Project Non-Permissive...

...is moving right along. My Browning BLR went to MPI fiberglass gunstocks to lose about half a pound or more. In finally found one of the Browning Scout Scope mounts (which is, sadly, steel). I'm rethinking cutting the 18-inch barrel to 16 inches...probably not worth the cost and the aggravation of building up a much higher front sight. I will need a taller front sight regardless of which BUIS I use — Skinner Express, XS or the classic Williams WGSR. Lengthwise, the longest piece of the take-down is stock, which will with the new stock be right at 20 inches, so I'm not buying anything with the shorter barrel.

That leaves a much-needed trigger job, a leather wrap for the lever and the decision on optics to be done.

Here's a picture from an old AMERICAN RIFLEMAN article on the BLR with a forward-mounted red dot, and I have to say a red dot is still in the running.

The new fiberglass stock will include sling swivels, and my inclination is to reach out to Andy Langlois for one of his "Rhodesian" slings.

Ideally, the entire package — rifle, handgun, ammo for both, holster for handgun, magazines/speedloaders — will fit into one of the Negrini or equivalent case designed for multiple handguns...essentially a large, nondescript briefcase.

Interestingly enough, the BLR may turn out to be the "EDC" for the New, Improved Secret Hidden Bunker, assuming we can get it finished before I pull all my hair out and run away to join the circus. There are more wild critters on the 35-acre new property, and I'd likely keep a rifle handy.

Couple of interesting reads for today. The first is from The Arms Guide on "Keeping a Clear Mind:"

At first approach, it may seem that concentrating on the self defense encounter, planning the best course of action—and taking it, while minimizing risk of injury to one’s self and any potential bystanders, while remembering the rules of law, is an overwhelming challenge. Trying to recount all the details of a frenzy of thought and activity after the fact only adds to the complexity of the task. Fortunately, with a few simple exercises, you can train your brain to handle these high stress moments like a champ. Here are some of the training tips I practice.

Read the whole thing...all good tips. One thing I would add that we've talked about a lot on the podcast that goes a little a little beyond event rehearsal...you need to tell yourself that you are in fact quite capable of handling a chaotic encounter. Yes, that's one of those weird little Happy Talk things, but it does work. The particular little mnemonic that works for me is the simple phrase, "I'm good at this!" Has to be simple, BTW, or it won't work...think of it as a programming bug for your head.

Example...right before SHOT I was in Planet Boulder on an icy, icy day. I was just driving slow-speed  down a 4-lane city street in the trusty Honda Element when I hit a patch of pure black ice invisible in a light dusting of snow. The rear wheels just dropped toward the curb and the car began to spin...yes, there was traffic behind me and in the on-coming lanes. The first thought that popped into my mind was, "Hey, I'm good at this!" I managed to stay in my lane, spin the Element 360 degrees and motor on like, "I meant to do that." My Sweetie even said I was laughing as I spun the car.

Competence is the antidote for panic. I have in the past taken ice driving courses, so I knew there was a good chance I could "get the car back" as long as I didn't fight it. Panic shuts down the mind, and anything that keeps the mind in the game is good.

The second interesting read today comes from the Gun Culture Ver. 2.0 blog summarizing an American Society of Criminology paper on who gets shot and when are gunshots fatal.

The victimization in Rochester [NY, the site of the study] was also concentrated in just a few geographic areas, with a single zip code accounting for 30% of all shootings. In some areas, gun violence is even more concentrated. Assummarized by prominent researcher Anthony Braga (Rutgers University and Harvard), 5% of street blocks accounted for 74% of all shootings in Boston from 1980 to 2008. Just 60 locations experienced 1,000+ shootings.

Interestingly, the report goes on to note that, "The only situational factor that is a statistically significant predictor of lethality is if the victim had a weapon." While there is a lot of head-scratching on this point in the blogpost, it makes perfect sense to me in light of the earlier geographic and social findings in the report. What we can read into those earlier findings are strong evidence of a thriving gang culture (surprise). At the top of the pyramid in gang culture are those individuals whom we may refer to as "violent criminal actors," or VCAs. They are, to borrow a phrase from the movies, stone killers, people who routinely and reflexively use violence to accomplish their goals. Violence, sometimes lethal violence, is simply a component of their "day job."

As I said in TRAIL SAFE, predators always recognize other predators...assuming an apex predator is a prey animal is a mistake that will only be made once. When predators hunt predators, they play for keeps. A VCA will assume his target is like him- or herself, armed and ready for the attack. As Ralph Waldo Emerson notes, when you strike at a King, you must kill him. Same applies to violent criminal actors.

BTW, kind of cool to see a blog focused on analyzing the Gun Culture Ver. 2.0 concept!