examples.

1. Fighter pilots (or members of flight crew) get hosed down after their final flight.

 

The “fighter pilot mafia” is definitely a thing in the Air Force and Navy, which is the nickname for the pilot sub-culture within each service. Soon after aviators get to a new unit they will go through an unofficial ceremony of receiving their callsigns, and they usually are not very flattering.

On the flip side is the final flight. Much like a football coach gets a giant cooler of Gatorade dumped over their head at the end of a game, pilots sometimes will get hosed down with water by their comrades. In some cases, they’ll be doused with champagne.

In the case of Maj. Vecchione (shown above), his peers also threw string cheese, flour, and mayonnaise on him. Personally, I would’ve thrown in some ketchup and mustard, but hell, I wasn’t there.

2. At a military wedding with a sword detail, the wife gets a sword-tap to her booty to “welcome her” to the family.

Nothing like a little tradition that allows some dude to tap your brand new wife on the butt. When a service member wants to go through the pageantry of having a “military wedding” — wearing their uniform at the altar and bringing along a sword detail — they can expect that at the end of it all, some random dude will be sexually harassing his wife for the sake of tradition.

It goes like this: On the way out right after the ceremony, the couple passes over an arch of swords on both sides. They go through, kiss, go through, kiss, then they get to the last one. Once they reach the final two and pass, one of the detail will lower their sword, tap the bride, and say “welcome to the Army [or Marine Corps, etc]!”

Here’s the Navy version:

3. When a Navy ship crosses the equator, sailors perform the “crossing the line” ceremony, which frankly, involves a lot of really weird stuff.

 

The Crossing the Line ceremony goes far back to the days of wooden ships and Old NFO's youth. According to this Navy public affairs story, sailors were put through this hazing ritual designed to test whether they could endure their first time out at sea.

These days, sailors crossing the line for the first time — called Pollywogs or Wogs for short — can expect an initiation into the club of those who have done it before, referred to as Shellbacks. During the two-day event, the “Court of Neptune” inducts the Wogs into “the mysteries of the deep” with activities like having men dress up as women, drink stuff like a wonderful mix of hot sauce and aftershave, or make them crawl on their hands and knees in deference to King Neptune. I swear I’m not making any of this up.

In the modern military that is decidedly against hazing rituals, the events have toned down quite a bit. In 1972 a sailor may have expected to be kissing the “Royal Baby’s belly button,” which again, is totally a real thing.

Nowadays however, there’s much less of that sort of thing, and the Navy stresses that it’s all completely voluntary (ask any sailor, however, and they’ll probably tell you it’s “voluntary” with big air quotes).

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

4. Before going on deployment, Marine infantrymen who have never deployed need to shave their heads.

Don’t ask me where this unwritten rule came from or why — other than to distinguish who the total boots in the platoon were — but Marine grunts who have never done a deployment are often told to shave their heads before they move out.

Again, this is one of those “voluntary” you-don’t-have-to-do-this-if-you-don’t-want-to kind of things, .  I am told that such things are "voluntary"......Interestingly enough, those that don't play along were put on plenty of cleanup details and other not-so-fun jobs as a result.

5. When achieving the next rank or earning parachute wings or other insignia, a service member may get “blood-pinned,” though it’s rare these days.

Soldiers who get through five successful jumps at Airborne School in the past could expect to get “blood wings,” but that practice has died down in recent years as the public has learned of it. After a superior pinned their wings on, a soldier would get their new badge slammed into their chest, which often draws blood.

This kind of thing is frowned upon — and prohibited under military regulations — but it still sometimes happens. In some cases, it’s considered a rite of passage and kind of an honor. I personally endured pinning ceremonies that I volunteered for when I picked up the rank of specialist or Sp/4 as it was called back then.  

Volunteer or not, it’s a ritual which the brass has endured plenty of bad press over, so they tend to discipline anyone involved whenever it happens.

6. Some units have mustache-growing contests in training or on deployment to see who can achieve the most terrible-looking ‘stache.

The military regulations on facial hair offer little in the way of good looking when it comes to shaves. Most men are not allowed to grow beards (except for some special operators) and although they are allowed, mustaches are generally frowned upon. Why they are frowned upon usually comes down to how terrible they often look.

Photo: MCB Hawaii

Don’t expect any mustache greatness ala Rollie Fingers; troops usually have to keep the mustache neatly trimmed within the corners of their mouth. Those regulations give way to the terribleness derived from the “CAX ‘stache,” which is what Marines refer to as the weird-looking Hitler-like mustache they’ll grow out while training at 29 Palms.

These contests sometimes extend overseas, especially when junior troops are away from the watchful eyes of their senior enlisted leaders. But whenever the sergeant major is around, you might want to police that moostache.

7. First-year West Point cadets have a giant pillow fight to blow off steam after the summer is over.

Before they become the gun-toting leaders of men within the United States Army, first year cadets are beating the crap out of each with pillows in the school’s main courtyard. The annual event is organized by the students and has occurred since at least 1897, according to The New York Times.

While it’s supposed to be a light-hearted event featuring fluffy pillows filled with things that are, you know, soft, some [blue falcon] cadets have decided to turn the event bloody in recent years. One first-year cadet told The Times in September: “The goal was to have fun, and it ended up some guys just chose to hurt people.”

That quote came from a story that broke months ago after the “fun” pillow fight ended with at least 30 cadets requiring medical attention, 24 of which were concussion

8. Naval Academy midshipmen climb a lard-covered monument for a hat.

Around the same time that first-year West Point cadets are beating each other and causing concussions, 1,000 screaming Navy midshipmen are charging toward a 21-foot monument covered in lard with a hat on top. The goal: Retrieve the first-year “plebe” hat and replace it with an upperclassmen hat, a task which signifies their transition to their next year at the Academy.

Beforehand, upperclassmen hook up the plebes with about 200 pounds of greasy lard slapped on the sides of the Herndon Monument, making their task a bit more difficult. They need to use teamwork and dedication to climb their way to the top, which can take anywhere from minutes to over four hours (Class of 1995 has the longest time 4 hours, 5 minutes).

According to the Academy’s website, the tradition is that the first guy to make it to the top will likely rise to the rank of admiral first. That is if he or she doesn’t get themselves fired first.

Eric Kammeyer removes the “dixie cup” cap from the Herndon Monument, a 21-foot greased obelisk at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, in 1997. Tradition holds that the plebe who replaces the cap with a midshipman’s hat will be the first from his class to attain the rank of admiral. (John Makely/Baltimore Sun)

Monday Music, Boston Bombers....and cub scouting...:) The good, the really bad..and really good.

I have been busy with work and cub scouts, My son and I went to the U.S.S. Yorktown to "camp out" on a real aircraft carrier.  This from Wiki:"
USS Yorktown (CV/CVA/CVS-10) is one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II for the United States Navy. She is named after the Battle of Yorktown of the American Revolutionary War, and is the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name. Initially to have been named Bon Homme Richard, she was renamed Yorktown while under construction to commemorate USS Yorktown (CV-5), lost at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. Yorktown was commissioned in April 1943, and participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, earning 11 battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation.
Decommissioned shortly after the end of the war, she was modernized and recommissioned in the early 1950s as an attack carrier (CVA), and then eventually became an antisubmarine carrier (CVS). She was recommissioned too late to participate in the Korean War but served for many years in the Pacific, including duty in the Vietnam War, in which she earned five battle stars. Late in her career she served as a recovery ship for the Apollo 8 space mission, was used in the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! which recreated the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and in the science fiction film The Philadelphia Experiment.
Yorktown was decommissioned in 1970 and in 1975 became a museum ship at Patriot's Point, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. She is a National Historic Landmark."

We also took a shuttle boat to the Fort Sumter National park, the place where the War against Yankee aggression started, er the war between the states, er..the Civil War started.  The trip is also a worthwhile trip.  You can see how strategic the location was.  They upgraded the fort after the war, and installed some of the disappearing rifles as part of coastal defence back in the day before the advent of airplanes and missiles made such defences obsolete. 

   Now a bit about the Boston Bomber..you know the jerks that paralized a city for 2 days and had people hiding in their house, I cribbed this from Boortz:

"The people directly responsible for the bombings in Boston are either dead, in the case of the older bomber, or shot all to hell and in custody, in the case of the younger bomber.  (I don’t particularly like giving these people the publicity they want by naming them).  So, is it over?  With the death of one, and the arrest of the other brother, is this case pretty much closed?  If they acted alone and absent outside coaching or influence, yes.  If not … no.  It is most certainly not over.
So there we have the Mayor of Boston yesterday telling America that these two bombers acted alone.  That’s it.  It’s over.  We killed on, the other is in custody.  Case closed.  Nobody else was involved  We have them, and there’s nothing  more to see here.
Here’s an oddity for you to consider.  When there is a violent incident; a mass shooting, a bombing, a political assassination; the media seems to be instantly posed to blame it on right wingers.  This happened all the way back with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I lived in Texas at the time, and immediately the national media was blaming right wing elements for Kennedy’s death.  In some areas of the country offices of right wing organizations such as The John Birch Society were being vandalized.  In California cars with Texas license plates were being vandalized as well.  Then … well what do you know? … the assassin turned out to be a communist?  Don’t you just hate it when that happens?

• The man show shot Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and killed several people?  That was Sarah Palin’s fault, you know.   In no time at all DailyKos and Think Progress, left wing websites, were blaming this on Palin because she posted a map “targeting” certain congressmen for defeat in the upcoming election.  It was shown that the “targets” she used on that map were really surveyors marks obtained from the Internet – marks used to indicate geographic locations, like congressional districts – but to the left they were telescopic sights – Palin’s message that these people needed to be shot.  The shooter turned out to be a complete lunatic with no discernable political leanings.
• The man who killed those folks in the Aurora, Colorado theater?  In no time at all he was identified as a Tea Party member because Brian Ross at ABC, operating under an assumption that the shooter simply must be a conservative, found a Colorado Tea Party member with the same (quite common) name.

            This is common behavior for the left and the 0bamaMedia.  There’s been an act of violence.  Blame the right.  After the Boston bombings CNN’s Wolf Blitzer was saying that due to the fact it was Patriot’s Day, and Tax Day, perhaps anti-government right wing groups are to blame.  Looney old Chris Matthews was also blaming the right, saying that normally domestic terrorism comes from the right.  We had a Salon Magazine columnist begging for the bombes to be white males.   CNN had a so-called counter-terrorism expert on the air who said that pressure cooker bombs were a signature of the right wing, though there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever for that statement.  MSNBC puts a Harvard Professor on the air to suggest that the “far right” might be responsible.  An NPR “journalist” said that the attack could have been right-wingers celebrating Columbine or Hitler’s birthday.  Can you believe this stuff?  Well, believe it.  It’s the normal course of conduct after an incident such as this … right up until the time when it’s discovered that the perps aren’t right-wingers, as is normally the case.
So then did you see the Mayor of Boston yesterday?  After the identity and political and religious leanings fo the bombers became known the whole incident suddenly morphed from being caused by some evil right-wing political movement to two men out on their own..Sure enough the Boston mayor, a Democrat (of course) was telling America that the bombers acted alone.  It was just them.  Case pretty much closed.
     The needs of political correctness dictate the “acted alone” conclusion.  If government, particularly the Feds and Homeland Security, do not use the “acted alone” approach then the follow-up question will naturally be: “Well, what are you doing to find out who was involved with the bombers?  Who influenced them?  What happened on that trip to Russia?  What about the Mosques the brothers attended?  Are there other known radicals involved with that Mosque?  Have known radicals who could have had influence on the members visited Mosque?   You cannot address these questions without focusing on Muslims – on the wonderful, serene, peaceful, loving religion of Islam.  And of course as soon as you start focusing on Muslims, on Mosques, and on the associates of the two bombing brothers --- you’re then engaging in the hideous, horrible practice of profiling!  OMG!  It might even be racial profiling!  After all, the vast majority of Muslim radicals are from the Middle East!
Of course as long as you think that right wing militias committed some heinous act, or the Tea (Taxed Enough Already) Party or white supremacists – you can blame groups and movements and investigate to your heart’s content.  After all … these people are perceived as predominantly white, and to make things worse, they’re largely believed to be white (ugh) males!  But if a protected religious or racial minority might have been involved … be careful!  You don’t want to profile!"

    This is also an installment of my Monday Music, I am going to pull this from the "Born in the U.S.A." album from Bruce Springstein.  I don't like his politics but his older albums are good where they spoke from the blue collar workers point of view.  This song is "I'm on fire"  it is a short song and a real cool video with a 57 T-bird.

                                              
I'm on Fire" was recorded in February 1982 during the first wave of Born in the U.S.A. sessions. This took place in impromptu fashion when Springsteen started making up a slow tune on guitar for some lyrics he had, some of which had been written for Spanish Eyes, which would later surface on The Promise, and drummer Max Weinberg and keyboardist Roy Bittan, hearing it for the first time, created an accompaniment on the spot. The result was a moody number that merges a soft rockabilly beat, lyrics built around sexual tension, and synthesizers into an effective whole; it was one of the first uses of that instrument in Springsteen's music.
The song peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles charts in early 1985. It was the fourth of a record-tying seven Top 10 hit singles to be released from Born in the U.S.A. It is also remarkable that the single reached #1 in the Netherlands for 3 weeks in August 1985, at the same time as 2 other Springsteen singles ("Dancing in the Dark" and "Born in the U.S.A.") were occupying the Top 12.
Unlike the first three singles from the album, no remixes were made for "I'm on Fire" (nor were any made for any of the subsequent singles released).

The music video for the song was shot in March 1985 in Los Angeles, and was directed by filmmaker John Sayles. Unlike the previous videos from the album, this video was not a performance clip but rather portrayed a dramatic storyline that alluded to some of the song's emotions.
In it, Springsteen plays a working class automobile mechanic with an attractive, married, very well-to-do, mostly unseen female customer who brings her vintage Ford Thunderbird in for frequent servicing, always requesting that he does the work. She leaves a small bunch of keys with him when she leaves in her car, possibly including house keys, but declines his offer to bring the car out to her house when it's ready. Later that night, he drives the car up to her mansion high in the hills above the city. He looks to a second floor window with the light on and is about to ring the bell, when he thinks better of it and drops her keys in the mailbox next to the door. He smiles wistfully and walks away down towards the city lights below.^[4]
The video began airing in mid-April, received extensive MTV airplay, and later in the year won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video.

Coward....

The more I hear about Obungler and Benghazi, the more pissed I get.   This is the first time that I can recall an American President sacrificing Americans for political expediency....Bastard