toolbox

You make it sound like a knife attack only results in an injury. I bet if someone stuck a 9 inch blade through your chest and gave it a twist,or chopped off your head with a machete ,that would most likely be fatal. Look at how many people were hacked to death before guns were invented. Weaker and less aggressive people have been victimized by stronger,violent people for as long as humans have been around. Guns give the people who might be victimized a way to defend themselves against the bad guy,or a gang of bad guys who could use their greater numbers to simply beat them to death. Hell I would rather be shot to death than chopped up and I'm sure most people feel the same way. This is probably why most horror movie villains use something other than a gun to kill the victims(like machetes,chainsaws,polaski axe,ect...) and create more terror. Now before you say it,I know guns are easier because they work at some distance but so do bombs,or nerve gas,or anthrax. As long as there are bad people,there will be bad acts upon others,with or without guns. 911 was carried out using box cutter knives as a way to hijack jumbo jets to use as bombs with great effectiveness .

I have had to pull my weapon twice with human threats. Once when a guy tried to car jack me and again when some nut tried to sneak up behind my car with a tire iron while I was sitting in it watching him try to low crawl up.I should have started the car and drove away but I was in disbelief as I watched in my mirrors. This guy jumped up around to my window yelling "your dead mother f*cker" at which time he seen the weapon pointing at his head and dropped on the ground and begged me not to arrest him. I'm not a cop nor was I dressed like one so it was really weird and I drove off while this freak laid in the gravel crying he is sorry. I think the second guy was a meth head judged by his appearance and irrational behavior. Luckily I was able to stop both threats without discharging the weapon. I have had to shoot a sick racoon in a carport that came after a friend and myself and felt bad about it but,the critter kept coming and I had to shoot it twice since shot placement is tough when the target is moving very fast at you. I hope I never have to actually shoot anyone and, it seems most people do not want to risk getting shot,even the crazy ones seem to back away from the threat of being shot from my experience.

I thank you for pointing out the percentage of violent acts per 100,000 people between the US and other countries,and pointing out the chemistry students mass killing using a bomb. I think bombs are far scarier than any gun we have access to. A bomb is not hard to build,and there are many types. Remember the abortion clinic bombs that were made with granulated sugar and if I recall potasium perchlorate or something like that? This abortion clinic bomb was built using an old fire extinguisher or something about that size,and it was very effective. From what I've heard,almost all of the people who have carried out mass killings, had thought about and planned the attacks for weeks if not months before they carried them out. So many people only want to point out how dangerous the US is because of our gun culture,yet there are acts of terror commited all around the world using bombs(london,spain,ect,ect...) nerve gas(japan) and yes guns and knives,and cars,and trucks,and airplanes,and use your imagination. I'm surprised we do not have more acts of violence when you look at our massive over population and the problems that go with it,like poverty and starvation. The cultural diversity on our planet has also it seems, been a real cause of friction here on earth throughout history. The more people you have,the greater the chance of emotionally unstable freaks in the mix.

Guns are not the problem. Crazy sicko freaks who want to hurt others is the problem. What if this nut had packed a 26 foot moving van full of home made explosives and parked it out front while school was getting out like oklahoma or northern ireland in the 70's. Should we say we have a moving van and fertilizer problem and outlaw them? Many drugs are unlawful to possess or use,yet we have more drugs on the streets than ever. If guns are outlawed only the criminals will have guns and if you think law enforcement will protect you from bad people with guns you need to look at the southern border states and the drug gangs kidnapping or killing US citizens at will,with little if any resistance from the law. Even our border patrol agents are afraid of these thugs. There have always been crazy sicko's and bad people,and I hate to say,but will most likely always be crazy sicko's and bad people.

Check into the Para USA (formerly Para-ordnance) line of double stack 1911 45acp pistols. I own a Para double stack 45 and it is only slightly thicker than my single stack 45 but holds 15 rounds compared to 8 rounds in the single stack. The Para has been 100% dependable and as accurate as any 1911 I've shot so far,and I've shot alot of them. If you use some +P 230gr hollow point rounds in 45acp you could really do some carnage on a human body. But like they say "shot placement is king"

Flying in the tunnel is not skydiving. I've always had issues with calling tunnel flying indoor skydiving, since it takes place not in the great blue yonder,but inside a tube. There is some risk of injury or death in the tunnel,but nothing close to skydiving levels of risk. Flying in the tunnel is composed of one activity(flying in a fairly steady controlled airflow with walls and a net). Skydiving is composed of many different activities that occur in an orderly fashion that all require a different set of skills and knowledge,any of which can kill you. I love the tunnel and wish I could afford to fly my ass off in it,but it is not skydiving and should not be logged as skydiving free fall time. The tunnel is a cheap and safe training tool for skydivers,but it is no substitute for skydiving.

Being a good AFF instructor takes far more than good free fall skills. And free fall skills are more than just flying your body against the wind. How about altitude awareness and other aspects of situational awareness that are needed in the real life world of flying at the ground at 120MPH? Do you wear altimeters in the wind tunnel? An altimeter simulator would be unrealistic,since they are just timers that give estimations of where you might be on a normal belly to earth dive (about 5.5 seconds per 1000ft),but as any skydiver or skydiving instructor will tell you the fall rates can greatly vary and the ground can sneak up real quick when things get busy,especially if you are not used to being on a real skydive. Some might rely on audibles,but I've known a few folks who had AAD fires because they did not hear the audible. Tunnels are great training tools but they are not real skydiving. You can't go in flying the tunnel.

Proposing tunnel time replacing free fall time for any instructional rating in skydiving is asinine. The #1 cause of injury and death in skydiving is related to canopy control and they want to eliminate roughly 120 parachute descents. Then there are all the other issues with gear,aircraft,free fall collisions,ect,ect..... The AFF I is the pinnacle of the ratings for instructors. In my opinion they have already lowered the bar enough as it is.

I agree very,very much. To be honest,if I had not seen the e-mail from USPA,I would think this poll on a proposal was a joke.

The police did not tell Zimmerman not to follow,they said they did not need him to follow. Big difference.

>Nobody dead and no bones sticking out of me Word!

Right!!!! It seems this case is more about political agenda and less about justice. Politics always seem to have that circus environment going on.

Very well stated

Why would you turn and attack someone who you knew had a gun and a violent criminal history? Really? And you are saying that Trayvon not only knew Zimmerman, but knew he had a gun and might be violent? Really? And what makes you believe Zimmerman had a violent criminal past? He had a altercation with a cop and that makes him a violent criminal? How about the criminal cops beating homeless men to death? What if the cop instigated the altercation and thats why there was deferment or whatever they want to call it? If you think you are being followed by a crazed gunman it would make you crazy as well if you turned and attacked them unarmed.

Might they be wunderhogs?

>I like beer. Now thats the best point I've heard in this thread.

Can beef jerky get cancer? She might have taken enough radiation already to kill the cancer before it can start.

I'm starting to think this guy is an up jumper who is just pranking are asses. I must say it is getting very entertaining whether it's for real or not. I'm laughing so hard I think I might be sore in the morning. Do you think you could use a space bubble for a mini submarine or diving bell or something?

If you are going to get into skydiving,you need to know and accept that it is inherently very dangerous. Skydiving really blows up your skirt and can be very rewarding but,even with the best gear and training,you are still rolling the dice. I do not know what happened on your tandem, since I was not there and, all this talk of it is just talk. I do know for certain though,that you can do everything right and still get maimed or killed for an infinite number of reasons. You could have a double mal,you could get slammed into the ground by some funky air,or have your canopy collapse at 100ft,ect,ect..... The point I am trying to make is, do not approach this sport with a cavalier attitude. Get the proper training from the folks with the experience(properly rated instructors). This sport is a lot of fun but, do not kid yourself,it will kill you faster than you will no your dead if you do not respect it. So heal up fast and strong,then find a nice USPA DZ in your area that you get good vibes from and listen to your instructors,and do not come to this sight as a substitute for instruction. Have fun!

You are making me think too much and it makes my head hurt. Daddy always said "thinkin aint yer strongest suit boy" I think I'm hungry and thirsty. Oops there I go thinking too much again.

>Actually I think 90% of the people out there would make it through the day without an injury. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha........ha ha ha,you are kidding right? >....and either have their parachute pulled for them or have their AAD fire. If they just came out and winged it without instruction,who would pull their chute for them if there were no instructors? Even if they had the AAD get the reserve out,they still have to land the damn thing. Aren't most injuries and fatalities occurring under fully functional chutes? Just cause the chute opens doesn't mean you are out of the woods. They could do a full flare at 35ft,go down wind into a parked truck without flaring while landing out ect,ect,ect.... But hey,I guess they could still do that even with good instruction,since students have a mind of there own.