bbk

True, my bad. Not to be nit-picky, but you misspelled 'differnt'

To add, more information regarding the incident in the latest article. Apparently the BGs came through the garage as the family was closing the garage door (as they are rigged to stop closing if you trip the laser). One had a pistol, and the others grabbed knives from the victims' kitchen. According to the story, the father lives and works in NYC, and hence the reason why he wasn't home (as the mother and daughter were actually coming back from visiting him). Story also says the BGs were in and out in 20 minutes-- so, definitely a targeted home, and the fact that they, seemingly, knew where to go means they did their homework and it might have been well orchestrated. While being on the defensive always gives us the advantage, I could imagine that even with a well thought-out defensive plan, this would have been a difficult situation. From the details though, if the mother had been allowed to CCW, maybe the family would have had a chance. Maybe if the son was the type who walked around with a pistol on his person's when at home, they would have had a chance. Truth is that this is a sleepy town, and the worst we get are DUIs, maybe some petty larceny or vandalism. I'm not using that as an excuse of why people aren't carrying when they can, but it is just something that doesn't come up that much in my town. Ultimately, I'm just glad that this was just a burglary and not a homicide as well.

Haha, I was about to say something, and then the Ghost reference definitely made it all make sense On a related note to the OP, I can tell things are a bit high strung, even in my town (that neighbors, though considers itself a part of the same community as West Windsor). Just on my way back from my run, a police officer was driving through my neighborhood, in cruise-looking-for-something mode, passing me twice. I then saw what he was looking at, which was one of those old style Ford Econolines, which had been sitting empty on the side of my street (since at least 7ish when I got back from work). I was going to keep an eye on it and call it in if there was no activity with it within the next hour or so, but I guess one of my neighbors beat me to the punch. Related to that, it is a bit odd for a van like that to be around. There are no markings, and even if it was a work van, it would have been long gone by now. Does the heightened awareness for the peculiar right now add some paranoia? Definitely. If something happens regarding it, I'll keep you all appraised, as it is literally 200 ft away from my home.

The thing that just boggles my mind with all of this is, as noted earlier in the thread, that somehow the whole Fast and Furious scandal was somehow a success by the government's standard. The whole operation was a complete failure from the planning stages through execution through trying to just push it under the rug... and yet not only was it a success, but, hey, let's just wait until worse things crop up and people will just forget that it ever happened. Now that is what I call some transparency. /sarcasm off. In all seriousness, who in power actually gives an F about the people and their rights in all of this? And regards to these programs, while it would outrage me, I would have a bit more respect for the people pushing this crap if they just came out and said that they were trying to stick it to the gun owners of America instead of saying these are measures to curb gun trafficking into Mexico.

Happy Birthday, Tim! Have a great one.

The tidbit from the article that I added that stated that Asian households have been targeted in the surrounding area is a bit surprising, as this is not new news-- and has in fact been a topic of discussion within the community between families. I guess it's good that the authorities are finally acknowledging this. From what has been discussed, and is brought up in one of the comments, Asian families are not being targeted because they're specifically Asian, but because many of them do cash-only businesses, and, are thought, to retain a lot of that within the household (also because Asians, from my experience [being one and interacting with many], don't trust banks). I don't know if this is the case with this specific family, as it has been stated they are of an Indian background. Without divulging too much, this type of stuff does worry me as this is not a new occurrence (though new in WW, and because of that a definite shocker). In my neighborhood years ago, a household was tied up just like this and had their valuables stolen. There was even a list put out by BGs that the authorities were able to get a hold of, which helped disrupt the possible home invasions, a few years back as well which consisted of all Asian households (my parents were notified that our household was apparently on the list). So, for me to see this type of stuff crop back up kind of strikes a personal chord. Needless to say, I'm keeping my powder dry and within reach.

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/07/victims_of_west_windsor_home_i.html This story is getting some press currently, so, many of you may have already read about it. This home invasion occurred in West Windsor, which, for me, is a neighboring town, and, because of how the school district is set up, a fellow community (as I grew up virtually in this town as well). So, for this to happen in West Windsor, which has been voted as one of the best places to raise a family in USA, is kind of shocking, though it doesn't come as a huge surprise, as things like this can happen anywhere, anytime. So, stay vigilant out there, all. ETA: Here is the original story that included some more info: http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/07/west_windsor_police_investigat.html

This video is pretty awesome. I too would feel safe in Johannesburg in one of those behemoths (though mostly because of the AK ) If you guys haven't seen it, there was the episode of them racing an Evo against different vehicles used by the British army (the Jackal [my dream road warrior vehicle], Panther, and Trojan):

I like the list as a place of reference. Of course anybody who relies on one source is a fool, so I don't believe that this chart is the end-all, be-all. To me, more then the listing of specs, etc, is that it shows the different levels of attention to detail of the different manufacturers. Because brand X has this vs. brand Y is a moot point as any brand, good or bad, can put out a lemon rifle or an amazing one. But the fact that certain manufacturers pay attention to detail and go that extra mile show, to me, what a manufacturer is willing to do to put out a worthy piece of machining and not just something to rake in paper. But again, does that mean Colt, BCM, Noveske, and/or KAC will 100% of the time make perfect rifles? Of course not. And on the flip side, DPMS and Stag could easily put out rifles that last for generations. I think if people take the chart for face value, they're kind of missing the point.

I couldn't merge this with the original thread, found here: http://njgunforums.com/forum/index.php?/topic/24898-pharmacy-shooting This has been :thsmiley_deadhorse: to the Nth degree. I think it's pretty straightforward that the pharmacist had the right intentions, wrong actions-- really, really, really wrong actions.

Received mine as well. Threw it on the rifle, and it's actually a pretty good fit and feel.

I'm not a security expert, so, I defer to their knowledge... But I do think it is an interesting concept. The upside is that you have the most important advantage in any type of situation, which is being the one-eyed man in the land of the blind (per se). The downsides are varied, and many for that matter. I have only futzed with the stuff used by DOD, but I could imagine that even simpler rigs are still obnoxious to operate. This is discounting binos (or similar devices) which are a bit less distracting, though they come with their own downsides. Also, learning how and when to operate them effectively takes time, and even then some situations are unpredictable. And of course they tend to be pretty darn expensive-- or at least the stuff that is worth a darn. Ultimately I do see the value in having maybe the security system (the cameras) having NV capability, but personal NVDs are ultimately overkill for the average civilian. Good white-light is still preferable in most any situation, and flood lights tend to be a lot cheaper. And regarding indoors, having a good hand-held torch or light on the firearm (which is a must for any HD firearm) is just fine. Plus, you can use that $3000+ on something more useful like training and/or making yourself and/or the home a hard target. Just my two cents.

Even though I've been sucked in, I'm a big fan of my iPhone. I hardly make any phone calls or text, but I use hundreds of MB of data per month (I have unlimited as it was grandfathered over before the change)-- and that alone makes the $30 for data alone well worth it. Also, being able to check something on the interwebz while on a call? Priceless.

Harry hit on it, but I was going to say just because it's USGI doesn't really mean it's all that great-- and that's speaking from experience. There is a reason why I will prefer something that is used by operators or competitors as those types of systems are oft catered or developed around specific needs. Sure, there are people who simply buy those items for that fact alone (making them mall ninjas or fan boys); instead, given the item is quality to began with, I see it as a task-driven piece of equipment that wasn't necessarily developed by the lowest bidder to meet some BS requirement list. (Though there are some USGI items that are quality across the board.) Would I spend exuberant amounts of money though for some nylon? Probably not, mostly because I'm not in a position where I need to spend something like $300+. Still, I'm going to look for the best bang for my buck-- which can easily be had for under/around $100 total. I'm not critiquing you or anything, what you opt for in the end is entirely your choice. Just food for thought.

I'd be surprised to see any movement on this at this point until after the holiday weekend is over (whether its the refund or shipping of the item).

+1. Well, sort of, ha. I ordered mine early, like around 6:45-7AM (I think my order number was in the 20's), but it still shows as not shipped yet.

raz-0: most quality battle belts have parts or the whole bottom portion of the system exposed, allowing for belt holsters (that have a slight drop) or leg-drop holsters to be attached directly to the belt (opposed to the battle belt). Of course it isn't to the same effect as the VTAC as you can choose to skip a MOLLE partition and run the belt exposed (which I do like). However, there are plenty of belt holsters that have a slight drop that are available. I believe Caine runs one of these on his ATS. I personally run a MOLLE-adapted holster directly on my ATS so I can't necessarily comment on its effectiveness.

Thanks for the head's up; I finally had an excuse to get one to try out.

Thanks for the update. All of that UBL intel makes me wish I was still in uniform, at my old job.

Looks great, nice job. I'm going to be putting together an 18'' SPR-type in the near future, so, always cool to see a nearly-finished variant.

I do agree that this is a good test case, albeit that doesn't justify breaking the law. But like I said, I'm going to wait for the details to emerge. If it is to benefit for the community to stand behind this individual, then I have no problem with the community backing him. But we'll have to see. And it is a stupid comparison because a person who uses that analogy is simply using it for the hot button words and shock value. Being reasonable and prudent regarding the topic is far more effective, IMO, then to throw around words or topics that would get people riled up while really not even comparing. Maybe it's the fact that I'm a minority, and I still get treated like a second-rate citizen at times; and to me the comparison of rights of man vs. rights of citizen/country are in far different categories and shouldn't be mixed.

I don't particularly care for him, but I do give him my respect (for the most part). He does things that people simply don't. I do find a lot of his exploits to be a bit self-serving at times, but he has a point when he calls people out. With that said, I'll only watch his vids if there is something very specific I wanted more information about. I do wish he would condense his reviews from like 45-50 minutes to 15-20 minutes (preferably less), but for the most part that stuff is quite helpful.

A study that I've read about that was conducted with some DOD personnel had to do with the desensitization towards violence via mechanics of certain first person shooters. Long story short, the study basically said the argument was null based on the fact that 100% of people without a mental disorder can still differentiate between reality and fantasy/virtual reality. What was interesting was that the focus was put on, what I call, body-muting, which in games like Call of Duty and other similar FPS (where the player can kill literally hundreds or even thousands of bad guys in an hour or so) is prevalent. What made that significant was that people would literally stop caring about the fact that they were in fact shooting people, albeit "targets" or "enemies," without having any type of rise or moral conflict. However, extensive studies would show that people, while droned out while playing, were fully aware of consequences when not playing. Think Clockwork Orange (except with no negative change). Having been a gamer for as long as I could imagine, I can honestly only think of a handful of games that I personally have found troubling. A lot of them don't even have to do with violence, but instead offends my other senses. There are all of those crazy Japanese hyper-sexual games which are just weird/creepy. A more recent one would have to be the new Duke Nukem, which I'm still trying to figure out. Showing forcible rape is always a bit troubling, and the fact that it wasn't even done for a purpose (which hardly makes it any better if there was some kind of value) is what bothers me in the end. But I also understand that is my own opinion, and my personal opinion, and the same applies to others, shouldn't be a legit reason for something to be banned. If I had kids, as pointed out by others, I would just suggest to my kids to try something else out that didn't involve something I was uncomfortable with personally.

I'll admit I feel a bit torn after seeing some of this. On one hand I'm all for preparedness and being ready for emergencies (both physical assets and being mentally prepared). However, seeing these families, I almost pity these people. It's saddening really to think that people would dedicate their whole lives (because let's be real, it takes some serious investment to achieve what they all have currently) to worrying about a future that they really have no control over.

I've taken a hard look at this belt, but aside from the MOLLE having that compartment design, I think the price point is a bit high. I personally run the ATS War Belt, recommended to me by Caine, and it fits the bill for less then half the cost of the VTAC-- while easily doing the same thing. I understand not skimping for quality, but ATS is super quality for far cheaper.