Philando Castile Dash Cam Video

Please Note: The linked video below is graphic.

By now you have heard the officer charged in the Philando Castile shooting, Jeronimo Yanez, was acquitted on the charges of second-degree manslaughter and reckless discharge of a firearm. Back in July of last year I had armchair quarterbacked the situation while believing Philando had told the officer he had a concealed firearm and permit. After reviewing the video below, there was no mention of a permit in the conversation only that he had a firearm and then the officer immediately grabs the grip of his gun and tells him not to reach for it. I believe the officer acted too fast and as a result Philando is dead. I also believe Philando had a duty to obey the officer’s command and when he went reaching he escalated the situation.

After hearing the news the officer was acquitted I immediately felt the jury got it wrong despite deliberating for four days. After watching the video I am not so sure. For certain any officer that fearful and quick to action should rethink their chosen profession. A trained professional should exercise caution and restraint until the situation call for the use of deadly force. In this case we have a driver with a broken tail light who has impairment from use of marijuana and his decision to not obey the officer’s commands in conjunction with an officer making a poor decision led to his demise. In my mind the officer is guilty of something, but I am no longer convinced it is manslaughter.

As a concealed carry permit holder I strongly feel anyone who announces they have a permit and firearm to the officer should never be shot. In the case of Philando Castile he never mentioned the permit, only the firearm, and then reached when he was instructed not to do so. It is a tragedy which could have been prevented if Philando had obeyed the officer and if the officer had exercised a bit more restraint instead of fear, especially considering there was a child in the vehicle.

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Rest In Peace Mark Binker

Longtime readers of the blog may recall in 2012 a database of concealed handgun permit holders in North Carolina was published. It contained streets and some house numbers to alert residents who had a permit in their area. Mark Binker was one of the people behind that database and he caught some heat from the public for it and was mentioned in this blog several times until the database was taken down in 2013 because House Bill 937 made the information private.

Mark passed away unexpectedly over the weekend at the age of 43. He leaves behind his wife and two young sons. While many disagreed with his publishing of the concealed handgun permit database, no one wanted to see any harm come to Mark or his family.

There is a YouCaring fund which has been set up to received donations for Mark’s family. Please keep the Binker family in your thoughts.

Celia Rivenbark – Do Signs Make Us Safer?

Happened upon a column this morning penned by Celia Rivenbark entitled Going Shopping With Guns. Apparently this was an earlier column entitled Guns In A Bookstore – – Really? It was marked as humor, but Celia describes sitting in a gift store/bookstore and seeing a family walk in with both parents open carrying firearms. Celia grew up in Duplin County and now resides in Wilmington, NC. She called the couple Bonnie & Clyde and mentioned after the family left the store posted a “no firearms allowed on premises” sign. My question for our country girl is since when to signs make us safe? Would a sign on your property to not break in ever cause someone to turn around who was intent on breaking into your home? Do speed limit signs keep people from speeding? Do nutrition labels keep us from overeating or getting fat? I was not aware of Celia before noticing her column and will probably ignore her moving forward, but if she believes a family legally open carrying is a problem and signs will keep us safe she truly has issues she needs to work through. Perhaps she should herself check out that self-help section of the bookstore.

HB2 Bids NC Adieu

After a heated debate HB2 is gone baby gone. All that remains is a signature from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and we can settle the matter for at least a short while. Ever since the HB2 was introduced to counteract an ill conceived Charlotte ordinance people have been up in arms to have it repealed. In December the deals fell through when neither side wanted to compromise. Today HB2 finally died with the passage of House Bill 142. The bill was a gutted bill so check the Ratified version on the NCGA website to see what actually passed. So what does this bill do exactly? It repeals HB2 and makes any new local ordinances void until at least December 30, 2020.

So the Religious are all up in arms because their children are not protected. These people are what some might call ignorant. HB2 offered no protection any more than a gun buster sign offers protection. HB2 was even worse, there was no repercussions stated in the legislation if someone did go against the statute. Basically trespassing was all someone could be charged with and in most cases they would simply be asked to leave. One who preyed on children would still be able to prey on small children and if they did then they would be subject to the criminal offense based on their actions, but not because of HB2. It was a sham only created to counteract the Charlotte ordinance which did not protect anyone from anything, it simply ensured ordinances like those in Charlotte ceased to have merit.

Now the LGBTQ (did I get all those abbreviations?) community is all up in arms because they find the legislation used to repeal HB2 to be discriminatory. I just cannot follow that logic. Read the legislation, it doesn’t discriminate, it simply allows only the General Assembly to set regulation access to restrooms, showers, and changing facilities. Of course the Supreme Court or any Court can dictate that and supposedly that was the thought process behind the December 2020 expiration date for one Section. I haven’t spent time listening to many LGBTQ statements, but one LGBT lawmaker (he left off the Q) was up in arms because the LGBTQ representatives were not included in the repeal discussions. How many freaking people does it take to write repeal legislation and handle out a deal? You say Roy Cooper is your Governor and you want him to speak on behalf of the LGBTQ community, then let him do his job and he WAS a big part of the repeal deal.

Here’s the dirty little secret which really isn’t much of a secret. The Governor and General Assembly bowed to the pressure of the NCAA to repeal HB2. They did not listen to the people, the news, various idiotic performer boycotts, or manufacturers who chose to build/relocate elsewhere. They caved to pressure from the NCAA and basketball. Yep, sports are what cause compromise and change and it should show the citizens of NC who is really in charge. It isn’t your religious group, your LGBTQ discrimination claims, or your common sense, it is sports, namely basketball. So to you zealots on the left and right you better watch out because the NCAA is coming down the lane.

At least we now all know where to go to take a piss and who owns NC!

Be Careful Instructors, Students Are Depending On You

I was disappointed recently by a fellow instructor who discouraged a former student of theirs from pursuing a firearm which has not yet been released. It was obvious the student was drawn to the firearm which IMO is one of the first steps in deciding if you want the firearm or not. Sure if you are going to conceal the firearm you need to think about many, many other topics, but to discourage someone from considering a firearm you have not held, touched, read range reports on, and fully investigated is the equivalent of poor parenting. As an instructor you should assist the student to the best possible firearm for their budget and needs. Had this particular firearm been out on the market with substandard reviews then my opinion of the situation would be much different, but because the only tangible reports were tactile from Shot Show 2017 and the gun is not on the market, to tell a student to overlook it is bad form. I’ve actually had my eye on this particular firearm and believe it may turn out to be a winner. I’ve been wrong many times in the past, but this one looks to me to be on the right track to be a great firearm for IWB carry. Anyway, if you are an instructor and have a favorite manufacturer do not allow that bias to carry over into the decision making process for a student. Just because I am a Ruger fanboy does not mean I would tell someone to avoid an S&W, Bersa, or Taurus, I would fully research the firearm they are considering and would probably head to a large firearm store to put my hands on it and decide for myself before offering an opinion. There is no way I would tell a student anything about a firearm which is not yet on the market other than to read the articles out now and I will be glad to assist them with an evaluation once the firearm has been released.

Celebrating Five Years

Today is the fifth anniversary for the blog. When it started 1,827 posts ago the direction was unclear and with this post once again the direction is a bit of a mystery. Trying to post daily has proven difficult when a fresh topic idea isn’t forthcoming, for that reason the plan is to only post when there is something relevant or fun to say. That might be a reminder of a particular day to celebrate a drink or beverage of a discourse on how ignorant a politician is on the topic of alcohol or firearms. The goal will be for topics to concentrate on firearms and fermentation only occasionally coloring outside the lines. Thank you to everyone who receive the blog via email and to those who visit regularly to read what we have to say.

Cheers to you all!

House Bill 69 – Constitutional Carry

On February 8 House Bill 69 was introduced in the NC General Assembly. This bill, if it passes, would allow concealed carry without a permit something commonly called Constitutional Carry. While I like the idea, the current permit process does one really good thing and it may not be what you think. Most would think it is the firearms safety training and qualification at the range and while those are good, they don’t guarantee anything. Someone could have the training and do well during the class and still have an accident or miss their target. What is ultimately beneficial from the course is the time spent covering the use of deadly force and the laws in NC. I am sure we have people come to NC under the reciprocity umbrella who do not have an understanding our our laws and the use of deadly force, but it is invaluable IMO. The current training mandates at least two hours be spent on the topic and when I instruct it is closer to three. I get more questions during this portion of the course than any other time and I am sure the class understands what is and is not allowed. What I cannot predict is how long they will retain the information. I see potential for problems with school situations. Our current law allows you to be in your vehicle with your firearm or to have it in a closed container while parked on school property. I can see someone who has not taken the class to believe they could carry it anywhere on school grounds. Another nuance is you cannot concealed carry in public if you have ANY amount of alcohol in your system. So if you have a single beer you must not concealed carry. Without the class someone would have to mine those nuggets out of the statutes and most residents have probably never read the statutes in the first place. It’s now an awful idea, and some states have it already, but I’m not on board at this time. In some states the permit process still exists so residents can get reciprocity to carry in other states. While that is good, it still doesn’t instruct on the laws of deadly force for those who have not gone through the permit process.

One final note. While I am a certified instructor with the NCDOJ, my teaching activities the last few years have barely covered expenses so I can honestly say my hesitation with this bill is not out of concern for reduced revenue from classes. It is out of concern for those who will inevitably and inadvertently break the law in NC and cast a shadow on all the law-abiding citizens.

Which Constitutional Rights Should Require ID?

I had an interesting discussion yesterday with someone who tried to read words into my statements which were not there and made false comments so I ended our conversation before it lost civility. It was regarding voting and my comment was we should show proof of identity. Currently in NC you can look up any registered voter and you could take that information to a polling place during the elections, say the name, confirm the address, and vote. We had an ID law in place which was deemed by some court somewhere unconstitutional and struck down. I don’t actually remember the reasons why it didn’t pass muster, but I believe providing proof of identity should occur prior to voting. It could be an ID card or heck just a thumbprint on an electronic reader. If my cell phone can pickup my print to let me in the phone then one should be able to setup a voter identification app to do the same at the polling station.

All this got me thinking which rights require an ID already and if one constitutional right requires it why would it not apply to all of them? Certainly for the Second Amendment the laws nationwide involve an ID, so there’s one. I would think the Fourth would involve an ID to be sure when a warrant is served they have the right person. Probably the Sixth and Seventh, again to have the right person which leads into the Eighth. The Eighteenth took away our rights to alcoholic beverages and the Twenty-first brought back that right and last time I checked an ID is required for anyone who appears to be younger than the drinking age. In fact several places require ID no matter what your age. Without going through them all it would make sense to me that the Fifteenth, Nineteenth, Twenty-third, Twenty-fourth, and Twenty-sixth should all require an ID since so many others do already. I read that 7% of the voting age population is without an ID. That equates to around 16 million US citizens who have no form of ID. I have no problem at all with us finding a means to get any registered voter a valid ID for voting purposes. Even if it cost an average of $25 per person to carry out and all 16 million took advantage of the program our total out of pocket would be $400 million which is a drop in the bucket of Federal spending. My suspicion is most of the 16 million are not registered to vote in the first place and so they don’t vote anyway even when an ID is not required. I still cannot wrap my brain around the position requiring proof of identity is a burden and will reduce voter turnout. The only thing reducing voter turnout was two candidates which were difficult to like.

Trayvon Martin’s Parents Running For Office?

I just shook my head in disbelief when I saw a headline indicating the parents of Trayvon Martin were considering running for office. A tragedy happened five years ago in Florida when Martin was out obtaining ingredients for Lean and ran into an overzealous community watch volunteer with whom he struggled and he died as a result of his actions. Now two parents who could not control their 17 year old son in school nor out are suddenly fit to hold public office. I guess stranger things have happened, we all remember Marion Barry winning election after smoking crack so why shouldn’t the parents of a teen looking to mix some drank be considered for office. Personally I try to find the most qualified individual for the job, but I don’t think being the parent of a slain teen qualifies you for anything more than a position as a grief counselor.

Upcoming Fifth Anniversary

On February 12 the blog will turn five. We generate about 1,000 new views per month and 135 people following our mindless banter. Every comment is considered and we appreciate you taking the time to read about whatever happens to come to mind that day. We may decide to post less frequent and with more focus after the 12th because some days it is difficult to find an interesting topic while other days it is difficult to stop typing. So if you start to see less posts do not become alarmed, we’ll post when we have something to say as opposed to saying something daily.