mcbethr

When I was married she was ambivalent about guns. She knew how to use them in an emergency, but that's about it. Then she realized that she could keep her jewelry in the safe and I lost half my space.

In 19 years in the military, I have never seen this. Maybe it's on the books but just not practiced? Also note that many units don't have sidearms for all of their officers. In my National Guard infantry unit, sidearms are only issued to machine gunners to be used as a secondary self-defense weapon, although I think the commander has one. I think most infantry units only have about 9 or 10 pistols - it's just not that useful of a weapon for what we do. But like I said before, when not being used in a training environment, I could see those pistols going to staff-level NCOs on a rotating duty basis.

You made me think of how funny this would be... I can just imagine a whole gaggle of 2nd Lieutenants walking around with sidearms. Remember how Andy Griffith only let Barney Fife have one cartridge for his revolver? I can just imagine all of the Platoon Sergeants of the world taking the magazines from their lieutenants: "Uh, sir. Maybe you better let me hold onto this."

Well, you kind of have to understand how the military, or at least the Army works. My only experience has been in the Infantry, although I'm familiar with some of the other branches in the Army and what they do. For most people in the military, their job is basically... a job. We have cooks, clerks, TV producers, mechanics and so on. If you are in a support position, or are some kind of paper pusher, your job is basically no different than any kind of desk job. You go into work, get coffee, do your paperwork and leave at 1700. You may have to pull some kind of rotational extra duty such as post support or Charge of Quarters. But for most support people, going into work is a job. If you are a cook, you are cooking. If you are a mechanic, you are fixing vehicles or aircraft 9 to 5, unless some kind of crazy training cycle or deployment is coming and you are are working 18 hour days to get every vehicle running. Combat arms is different. I can only speak for the infantry, but for the most part, there are a limited number of training facilities on post. Also keep in mind that the officers and senior NCOs are usually planning the next training event. So think of it like a sine wave. You plan, gather resources, train, recover. This may go in a 4 to six week cycle. Also keep in mind, some of that time might be on "post support." This is how lawns get mowed, snow gets shoveled and fences get painted on an Army Instillation - soldiers who are in their recovery phase do it. So in the planning phase you have the Officers and senior NCOs meeting in the orderly room figuring out the commander's intent for the next training event. Meanwhile the men ... quite frankly aren't doing much. Good junior NCOs will conduct some training classes or go over drills and such, but they are not going out to the field to train by themselves. So what really happens is that the NCOs will conduct some half-hearted and half-assed training classes until 12:00, everybody will break for lunch until 1330, and when the men are back, they will hang out in their rooms and play xBox until 1700 which is usually the end of the duty day. As the training event gets closer, the men will start doing details such as pulling all of the crap that they need out of the supply room and checking it for serviceability. But again, this is done during the duty day and ends at 1700. When you have the training event, which might be anything from a battalion-level field exercise to a week spent on the ranges, you work your butts off. But when it's over, you clean your equipment and start the cycle again. All of this, with the exception of the training events, is usually washed down with a prodigious amount of alcohol. It's just the mentality of the infantry. Go out, get drunk, try to score, get in fights, repeat. As strange as this sounds, it's necessary for unit bonding. Even the xBox games, with soldiers having Call of Duty and Madden tournaments are necessary for bonding. I just have a hard time imagining soldiers walking around, pulling crap out of the supply room, sweeping off tents and doing vehicle maintenance while armed. Maybe a few NCOs can be armed with sidearms at all times, and that would be a duty position that would rotate through the company, but it's very hard to imagine and I've been in the military for 19 years.

You have to understand that it just isn't like this. Soldiers aren't training 24/7 rappelling out of helicopters, climbing up ropes and doing Kung Fu. We are usually sleeping off a hangover, playing xBox and trying to avoid getting pulled for a detail to move the trucks. I can only imagine the crazyness that mini-armories around the base would bring. Another additional duty position. Another reason for an E6 to have to come in on a 3 day weekend. Another 2nd Lieutenant's career ruined because he lost one single round. It's just... seriously ... not a good idea.

Oh!! Now I get it. No. I don't need any help in that department. I own a Beretta.

I saw this rifle a few weeks ago... I like it a lot - there is something about working the bolt on a rifle that makes you feel like you are actually shooting. My only problem with it is that... I like wood. It seems like Polymer is the only option here. Savage makes a Mark II that has everything I want on a bolt-action .22, and as an added bonus, I get my wood.

A 1911 magazine-based .45 ACP carbine would be nice.

IMHO, you made a fine choice with your Beretta 92FS. Note that you can also purchase a conversion kit for the gun and shoot .22LR out of the same gun. This will save you quite a bit of money in the long run... if you can find .22LR ammo! My suggestion would be to stay with the same caliber as the original gun. This simplifies logistics. I would consider getting a second 9mm gun... the Beretta PX4 Compact isn't a bad idea and has the same manual of arms as the 92FS. Note the more calibers you keep, the greater the risk of running out of a specific caliber, either at the range, or during shortages when ammo dries up.

LTC Dave Grossman calls them "Murder Simulators." Goodfellas was probably one of the best movies ever made and it was horribly violent. I don't see much of a difference between that an a Grand Theft Auto story. Although you can act out the fantasy in the video game- which is a little disturbing. Best to be left to adults who know the difference between fantasy and reality.

I do remember those old realistic-looking toy cap guns that were magazine-fed by a long strip of (13 or so) caps. I think I had a Makarov. It looked a lot like this: http://moretoyguns.com/MoreToyGuns/product/4631P.html

I used to leave it home. Now I carry it because I always stop by Dicks when I pass it to see if they have any ammo in stock.

When you think of world class design and engineering, the UAE doesn't spring to mind. If you want Glock-like reliability, buy a Glock. If you want Glock-like reliability and pay $300 more, buy an HK If you want Glock like reliability and have something that actually fits your hand, you buy an M&P If you want Glock like reliability with a manual safety and expensive magazines, you buy an FN. If you want Glock like reliability with 1911 ergos, you buy an XD. If you are attractive, fashion-forward, and good in bed, you buy a PX4. What exactly did the Caracal bring to the table?

How about: New Jersey: It's so damn expensive to live here, so you might as well just visit

I wonder if cost and ease of assembly was a factor, as it is in most military acquisition decisions.

You know, some American generals were saying the same things about Afghans 12 years ago... and some Soviet Generals before them... and some British Generals... and Alexander the Great...

The justifiable need standard was explained like this by Evan Nappan on Gun for Hire Radio. I'm paraphrasing here, but this is the gist: Basically the judges looked for some kind of legal precedent for "Justifiable Need" or "Urgent Necessity." They couldn't find one, but they did take a page out of the law code for when the use of deadly force is "Justifiable." In a nutshell, you are only justified to use deadly force when you have no other options because the actor is doing something so horrible that you must risk the actor's death or serious bodily harm to stop them. That is the only time when deadly force is authorized. So... logically if you "need" to carry a gun, it is because the state believes you are in such imminent peril that only the issue of a carry permit can stop this threat. This is a pretty high standard. As Nappan explained it, if someone is shooting at you *right now* you can qualify for a carry permit. If they are not, then you have no justifiable need. Remember Catch 22, that old book about Bomber Pilots during World War II? The "Catch 22" in "Catch 22" was one of contradictory rules. Basically, if you were a pilot and were crazy, you could be grounded. All you had to do was ask. But if you were sane enough to ask, then you weren't crazy, so you had to keep flying missions. New Jersey's situation is similar to "Catch 22." Yes, you will get a permit if you have Justifiable Need. But you don't have Justifiable Need right now because you don't need to shoot anybody. But the moment you need to shoot someone, you have Justifiable Need. Now you said: No, they are not kings. They aren't acting as kings either. They are just following the law. NJ first went to a Carry Permitting system back in the 1920's. Why? Because NJ was in the perfect place for Prohibition Era gangsters to offload their cargo. If you were a corrupt mayor who was on the take, you could ensure that the population of your town couldn't fight the gangsters who wanted to use a person's business or dockyard as a front for transferring alcohol. So why does this system continue today, even though some 42 other states have "Shall Issue" laws? Well, for the same reason we can't pump our own gas. The law has been like this since the 1920's. Entire generations have grown up not knowing anyone who carries a gun. It's abnormal and a pretty big leap of faith. There are people in this state who don't know anybody who even owns a gun, or who can't imagine why you would need one in the first place. Maybe some of these people would begrudgingly admit that hunters and farmers need shotguns, or maybe... maybe a bodega owner or Jeweler. But to physically take one out of the house! Ludicrous! Why would anybody need to do that? Look, brother. It's an uphill battle. If you genuinely think you have a Justifiable Need, call Evan Nappan and start the process. Else, join NJ2AS and let's work it through the courts.

I want my PX4 Compact back, Anthony. I'm applying for a permit today. My PX4 is a lady and you are not keeping my mistress in a safe with those animals.

IMHO, if you want the Bodyguard because you like the way it looks and you just *want* it, then buy it. If you want a great carry gun, then buy it. Else, stay away. The Bodyguard is a bad-breath range self-defense weapon. It uses .380 ammunition which is hard to find right now and expensive even if you do find it. It's recoil is like hi-fiving a sledgehammer. It is by no means a fun range gun. It's not an accurate gun. It's not a great HD gun. One of the things I've noticed is that its best to start with a caliber and stick with it. I've reduced my calibers to .22, 9mm and .45. This simplifies the logistics of purchasing, and quite honestly prevents trouble when you go to the range with the wrong box of ammo for the wrong gun. Since you have a Glock 23, you should consider sticking with .40 Cal. There are 1911's made in .40 S&W. STI makes them. I'm pretty sure Para Ordnance makes them as well, but I'm at work and can't check.

Perhaps if you could give us more specifics about your situation. I believe at last count there were 1,600 carry permits issued to non LEO's in NJ although I've heard this number is now 1,800. This number includes armed security and armored car guards. The basic problem is that you have to have "justifiable need." This was just upheld in federal court back in early August and enjoys something the court called "presumptive constitutionality" which basically means that this has been law for so long that they aren't even going to explore overturning it. What you need is "urgent necessity for self-protection" and a general desire for self-protection or the carrying of large sums of cash do not meet this criteria. Here's an example: Jeffery Muller was a pet shop owner who was kidnapped by a gang simply because he had the same name as a guy who stiffed them in a business deal. After two years of legal battles, the state finally granted him a gun permit. Read this for more information: http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2011/03/in_this_case_a_well-earned_gun.html Now if your case is similar to this man, you may have a chance. Else, contact Evan Nappen. I wish you the best of luck. It's not impossible to get a carry permit in NJ, but I've been shooting for 25 years and I've never met anyone who had one.

IMHO if you want a modern 1911, the Ruger is very, very nice. If you want a WWII style handgun that is made in America, the Auto Ordnance 1911A1 is in your price range and is basically a WWII replica. I love mine. I've often said that my 92FS is my wife. My PX4 is my beautiful young mistress and my 1911 is the girl with whom I first fell in love.

Welcome to the sport. You can't go wrong with a Glock.

Always keep 1 magazine for every gun you own in your range bag. Ask me how I know this...

You know, I went there and wasn't that impressed. But the Gluten free options do give people a chance to eat pasta. I have been wanting to try that place by 1LTCAP's service station. I think it's Amici Resturant. It was Michael's.

I wanted to post this last night, but I had just finished a Calzone the size of a sofa and was essentially out of commission for the next eight hours. I went to Tarentella's in Medford, NJ for dinner last night. I've been going there for he past 15 years and I quite honestly think it's the best Italian Restaurant in NJ. What say you all? Where is the best place in the Garden State to get an Italian meal?