Henry Rollins, best known as the singer of the legendary punk rock band Black Flag, is currently doing a speaking tour in the US, and I had the pleasure of watching him do his thing the other night.
And how many gunfights has Rollins participated in? I am no longer “all that” but, I have at least participated in a few. I can shoot, too: I was once a Georgia POST-certified Firearms Instructor. Portly? Well… I was 313 on 1/31/22: yesterday I was at 221.6… and still dropping. I’m ***NOT*** the “hard ass Paratrooper” I was in the 20’s, however. Time took care of *that* for me.
He went into great detail about an AR-15 round being fired *at* the caricature 'Murica righty by someone presumably on the other team (though he might have been thinking soldier or cop - he wasn't clear) and how much damage it would do. It was one of the two low points of his show, the other being a long drawn out bit about banning abortion in rape cases.
It's a shame, really, because without those interludes, it would have been a wholly great experience.
The AR-15 - or M-16A1, XM-177E2, or M-4 carbine or M-16A2 - does not fire some “mysterious” “super round.” It is three thousands more than .22 caliber, with more powder and therefore, more energy… but… it isn’t “magically” more lethal somehow. If he insists on remaining ignorant about firearms, I wonder what else he doesn’t know or is wrong about?
To clarify, he was talking about the bullet bouncing around internally - which .22 rimfires are more apt to do (from what a paramedic friend tells me). Whether he knows he was exaggerating or is simply misinformed (see: Biden) is unknown.
The thing about gunshot wounds is that they are… unpredictable. We had a parolee who was shot in the forehead with a .38 Special at point blank range - and lived. An acquaintance shot a traffic violator at almost point blank range with .45 ACP during a traffic stop, and the violator was still “moving and grooving” for awhile. And yes, sometimes single .22 Long Rifle rounds absolutely *do* kill with a single shot. You never know. Here’s a good “after action review” of a shooting in Ohio:
Retired FBI Agent (and former Marine) Ed Mireles and I were both at Shindand AB in Afghanistan, but not at the same time. The infamous “Miami Dade 1986 FBI Shootout” has been studied ad nauseam. Mireles was shot during the shootout. Key: bank robbers Platt and Mattix sustained fatal wounds early on during the gunfight, but, continued to “shoot (FBI Agents) and move” until they bled out.
“Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views.”
― William F. Buckley
I would not turn down a chance to see Rollins, he is an interesting dude, but when it comes to politics I just assume anyone who is famous enough to be an entertainer has a first grade level understanding of any serious issue. Now, admitting that doesn't really make me any better than Rollins, but I suppose I would be more willing to change my assumption based on a fair hearing. Having been in numerous discussions with liberals and conservatives (which I broadly identify as, sometimes labels are useful, I have little patience for the "no labels" crowd but that is a rant for another day) it is very obvious that conservatives understand the liberal point of view better than the other way round and that is why rants like Rollins you describe are just met with a shrug, we have heard it all before. Any way great article as always, good thing I work from home so I have time to read and respond to such thoughtful pieces ;)
Thanks. The "no labels" thing is either a preen or a lack of confidence in voicing the opinions they hold, because they'd have to defend them. It's like those people who "just ask questions."
If someone doesn't want to vocalize a position, no problem. But, it should end there, not with a substitution that's intended to transmit "I'm above it all."
Could not have said it better myself! Another little piece of it is the "no labels" folks actually have made an excellent label for themselves, you know with 90% certainty where they are going to fall on an issue.
I would say baked into the cake, but we are talking like Grandma's fruit cake that gets passed around every Christmas, it just exists, no one knows how it got therer and it will never be gone.
And how many gunfights has Rollins participated in? I am no longer “all that” but, I have at least participated in a few. I can shoot, too: I was once a Georgia POST-certified Firearms Instructor. Portly? Well… I was 313 on 1/31/22: yesterday I was at 221.6… and still dropping. I’m ***NOT*** the “hard ass Paratrooper” I was in the 20’s, however. Time took care of *that* for me.
He went into great detail about an AR-15 round being fired *at* the caricature 'Murica righty by someone presumably on the other team (though he might have been thinking soldier or cop - he wasn't clear) and how much damage it would do. It was one of the two low points of his show, the other being a long drawn out bit about banning abortion in rape cases.
It's a shame, really, because without those interludes, it would have been a wholly great experience.
But, so it goes.
The AR-15 - or M-16A1, XM-177E2, or M-4 carbine or M-16A2 - does not fire some “mysterious” “super round.” It is three thousands more than .22 caliber, with more powder and therefore, more energy… but… it isn’t “magically” more lethal somehow. If he insists on remaining ignorant about firearms, I wonder what else he doesn’t know or is wrong about?
To clarify, he was talking about the bullet bouncing around internally - which .22 rimfires are more apt to do (from what a paramedic friend tells me). Whether he knows he was exaggerating or is simply misinformed (see: Biden) is unknown.
The thing about gunshot wounds is that they are… unpredictable. We had a parolee who was shot in the forehead with a .38 Special at point blank range - and lived. An acquaintance shot a traffic violator at almost point blank range with .45 ACP during a traffic stop, and the violator was still “moving and grooving” for awhile. And yes, sometimes single .22 Long Rifle rounds absolutely *do* kill with a single shot. You never know. Here’s a good “after action review” of a shooting in Ohio:
https://youtu.be/pdjcYjSsIok
Retired FBI Agent (and former Marine) Ed Mireles and I were both at Shindand AB in Afghanistan, but not at the same time. The infamous “Miami Dade 1986 FBI Shootout” has been studied ad nauseam. Mireles was shot during the shootout. Key: bank robbers Platt and Mattix sustained fatal wounds early on during the gunfight, but, continued to “shoot (FBI Agents) and move” until they bled out.
https://youtu.be/qaCSsbopNwo
“Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views.”
― William F. Buckley
I would not turn down a chance to see Rollins, he is an interesting dude, but when it comes to politics I just assume anyone who is famous enough to be an entertainer has a first grade level understanding of any serious issue. Now, admitting that doesn't really make me any better than Rollins, but I suppose I would be more willing to change my assumption based on a fair hearing. Having been in numerous discussions with liberals and conservatives (which I broadly identify as, sometimes labels are useful, I have little patience for the "no labels" crowd but that is a rant for another day) it is very obvious that conservatives understand the liberal point of view better than the other way round and that is why rants like Rollins you describe are just met with a shrug, we have heard it all before. Any way great article as always, good thing I work from home so I have time to read and respond to such thoughtful pieces ;)
Thanks. The "no labels" thing is either a preen or a lack of confidence in voicing the opinions they hold, because they'd have to defend them. It's like those people who "just ask questions."
If someone doesn't want to vocalize a position, no problem. But, it should end there, not with a substitution that's intended to transmit "I'm above it all."
Could not have said it better myself! Another little piece of it is the "no labels" folks actually have made an excellent label for themselves, you know with 90% certainty where they are going to fall on an issue.
It's like self-professed "independent" voters. I expect that 90% of them have never voted "R" in their lives.
I would say baked into the cake, but we are talking like Grandma's fruit cake that gets passed around every Christmas, it just exists, no one knows how it got therer and it will never be gone.
As for the Left's positions - it's impossible not to be exposed to them nowadays.
100% When I was in university I was the only right wing lunatic in a lot of my classes, it made for a great time!
Best One Yet!! The “my body, my choice” argument is so offensive. Thanks for always expressing so well what I myself feel so strongly!