steve1

Bill, I think most guns owners realize that there is no perfect weapon for all scenarios. Cops carry pistols because they know they are effective weapons for many situations. I realize that it is possible for a person to be disarmed if you get to close to an armed criminal. When police arrest someone they keep their distance. In some close quarter situations, I know this isn't always possible. But as far as I'm concerned the guy with the gun has a better chance of coming out alive, and a gun would be an asset. For example: if two wrestlers were going to wrestle. Who would win? The one with the gun or the one without the gun? My money would be on the one with the gun. Today, at the gym where I work out, I was watching a group of police train. They were practicing this exact scenario. They were escaping from an apponent on the ground, and then trying to draw and shoot their weapon. Of course they were simulating the drawing and firing part. If you would have told them they would be better off without that pistol.....I don't think they would agree. Steve1

Are you trying to say that our fore-fathers who started this country are no better than common criminals because they had the balls to stand up for what is right? If things ever get so bad that the United States is no longer the U.S. and the people are suffering under an oppressive government, you're darn right, I'd stand up against them. That is the purpose of the constitution. To keep our country from digressing into something it wasn't meant to be. As much as you and Kallen want to take away our right to own and bear arms, It's never going to happen. Steve1

Well, you could pick any pair of names; any location, any presumed ethnicity, any religion. It's easy to pick on rednecks here in Texas, but the concept is the same regardless. Wendy W. .......................................................... I don't get your point. Are you trying to say that people who believe in gun ownership are all beer swilling bumpkins?

>>Why can't you guys just be honest and admit than owning a gun makes you feel more manly and gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside. ......................................................... "Simply. Because that is not the case. Why is it that you wild eyed liberals can't admit you're scared to death of guns? I truly hope you never have need of a gun for your families sake. Living in a high crime area with a family and not having one or not knowing how to use one is pretty stupid in my mind. I don't think your stats are going to help you much when a criminal or group of thugs come to visit sometime in the future." Steve1

Bill, I don't mean to get all grumpy and defensive on this issue. I'd like to jump with you again at Lost Prairie. But, getting back to the gun issue: "sometimes you don't have a choice to run or not." For example's sake. There was a guy in my home town (Missoula) who was psycho. He'd come into people's homes and murder them after raping the women folk. One day he came into a man's home and overpowered the owner. He then tied the guy up out in the garage. Mr Psycho then stabbed him just below the heart. He then went into the house with plans of raping the wife who was tied up upstairs. The only thing was the guy wasn't dead. He somehow undid his ropes. Found an old damaged rifle and some shells. He then went upstairs and shot and killed the SOB when he came at him again with a knife. If he hadn't done what he did the guy might have escaped, might have killed his wife, or finished raping her. So, I guess the moral of this story is: I keep a gun not because it makes me feel ten feet tall, but rather to defend myself and family if a psycho comes into my home. Having a gun could be all it would take to discourage or even kill an attacker if needed. I know there are also stories that we can all tell that didn't have such a happy ending. Accidental shootings, etc. Guns are dangerous and most gun owners realize this and store, and handle them responsibly. If handled properly they are no more dangerous than a host of other things in a person's home. Steve1

"A firearm is not a bulletproof shield; if a gun makes you feel ten feet tall and invincible, you are better off without it. It will get you into trouble you should have walked away from. " ........................................................................... Wouldn't it be nice if we were all like McGiver on television. I mean if we were all just so smart all we had to do was just say no to guns and outwit someone who meant us harm. Wouldn't that be wonderful. I mean we need to get real here. Is it possible to just always walk away from trouble as the quote above says. Suppose someone is armed and dangerous and inside your home. Are you just going to walk away.

If your house was ever invaded by someone with Steve's training, you'd be stacking a gun in the dark against 15 years of training in close combat, a good chunk of which is how to disarm someone who is trying to shoot them. You'd lose. ........................................................................ Do they really teach this now in Karate? I was always taught that the best thing to do in a situation where a person had a knife was to run, or if they had a gun was to do what they asked, because there was very little chance of survival doing anything else. I don't care what belt this guy has I'd like to see him fight off a well trained person with a gun. This is just another example of why a lot of stuff taught in karate is fake and unrealistic. Again in the right situation this guy might win. I mean there are a lot of scenarios where he could. Such as with the element of surprise and in the dark, but I'd have a much better chance of survival with the gun than without. As I said before a gun is not an end all for every situation. There's probably lots of scenarios we could dream up, where maybe a gun wouldn't work too well. That doesn't mean a gun would not be very effective in saving your life in most home defense situations. And no the guy wouldn't have to be a staggering idiot. Steve1

>>The US has a far, far higher homicide rate than any other western industrialized country. ......................................................... "I talked about this earlier. Yes America has a very high homicide rate, but this is also due to many other factors aside from the availability of guns." .......................................................... >>The rates of other felonies are similar in the US and the other western nations. It is only in homicides that the US is way out of line. (Source - USDOJ) .......................................................... "I talked about this earlier. There are other reasons why America is so violent, other than the availability of guns." .......................................................... >>The US is the only western industrialized country that does not have serious controls on firearms ownership. ........................................................... "Of course. It's guaranteed in our constitution. It's one of our constitutional rights. Other countries do not enjoy the same freedoms that we do." ........................................................... >>Around 70% of US homicides involve firearms as the murder weapon. (Source - FBI). The fraction in other western nations is more like 7%. . .......................................................... "Does this really mean anything? In other countries it is often impossible to own a gun. How can you commit a homicide with one if none are available." ............................................................ >>The US is also way out of line with all other western nations in "accidental" firearms deaths. (Source - US CDCP) ........................................................... "Again this statistic is meaningless. If it is impossible to own a gun, or if all guns are confiscated by the government, how can there be a firearm death?" ........................................................... >>In places where concealed carry laws are claimed to reduce crime, the crime rates are still no lower than in other western nations and the homicide rates are still way higher. ........................................................... "That doesn't mean that concealed carry laws don't help to reduce crime. It would make more sense to make this comparison between states that have concealed carry laws and those that don't. Again the U.S. is a violent place for a host of reasons. Comparing it to other Western Countries with different cultures is again meaningless in my mind." .......................................................... Note that the data come from US government sources, not kookie web sites on either extreme of the debate. Anyone that denies a correlation/causation has to be either biased or has some hard explaining to do. .......................................................... "Do you really claim to be unbiased? To me the statistics you have given tell me you are very anti-gun." Steve1

sroberts, That's a good question. The loops are on a standard pair of mini-risers. They are fairly high up on the front risers. If they were much higher I'd have trouble reaching them. I'll do some more experimenting. Earlier I had my toggles set about three inches shorter than they are now and my canopy would still not stall in full breaks. I have a Hornet loaded at about 1.2. I'm just wondering if it is normal to have 6 or 7 inches of play in your toggles to avoid bucking problems with front risers? Steve1

Kallend, It may be true that it is safer in many other countries, but what is your point? Steve1

Bill, I've taken a fair amount of karate in my day and I don't know anyone anywhere who is faster than a bullet. If you kept this guy at say fifteen feet and told him not to move or he was going to get shot, there is a chance that he might get you but the odds would be stacked way in my favor. In a home defense situation I'd bet my life on it. (not just donuts). Yes, there are scenarios where a pistol wouldn't be a good weapon. Of course you wouldn't open fire in a crowded subway, you would probably want to keep it concealed until a better time to pull it out. Much of this ties into a person's common sense or proper training. In most scenarios a pistol would be a very effective tool to save your life. Steve1

I was once a student of a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that if Steve came upon you in a street, and he wanted your gun, he could take it from you. .......................................................................... If you let any criminal get too close to you there is a danger of this happening. That is why police are trained not to let a criminal get that close. If they are holding a person at gun point, you tell them not to come closer. If they do you can legally shoot. I watched this once in a real life scenario on the news. A cop had a guy at gun point. He told him not to take another step. The guy did and was seriously wounded by the policeman. Everyone was crying foul, but the police officer was aquitted on all charges. This is something everyone needs to know if they are in a similiar situation. I'd bet dollars to donuts that this karate guy wouldn't take my gun away. Steve1

[ From 1978 to 1981 I lived on the south side of Chicago (31st and State for those familiar with the area). I still work there. By any measure this is considered one of the worst neighborhoods in the USA - absolutely no comparison to any part of Montana. I manage to go about my daily life unarmed and without fear, and by "using our heads" neither I nor my family have ever felt threatened in any way. .......................................................................... I hope things stay that way. But chances are someday something bad will happen. That is one reason I have a weapon in my home. I also hunt and feed my family with that meat. I do this with both a bow and rifle. Steve1

I think you did the right thing by keeping your cool, and talking with this student. I'll bet knowing that he endangered both your lives was enough. He certainly needs to know that he messed up though, so that it doesn't happen again. And I know what you mean by someone getting in your face and hollering. I can't handle that either. I go ballistic real fast in such cases. Last Christmas, at Perris, we had two guys that almost had a collision. The guy on top was at fault. This resulted in a huge confrontation in front of the rest of us. There are better ways to handle this, even though a person is really pissed. I know of a couple other jumpers who had a collision and survived. I think both of them were at fault. Neither seem to me to be very safe. One was tracking directly over the other and the guy on the bottom gave a very short wave off. I refuse to jump with either now. Steve1

That sounds high to me. The prices could be different in Australia though. If you lived in the states I'd say order a new hornet from South Africa for around $700. I'm not sure if that's what they are going for though. The price has been going steadily up. There may be a big import fee to Australia also. You can get around the import fee here in the U.S. I actually paid around $600. last winter for a new hornet in custom colors. I ordered it from Manny. It's comparable to a Sabre2. Steve1

52.....I know I'm and old fart.....been married 22 years.....I quit skydiving for about 25 years after jumping a few years back in the 70's. I've been back jumping for about another three years now. It's great to be back! Steve1

"As Bill said in different words, the best way to keep yourself safe is to use your head, not a gun." ....................................................... I don't think this is what Bill was refering to. In fact I'll bet that if you checked Bill's house there would be more than one gun that could be used for home defense purposes. Why? Because it is the smart thing to do. Try telling a policeman who walks a dangerous beat that he doesn't need a gun. Maybe you trust the government to protect you. I don't. During the L.A. riots my brother found out quickly that there was noone available to help him. The first thing he did was buy a gun. Here in Eastern Montana it would take around an hour for the police to show up to many remote ranch houses. Think what could happen in that hour. Recently a farmer returned home to find a burglar ransacking his house. By the time our local cop showed up, the farmer had him hog tied in the front room. How was he able to do this? It was because he had a gun and some rope and knew how to use both. Every day people defend their lives and property with a gun. Seldom does it make the news though. Usually all you hear about is about drive by shootings or domestic disputes where someone kills another with an evil gun. A lot of criminals are kept from breaking and entering because they know someone in that home has a gun and knows how to use it. Maybe you live in a nice safe place where the police can save you in time. Not everyone is that fortunate. I'm not going to put my family in harms way and hope they will remain safe. As Bill said I'm going to use my head. Steve1

I used Visa also. Steve1

Hook, Thanks again for the great info. Steve1

I ordered my hornet from Manny. There was no import duty here in the states. I got it for around $500 plus $80. air freight to Montana. There prices have gone up since then, but they are still really low. Steve1

I've known several smokejumpers over the years. Rigger-Rob is right when he says smokejumping is completely different from Sport Jumping. The training is really difficult also and it takes years of fire-experience before you can be considered for the job. There are lot's of people who apply for each opening, and it is difficult to be selected. If you are a minority who is also a veteran you have a much greater chance of being selected. At least that was the way things were done in the forest service ten years ago. A couple friends of mine were smoke-jumpers when I went through Special Forces training. One of them told me that he thought smoke jumper training was more difficult than SF training, but I don't know about that. I know they do a lot of running. For men you have to do ten pullups. I knew a guy who washed out because he couldn't do ten good ones. The PT standards are different for women. They have women Smoke Jumpers today. I always thought it would be a cool job to have. The chance of injury on a fire jump is pretty great. I know a couple guys who ended up with life time injuries out of the deal. I also know a few who smoke-jumped for over 20 years without serious injury. If I recall correctly some of the main Smoke Jumper bases are in Missoula, Mt., McCall, Idaho, and somewhere in California and Alaska. I've heard fire jumps in Alaska are like flying half way across the US at times. In other words they often go a long way to the fire. Steve1

Airhead, The closest place is about 200 miles. Another is about 300 miles. The place I consider my home drop zone is about 650 miles. They're all getting ready to shut down for the winter. I retire in about five years and hope to move to a warmer climate in the winter and live in Montana in the summer. Steve1

Awesome job Lisa. I must be a wonderful feeling to be part of something like that. Steve1

I need a jump. I need a jump. I need a jump...... (Does this mean I'm a psycho?????) Steve1

I keep telling my wife that when I go she can get me stuffed by a good taxidermist and prop me up in the living room. That way she can remember me just the way I was. It might help scare off her future husband also. I figure a good taxidermist could fix me up with 6 pack abs, 20 inch arms, 50 inch chest, and a respectable tool. Seriously though an ash dive might be better. Steve1