A Trip to the Range

by | Apr 15, 2021 | Guns, LifeSkills, Second Amendment | 157 comments

Alright, this was a lot more than a trip to the range.  Long backstory short; a friend of Mrs. Deans went to the Front Sight [link: https://frontsight.com]  firearms training facility in Pahrump, Nevada for defensive handgun training (TW: website sucks), and really liked it.  He got us a deal, so we gave it a go.  Spoiler: we really liked it.

Front Sight has a big training facility out in the middle of frickin’ nowhere, about an hour or so west of Las Vegas on the way to Death Valley.  We went for the two-day defensive handgun course, which is one of their intro courses for handguns (they also have a four-day course).  The weekend we were there they were also running a rifle course, and had 700(!) people in attendance.  I’m not sure how many ranges they have, but they had plenty.  Each handgun class had about 40 people in it, with three or four instructors.  Class members were a mix; probably 25 – 30% women, all ages (trending older), some first time shooters, some experienced.  For the intro classes, they rightfully assume nobody knows anything.

The classes alternated demonstrations of techniques/drills, practice of the techniques/drills, and some shooting drills.  Over two days, we shot around 150 rounds (down from their usual 200 rounds because ammo shortage).  Written down like that, it doesn’t sound like much, but it was intense and exhausting – we were whipped after two days and I would not want to start with the four day course.

The emphasis was on “dry” (unloaded) practice drills – loading (three ways), unloading, draw, reholster, clear three malfunctions (failure to feed, brass high (stovepipe), brass low (failure to extract)), trigger control.  They are very strict about form and it is a real mental effort to drill with these as new techniques.  Their emphasis is on getting the drills right – go slow, get it right, and speed will come.  All drills are done in pairs, with one watching the other and correcting (mostly) safety errors, but also any form flaws that you notice.

The shooting drills were more trigger control (they have a drill for “trapping” the trigger after the shot and slowly releasing until it re-engages that I came to hate), two shots to the chest, and single head shot.  They finished with a precision shooting drill – five shots, at your own pace, at a small (2 inch?) square 7 yards away, with the goal, of course, of putting all five shots through a single hole.  This was done with five shots, then dry practice on trigger control, then five more shots.  The dry practice definitely improved the second set of shots.  They also have simulator bays – basically plywood “rooms” with doors, windows, and targets that swing in and out inside a ballistic enclosure.

So, those are the dry essentials.  What did we think?

Well, we liked it enough that we bought a membership which gets us into any or all of their courses.  I’m scheduling their two-day intro shotgun course for May, and we are trying to work their follow-up handgun course into our schedules.

I was impressed when they said at one point that they had tweaked their unloading drill recently.  Apparently, the old one had some people turning their guns sideways down the firing line, so they tweaked it so the gun stays pointed down range.  I like a training course that evolves.

The lectures were quite good.  There were three that are “mandatory” for newbies and anyone who hasn’t seen them in a few years.  They covered situational awareness, the decision to shoot, and legal aftermath of a shooting.  The basic message was that you need to think about this very hard in advance and come to your own conclusions about if/when you are willing to shoot someone.  I had no quibbles with anything in the lectures.  Apparently, after the lecture on the legal aftermath, they do have people who say they are not willing to carry, and even a few who simply drop out.  They certainly don’t sugarcoat it.

I liked our instructors, too.  They were helpful with specific issues, even in a group the size of ours.  Endlessly patient, as well – no matter how many times I crossed my thumbs on the grip, they just pointed it out and moved on.  I think they were waiting for the slide to really teach me a lesson, but I did break that habit, at least, while we were there.  I also learned that the first rule of gun safety isn’t “Treat every gun as if its loaded”, its “Don’t let the government take your guns”.

The basic shooting drill was two to the chest, after a discussion of the ballistic inferiority of handgun rounds.  We also did some headshot drills, in case the two to the chest don’t do the job.  The instructors would randomly shout “Head!” during drills to signal a third shot to the head.  On the range, I was meh on headshots.  In the simulator, I was John frickin’ Wick for some reason.

Speaking of the simulator, for newbies, you don’t move once you get set.  We were checking hands for threats and deciding to shoot, which meant, weirdly, video games were a big help.  I managed to have my sole failure to feed malfunction in the simulator and totally forgot the drill to clear it that I had just learned.  Still, I dumped the mag and the reload worked; it was just slow.  I got good hits on all threats (one target with two guns I managed to shoot in both hands, which tells you what I was looking at).   After I cleared my malfunction I took a head shot on the next target for some reason (supposed be a two-to-the-chest shot).  Literally right between the eyes, and the same on the “hostage” target (which was supposed to be a head shot, at least).  One person in our group managed a classic Zimbabwe double tap on the kid target, even though the person who “pulled” the target was yelling “I’m just a kid! Don’t shoot!”.   Good times.

The biggest benefit was that Mrs. Dean got comfortable handling a gun again (she hadn’t picked one up for several years), and is now contemplating competitive shooting after the follow-up class.  She also got a new ambidextrous gun (a Heckler & Koch VP-9), because she’s a lefty.  For me, it was a reality check – I had thought myself sort of minimally competent with a handgun, but am now unwilling to carry without more training.  I was using Mrs. Dean’s Sig, which I had put maybe 25 rounds through before the course, but using my 1911 wouldn’t really have made much difference.

Also much appreciated are the dry practice drills; I’m trying to get a 15 minute session in every day, even if it means happy hour has to wait.  Still not liking the double-action trigger drill, but with the Sig, that will be my first shot.  Of course, I also need to drill with my 1911, which has the classic 1911 safety rather than a decocker like the Sig, so the drills are a little different.  I also got their handbook on shotgun drills, and am trying to get (well) acquainted with them before my class in May.  I’m rethinking the reflex sight on the 1911 as well; just not sure if I will keep it or go back to iron sights.

About The Author

R C Dean

R C Dean

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157 Comments

  1. Ownbestenemy

    Front Sight is a damn awesome facility. Glad you got to enjoy it.

  2. The Other Kevin

    Wow, look at all those ranges. *swoons*

    Thanks for sharing, this was encouraging news for a change.

    • R C Dean

      Oh, that’s just a fraction of their ranges. I think they have over 30.

  3. Cy Esquire

    Anyone know of anything like this in Texas?

      • Cy Esquire

        Thank you.

      • Translucent Chum

        Superman’s dad has a gun range?

    • EvilSheldon

      Alternately, if you have a range and can get some students together, there are lots of traveling instructors who will come to you. John Murphy of FPF Training is a local guy who’ll go anywhere in the states, and his training is top-notch.

  4. Sean

    Neat.

  5. Ownbestenemy

    RC you captured their methodology to a tee. I implore everyone to take a trip to their facilities, especially if they are new to firearms.

    • R C Dean

      If anyone does decide to give it a go, I recommend getting their dry practice guide first and getting acquainted with their basic drills. We did, and we got a short live review from someone who had been there before. It was very useful.

    • Nephilium

      There was also two police involved shootings up here in Cleveland since yesterday (one with the DEA involved, the other during a pursuit). I don’t think the city is going to deal with any “mostly peaceful” protesting this close to the NFL draft though. The businesses won’t deal with any since last year.

  6. Swiss Servator

    RC, you have prompted me to try and get some practice in.

    • Animal

      Me too. *Heads out to the driveway*

    • Gustave Lytton

      Me too. Even if it’s just dry.

  7. Cy Esquire

    Did you feel like the video game simulator was productive? If so, how much?

    • R C Dean

      The simulator was live fire, which is why newbies aren’t allowed to run around inside the “house”. I thought my many, many hours of “shoot/don’t shoot” in video games was helpful in giving me the reflex to verify a target and put a couple rounds in them.

      They don’t replace the targets every time, just cover up the previous shots with clear tape so you can tell which holes are yours. The “hostage” target, which was a stereotypical bad guy partially covered by a kid he was holding a knife on. It was . . . interesting . . . to see how many shots the kid took. Especially considering the distance was less than five yards. It was a good lesson in the difference between range shooting and self-defense shooting.

  8. sarcasmic

    Can’t do enough dry firing. Cures the flinch. For a little while anyway.

    • sarcasmic

      I’m going shooting with my cousin in a few hours. He’s never shot a Glock. Think I will alternate between live and dry firing. That’s a really good idea.

      • Chafed

        Are you bringing your avatar along?

    • juris imprudent

      Live fire with a .22 also helps with flinches.

      • OBJ FRANKELSON

        Ball and dummy is the best training drill I have done to prevent flinching, leaning into recoil. It does require a second person. You load one mag with a single round and leave another empty. Your assistant loads either the empty or the one round mag into the weapon and you shoot it. An empty mag will really let you see what you are doing wrong, especially if you fire a few live ones first.

      • DEG

        Back in the early 00s, I managed to do this to myself with a Lee-Enfield.

        The magazine on a Lee-Enfield doesn’t hold the bolt open when you run out of ammunition.

        I wasn’t counting rounds as I shot.

        I cycled the bolt. Reacquired the target. Ready. Squeeze.

        Flinch. Click. Dry-fire.

        Oh… I have a problem.

      • sarcasmic

        I catch myself flinching sometimes when I shoot a revolver and don’t count.

      • Bobarian LMD

        Randomly loading an empty shell in a revolver is the best way to identify if you’re pulling/flinching.

        The dime/washer drill was the Army method for curing it.

        Balance a dime on the barrel of the weapon and practice pulling the trigger without knocking the dime off.

        I got good enough with an M16 that I could pull the charging handle back without dropping a dime.

      • EvilSheldon

        “The dime/washer drill was the Army method for curing it.

        Balance a dime on the barrel of the weapon and practice pulling the trigger without knocking the dime off.”

        Like most army methods, this one hurts more than it helps.

      • OBJ FRANKELSON

        That is an accomplishment. See if you can fool yourself with a single shot break-action .410.

      • Mojeaux

        I had one of those.

      • l0b0t

        This is the only song I can think of that mentions a single-shot .410, but damned if isn’t romantical.

        https://youtu.be/iJRWtKePKuY

      • sarcasmic

        I’m gonna do that this afternoon with my cousin.

        Keep the good ideas coming!

    • EvilSheldon

      If you do twenty minutes of focused dry practice, every day for a month, your gun handling skills will be through the roof. I can’t overemphasize how important dry practice is.

      • sarcasmic

        I’m going to do that. I was going to take an NRA class a while back but the instructor said I wouldn’t qualify because I can’t keep it in a 4″ circle at 15 yards.

      • R C Dean

        Can confirm. Even my 15 minutes every (let’s be honest) other day has really moved the needle for me.

        I was thinking about getting one of those CO2 dry fire rigs for Mrs. Dean (yeah, that’s the ticket, for her to use), but I’m blanking on the company. Little help here?

      • EvilSheldon

        CoolFire. I have one and I honestly don’t much care for it, but a lot of dudes like them.

  9. UnCivilServant

    One person in our group managed a classic Zimbabwe double tap on the kid target, even though the person who “pulled” the target was yelling “I’m just a kid! Don’t shoot!”.

    That kid target was clearly up to no good.

      • Sensei

        I always like that scene. Although I just noticed Will Smith’s character is pretty waving his (likely loaded) pistol all over the place while describing what he did.

      • Suthenboy

        I noticed that and it was making me cringe. In the movie industry most actors use prop guns and have no real experience with real firearms or firearm safety practices.

  10. B.P.

    I’ve heard of this place before. I’m gonna make plans to drive out there for a two-day.

    Also, pictures of people bunched together. Instructors touching students. All maskless. Fauci press conference about superspreader event forthcoming.

    • R C Dean

      Those are stock photos, but I think I saw two or three people wearing masks, only indoors, out of what had to be nearly a thousand people on site.

      They were both younger women.

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        At least they were there in the first place.

      • Surly Knott

        Daria! Fist pump, fist bump!

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        That pic needs a mulligan. Can’t think of anything I have to stretch it out onto.

  11. The Late P Brooks

    Sounds like an excellent use of time and money.

    I’m curious. Did they say anything about a preference for 1911 carry?

    Cocked and locked? Hammer down on a loaded chamber?

    • R C Dean

      Cocked and locked, I believe. I had my hands full with a (brand now, to me) decocker. But I don’t recall them ever saying to lower the hammer on a 1911, just put the safety on.

      I think the hammer down mode is out of favor – I know manually lowering a hammer on a loaded chamber is probably my least favorite thing to do with a gun, and it presents the risk of the hammer getting caught on something and snapping back down.

      • db

        I would never lower the hammer on a 1911 with a round chambered. Cocked and locked is the only safe way to carry a hot 1911.

      • db

        Where “safe” means “at an acceptable level of risk.”

      • R C Dean

        I think I’ve lowered the hammer manually less than 5 times. And not in years. My bedside gun (affectionately known as the Hogleg, a high capacity full size .45 1911) has gone from empty chamber to cocked and locked, though.

    • Animal

      I’m pretty sure cocked and locked is how the DaVinci of guns intended his 1911 to be carried.

      • R C Dean

        I vaguely recall reading that the lowered hammer was used for awhile because of some issue which has since been corrected.

        I have to admit, I wish the safety on mine was little more . . . definite. I’d like a sharper click and a little more resistance. When I’m there in May I may ask their gunsmith about that.

      • DEG

        Yes, I have vague memory of reading that’s how Browning wanted it carried.

        I also have a vague memory that he didn’t want the grip safety. He put it there only because of the Army’s demands.

      • R C Dean

        Ah, that rings a bell. Adding the grip safety may be what moved people away from hammer down carry.

      • Animal

        There are three ways to do anything:

        1. The right way.
        2. The wrong way.
        3. The Army way.

      • DEG

        Heh.

        A former roommate of mine was in Army ROTC. This was a favorite saying of his.

      • Drake

        I’m sure the Army way was generally loaded mag, empty chamber. That’s how I carried a 1911 the few times I had one handed to me for guard duty.

      • OBJ FRANKELSON

        On convoys, we carried our 1911s lever safety on, hammer back, and round in the chamber.

      • Bobarian LMD

        On guard duty at Ft Leonard Wood (1983), I carried a loaded magazine with a piece of tape over the top of it that the DS threatened to skull-fuck any of us if that tape was disturbed in any manner.

      • UnCivilServant

        So… shoot the DS first?

      • Bobarian LMD

        Yes… unless that’s your thing.

  12. DEG

    When I paid for my life membership in the GOA, I received a certificate for a free course at Front Sight. I had plans to go as part of a vacation out West. Go to Vegas, take the class, then swing up to the Olympic Peninsula for the Liberty Editor’s conference (back when R. W. Bradford was alive), then back to the East Coast.

    I was going to leave September 12th, 2001.

    That didn’t work out.

    As grad school and work heated up for me, I never made plans for another trip out West. I got away from shooting for a while. Now I’m back (sortof) shooting, and after reading this, I think a trip to Front Sight is called for. I wonder if they would honor that certificate if I found it?

    • B.P.

      Ah, Bill Bradford. I liked the guy.

    • l0b0t

      FWIW, Liberty was, without question, my favorite political periodical (sorry Foreign Affairs). Reason, despite the glossy stock and modern graphics, always felt like a poor substitute.

      • DEG

        I liked Liberty far more than reason. I’m happy it’s still limping along.

        When the editors decided to more to an entirely on-line format, the first thing I did was download all of the PDF versions they posted on their website.

        I used to keep all of my copied of Liberty from when I started subscribing until the end of the print run. I don’t know what happened to them. I think I must tossed them when I moved into my house.

      • B.P.

        I have boxes full of Liberty mag somewhere around here.

  13. DEG

    Oh… wasn’t the founder of Front Sight a student of Jeff Cooper’s?

  14. sarcasmic

    I see some say focus on the front sight while others say focus on the target. What did they teach? I think I can guess from the name, just wanted to confirm.

    • R C Dean

      Your guess is correct – the front sight.

    • EvilSheldon

      Front Sight is all-in on Col. Cooper’s Modern Technique, which is front sight focus, always and forever.

      I personally think that a soft target focus is easier and more effective.

      But you can do effective shooting either way.

    • Suthenboy

      It is highly dependent on your eyesight. After asking around for a few years I found that the best shooters were nearsighted but only a little bit.
      You have to spend some time finding what works best for you as an individual.

  15. Mojeaux

    Oooh, we have a new victim Tulpa commenter in pending!

    • Gender Traitor

      Been doing your Glib mission work again? ?

      • Mojeaux

        Apparently, sarcasmic is to blame for that one.

      • sarcasmic

        If being registered since 2017 means pending, then sure. I’m a newby.

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        Long time no see! Whats up?

      • Mojeaux

        No, I mean there’s a newbie in pending who says they are here at your invitation.

      • UnCivilServant

        He’s subjecting people to our derangements?

        That monster!

  16. mikey

    Nice job RC. Another reminder of how I was brought up – correct firearm handling is a moral issue. If I see someone handling a fire are incorrectly I don’t trust them.

    A question for you and the other lawyers in the audience.
    Just got a letter from my former employer. There’s been a class-action law suit against their retirement fund. A former employee sued claiming he was being shorted $54 a month because the company used the wrong actuarial tables (simple enough for now). The company denies any wrong doing but has agreed to settle for about 40% of the total alleged losses ($59 mill). The law firm has agreed. If the court approves the settlement my retirement goes up a whole $11 a month. Guessing the guy who started it gets 40% of his $54 a month. The law firm did this on contingency and will get no more than 15% of the $59m ($8.5 m).
    I did some research and found a number of companies have been sued for this same thing.
    My question. How did the plaintiff and the law firm find each other? Doubt the former assembly worker delved into retirement law and actuarial tables on his own to discover he was being stiffed (the plan is an old-school defined benefit plan and pretty generous). We retirees get a trivial amount and the company (one of the biggest defense contractors) will not notice the payout. The law firm partners, however, make some real bank. Cynical me says the law firm researches big companies pension funds and finds ones that have this particular flaw. They then find a former employee to front the suit. Can the firm give this guy a big payday outside of the settlement? He deserves it – the settlement won’t make the payments on a new bass boat, but a partner can put that addition on that place in the Hamptons (CT law firm).

    • R C Dean

      In a class action, the named/lead plaintiff can get something extra, but it is part of the overall settlement approved by the court. Its generally not a huge sum, is my understanding, but this isn’t really my area. You should be able to find out if you dig into the settlement. I think.

      • mikey

        Nothing in the settlement decription we were sent.
        Mostly I’m curious if the law firms find the plaintiffs to fit known issue.

      • R C Dean

        Of course they do.

    • Broswater

      My bet would be that one of the plaintiff or a close relative’s kid works for the law firm. That’s partner material right there.

  17. hayeksplosives

    I need some me time this morning so I am high AF on Vicodin right now, in bed with a heating pad on my hip and a cat on my feet.

    Ah, bliss!

    • Mojeaux

      You deserve the me-time, woman! You MUST take care of yourself before you can effectively take care of anyone else.

    • DEG

      This sounds good.

    • Suthenboy

      That makes me want to go lay down. I have an advantage over. you though….it is raining, will all day and there are rumbles of thunder every few minutes. That may be offset by the fact that I don’t have a cat.

  18. hayeksplosives

    In the medical chaos of the last few weeks, I didn’t learn that there was any source of assistance for me financially once I had to take unpaid leave from work.

    Then someone told me about California law that pays 60-70% of your weekly salary, up to $1300 a week for 12 weeks. It’s not going to pay the mortgage but I’m not complaining. Apparently it’s one of the many California taxes I’ve been paying for 3 years, so it’s time to recoup a little.

    I hope they don’t tax it.

    • Toxteth O'Grady

      I didn’t know either.

      Glad the hubster is doing better; did I miss a detail about your hip?

  19. Mojeaux

    Hopefully, there will come a day I can have guns and go practice with them.

    I was brought up with guns. No safe. My siblings and I were gunproofed early on. I shot my first when I was 5 (somewhere I have a picture of me with this honking revolver and, I think, a dead rat), and the few times I got to handle a gun, I wasn’t too bad.

    Then again, for me, having a gun is like having a motorcycle. I’m always slightly intimidated. I can do it and enjoy it, but I’m always afraid of what I don’t know/what could happen.

    • db

      How many more siblings did you shoot after your first?

      • Mojeaux

        DOH!

      • R C Dean

        I’m curious about what Mojeaux got ratted out for.

        Sounds like she not sure she greased the right sibling, either.

      • Mojeaux

        I only had two siblings.

      • R C Dean

        So I guess the other one . . .

        dodged a bullet?

      • Mojeaux

        *sunglasses of justice*

        AM I BEING DETAINED?!

    • EvilSheldon

      Being slightly intimidated is probably a good thing. It’s easy to forget that guns are dangerous, and that they’ll happily kill you, or worse, if you stop respecting them.

      • DEG

        I kept wondering when is he going to shoot himself or someone else during the recording of the video.

      • Mojeaux

        #metoo

      • EvilSheldon

        I wouldn’t bet my life on it, but that looked like an airsoft gun to me.

      • Suthenboy

        What Sheldon says. Once that bullet leaves the barrel you can never take it back. If something bad happens “Oops!” and “Sorry” mean nothing. You are going to have to live with that for the rest of your life.

        I joked recently that we didnt say “Lord, bless these gifts….” prayer before meals. We said “Check to see if it is loaded. Is it pointed in a safe direction? Never put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot. God bless John Browning. Amen.”
        It is only a half joke.

  20. Stinky Wizzleteats

    A quick analysis of the Ukraine situation from a guy who seems to have a pretty good grasp of what’s going on:

    https://youtu.be/kjfEu5Z1f2s

    Too long, didn’t watch: it’s winding down and there’s unlikely to be conflict and Putin comes out smelling like a rose. Interestingly enough, as was mentioned by some commentators in the last thread, the partition of Western and Eastern Ukraine via federalization and limited autonomy seems likely.

  21. The Bearded Hobbit

    I bought this as a birthday present to myself and set up some swing targets on the back lawn. Each evening (weather permitting) I fire off about 50 pellets just before happy hour. I’ve never been great with a handgun and this is giving me some practice. One downside of the Crosman is the trigger pull seems like about 20 pounds. I can see the front sight wobbling as I’m squeezing down on the trigger. The trigger pull is getting better as the gun in being broken in (now down to about 10 pounds!) but I think I’ll attempt some trigger work when I get back home.

  22. Nephilium

    Hey guys! The NCAA is following the science!

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      They’re intent in trashing their own brand it seems. Only the most fanatical of the fanatical are buying what they’re selling.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      I note that their medical requirements for participation are only for MTF.

      It seems an implicit admission that no FTM are even going to qualify for male sports.

      • db

        That seems…unequal.

  23. Bobarian LMD

    One complaint. I registered with their website some time ago, because my brother recommended their training.

    I get a “Dear Bob, …

    Sincerely,

    Dr. Ignatius Piazza”

    e-mail every week for the last five years that is sometimes good and oftentimes spam.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Yeah their technical presence is wanting

      • R C Dean

        Its dreadful. I TWed their website for a reason.

  24. The Bearded Hobbit

    RC, does this course qualify one for CCW (for those of us in a non-constitutional carry state)?

    • R C Dean

      They do a CCW add-on (I think another lecture or two and another range session) to their intro class which qualifies in something like 30 states.

      • The Bearded Hobbit

        Will have to check into it. Thanks.

  25. Gustave Lytton

    Reminds me that I need to plan a vacation to Thunder Ranch before Clint Smith bites it.

  26. The Late P Brooks

    I have to admit, I wish the safety on mine was little more . . . definite. I’d like a sharper click and a little more resistance. When I’m there in May I may ask their gunsmith about that.

    The gunsmith should be able to make that significantly more positive.

    • EvilSheldon

      Yeah, this is a super easy fix for a 1911. We are talking 1911s, right.

  27. Ownbestenemy

    So because Biden pulled back the deployment of the warships in the Black Sea will we see endless articles on how he is a puppet of Russia? Bwahahaha. Just kidding. Glad he did though.

    • Aerozppln

      Every little thing he does is magic

      • Ask your doctor if BEAM is right for you

        “Every little thing he does is tragic,
         Every single thing he does is wrong . . . “

    • R C Dean

      “Audit the Fed, or I don’t go to bed!” Zach began chanting.

      That’s gold, baby. Solid gold!

      • Ownbestenemy

        Excellent, got a chuckle from me.

    • The Other Kevin

      Hope he had his Ron Paul doll.

    • db

      “Can’t sleep, Fed still out there. Need to audit the Fed.”

  28. Aerozppln

    Well, the Attack on Titan ending really sucked. What is it with terrible endings lately? Breaking Bad had a predictable ending… and it was great.

    Some people are just trying too hard.

    • Bobarian LMD

      C’mon! No spoilers, Tulpa!

      • Aerozppln

        Sorry, Tulpa

    • UnCivilServant

      It’s Anime. As a rule Anime Endings suck.

    • slumbrew

      I’ve watched about 10 minutes of that deeply weird show.

  29. Muzzled Woodchipper

    Greenwald bringing it hot and heavy:

    Part of the motive may be self-serving strategy. With Democrats controlling both houses of Congress as well as the Executive Branch — all of the instruments that can legislate and regulate their businesses — they may be calculating that using their massive weight to serve the Democratic Party’s political agenda is wise. Doing so could curry favor with powerful lawmakers and regulators and result in rewards or, conversely, allow them to avoid punishment and recrimination for the crime of refusing to engage in activism. That motive at least partially explains why they have been so generous with their donations to Democratic candidates. “Wall Street is putting its money behind Democrat Barack Obama for president,” reported Reuters in 2008, while they did the same overwhelmingly in 2020 to support Biden over Trump (just as Democrats have increasingly become the party of affluent suburbanites, they are also increasingly supported by the wealthiest corporate and tech power centers).

    The farcical nature of all of this is obvious. Just as it is laughable that the CIA and GCHQ care about social justice, feminism, and racial diversity as they bomb and subvert the rest of the world in ways that contradict all of those professed values, the idea that corporate giants who use sweatshops, slave labor, mass layoffs and abuse of their workforce care about any of these causes would make any rational person suffocate on the stench of their insincerity.

    https://greenwald.substack.com/p/big-corporations-now-deploying-woke?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoyNDcyMDg5NCwicG9zdF9pZCI6MzUwOTkwNDgsIl8iOiJHeG5aeiIsImlhdCI6MTYxODUxMzEzMSwiZXhwIjoxNjE4NTE2NzMxLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMTI4NjYyIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.NH_16J_mjy2_8M-rtqPzZ4d9IVsdpZ8F4pOcKh–EVQ

    • R C Dean

      Somebody here observed that the Left often has a point when diagnosing problems. Its their solutions that are terrible.

      I used to wave off their carping about Big Biz. Not any more. You’d think I’d have figured it out before now, per the Iron Law:

      Money and power always find each other.

      • LJW

        Minimize the power of government and you minimize the power of corporations.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        That was probably me.

        If you listen to Bernie, he’s usually pretty good at spotting the problems, but his solutions are for shit.

        On the other hand, the new Woke Left can’t even find the problem.

    • Ed Wuncler

      Many of opinions such as Israel and his economic policies one contrary to mine but holy shit has been on fire about the New Left’s journalistic malpractice. He’s exposing them for the power hungry frauds they’ve always been and it’s been fascinating to see that they haven’t even refute what he said but instead retort to using ad hominems and straw men.

      The corporate media is the enemy of the people and look forward to the day when they are finally destroyed by the authoritarian they ushered in when no longer useful. I mean we’ll be in camps but what will keep me warm at night is knowing that those fucks are there with us.

    • kbolino

      He quotes Dreher saying,

      Big Business already has a lot of power over our lives — and now it wants more. The only force powerful enough to reign it in is the State. Whatever else you might say about the State, at least it is democratically accountable — unlike Big Business.

      You don’t control the State and your faction hasn’t had any meaningful and lasting influence over it since FDR got a third term. And Big Business is not the prime mover here. The same force that moves Joe Biden’s executive order pen is the one that pushed every business to put up a #BLM banner. Democratically accountable? Do you think every voter is on your side? There might still be a “silent majority” but good luck mustering its energy past one election.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Of all the lessons, this is the hardest one for them to learn.

      • Ed Wuncler

        That’s why I am a shill for limited government. If the majority are a bunch of assholes it’s not a problem when the government don’t have enough power to fulfil their wishes.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Exactly

        Money follows power.

        And for all the complaining about money being power, nobody seems to notice that the Feds have control of the money supply too.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        Politics is Corporations are downstream of culture.

        So long as wokeness is seen by a large portion of the culture as virtuous, corporations will court that portion of the culture through virtue signaling. After all, that portion of the culture tends to be inhabited by the type of idiot who puts everything on credit and doesn’t care a whit for living within their means. They’re good little Keynesian consumers.

        This woke fad is, in part, a consequence of nearly 15 years without a recession and almost 50 years since the last major downturn. Pissing off a third of your customer base by taking some social stand is something you can only afford to do in very good times.

  30. DEG

    Too Local News Lazy Edition:

    Some folks on a maskless group I’m on are watching his news conference. According to them, he will allow the mask order to expire tomorrow. My gut tells me he will keep in place orders which require employees of businesses like restaurants and gyms to wear masks and also that he will do nothing about municipal mask ordinances.

    I’ll post more information once I get more details.

    • DEG

      I was so lazy I didn’t even PROOFRAD!

      I’m referring to Gov. Chris Sununu’s weekly news conference on the Lil Rona Panic in New Hampshire.

      • UnCivilServant

        If it does expire, I’m going to ask for a recommendation on a municipality without an ordinance so I can go do something normal this weekend.

  31. Tundra

    Excellent write-up RC! What a cool place.

    The basic message was that you need to think about this very hard in advance and come to your own conclusions about if/when you are willing to shoot someone.

    My most recent carry instructor did a great job of instilling those points. He had some genuinely challenging scenarios that, if you guessed wrong, would land your ass in prison.

    I’m glad you two had fun!

    • Ask your doctor if BEAM is right for you

      I’m reminded of a Rockford Files episode in which Jim grabs a pistol to go on an outing to potentially confront some baddie, and either the client or some other person in the room asks him why he doesn’t put any bullets in the pistol.
      “Guns are for pointing, not for shooting,” was his reply.

      The CDC claims there are over two million DGUs in the U.S. annually which result in the perp leaving the defender alone and going away. No way to know how many of those would’ve resulted in the defender being charged if they’d gone sideways.

      • EvilSheldon

        “Guns are for pointing, not for shooting,” was his reply.

        That show must have been before my time; did Jim end up getting beaten to death be someone he was pointing an empty gun at?

        My favorite movie gun quote was in Looper. “You show me a gun, I tell you I’m not afraid, so you describe the gun to me. Lady, it’s not your gun that I’m not afraid of.”

    • Suthenboy

      You won’t have to think about it. When you get to the point of “If I don’t shoot this person I/family member/stranger in line at the pharmacy etc. is going to die right now. Right. Now.
      That is when you shoot. Not before. Lethal force is only justified in defending against a lethal threat. After that let the chips fall where they may but let them do it without your help. Keep your mouth shut tight and get a lawyer.

  32. Chafed

    Thanks for the article RC. I didn’t even know Front Sight existed. I’m going to have to plan a trip to it.

    • trshmnstr the terrible

      I dislike virtual dashboard gauges

      Digital gauges aren’t my favorite, but capacitive buttons are horrible in cars. It’s a safety issue.

  33. Suthenboy

    Something to keep in mind: I realize that not many people have the luxury I have of access to my own private property where I can shoot as often and as much as I like so many join gun ranges. Once a co-worker of mine had his house burgled and all of his guns stolen, nothing else touched. He was bitching about it and said “I just cant understand how they knew I had guns. How the hell did they know?”

    I asked him “Do you belong to a gun range?” He instantly froze, stiff as a board from head to toe. I could see the wheels spinning in his head. After a few seconds he said with great emphasis “Goddammmmit!”

    Dont put gun related stickers on your car. Dont befriend anyone at the gun range then let it slip where you live. There are people who join ranges just to find out who owns guns.

  34. Suthenboy

    Why cant I get the page to reload with new comments?

  35. Suthenboy

    I can see my own new comments but no one else’s. When I load the main page this article is not listed. I tried erasing all cookies, history etc and rebooting thinking I might have some kind of bug but still no luck.