Last Wednesday I discovered my first substantive complaint about my new Civic SI. I was on the way to the range, with my Glock 19 in a OWB Comp-tec holster on my hip at about 4 o’clock, when I climbed into the racing-inspired seats with their aggressive side bolstering, only to find the bolstering does not interact well with a holstered weapon. The bolstering pressed the holster firmly into my side and made for a most uncomfortable ride. A cross-country trip would be impossible with that particular holster.

This is, in the grand scheme of things, a minor complaint, as I’d need a cross-draw or more comfortable IWB holster for prolonged driving anyway, but it’s worth considering if you carry in a strong-side holster every day and find yourself doing alot of driving.

Last month I shot my first IPSC match at the NRA range. The scores have finally been posted.

There were a total of 30 shooters in all classes, out of which I placed 17th with 49.48% of the highest scoring shooter. In my class (Limited) I placed 4th. I didn’t get DQ’d, shoot myself, or score the lowest, so I’m pleased with my performance. It sucks I missed the signup for this month’s shoot; hopefully I’ll make it in June.

Well, news of the open carry dinner has finally hit the AP wire. Considering it’s an AP story it’s astonishingly balanced, with no obvious bias either way. As usual, State Senator Dick “Banjo” Saslaw (D) was quoted in full Prick mode:

Saslaw said he’s not necessarily surprised that VCDL found restaurants in the region that would allow them to dine while armed. But he said that carrying guns is simply not normal behavior in this area.

“What normal person walks around with a gun on your hip? Something’s wrong in your life” if you feel compelled to carry a gun as part of your daily routine, he said.

So over 150,000 Virginians with concealed handgun permits are not “normal” and have something “wrong in [their] live[s]”? God, but that Saslaw is a real dick!

Now that those JBTs down at BATFE have destroyed Cav Arms (remember kids, Always Think Forfeiture), the two CavAid 2008 stripped lowers I ordered probably won’t ever come. Thus, I need to find another source of lowers, and I’ve settled on Anvil Arms.

Anvil makes mil-spec stripped lowers just like everyone else, but they also throw in laser engraving on the mag well for free. They have a gallery of some of the cooler things people have had engraved here. I need ideas for what to etch on a couple of lowers for my upcoming AR builds.

Rebecca and I went to the VCDL’s Saslaw dinner today at Champp’s in Reston. Sadly, Senator Saslaw was unable to attend, but I suspect he’ll get the message anyway. Roughly 50 people showed up, openly carrying, and there were no police cars, helicopters overhead, or hysteria. In fact, it was downright boring.

It turns out the general manager at Champp’s is strongly pro-gun and welcomes open carry at his restaurant. He spoke to the group for a few moments and welcomed all of us back. I, for one, will never set foot in TGI Friday’s again; Champps will be my preferred casual dining facility now.

Yesterday I shot my first IPSC match, held at the NRA headquarters range in Fairfax. Going into the shoot I was very nervous, even though I’d practiced drawing from holster, double-taps, and administrative reloads at length. Happily, my fretting was for naught, as I shot well and safely (well, not so safe for the no-shoot target I drilled, or the ceiling light I took out with a ricochet, but other than that ;)). The scores aren’t posted yet, but I expect I won’t have the lowest score of the evening, which is all I was hoping for.

I shot the US Limited 10 division, because that’s the division the ROs told me I would be in. I think I’ll shoot US Production next month assuming my holster is on the approved list. There are other IPSC divisions where guys shoot tricked-out “race guns” using completely impractical gear which you’d never consider using for defensive purposes, but that doesn’t appeal to me.

Look at the photo below and note which detail you notice first:

The correct answer for normal hetero males is “girl”. If you have an unhealthy fixation with firearms, you said “gun”. If you said “cat”, well, I don’t blame you, but you really need to re-evaluate your priorities. If your first thought was “that rug really ties the whole room together”, we have nothing in common.

Since Timmy Kaine vetoed legislation that would have allowed gun owners with concealed handgun permits to carry in restaurants licensed to serve alcohol provided they don’t drink themselves, those of us who carry must carry openly in such establishments (unless of course we’re members of the privileged caste, such as Commonwealth Attorneys).

Interestingly, during the Virginia Senate debate on the bill to allow concealed carry in restaurants, Dick Saslaw claimed:

In most urban areas, you walk into a restaurant with a gun on your hip, they’re going to tell you to get out…You’re not going to get any meal or any drink.

The Post article also noted:

Saslaw said in an interview that he and his wife dine out “all the time” and that they have

This morning I called the NRA headquarters range to sign up for the IPSC pistol shooting competition being held there on Tuesday 15 April. Registration opened at 10 AM; I called at 10:45 AM and got the last available slot, on the 9PM squad! The RO I spoke with said most slots are usually gone in the first ten minutes of signup! Unbelievable. There are five squads (hourly from 5PM to 9PM), with roughly eight to ten shooters per squad, and all of them were full with waiting lists 45 minutes after registration opened.

On the one hand, it’s great to see such a large and active shooting community in an urban, Democrat-leaning area of the state. On the other hand, it means there are more of us competing for very limited shooting facilities. I read on Arfcom that the IPSC shoots at BRA are booked months in advance, and the NRA range always seems packed whenever I go.

I just read about the negligent firearm discharge by a commercial airline pilot, then I ran across this video which demonstrates the combination of holster and padlock design which led to the event.

I’ve embedded the video below; it’s short and well worth watching. Apparently TSA bureaucrats have managed to develop a way to secure a firearm that is both ridiculously inconvenient and frightfully unsafe. The Federal Flight Deck Officer program, which TSA administers, requires pilots who would be armed to keep their guns locked and unusable when not in the cockpit with the cockpit doors secured. Moreover, the TSA prescribes a specific holster, and a specific lock attached to the holster.