steve1

Makes sense to me!

I know everyone is outraged by school shootings. The government is trying to come up with some legislation, that will make a difference. They will probably come up with some grand idea that will do little or nothing to prevent this from happening again. I work in a tough school. Three times, this year, we have had a lock down in our school. When there is a possibility of a shooter, everyone is trained to lock their door and hide. People say it is only a matter of time before a real shooter shows up. So, far this year, one student has been found with a 9mm automatic. I'm tired of waiting, like a sheep for slaughter. There is quite a wait time before the police show up, during these lock downs. I know this is a radical idea, but I think it would work.....I think there should be armed personnel in the school. They could would carry their weapon concealed. There is no reason this wouldn't work well. Israel is one country that does this, with great results. Some schools in Texas are now doing the same thing. Of course you wouldn't want every crazy teacher packing a heater, but there is no reason that several responsible people in a school, couldn't be trained to do this. If a nut case enters a school, with a gun, it would be eliminated before large numbers of children and staff were killed. Gun Sight is a training facility in Nevada. Normally it costs something like a thousand dollars a day to receive their training. They are the best. They too are sickened by what has happened in Connecticut. They are offering to train school personnel free of charge. Graduates of their training courses have outshot the police, when comparing shooting abilities. I know this is a radical idea, but the bottom line is that it would work....

I think there are a ton of people who turn to skydiving to treat their depression. The bottom line is that it helps a lot. I work as a licensed mental health therapist. I also have had depression issues. I wish I could say, all you have to do to conquer depression is see a shrink and maybe get some meds. It's a lot more difficult than that. Most of my relatives treat their depression with alcohol. My brother drank himself to death. My old man was an abusive, neglectful, drunk who did his best to cope with life, but failed miserably. I swore I'd never be like that. Adrenaline sports are one way that I was able to cope. Rodeoing, skydiving, etc. helped a lot. When I was jumping, or getting on a bronc, that was all that I thought about. I was in the moment. The high from that lasted a long time. Call it an escape if you want. All I knew was that life had meaning when I was doing that. Lifting weights, running, nature, being around horses, hunting, and fishing, were all things that helped me a lot. Nature had a huge healing affect. My wife and kids were the best of all. Without them I wouldn't have made it. Working in the mental health field, I have seen a lot of depressed people who stay depressed. I wish I was more optimistic. I know there are a lot of good therapists out there, but there are some really crappy ones as well. Sometimes it takes a lot of looking to find a therapist who will help. I tried medication for several years. Zoloft helped me a lot. My daughter said that Zoloft saved her life. It has side affects though. This is a medication they give sex offenders in prison. It can have a big affect on your sex drive. I skydived while taking Zoloft. I really felt I did better in the air with it. I was more observant. I tried Welbruton for a while. I felt positively wierd while taking that. There's nothing in it that helps anxiery. It has no affect on your sex drive, but it made me stupid. I would go to pick up my carpoolers in the morning and miss the turn. I couldn't remember stuff. I would never skydive on a medication like that. I'm not taking any meds. now. Yes, I need them, but I'm trying to get by without. I hate the side affects. You're not supposed to skydive or fly when you're taking anti-depressants. I know a lot of people do anyway. I had a therapist for a while who seemed very good. He made sense out of things I was troubled by. A few years back he jumped off of a bridge. He parked his car, and without hesitation he went over the edge. I heard his health was bad. Maybe he too suffered from depression. Depression is a huge killer. It disables lot's of people. It hurts like hell. I wish more people understoond this terrible disease. If sports like skydiving give meaning to your life, that's a good thing.....

Maybe I need to rethink the merits of a crossdraw. I know that law enforcement almost never uses that type of holster. I read one review where you can try to defend a crossdraw by keeping your left hand down there. It would be hard to fight back with one arm though. I appreciate all the feedback on this. It makes me realize I still have a lot to learn. I hope to have my brother teach me a thing or two. He taught weapons training in the police academy. I'm also looking seriously at getting some training from "Gun Sight", in Nevada. It's expensive, but hopefully worth it. Reading books and watching videos helps, but I would like more than that.

That makes sense. I've heard the pistol is harder to defend by being up front like that too. Maybe on your hip is a better way to go. I do like the fast and easy access of the crossdraw (particularly from the sitting position).....but it might be an easy way to lose your pistol. Thanks for the input on this.

Russ Berree's son came out to make his first tandem. Hod Sanders was the tandem master. We built an eight way around him. So, after jump number one he had his SCR.

Thanks Dave. I always welcome your thoughts on this, (because you know your stuff). It seems like a lot of thugs have a game plan, to nock you down and then take your wallet, watch, etc., while they're on top of you. I'd hate to get nocked down, and watch my gun go flying because it wasn't secure enough. Being situationally aware is important, though. Often times you could see this coming, or feel something isn't right.

That Black Hawk holster also came with a pancake attachment. I might have to give it a try. The thought of having a pistol fall out of the holster bothers me. I about lost a pistol two years ago in the deep snow. The snap that held it in, came unsnapped. I had it set up for a cross draw. When I bent over to build a fire, it fell out. I was sick. I figured I lost that pistol forever. Finally I found it there next to the fire. If a guy was in an altercation, I wouldn't want my pistol falling out either. I was wondering what is the best way to keep your pistol safe? That push button on the Black Hawk holster may have it's draw backs but it sure holds a pistol in well. It also trains you to have a straight trigger finger, away from the trigger. I've seen videos of guys drawing with that kind of holster. They don't seem to ever have a stuck pistol in the holster. It sounds like that kind of release has it's draw backs too. Do you prefer a thumb break holster? A thumb break with velcro, or a snap? Or a holster without any type of retaining device? My Bianchi holster has a screw you can tighten to make the leather tighter around the trigger guard. (that makes a huge difference). I would imagine that most concealed carry wouldn't have anything holding the pistol in. I imagine all this is a trade-off, and everyone finds what works best for them.

In a recent video, that I watched it mentioned the Israeli technique as well as a few others. One of those techniques involved putting the trigger finger on the trigger as soon as the the gun is pointed down range. Then as the gun goes out to full extension you take the slack out of the trigger, and then firing as soon as the gun is fully extended. I had an early discharge using that method. I was just taking the slack out of the trigger and moving my arms out, and bang. I decided to rethink that idea. I now wait til my arms are extended and I'm locked into my shooting position, then squeeze the trigger, slack and all. I do practice shooting with the pistol close in also, using no sights. Just point and shoot. Its a fun way to practice.

Thanks Blueblur, that's some good info. I might add, I did buy a couple other holsters that I like. When I bought that little 380 (Ruger LCP) pocket pistol, I bought a pocket holster. It's rigid enough to protect the trigger. It just slides into your pocket like a wallet. I liked it so well, that I bought another one for my Glock 26. It takes a bigger pocket for a pistol that size. It would probably be smart to train with one or two of these holsters, rather than have to many varieties. I want muscle memory to work when I need it. If I have to think, where my gun is at this time, It may be wasted seconds. But as others have said, it's kind of hard to carry a large sidearm on your hip if it's 100 degrees out. A smaller weapon, in a more hidden place, may be the only option.

I'm going to read all these posts again. I appreciate your input. A lot of what I know, on this subject, is from reading or just watching videos. I'd like to lay out the money to go to a defensive training course, like "gun sight", but I'm even learning a lot from your opinions on this. Gun safety has been drilled into my head since I was five. I'm just not used to carrying a bullet in the chamber of a pistol. That takes a ton of extra care. I've heard some say you're not armed unless you have a bullet in the chamber, or it will take too much time to put one in, when you need to fire. Drawing or holstering a pistol, with one in the pipe is dangerous stuff. You really need to be careful. On that cross draw holster, I'm practicing throwing my left hand to my chest, as my right hand goes down for the pistol. I don't want a bullet going through my free arm. I'm also super careful that this pistol doesn't cross any part of my body, even for a second. It's probably no wonder that all kinds of people get shot, each year just practicing this stuff. I know that Black Hawk pistol could be very dangerous. I think the most dangerous time is when a guy tries to reholster with a round in the chamber. If that trigger hits a rigid part of the holster it could easily go off. Getting used to that button release can be tricky. I can see how some don't like it. I'm still making up my mind on that. I try to practice reholstering very slowly and carefully, without pointing the muzzle at any part of my leg. There's no reason to practice a fast reholstering job. That will just get you shot. Particularly with that Black Hawk holster. I plan on doing this a few hundred more times, before I ever practice with live ammo, at a range. As far as drawing quickly, I try to think slow is fast. I need plenty more practice at this. I sometimes carry a round in the chamber of my Ruger 380. It has a long trigger pull and is safe enough. I still don't feel safe, enough, to do that with my Glocks. I need more practice.......drawing and reholstering, and dry firing these weapons. Safety is my biggest concern right now. I'm getting there. I just finished reading the Modern Day Gunslinger. I'd recommend it if you are into combat pistol shooting. It's written by a former Navy Seal. Please correct me if I said anything that you don't agree with.

I bought a couple of concealed holsters a while back. I thought I'd see what you guys thought. I've got some great advice here, over the years. This is for gun enthusiasts only.....I don't give a rip what anti-gun crazies think. I'm figuring out that a Glock is a wonderful pistol, but sometimes hard to conceal. The first holster I bought was a Bianchi cross draw holster. It's super easy to reach, either sitting or standing. I love it. Maybe I should have got one with a thumb snap. This one doesn't. A small screw can be tightened on this holster to hold it more securely. I think one of the draw backs of the cross draw, is that your gun might be taken away from you, if you are physically assaulted.....but it sure is handy. It would take a coat or vest to hide it. Even with that it might still be visable. This probably isn't the easiest holster to hide. I still like it..... The other holster I bought was a Black Hawk holster. This is a rigid holster that has a trigger finger release on it. It holds your pistol tightly, and securely, til your trigger finger releases the button. The pistol can be drawn very quickly, once you get the hang of it. With a screwdriver you can adjust the angle the holster will sit. I really, really like this holster too. I've seen a lot of cops with this holster, so it must be a good one. Nothing is perfect though. Both of these have some draw backs. Neither are very easy to hide. I thought I'd add that I bought a new Glock 19(gen 4). I know they had some ejection problems, in the beginning, but I think they now have the bugs out. It shoots like a dream. Malfunction free, so far....

Great story!

Ever since the Doc talked about cutting my nuts off, as a solution for postate cancer, I've been very crotchety. (In more ways than one). I figure I was born into this world with two nuts, and I plan on going out the same way! I'm hoping to come out of all this intact. I don't have much cancer.....Loma Linda hospital is the only way to go. (Proton Radiation). The treatments are painless....95% kill rate on the cancer....and I can probably still jump, for the two months that I'm there. Sorry I was so grumpy, earlier! I never figured I'd ever live long enough to become a grumpy old man, or I would have taken better care of myself....

Mark, I was wondering how much it costs for a recurrency jump with someone, at Perris. I'm a cheap-skate at heart. It's just hard to go from doing twenty and thirty ways a few years back, to being treated like a greenhorn all over again. About 15 years ago, I showed up at Skydive Oregon. They weren't going to let me jump because I didn't have a license then. I tried to explain that in the old days you didn't need a license. You could jump about anywhere if you had some log books. I did have a riggers license, but that wasn't good enough. They couldn't reach my old dropzone, where I had made some jumps the week before. Finally the manager, named Blake, took pity on me, and offered to jump with me if I bought his jump. I don't imagine that most places would be that cheap, easy, or understanding. After that jump I was free to get on any load I wanted on their DZ.....

I've jumped at Perris several times over the years. I was truly impressed with what I saw there. Last time I was there Dan Brodsky was running things. We even had some free coached jumps over X-mas. I can't think of anywhere I'd rather jump. Lot's of friendly people from all over the world.

Thanks Airtwardo! I respect your opinion. That's what I'll do....

I appreciate the advice on this. It seems like the DZ you go to makes a big difference on currentcy. About 14 years ago, I hadn't jumped in twenty years. I went to a drop zone owned by an old friend. The safety officer was an old friend too. I had never jumped a square before. I had about 300 jumps from back in the day. Most all of those jumps were on para-commanders. After a crash course, which took about an hour, I went up and fell base for a five way. Everything went perfect. I'm not saying that would work for everyone, but that was my start back into the sport. I was confident in my own ability and so were my old friends. One thing I learned from all that, is that you never forget how to fall stable. I think that some DZ's don't want to take chances so they are over cautious with anyone who is rusty. I don't get a chance to talk to many jumpers. In Eastern Montana jumpers are pretty scarce. This inter-net is a good thing. I did talk with another skydiver this past weekend. He too suggested using a pen to document a couple recent jumps. It would beat having to pay someone to hang onto you, for an extra $150 bucks. I'm not saying I'll do that. It might be a good idea though....

I'd bet dollars to donuts that I was jumping out of airplanes before you were born, "Sonny". You're not going to send me anywhere.....

I haven't jumped in three, maybe four years. I need to get my log books out to check. If I showed up at a place like Perris, what would I have to do? I have about 850 jumps. I imagine I'd have to make a jump or two by myself. Please tell me, that I wouldn't have to make some kind of AFF jump. I also don't currently have an AAD on my rig. Thanks for the advice!

I think that is true. So, I hope this radiation works. My Dad had his postrate removed. Then the cancer came back in the bed where the postrate once was. They were able to radiate the area and stop it. My step-dad had postrate cancer. It was pretty bad. He chose radiation. Then the cancer came back. His only option then was female hormones to slow the cancer. I think they may be the only option. I wish I knew more on this.

I've got smaller hands. I had the best luck grabbing a handful of material rather than a wrist. It seemed like everyone had belled jump suit for a while. It also helped to keep a little bend in your elbow to obsorb some of the tension on a bigger star. I wonder if most younger jumpers even know what a star is....I haven't heard that term in a long time. Jerry Bird's All Stars are one team I'll never forget. I miss those days. All you had to remember was to look for something round and get in. Everything else was muscle memory....

It seems like it's not cool to wear patches these days. I wonder when that will become fashionable again....things change I wore my SCR and SCS with pride back in the early 70's. I really looked up to anyone who had a 16 way patch. I think the world record was under 30 back then. Most jumpers wore patches then, I was one of them. I don't think I ever met anyone with a jump suit full of patches that they didn't earn. I'm sure it happened though. I met a guy once who said he was a Green Beret in Vietnam. He then proceeded to tell me about a halo jump he made into combat, back in the 60's. This guy only had five jumps that he made in jump school.....no halo training. I wonder if this ding dong was even airborne qualified. That was probably a lie too. No halo jumps were ever made in Vietnam in the 60's. This guy was full of it. I hate people like that.....He was one guy that I could picture walking around with a bunch of patches, that he never earned. I guess it takes all kinds to make the world go round.

After hearing all the options from that doctor, I told him that I wanted to make one thing perfectly clear...."You're not cutting my nuts off, ever!" They say one out of six men will get postrate cancer. Some choose to do nothing other than watch it grow, because the treatment is so awful. The good news is that it is slow growing. It's important to get a PSA test every year. A high number could mean cancer, or something else. That's how I found mine. Most people don't know about proton radiation therapy. It's fairly new. It's by far the best choice in my opinion. A lot of urologists want to cut it out, because they are surgeons. This is a major operation that can leave you impotent or wearing a diaper the rest of your life. I've heard that one in 200 die on the operating table. It just didn't sound good to me. You might be able to have sex again if you load up on Viagra....or not. I recently read a book by a guy who had prostrate cancer. He was treated at Loma Linda. He said his sex life was as good after the treatment as before. His cancer is gone. I talked to one guy, who had really serious postrate cancer. It was even in his limp nodes. Most doctors figured he was going to die. He went to Loma Linda. His cancer is gone. It's been about five years since the treatment. He's married and still has a sex life. If you have postrate cancer, check out Proton Therapy. It was new, ten years ago. Now they are building treatment centers all over the country. It looks like the best option to me. Most insurance carriers should cover it, even though it is twice as expensive as conventional methods of treatment. My doctor tried to convince me that his methods were just as good.....I don't trust the guy.

All guys at this age are prime candidates for this problem. Best of luck to you. I got together with a couple of 'older' jumpers on Veterans Day and about the only we talked about was prostrate problems & treatments. It's getting scary out there, JerryBaumchen Jerry, My doctor started explained treatment options to me last weekend. I felt like I was part of a horror story.....He started off by saying that one way to slow the spread of cancer in the postrate is castration. With fewer male hormones, it spreads less. Then he said he could chemically castrate me by giving me female hormone injections. He also added that my breasts might start to grow after that. I never could picture myself wearing a braziere. Then he said that they could cut out my entire prostate. This might involve the loss of four to six pints of blood, and who knows how many nerves he'd cut. A long recovery time would follow, and sex after that was doubtful. Did I mention you might have to wear a diaper the rest of your life. One guy was a lawyer. He had his postrate cut out. After that he had to carry two brief cases to work. One was legal papers. The other was full of diapers. Every hour he had to change his diaper. I'm not sure if that was for the rest of his life or not. Then there is the regular type of radiation that destroys all kinds of things down there that surround your postrate. This often leads a patients impotentcy or wearing a diaper. Damn! It scared the hell out of me. Maybe I'm exaggerating some of this....but none of these options sounded good to me! I don't have a lot of cancer down there. It's early. I've got a gleason score of 6....To hell with all those treatment options. I did some research and found out that proton radiation has very few side affects. The treatment is painless. Loma Linda Hospital was the first to offer this treatment. It's expensive. I hope my insurance will pay for it. I figure I can skydive for a couple months while I get this done.... It's no fun, being an old fart!