Tuesday, August 08, 2017

It's pronounced "ˈped(ə)ntrē"...

So, there's a video going around on the intertubes where a police officer, on encountering what is obviously (said with the same tone as "ackshually") a Hi-Point looks at it and, prior to the process of competently and safely clearing it, refers to it as a "Glock Forty".

The Gun Pedantry Brigade went into a feeding frenzy with the sort of enthusiasm normally reserved for those poor benighted souls unfortunate enough to refer to a magazine as a clip in front of the wrong crowd.

I had to disagree:
"[Safely clearing it is] all I care about. I don't expect every cop to be a gun dork any more than I expect them to be a car nerd or a ham radio buff. After all, they use their cars and radios a lot more than they use their guns, right?"
Oh, but no, I was informed.

I quote: "No Tamara, she and all law enforcement officers needs to have a clue about weapons if she is going to be dealing with them."

Well! I think you, sir, need to know about subject-verb agreement if you are going to be dealing with them, but that's a digression.

My actual rebuttal:
"She knew enough about weapons to safely clear the firearm. That's all she had to know. She doesn't need to know brand names, muzzle velocities, calibers, or any of that crap, as long as she can competently and safely handle firearms.

I've talked to more than one door-kicking face-shooter whose attitude about guns was "I don't care anything about 'em, I just use the ones they give me. My hobby is surfing" and couldn't tell you a Springfield from a Smith & Wesson without reading the side.
"
So then the "tool" argument was made by a guy who uses tools for a living. He has to know a flathead from a Phillips, a #1 Phillips from a #2, a Snap-On from a Craftsman, so shouldn't the po-po need to know stuff like that about guns?

My response:
"The LEO does not have a #3 Framminatzer and a Type VIII Whatsis. They have a pistol on their belt and maybe a shotgun or carbine in the car. They need to be able to operate these safely and competently. They should probably be able to make safe most commonly encountered firearms. That's all their job requires of them in the firearms department.

(And if they can do these things, then they are light years ahead of many people I know who can spout ballistics tables and the history of military rifles off the top of their heads.)

I'd rather be on the range with a safe, well-trained shooter who isn't 100% sure of the brand or caliber of their issue gun than any number of enthusiastic gun hobbyists who can endlessly spout "It's a magazine, not a clip!" but have lousy muzzle and/or trigger finger discipline.
"
Fetch me my pedant rifle!

This is a topic on which my opinion has swung nearly a complete 180 degrees over the years.

CLIPAZINES!