tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5942427848036063936.post9096901629099835486..comments2023-10-30T01:02:23.994-07:00Comments on Flatland Gun Nut: A Cautionary Tale ReduxThe Flatland Gun Nuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08853281111243807904noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5942427848036063936.post-71970506479044139702014-05-21T16:15:25.279-07:002014-05-21T16:15:25.279-07:00I would put a good bit of money down that all the ...I would put a good bit of money down that all the hits came from the two officers who were ten feet away or less.<br /><br />Police are overdue for upgraded training, unfortunately they'd rather spend that time and money on MRAPS. Article to come.The Flatland Gun Nuthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08853281111243807904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5942427848036063936.post-91511704370461121162014-05-21T10:04:53.960-07:002014-05-21T10:04:53.960-07:00Possibly one of the biggest problems is that gun c...Possibly one of the biggest problems is that gun culture and LE culture don't overlap as much as we'd like to think. Folks like us that regularly shoot for recreation - whether it's informal, competition, or at a training course - are probably miles ahead of the curve compared to the officer that shoots his or her gun only for qualification.<br /><br />The only real marksmanship training I received in the Army was only marginally individualized and comprised only a tiny percentage of my overall training, which was 25 weeks. Compare that to the various LE academies in Iowa (ILEA, DMPD, CRPD, ISP) which range 13-20 weeks.<br /><br />I never consistently qualified "expert" in the Army until I took up recreational shooting in my civilian life. The same problem that undoubtedly exists in the LE world certainly exists in the Army, where twice a year qualifications are commonly the only live-fire marksmanship events. Shooting for record is not equivalent to live fire marksmanship training.<br /><br />I now understand that pretty much anyone with 20/20 vision should be able to qualify expert on the Army's marksmanship test, and yet that isn't the case. The reason is that shooting is just one small part of the job, and the Army treats it that way in terms of time and money (ammo) allocated for training. I can only imagine that the exact same situation plagues most LE organizations. The "job" is paperwork and maintaining law and order, just like my "job" in the Army was pushing a broom and turning wrenches. Firing a gun is a rare event, even if it's carried on a daily basis. Only problem is that the consequences of firing a gun poorly can be tragic in both occupations.<br /><br />Here's a scarier thought: the majority of those hits might have come from ONE officer.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09208603805247940818noreply@blogger.com