Open Carry for the Texans

According to YahooNews, the state of Texas, known to many as the pro-gun capital in the United States, actually has anti-open carry laws that ban the citizens of Texas to carry a firearm outside of their waistband. This all may change next year, however, since Republican Governor Greg Abbott has been elected. Mr. Abbott wishes to create greater rights in field of firearms. The Republican candidate has stated that "If open carry is good enough for Massachusetts, it's good enough for the state of Texas." However, Texas is not the only state to ban open carry. California, New York, Illinois, and South Carolina have all jumped on the "feel good" bandwagon, thinking that if they ban open carry, crime will go down. I am sorry to say, but that is not how it works. A citizen who is willing to go through the headache to get an open carry permit plans on using the firearm they carry to protect others and themselves, not to harm others. The people of Texas have greatly supported open carry for a large amount of time. The group known as "Open Carry Texas" has displayed firearms in public places such as Starbucks and even the Alamo. The members carry firearms openly, sometimes it is even rifles that they are carrying on their backs. The act of openly carrying a long arm, which is more often simply called a shotgun or rifle, is completely legal in Texas, even under the open carry ban, as the ban only banned handguns. But, as with anything related to firearms, there is opposition. As stated in a previous entry of mine, "Open Carry in the United States," the group called "Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America" has spearheaded this anti-open carry movement. The group was also at the Alamo with Open Carry Texas, but they had a much different goal. Personally, I do not understand why so many people dislike open carry. Banning open carry will not eliminate crime, as no mass shooter has been seen open carrying on an everyday basis before he committed the crime. Banning open carrying is just a "feel good" legislature that I completely disapprove of and I agree with Governor Greg Abbott's goal of reinstating open carry in Texas.

Ferocious Females in the Marine Corps

According to USAtoday, the United States Marine Corps, or more simply known as the USMC, has begun devising tests to create co-ed units to be sent out into combat around the world. It is believed that it would take approximately nine months to finish out the experimental tests, however, if all goes well, women will be able to fight alongside men in combat. This experiment was created to screen applicants due to the Pentagon's request that women have the ability to join all combat related careers by the year 2016. The breakdown of men to women is said to be around 25% women to 75% men. There are around 400 members in the new experimental co-ed units. However, this new concept has many questioning its effectiveness. Many people wonder whether women have the ability to perform the same jobs as males, for the same duration of time, with the same amount of weight on. I personally wonder this myself. Do not get me wrong, I am not saying that women are weak, as I know that women can be very strong, but the weight that soldiers carry can be from 97 to 135 pounds. This weight can be difficult for even a man to carry at times. Another personal question of mine is whether a women could drag out a man who has been wounded by an enemy's bullet. Could a woman pull a man out of the line of fire that weighs 180-200 pounds while she only weighs 130-150 pounds? I have no issue with women joining and fighting in the United States Marine Corps, but I personally think it would be better to have separated units instead of co-ed units.

Women with Weapons

Erika from Range Time Tactical Shooting; a tactical shooting
organization that teaches all, including women, how to shoot better.

According to USAtoday, there has been a recent rise in women who choose to carry firearms. It has been stated that from 2005-2011 that the amount of women who have purchased or own a firearm has increased from a low 13% to a much greater 23%. This rise in female firearm owners is not going without proper training, however. One group that offers classes to aid in training women to defend themselves with firearms is named the "Well Armed Woman." This organization was founded by a woman by the name of Holly Young. She had created the organization to help women to not be "an easy target." Young had decided to found the organization to have a program where women can learn from other women, as she believes that "Men have their own way of thinking." The organization will hopefully be providing other classes of self-defense, such as knife defense, chokehold escape, etc. This organization or other organizations of like mind are not unfounded, as many women do require an extra edge over an assailant. The United States has approximately 84% of all women victims of firearms in the developed world. Also, most assailants of women are surprisingly not complete strangers, but instead either husbands or significant other that will attack a woman. Reasons such as these are why organizations such as the "Well Armed Woman" have begun springing up along with and increased number of women purchasing firearms. Firearms manufacturers have realized this boom in sales to women and have decided to act on it. There has been a large increase in handguns with pink slides and frames, holsters designed for women, smaller calibers for smaller women, and even purses or pocketbooks designed for firearms. I personally agree with women carrying and training with firearms, as women may possibly face more dangers than men simply because of the people that think those women can be taken advantage of due to their gender.

                                           Erika from RangeTimeTS talks about her AK74.

                                         Proving that women shoot just as much as the guys.

Just Another Day at the Office for Border Patrol

According to BBC, a 16 year old teenager by the name of Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez had been shot in the back of the head, neck, and torso by agents of border patrol in October of 2012. The border patrol officers had opened fire after being hit with rocks that were being thrown at them by people suspected of drug trafficking. Elena Rodriguez had been hit sometime during the shooting. The lawyer for the family of the teenager who had been killed had stated, "The border patrol agent who was firing could have easily taken cover." Now, personally I have to disagree with this statement. It may be easy to say what should have happened after the fact and when the person was not there, but in the heat of the moment, split second actions are necessary and the agent may have found it necessary to fire while being assaulted with rocks instead of seeking cover. It is also believed that the agents had started firing only after the alleged drug traffickers had refused to stop running. Two years after the shooting, the mother of Elena Rodriguez and the American Civil Liberties Union have attempted to sue the Border Patrol in relation to the shooting. The lawsuit alleges that "Just prior to the shooting, Jose Antonio was visible and not hiding; an observer could see that he did not pose a threat. He was doing nothing but peacefully walking down the street by himself when he was gunned down. He was not committing a crime, nor was he throwing rocks, using a weapon, or in any way threatening the U.S. Border Patrol agents or anything else." I also disagree with this statement. While it is a tragedy that a 16 year old was killed, one thing lawyers need to understand is that in a firefight, it is very difficult to tell ally from foe. I have personally engaged myself in mock scenario firefights and I can say that I have almost drawn the replica firearm on my own teammates in the confusion. I am sure that in real combat, the confusion is only multiplied. I know that many people will most likely disagree with me, but while this is a tragedy, I do not believe the agent(s) involved should be punished as severely as many people are calling for.

Mexico's Missing 43

According to USAtoday, on September 24, 2014, 43 Mexican students had been kidnapped from the normal school of Guerrero. Ever since then, protests have broken out throughout Mexico City. It is believed that the kidnapping was led by the political leaders or the police of Mexico, leading to protests against the corruption that is rampant throughout Mexico's politics and leadership. It does not aid in the corrupt appearance of the government due to their lack of even mentioning the matter until 11 days after the students had vanished. Mexico's government did not even conduct a proper search. With the first clue, without any evidence to the facts, they stated that human remains that had been found charred in a river were of the kidnapped students. However, many of the parents of the students refuse to believe this statement. One parent, Felipe de la Cruz, instead says, "They've been trying to fool us. They've not been carrying out a proper search." The Attorney General of Mexico, Jesus Murillo Karam, believes that the disappearance was committed by police that had been working alongside drug cartel members and taking orders from a mayor and his wife. Sadly, one of the 43 students found, but not found alive. The student named Alexander Mora was found in a garbage dump on December 7, 2014. The finding of the body of Mr. Mora has led many in Mexico to search even harder for the remaining 42 students. The death of Alexander Mora led Congress to create a reform that would replace the 1,800 municipal police forces with state-level police forces. At least 75 people have been incarcerated in relation with the kidnapping. All I can say about the disappearance of these students is that I wish for them to be found soon. They do not deserve to be kidnapped and possibly killed just as Alexander Mora had.

The Next Level of Protection: Armored Backpacks

Armored backpacks that look no different than any other
backpack.

According to USAtoday, after the recent shootings of Sandy Hook Elementary School and the Aurora movie theater, many parents have been purchasing backpacks with ballistic armored plates inside. These plates are used to protect the user in case of a bullet being fired at their body. One manufacturer of such backpacks is the company known as Amendment II. The sales of armored backpacks increased even greater when the elementary in Newtown, Connecticut was attacked by Adam Lanza. It was reported that sales had increased "over 500%" after that day. Of course, these backpacks do not share the same price tag as a normal backpack. For a Level II ballistic plate, which can stop most conventional handgun rounds, it can cost up to $300. But for the more security inclined, they may purchase a Level IIIA ballistic plate. A Level IIIA plate comes with one more "I" on the name and an extra $100 added onto the price. Amendment II was not the one to come up with the concept of armored backpacks however. That is credited to a parent named Kerry Clark. Even though many people have been purchasing the backpacks like it is water, there are critics. Some people say that it will cause children to become more anxious, instead of the desired effect of comfort and calmness. While I do agree with keeping all children safe, I must say, I do not agree with the price tag of $400 dollars for a Level IIIA plate that only protects one side of a person’s body. The company known as AR500 creates steel targets and plate carriers to hold the same ballistic plates as the backpack, but on all sides of the body and the prices are generally cheaper for armor that is much better. AR500 even sells Level III backpack armor for only $65 dollars. I understand why such backpacks are selling, but I personally believe that a small plate carrier of simply an AR500 plate inside a normal backpack is a much more viable option. But do not let my opinion stand in the way of your child’s safety if you wish to purchase such a backpack. It is your decision, not mine.

AR 500 ballistic armor of the same Level III rating. Notice
a difference between the backpacks and this?

Magpul: An Unfair Situation for the Ones With the "Unfair Advantage"

According to CBSnews, a Colorado based firearm accessory manufacturer by the name of Magpul Industries was dealt a terrible hand when Colorado law became that no magazine was allowed to hold more than 15 rounds of ammunition. The issue was that one of Magpul's biggest sales is their Polymer Magazine, better known as the Magpul P-Mag. The P-Mag that is most prominent in the shooting world is the 30 and 20 round versions. This was an obvious issue for Magpul Industries. Magpul had a solution however. They decided that they would hand out free P-Mags to the first 1,500 people who showed up that were 18 years of age or older at the "Farewell to Arms" festival that took place at Glendale Park. They also sold them at dirt cheap prices to anyone who either wanted more or arrived after the initial 1,500 people. Magpul is one of the largest companies for the sale of firearms accessories, but it was not always that way. The company had all started in the basement of one ex-Marine. Magpul had also run low on funds at one point due to the prototype rifle that was known as the Magpul Masada to the company. Unfortunately, the blueprints to the firearm had to be sold to Remington and Bushmaster, where it became known as the Advanced Combat Rifle, or ACR. However, Magpul now even provide their export version of the P-Mag, which is called the Export Magazine, or E-Mag, to countries such as the United Kingdom for their SA80 rifles. Over 100,000 E-Mags have been supplied to the UK soldiers. Both the P-Mag and E-Mag are made out of a polymer, which makes them extremely lightweight and durable, even more durable than the traditional aluminum magazine used by most militaries. Magpul Industries is one of my favorite firearms accessory manufacturers, and anyone who uses their equipment truly has an "unfair advantage." I wish the company the best in their future.

An AR-15 covered with Magpul products, including a 30-round
P-Mag used by Travis Haley, who used to work for Magpul.