Really Really Stupid Gun Videos

While we're on the subject of Darwin-esque firearm videos, here are a couple of winners. What are these dopes thinking? And then they felt the need to share their stupidity.

This guy in this video is stupid to the point that I first thought it was a phony, but watching the slo-mo convinced me he really would have done the human race a favor by shooting himself in the head:

And here is Mr. self-defense training expert. Here's an idea: If you are being mugged just draw your weapon and shoot yourself in the leg. Your assailant is sure to be incapacitated with laughter allowing you time to drag yourself away to safety. And the emergency room.

"Wass dat you, G?"

Here's why you need to keep yourself armed, even in your own home. His name is Creed McGee.

Authorities have charged an Evanston man with home burglary after a teen called 911 from his bedroom closet.

It was one of a series of recent burglaries that police attribute to multiple “crews” that have prompted additional patrol officers assigned during evening hours in the North Shore suburb.

Creed V. McGee, 46, of the 1900 block of Jackson Avenue, Evanston, was charged Dec. 16 with burglary after he was arrested by police in the 400 block of 10th Street.

Police received a 911 call shortly after 5 p.m. from a resident of a home in the 900 block of Oakwood. The caller, an 18-year-old man, said the sound of footsteps in the hallway woke him up in his second-floor bedroom, according to police. When he opened his door, he saw someone with a flashlight in the adjacent master bedroom, searching through the dressers, police said.

One of the men heard the door open and asked the other, “Was that you, G?” to which the other responded, “Yeah,” according to a police report.

Authorities said the resident closed the door and called police from his closet.

The two men fled when police arrived. McGee was arrested shortly after.

McGee could not be reached for comment.

The other man drove away in a van, which was tailed by police by eventually got away after driving through Wilmette’s downtown.

The van eventually was involved in an accident near the corner of 17th and Lake avenues, police said. Wilmette police, along with mutual aid from several other nearby police departments, surrounded an area bounded by Elmwood Avenue, Lake Avenue, Ridge Road and 16th Street. Officers and a canine searched through yards and alleys for two hours but were unable to locate the second burglar, according to a Wilmette police press release.

Items worth about $7,000 were stolen from the Oakwood home, including a string of pearls, a pair of gold chains, a gold pendant and a silver pendant, but they were recovered a short distance away, according to police. The burglars pried open the home’s rear door and unscrewed motion lights attached to the garage before targeting the second floor master bedroom, police said. No other rooms were ransacked, according to the police report.

It was one of eight reported home burglaries in the last week that typically take place between dusk and 9 p.m. in the village’s middle and eastern sections, according to Wilmette police. In four of the reported incidents, residents or neighbors interrupted the burglaries.

The incidents are likely related to more than one “burglary crew” that is active in the village, according to police.

Home burglaries have been reported on the following blocks:

* 100 block of 16th Street

* 1200 block of Ashland Avenue

* 1800 block of Elmwood Avenue

* 700 block of Laurel Avenue

* 2200 block of Beechwood Avenue

* 900 block of Oakwood Avenue

* 200 block of Wood Court

Police are recommending residents call 911 if they see:

* People walking around a house after dark.

* People or vehicles not from the block stopped or walking down an alley.

* Unfamiliar cars parked in front of houses that have been left dark.

Police also offered the following tips to avoid a home burglary:

* Leave lights on to make your home appear occupied, especially after dusk.

* Have a trusted neighbor gather mail and newspapers.

* Activate an alarm system prior to leaving the house.

Evanston likes to portray itself as a village of higher education, liberal ideals and beautiful lakefront beaches. Other than the part about the beaches, Evanston is really a community of angry lesbians, stinking hippie-types, out of touch college professors, transient college students, and when you get south of McCormick Blvd you find neighborhoods populated by animals like Creed McGee. South Evanston is just a quick drive up Green Bay Rd to some of the wealthiest communities in the United States. The resident who called police was more than lucky, this could have gone very badly for him.

"Tier 1" Stupidity: Chris Collins G1 tactical "Warrior School"

I've been coming across the term "Tier 1" lately while trolling the internet. I'm not sure exactly what it means or even if the US Military actually uses the term, but the internet ninjas seem to think it's a top level special forces ranking, as in "I'm a Tier 1 Operator, you know, the real shit". Scanning thru the youtube last nite I came across this video of absolute Tier 1 stupidity, easily the most reckless firearms video I've seen yet. From the the description of the video: "Follow G1 Tactical Solutions, Chris Collins and his team of professional trainers and operatives as they take the fight to organized crime and terrorism in the Philippines. G1 Tactical and local government agencies tackle the problems of training deficiencies, corruption, drug trafficking, illegal gambling, money laundering and extortion. Watch as the G1 team trains govt agents and prepares to kick down doors. Fight with no mercy, with mercy, don't fight at all." Too funny. I want to learn how to kick down doors too. That little Asian dude doesn't have the body mass to kick down the screen door on an old house trailer.

At the 4:41 mark you'll see the absolute most reckless thing I could imagine doing with a firearm. That's real ammo, you'll see the rounds impacting the berm behind the target. How stupid do you have to be to stand a foot or so off to the side of a live-fire target while some wanna-be "operator" you just met that morning practices his quick-draw skills with live ammo? I would have loved to have seen one of those stupid bastards take a round (non-lethal wound of course). For this video Chris Collins wins today's Darwin award. NINJA!

Mixed Martial-Arts Guys are Bad-Ass

In the Tribune today, I promise there's a gun in the story:

Robber tussles with martial-arts expert, gets beaten and shot

A man who tried to rob a mixed martial-arts expert at gunpoint found himself no match for his intended victim this weekend, police said.

Anthony Miranda, 24, faces a charge of discharging a weapon during a robbery in the Southwest Side attack, which left him wounded in the ankle and badly bruised from his confrontation with the 33-year-old man he robbed, police said.

The victim was sitting in his car near Kenneth Avenue and 55th Street about 11:30 p.m. Friday when a man came up to the car and asked him for a light, said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli.

The man in the car replied that he didn't have a light, and the other man pulled out a handgun and demanded the driver's valuables, Mirabelli said. The driver handed over his cash, wallet and valuables, and the gunman then ordered him out of the car.

At some point, the older man was able to grab hold of the handgun, and during a struggle, the robber discharged a round, striking himself in the ankle, Mirabelli said.

The victim was able to hold the robber until police arrived. When he turned the robber over to police, the victim told them that he participates in Ultimate Fighting Championships, a mixed-martial arts competition, Mirabelli said.

After being treated at Holy Cross Hospital, Miranda appeared in Cook County Bond Court Sunday and was ordered held in lieu of $350,000 bail.

Miranda, of the 8900 block of Bronx Avenue in Skokie, is on parole in several 2007 residential burglary cases for which he was sentenced to six years in prison. He was released from prison in March 2010.

He previously served time for convictions in two 2005 burglary cases.

I almost feel sorry for the poor stupid bastard. Almost.

Illinois FOID Renewal

So my FOID was due to expire on 11/1/2011. I knew it was expiring so I checked the Illinois State Police website for renewal info. From the ISP FAQ, here's what it says about FOID renewal:

Will I receive a notice that my FOID card will expire?

Yes. The Department of State Police shall, 60 days prior to the expiration of a FOID card, forward by first class mail an application which may be used to apply for renewal of the card. It is the obligation of the holder of a FOID card to notify the Department of State Police of any address change since the issuance of the FOID card.

So I waited for the "renewal" form to arrive, I had some level of confidence I would get it as I had mailed in my change of address form a couple years ago when we moved. It finally did arrive on Sept 16. Not quite the "60 days prior" but if they're turning them around in 30 days as they say, I should be OK. The form sent was the standard application form, there is no "renewal" form. There's not even a box to check that says renewal. Had I known I would have just printed the form off the Illinois State Police website and mailed it in earlier. Anyway, it took me a few days (12 to be exact) to get the required photos taken and the form filled out. Hey I've got a job and other stuff to do. I mailed the form via USPS Priority Mail on Sept 28. I knew this was calling it close but crossed my fingers:

I have applied for a FOID card, when should I expect to receive it?

The Department of State Police shall either approve or deny all applications within 30 days from the date the applications are received.

So I start watching the mailbox around the end of the month knowing my card was due to expire. Nov 1st comes and goes, still no card. Probably time to check:

Due to the large volume of firearm-related questions, please allow 30 days from the date your check cleared the bank before inquiring about the status of your FOID application.

I sent the app with a Confirmation Receipt so I could see it was received on Monday, 10/3 and my bank statement said the check cleared on friday, 10/7. So I guess I've got to wait until Nov 7 to start following up. And I do exactly that, on Monday 11/7 I call the FOID info number (217-782-7980 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. CST Monday through Friday) at 1 pm and get a busy signal. I continue calling on and off thru the afternoon until 5 pm getting a busy signal each time. Same thing happens on Tue the 8th and Wed the 9th. Thursday the 10th I have some time in the morning so I call at about 9am and (unbelievably) get an operator. She asks if I checked with the bank to see if the check cleared, what date was that, and my name and date of birth. She says " you're in the system but it hasn't been processed yet. I don't see any problems so I'll print it out and send it to the vendor". I don't know who the "vendor" is. Maybe some firm contracted to print the ID cards? Anyway she confirms my telephone number in case she has to call with any issues. Good thing she checked because whoever entered the info from the app into the computer system swapped the last four digits between my cell and home phone. She says if I don't hear back from her I should expect my new FOID card in a few days. If I hadn't called who knows how long I would have waited.

The new card arrived on Nov. 22, exactly 8 weeks and 5 days from the date I mailed the application form. Lessons learned:

- Current Illinois FOID processing time is approx 8 weeks.

- Don't wait for the State Police to mail you a "renewal" application. It's the same form you can print off the ISP FOID web page: http://www.isp.state.il.us/foid/foidapp.cfm

- If your card hasn't arrived 30 days after the check cleared call immediately. It appears the call load is much lighter early in the day.

I'm not complaining here, as it seems the office handling FOID apps is overwhelmed by the volume of applications. When I finally did get a call through the woman was very nice and seemed to have a handle on the necessary information.

Stay safe. Stay legal.

Wish List

Hey it's Christmas time and every kid has a wish list. Here's mine:

I wish I'd have kept that FN FAL with the collector grade wood stocks.

I wish Ruger would re-introduce the old centerfire carbine (aka Deerslayer) in 45 ACP with a hi-cap magazine.

I wish the CMP would get more M1 carbines.

I wish I had more time to devote to shooting USPSA competition.

I wish I'd have kept all the brass that I've left on the floor of various shooting ranges for many many years.

I wish I knew which semi-auto shotgun to get for 3-gun competition.

A Wild West Guns Co-Pilot in .50 Alaskan would be so nice.

I wish my outdoor gun club was closer than 2 1/2 hours away.

I wish Springfield Armory would make a M1A light carbine in cal 5.56x45. Yeah I know that sounds like Ruger Mini-14, but Ruger has had nearly four decades to get it right and they still don't shoot worth a shit.

Oh yeah. World Peace.