Normal people with guns in those situations tend to be useless or worse than useless.
Consider: the reason they carry is that they're fundamentally afraid, more afraid than unarmed people. What do you think that situation will do to them?
Wet pants time.

Even many of my US based pro-gun friends on Facebook conceded this: without current, up to date, specifically targeted combat training and the dedicated willingness to shoot and kill another human being, their guns aren't useful and there's really not that much point in carrying them.
Even soldiers in war time often find it hard to shoot enemy combatants, even though they've dehumanised the “enemy” to make it easier.

So, yeah, armed civilians are a joke. Just makes it harder to spot the “bad guys”

You aren't disagreeing with me. I'm not sure how strict Australia's gun laws are but over here people not having guns works.

Genejoke wrote:

Shootings are unlikely to ever be stopped by a “good guy” with a gun unless that “good guy” as extensive training that's up to date AND they're cool under pressure- which is a combo that almost never happens with normal people. If there's ever a “good guy” it's usually an off-duty police person.

I think Plymayer could find an example of just that thing happening.

Example? Try examples. Lots of them. But most are of people who are trained and responsible gun owners, not Joe Dirt the rag-bag with a gun so your point is well taken. It's people who know how to handle a fire-arm. From personal experience I just prefer to be able to return fire. However, I WILL NEVER OWN a firearm (except some black powder for target shooting. Yes a well trained black powder shooter could stop a mass shooter with an assault rifle, but who's going to carry a Baker rifle everywhere they go?).

You forget where I live. I hear about shootings, gun-free zones, stop and frisk, every day and the debate echos in my ears daily. I know lots of people who stopped gun violence by having a gun. You know what keeps gang bangers from shooting up a neighborhood? A guy on his stoop with a shotgun. I've heard it from more people who were the guy on the stoop with the shotgun. I've also heard it from the gang bangers. How many inner city peeps do you see everyday at work? You only know through FB and online chat rooms. I know from the people on the front lines. And I know where I can walk into a room put down the cash and walk out with an illegal automatic weapon with high capacity magazine. Rather buy a closet full of models personally.


I trained kids how to survive a mass shooting when a teacher. Seek good cover and stay down. If you know how to use a firearm and you actually have it available, return fire but do not be a hero. You are not indestructible. Try to get him to seek cover. Just try to get him to stop shooting by returning fire. Period.


I see Second Amendment NRA people as nuts. I even called my gun loving brother a gun-nut to his face.


I would prefer to have the ability to return fire. that's a personal preference. But in my getting a firearm there better not be any loopholes. I want something that's whole purpose is to KILL. Make it hard to get one legally. But an armed populace being necessary to sustain a republic (read the Federalist papers sometime) don't make it impossible. The Republicans in Congress are being dumb. There are still a few loopholes that need closing. And better training for the FBI so they're not so fast to dismiss people from watch lists who buy high capacity magazines and body armor.


——-



By the way the whole thing of trained soldiers finding it hard to return fire is a myth. S.L.A. Marshall's work has all been thoroughly discredited. He's the guy who established the myth. Any trained shooter can and will return fire. Whether he hits anything is another matter, but volume fire has its uses. Hence giving soldiers squad machine guns, individual sub-machine guns and finally assault rifles. You force the other guy to keep his head down while you work your way around to finish him off. It is hard to keep up a good volume of fire from a dispersed unit of guys carrying bolt action rifles. That's why the British kept their heads down and just fed magazines to the Bren gunner. Why you always hear about German machine gun fire, not rifle fire. Why the M1 Garand was that great battlefield implement.

World War II history is so full of myths that only now are getting busted by careful research. It's amazing how many unit accounts are unpublished or finally getting compiled only now. Recent works strip away the S.L.A Marshall bullshit and get at what soldiers really did and how the Allies won as opposed to cowering in holes with German machine gun fire overhead.

Read the Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson, Monty's Men by John Buckley.

bravo1102 wrote:
I trained kids how to survive a mass shooting when a teacher. Seek good cover and stay down. If you know how to use a firearm and you actually have it available, return fire but do not be a hero. You are not indestructible. Try to get him to seek cover. Just try to get him to stop shooting by returning fire. Period.

I, too, have trained elementary aged kids how to prepare for a mass shooting at school. There are few things that tug at my heart strings more than staring directly into the eyes of a young kid during a modified lockdown (not a drill) and having everything I had been saying a minute earlier repeated by a fourth grader. “Get away from the windows. Get down on the ground. Look at me. Everything is going to be okay.”


===

There is a road no more than twenty minutes away from my house that I consider my own slice of Heaven. Few civilians have experienced the beauty of driving through the uninterrupted, winding road of California's mountainous coast seemingly untouched by land development and humans. I reflect on my most introspective thoughts while driving alone on Basilone. More often than not, it has become a place for solace where I am able to meditate and balance the stressors of life.

Two months ago, I received an out of the blue call from the General Manager of my company regarding a new job opportunity. It turned out that I was preselected as a potential candidate to fill the GM's assistant position when it opened up at the end of June. I was going to compete against other employees at the company for a single position and that I did not need to make a decision until after I had a chance to shadow the current assistant. This brought out a competitive side of my personality and my willingness to get the offer was definitely a power play from my end.

I started the shadowing process three weeks ago for what felt like the longest in-person interview I have had in my life. The good news was that my personality clicked instantly with the assistant. Most of my time spent shadowing consisted of discussing the Bob Dylan songbook, our love of folk music, and the ins and outs of working alongside many of the strong personality types at our workplace. More than half of the work day is spent driving all over the enormous military base and I get to see my beloved Basilone Road. What started out as a nerve-racking three day shadowing trial turned out to be the loveliest three days of awesome conversation (oh, and it did not hurt that I am awesome at Excel, extremely detail oriented, and was able to multitask like a pro). I left feeling pretty content with the last parting words being, “I am about 90% sure you are going to be selected for this position.”

Three days later, while walking through the mall, I received a phone call from the General Manager stating that the company would love to have me on board and that I picked up on the work given pretty quickly and that I was able to complete a task after having it explained one time. The call was bookended by the phrase, “We need a really strong person for this position, and you are a fast learner.”

I accepted the job offer. I stood there for a moment right outside the GameStop in the mall and said to myself, “I have five jobs now.”

Ugh, I'm doing that thing where I have so much to do that I get anxious and do nothing instead. I have a bunch of research work that needs to get done before I leave for Japan in a week, and for whatever reason I've become sort of overwhelmed by it and I'm having a really hard time convincing myself to start on it. I keep convincing myself that other things need to be done first. “Oh, I should format my other research findings so they look presentable.” “I'll finish marking exams.” “I'll tally up the final grades so I can send them to him later in the week.”

Now I'm completely done marking, my other research findings look beautifully professional, and I have nothing to do but the actual work that needs to get done. DO IT ALEX

Was I being too cruel? I was out collecting resources when this bone shark nearly killed me (thank goodness for health kits). Since it insisted on trying to bite me even while in my submersible, I decided to do something about him. I rammed it several times with the DDS (Drunk Duck Submersible) Hippie Van as he tried to ram me (he was playing “chicken”). The result is the picture below… moments before I unceremoniously sent its still twitching body over the underwater cliff…

HippieVan wrote:
Ugh, I'm doing that thing where I have so much to do that I get anxious and do nothing instead. I have a bunch of research work that needs to get done before I leave for Japan in a week, and for whatever reason I've become sort of overwhelmed by it and I'm having a really hard time convincing myself to start on it. I keep convincing myself that other things need to be done first. “Oh, I should format my other research findings so they look presentable.” “I'll finish marking exams.” “I'll tally up the final grades so I can send them to him later in the week.”

Now I'm completely done marking, my other research findings look beautifully professional, and I have nothing to do but the actual work that needs to get done. DO IT ALEX

Hippie, I am going to Japan in September and this subreddit saved my life!

https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel

Check it out if you haven't already, it has just a general FAQ thread, and people post ton of useful tips, recommendations, etc.. or you can post your iteniary and people can help you on it. I learned alot about the train system by stalking that sub!

ashtree house wrote:

Hippie, I am going to Japan in September and this subreddit saved my life!

https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel

Check it out if you haven't already, it has just a general FAQ thread, and people post ton of useful tips, recommendations, etc.. or you can post your iteniary and people can help you on it. I learned alot about the train system by stalking that sub!

Thanks ashtree! I will check it out.

This is a family trip, so I've mostly been letting my dad and little sister do most of the planning. I'm kind of happy to wander around and see whatever. :)

(Plus I will probably be super gross-feeling and jet-lagged, so I don't want to over-plan and then feel disappointed by what I don't see because I'm too tired to do it all.)

Where are you planning on going in Japan?

My wife's sister is looking at a Mediterranean Cruise for 2017. It might even include a few extra days in Rome.

In September my wife is going to Illinois for a genealogy conference. I can't get vacation I dare not take off because I have become indispensable. Everything is going from bad to worse and I don't want to go away only to come back to a smoking hole in the ground.

HippieVan wrote:

ashtree house wrote:

Hippie, I am going to Japan in September and this subreddit saved my life!

https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel

Check it out if you haven't already, it has just a general FAQ thread, and people post ton of useful tips, recommendations, etc.. or you can post your iteniary and people can help you on it. I learned alot about the train system by stalking that sub!

Thanks ashtree! I will check it out.

This is a family trip, so I've mostly been letting my dad and little sister do most of the planning. I'm kind of happy to wander around and see whatever. :)

(Plus I will probably be super gross-feeling and jet-lagged, so I don't want to over-plan and then feel disappointed by what I don't see because I'm too tired to do it all.)

Where are you planning on going in Japan?

I have a friend who teaches English in Morioka, so I will be spending some time there. And then Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima, all the top tourist spots haha!

I am with you on over planning. I am not too much of a planner, I just want certain things figured out before I go like trains, wifi/sim card situation, hotels etc.. other then that I hate having to stick to a strict plan or timeline. I want to just wander around and eat everything, that is a vacation for me!

My whole two cents thing on concealed carry and “good guy” carry is that as an MP and the one of first responders for my military post, I would just as happily that none of you ever be allowed to carry guns at all. I fully support being allowed to own hunting weapons and an assault rifle is just a regular rifle with a pistol grip to me, but I don't even trust other soldiers who aren't my MP's carrying weapons.


From my perspective; I'm going into a totally unknown situation with weapon drawn, yelling at the top of my lungs, and then I come around the corner and here's someone with a gun. One of two things is going to happen at that point; either that's my target and I'm going to fire my weapon and kill him before moving on, or I'm going to kill some idiot who thought he'd save people by using his gun and I get to live with the guilt of killing a civilian who wasn't my target for the rest of my life and the idiot gets to go to heaven knowing he at least made my PTSD worse. To me, you with a gun isn't a help, and all you've done is make my job harder and more dangerous. I've seen how the “people with real combat training” handle these situations, and most of the time the only thing they do better is remember to stay hidden and follow orders. You as a civilian are just going to get someone else killed.

————————

As for why I was going to bitch, it was because I'm becoming quickly convinced that we need to follow the American Institute of Architects lead in the graphic design field and require anyone who wants to be a designer to pass an exam and become licensed. I meet too many marketers, journalists and business majors who really shouldn't be allowed to make design decisions and these people waste far too much of my money and damage way too many of the end client's businesses because they don't listen or understand what they're getting involved in when it comes to design, branding and (ironically) marketing. This time it was someone refusing to acknowledge that computer screens don't match the print and use a Pantone book like they were supposed to; because it would have cost them $155 and they don't see the need for such a “unnecessary” expense.

I certainly DON'T trust myself with a gun. I'm not sure I want to be using it for anything other than hunting. And only as a very last resort (I prefer bows). Though it's been 25 years since I've actually wielded a gun… hmm…

As a security officer, my job is to observe and report. So in the real world, that's what I do. I trust myself with a gun only so far as I know not to use one.

It would be comforting to be able to return fire, but in the real world that is not realistic for any number of reasons. Iba's post reminded me that the skills and techniques of law enforcement and combat are different in so many subtle ways.

bravo1102 wrote:
As a security officer, my job is to observe and report. So in the real world, that's what I do. I trust myself with a gun only so far as I know not to use one.

It would be comforting to be able to return fire, but in the real world that is not realistic for any number of reasons. Iba's post reminded me that the skills and techniques of law enforcement and combat are different in so many subtle ways.

That's pretty much my job on Guam as well, except it's safer over here. About the only weapon I carry is my Maglite, which gets me two reactions when potential troublemakers see it. They either comply with a lot of respect, or they try to act like tough guys and THEN complying (but without the respect).

Hopefully by July I will finally leave this security company for another. According to my cousin-in-law, the so called “non compete agreement” my company is using is not enforcable. Not sure why, but he did mention how Guam mirrors California law, and over there noncompetes are illegal. Hopefully this G4S company is what it says it is… good pay rate, raise after six months, and if I'm lucky enough to be put on the public school contract I'll get $11 an hour…

I have a lot of swords and I don't want to ever use them on people. If a person broke in to my house (god forbid), I would reach for one though, because that's what you tend to do.
In the past I've thought the safest way would be to grab a club, or the bluntest of my swords… But they're easy to grab and the point of even a blunt sword is FAR more dangerous than a sharp edge.
So probably the safest defence sword is something extra sharp like a katana- harder and more intimidating to grab, and much easier to give a person shallow, very painful, yet non-dangerous superficial cuts so that they're deterred.
The mistake people have (including me) is thinking that all sword cuts are about chopping people up, but that's false, you don't have to cut everything in half…

@Kawaii- Congrats on the extra job! :D
Sounds like a good one. Maybe you'll start pairing back what you do when you find the particular responsibilities you like the most?

lba wrote:
This time it was someone refusing to acknowledge that computer screens don't match the print and use a Pantone book like they were supposed to; because it would have cost them $155 and they don't see the need for such a “unnecessary” expense.

I'm all for this!!!!!
Just yesterday I had to recreate a couple of banners for a large mining company going by nothing but photos… I had the mining company's original logo and standards document so that was no worries, but most of the banner is about sponsoring a golf event so it's in the golf club's colours… Green and yellow.

But WHAT green? What yellow? You can't just pick randomly from a faded iphone photo of a green glossy nylon banner, full of shadow and bright sun reflection, it's impossible to judge or get accurate samples.
Plus the mining company people don't care because it's not THEIR corporate colours… but sure as hell people will care when they're printed and on display and they don't match the old ones. :(

Anyway, even photoshop couldn't pick an accurate sample, so I eyeballed it myself and picked a tone I felt was right, then got photoshop to tell me what PMS matched it, then verified that from my physical swatches. Seems good enough.

ozoneocean wrote:
Vicious cuts with swords…

From personal experience of a lifetime playing with sharp things: a paper cut that draws no blood hurts more than slicing your thumb in half with blood everywhere.

X-acto #11 blade at close range would be all I would need. Heck even a sharp pencil would do for stopping an assailant.


I know someone who protected himself in prison with a set of colored pencils. They'll give you art supplies. He stabbed one guy's hand and every one left him alone.

——–
Just saw the season finale of Game of Thrones and it's coming together precisely as I predicted three years ago. I also just saw Red Baron which has Lena Headley in it and she looked so different. Great aerial sequences that were much better than Flyboys. It is nice see them try to do an historical picture with today's digital effects. And not take shortcuts with the art. Every plane had appropriately personalized markings. Really beautiful

The main part of it is the threat though- I wouldn't want to have to injure a person at all. But with little things like Stanley knives you sort of have to because the threat of them wont stop anyone…

I once tried to defend myself in a fight with a steel mechanical pencil. the thing was quite sharp… but useless. The guy didn't even feel it.

Seriously considering scrapping all my comics bar the community projects. Looking at them I don't feel pride, save for a few pages. Maybe it's the depression and anxiety talking.

I'm torn on the Gun Debate…

On one hand I think it's waaaaaaay too easy for someone to get a gun in the U.S., both legally and illegally! But honestly, I do think we should have the right to be able to defend ourselves by being able to match the force a typical intruder/robber/kidnapper could bring down upon us… I don't know how often that force would be a gun, but in the U.S. it's not unwise to assume it's often enough…

My personal belief is you don't need to be able to shoot well… I belief most assailants will back off (or not even try to begin with) just knowing you have a firearm… Or maybe I'm just telling myself that… My thinking is, were I a robber, seeing a firearm being held by my ‘victim’, or hearing a gunshot (even just shot in the ground or in the air), I'd go find easier prey…

We go to the out-of-the-way places a lot; we camp fairly often, we hike the countryside and woods, and walk the back streets of cities like New Orleans, and we pretty much always carry two concealed sidearms with us, usually a .380 and a .25 (which we bought thru proper legal channels and have licenses for)…

I probably am fooling myself, but I just feel safer knowing one is near - we wouldn't explore many of the strange and awesome places we've been without them, places we have every right to go!

Genejoke wrote:
Seriously considering scrapping all my comics bar the community projects. Looking at them I don't feel pride, save for a few pages. Maybe it's the depression and anxiety talking.

I haven't done anything new in almost six months. I'm thinking the same thing as you.

@Kim- You do what you think is best for the environment you're in.

@Bravo and Genejoke- DON'T do it guys! Always better to have an archive of good projects on show. ALWAYS. Old work is valuable.

bravo1102 wrote:

Genejoke wrote:
Seriously considering scrapping all my comics bar the community projects. Looking at them I don't feel pride, save for a few pages. Maybe it's the depression and anxiety talking.

I haven't done anything new in almost six months. I'm thinking the same thing as you.

Ozone is right. It's natural to look back on work you've done with frustration and disappointment sometimes if you're a creative type, but having that body of work is a great recommendation in itself. Maybe a case could be made for splitting comics into active and archive sections for creators who have a lot to show. That would make life easier for potential new readers, but don't lose the old stuff.

I'm not talking deleting what has been done. I haven't even deleted my unfinished comic from years ago. The one comic I did delete contained work since irrevocably lost after a hard drive failure.

But it's boiling down to “what have you done lately. ” And there's nothing to show. Lots of new content on the site, but none of it is mine.

I might have to completely change my medium because the old one just isn't practical. But where do I start in doing that? Maybe I should forget the whole thing and do something else. I am not sure right now.

I was talking about deleting it, but I doubt I'll delete anything that I haven't already. I did delete some of my failed comics. I think I'm just going to leave them and maybe have a hiatus on them and do short stories in the meantime.

Bravo, if it's no longer practical and you don't want to get into some drawing, how about experimenting with 3D stuff? You could try doing what you already do, but keeping it all inside the magic interbox? Sometimes just messing around with something new, without anything much in mind, well you know the rest.

Genejoke, whatever you do, don't delete any of Lore: I'm using it for reference right now!

Lol no not deleting that, I still have pages to upload. I've only deleted things that aren't updating and will not again. I'm just going to focus on short term stuff while feeling out of sorts, things I can finish.

Genejoke: I think it IS anxiety and depression affecting your.perception, but yeah, people's older work often seems inferior in their own opinion.

Bravo: sometimes things just jam up and nothing seems to be happening. Your unconscious mind could very well be working on your next opus right now, without you even realizing it!

I hope neither of you delete those older stories (assuming you haven't yet). That's a record of where you've been! Don't erase our shared DD history, sirs!

I deleted Equivocate, which never really got a readership and didn't quite work. I tried bringing it back a year or so back but couldn't keep it going. Also, hero factor and malefic tales are gone. both had chunks missing and were deader than dead.

It's very much the depression and anxiety affecting me, I've been making new pages, but not of ongoing series. I finished a short story that will go live in We are the duck after the current comic jam wraps, it's a very bleak story that I found quite disturbing to write. I've also started doing the second part of the Fishing series, that's the one about the guy dating via the internet. I'm finding writing and illustrating things like this much easier than sci fi and fantasy at the moment. Again I assume it is all about where my head is at right now.

I took down comics that I no longer actively work on (at least the ones with a small archive) and stuck them all under one comic. I kept the ones with larger archives up for posterity. I just don't like totally closing doors.

I'm now entering into one of the busiest time of the year for me. Drunk Duck Awards Elections. (Go vote everyone)

The level of busyness is only overshadowed by the Open Enrollment Period for insurance. And even that is starting in much earlier than it should. I'm training a 3 week class of new agents. That isn't so bad, but I have to train from 3:30 PM to Midnight. Headaches from exhaustion are becoming a constant…and I still have two more weeks to go. I'm just glad that I have a three day weekend because of Independence Day.

Welp, I have a new, part time job as a pharmacist's assistant. I just started as I continue through the mandatory training, so essentially I'm a cashier right now (although once, for a few hours, I got to count pills and put them in vials).

The training is primarily on-line courses, which is great except when everyone else is trying to access them. There is not enough bandwidth and things won't load. Meh. It looks like me and the laptop will be sharing some early AM hours if I'm going to meet the deadline. So not crazy about this.