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The veep never fails to entertain, even when he's trying not to, and this time his boss is probably not amused. Joe famously pushed President Obama to endorse same-sex marriage by sniffing the orange blossoms first, but if his advice for Americans to buy a shotgun to protect the homeplace was an attempt to convert the president to a Second Amendment aficionado, he'll no doubt fail.
Joe's endorsement of domestic mayhem in the cause of survival predictably infuriated those who are so terrified of guns that on certain playgrounds even little boys who make an imaginary gun with tiny thumb and forefinger risk having their hands seized, or at least being sentenced to a trip to the principal's office, followed by suspension.
Firing from the hip is always dangerous. When someone named "Kate" asked the veep, on a Facebook forum sponsored by Parents magazine, whether the president's attempt to disarm America would make "law-abiding citizens become more of a target to criminals," good old Joe's working-class instincts from his origins overcame diplomacy, tact and discretion.
"Is this Parents magazine?" he asked in disbelief. "I have Parents magazine in my home, I've never heard anybody in Parents magazine ask these kinds of questions, but I'm delighted to answer them. Kate, if you want to protect yourself, get a double-barreled shotgun.
"I promise you: Whoever's coming in is not going to [make it]. You don't need an AR-15 [assault rifle], it's harder to aim, it's harder to use, and in fact you don't need 30 rounds to protect yourself. Buy a shotgun. Buy a shotgun."
Unlike some politicians faking an appreciation of guns and the Second Amendment, good ol' Joe makes a persuasive case that in his heart he's a good ol' boy. He owns two shotguns and a Beretta handgun.
The advice he gave to "Kate" and to his wife, Jill, about when and how to use a shotgun, was actually not so good. If Mrs. Biden hears a bad guy in the woods outside their home, he told her, "fire two blasts outside the house." Firing inside the house is not a good idea unless you mean really serious business.
The veep and his missus aren't likely to hear anything suspicious in the backyard, either at the official residence on Massachusetts Avenue or at their own house in Delaware. The Secret Service patrols around the properties are ample and adequate. The peril in firing a Beretta off the porch in Washington is that she might hit a passing car, bicyclist or even the pope's ambassador at the Vatican Embassy across the street.
However, the veep's instructions about how to use a shotgun, to "fire two blasts outside the house," go athwart common gun sense. Shotguns are not ideal for firing warning shots because once both barrels are fired there's nothing left for a second round short of fumbling for two more shells. A shotgun is meant to kill, and one advantage of the weapon is that it isn't necessary to take careful aim.
If the veep really wants his wife to use a shotgun to protect herself, he should give her a sawed-off shotgun. They are illegal in the District of Columbia, and indeed in most jurisdictions, just because they're so lethal. (If a television host waving an illegal ammunition clip on camera can get a pass from the D.C. cops, surely a vice president can, too.) The shortened barrel reduces the gun's range but scatters the shot in a wide arc. The blasts from a sawed- off model usually can dispense with an entire roomful of bad guys.
Though forbidden to civilians, sawed-off shotguns are often used by the mob (particularly movie mobsters), police SWAT teams and the military. Sawed-off shotguns were weapons of choice for Confederate cavalrymen in the Civil War, prized supplements to saber and carbine in close combat. Sicilian farmers used them for varmint hunting in the 19th century, and when their progeny came to America, they brought sawed-off shotguns with them. Hell's Kitchen and the streets of Chicago soon echoed with deadly noise.
Bonnie and Clyde loved their shotguns. Clyde shortened the barrel of his Browning A-5 by 6 inches to make it easy to conceal and get to - he called the gun his "Whippit" because he could easily "whip it out" - and the sight of Clyde whipping it out terrified hundreds of bank customers in the '30s.
Clyde and his shotgun wouldn't have frightened good ol' Joe. The veep would have cracked a gaffe and Clyde would have fallen down laughing until the sheriff arrived.
---
* Wesley Pruden is editor emeritus of The Washington Times.
A service of YellowBrix, Inc.
February 25, 2013 @ 1:46 pm
“(If a television host waving an illegal ammunition clip on camera can get a pass from the D.C. cops, surely a vice president can, too.)”
As long as this debate has been going on and with the plethora of information about guns, components of guns and the proper names for both, it’s unbelievable that the writer is referring to a magazine as a clip. No wonder the Left is calling a scary looking semi-automatic carbine firing an anemic round an “assault rifle” and getting away with it.
One more time now; rifle clips, with the exception of the M1 Garand which uses an internal 8 round en bloc clip, are commonly 5 or 10 round. They are more accurately called “stripper clips” and are used to load magazines which then are inserted into the rifle. Magazines, most commonly have 5, 10, 20 and 30 round capacities.
The only clips used in hand guns are either half- or full-moon clips that allow the firing of rimless autoloader ammunition in revolvers. All autoloaders use magazines inserted into the weapon. They commonly come in 6-17+ round capacities.
February 25, 2013 @ 2:31 pm
I agree with Mr. Pruden’s contention that joe biden is a buffoon but there are several inaccuracies in this article that I will address.
At close ranges a shotgun is just like every other firearm – it must be aimed if you want to hit your target. The effective range of a shotgun loaded with self-defense shot shells is about 25 yards. After that the shot pattern has dispersed to the point that a solid hit on a man-sized target is no longer guaranteed.
Unlike vice-emperor biden, a citizen is responsible for every pellet fired and every pellet that does not hit its intended target has a lawyer attached to it. Plugs has stated that his father taught him “all about” gun safety. With all due respect to his father, joe didn’t learn much.
Most “sawed off” shotguns were made from the double barrel design and thus are limited to two rounds – hardly a good choice for clearing a room full of bad guys. Give me a semi-auto 12 gauge with an extended magazine please.
I believe that Clyde Barrow’s “Whippit” was a fully-automatic Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) that fired .30-06 full-power rifle cartridges from a 20 round “high capacity magazine clip”. He cut the barrel off just ahead of the gas tube. The BAR has part of its mechanism inside the buttstock so Clyde shortened it as much as he could. Anybody that would “whip out” a short BAR and started shooting would indeed strike terror into all within range. Now THAT kind of gun could certainly clear a room.
February 25, 2013 @ 2:59 pm
What type of lifestyle do you lead where you expect to fight a “room full of bad guys”?
Really? a whole room full?
And, if you are taking shots at bad guys that are 25 yards away you will be arrested quickly. That is not considered a “life threatening” situation.
February 25, 2013 @ 4:22 pm
kaniksukidd made a few comments which clarify some details about shotguns in general, and sawed-off ones specifically.
The information is generally correct, and useful to any who didn’t posses it beforehand.
jerrydom’s response to that was totally immaterial and misleading.
If a group of three invade my home, four of us in a room will be a ‘roomful’ due to the small size of my house.
Really, jerrydom. A roomful … and it doesn’t require any special lifestyle to be in that situation.
Now that readers know that a shotgun is not much good beyond 25 yards, they will probably choose something else if they need to reach out that far.
But, when jerrydom says someone that far away is not ‘life threatening’ … it leads me to suspect he has never been in a gunfight.
February 25, 2013 @ 4:27 pm
jerrydom,
If they’re bad enough, two could be construed as a “roomful”. See the damage two unarmed (as in no guns) miscreants did to the family of Dr. William Petit in New Haven, CT who was leading the typical upper middle class lifestyle of a New England physician:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/connecticut_doctor_whose_family_eWPz3N9foeiSbXiWwlizKJ
Any gun would have helped; shotgun, revolver, autoloader, AR-15, etc. Were you Dr. Petit, would you prefer to be unarmed, armed with a 3-5 shot bolt action long barreled rifle, a double barreled shotgun that you had previously discharged into the air and is now empty, a taser, mace, whistle, ballpoint pen or scissors?
On the subject of what someone with a knife can do to you from 21+ yards away, check what the police, who consider it a “life threatening” situation say:
http://www.policeone.com/edged-weapons/articles/102828-Edged-Weapon-Defense-Is-or-was-the-21-foot-rule-valid-Part-1/
February 25, 2013 @ 5:08 pm
Whoops, my bad. That was 21 feet, not yards on the knife attack. Let’s just say the assailant is running toward you with a knife from 25 yards away. A fast guy can cover 100 yards in 10 seconds, an adrenaline fueled bad guy can probably cover 25 yards in four seconds or less. I’m 67 years old so I doubt I can outrun him. Be assured that as soon as I see him starting toward me, my gun will be in my hand at my side and if my wife is with me, I’ll tell her to run like hell in the opposite direction. If there are more than one guy, I wouldn’t even wait, I’d just prepare to fire if they didn’t stop. I’d rather take my chances with law enforcement when, and if, they show up 5, 10, 30 minutes later.
February 26, 2013 @ 12:25 am
vietnamvet,
You’ve probably seen this, but if not, I think you’ll find it of interest. I added to the original.
Rules for a Gunfight
1.Bring a gun. Preferably bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns.
2.Bring four times the ammunition you think you could ever need.
3.Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammunition is cheap – life is expensive.
4.If you’re going to shoot, shoot – don’t talk.
5.Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.
6.If your shooting stance is good, you’re probably not moving fast enough or using cover correctly.
7.Move away from your attacker and go to cover. Distance is your friend.
8.A handgun is a tool you can use to fight your way to a rifle or shotgun. Don’t carry any handgun whose caliber doesn’t begin with a .4.
9.In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
10.If you’re not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading and running.
11.Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.
12.Always cheat, always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
13. Have a plan. Have a back-up plan because the first one won’t work. “No battle plan ever survives 10 seconds past first contact with an enemy.”
14.Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours and look behind you.
15.Use cover and concealment as much as possible but remember, drywall stops nothing but your pulse when bullets pass through.
16.Don’t drop your guard. It’s not over until it’s over. Reload now. “Wolves travel in packs.”
17.Watch their hands. Hands kill, but facial expressions don’t.
18.Decide now to always be aggressive enough, quickly enough.
19.Be polite, be professional. “In God we trust but everyone else keep your hands where I can see them.”
20.Personal security is dependent upon a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet, if necessary.
21.Use a gun that works every time. “All skill is in vain when an angel blows the powder from the flintlock of your musket.”
22.Justified or not, you will feel sad about killing another human being. It is better to be sad than to be room temperature.
23. Afterwards say, “He said he was going to kill me. I believed him and he tried. I’m sorry, officer, but I’m very upset now. I can’t say anything more. Please speak to my attorney.”
24.“Speed is fine, but accuracy is final.”—Wyatt Earp
25.Good accuracy in a combat pistol doesn’t necessarily mean all shots must be in one hole, just that the pistol can consistently hit the target to the owner’s satisfaction. I can almost guarantee that no bad guy shot three times or more in the chest ever looked down and said, “A four inch group? That’s not an accurate gun.”
26.In a stressful situation like a gunfight, gross motor skills take over from fine motor skills. Guns that are simple to operate and that fit the hand properly, don’t endanger their owners by distracting them from the task at hand: winning a gunfight.
27. The two most important things for a defensive handgun are a good trigger, and sights that you can actually see. Reliability is paramount, followed by visible sights and a smooth trigger; a grip that improves recoil control and presentation of the piece to the target; durability and concealability. What else could anyone possible need in a fighting handgun?
28.“The most dangerous guy is the next one.”—Jeff Hall, Ret. Alaska State Trooper Sniper
29.“Continue shooting until your sight picture is degraded by a lack of target.”– Evan Marshal, retired Detroit Police Department cop
30.High capacity is not an acceptable substitute for good marksmanship.
31.Never trust your life to a firearm or ammo that you haven’t tested.–nhpollack
February 25, 2013 @ 2:42 pm
No. Not a “gun nut”.
Just a NUT.
He should be very, very careful around a herd of squirrels.
They might bury him somewhere.
February 25, 2013 @ 2:53 pm
Neither Crazy Joe Biteme nor the idiot Colorado State Senator, Uliberri, (the ball point pen for a weapon guy) have the brains to be walking around unattended. How on earth do such fools get elected to political offices?
February 25, 2013 @ 3:57 pm
Jo is right buy a shotgun! BUT get the one I saw on you tube it has a ar15 platform , what an answer to Jose get a shotgun case closed
February 25, 2013 @ 4:07 pm
I just listened to a retired law enforcement agent on Fox News who said in his carrer in law enforcment he had never had to arrest anyone who legaly possed a wepon. I think that says it all.
February 25, 2013 @ 4:09 pm
The village IDIOT was elected VP. No wonder other countries just laugh at the US.
February 25, 2013 @ 7:52 pm
tps12,
So you’re saying that not only is a village in Kenya missing its village idiot, but Delaware is too?
February 26, 2013 @ 2:14 am
While all of you good folks discuss the technical merits of shotgun v. sawed-off shotgun, v. shoot in the air, v. shoot a whole roomful of bad guys,I share a personal (REALLY!) experience about the power of persuasion.
A few years back, about 10:30pm in Houston, I was accidentally rear-ended on my way home from my office. (Yes, I’m self-employed, so I get to choose my own unreasonable hours). I’m a female, smallish build, not athletic, but could be without those self-set work hours – and NOT YOUNG.
The gentleman (used loosely) who struck me from behind pulled over behind me, and I grabbed my cell and called the police. As I sat there, he came to my door. I rolled the window down a bit and he, instead of apologizing, asked why I stopped in the middle of a left turn. I explained it was to avoid a head-on collision with the oncoming car. I told him I’d called the police, and we could certainly start exchanging information. I got out of my car, as he seemed pleasant and safe enough – but I kept my right hand in my pocket…which bulged a bit. He had a wallet 2″ thick with every conceivable card known to mankind – but didn’t seem to have a drivers license among them. That’s when I said, “gee, without that license number, you sort of have a problem sir.” I had kept my right hand in my slacks pocket the whole time. He started making moves towards driving off (I already had enough info for police to find him and his car), and made some less than cooperative remarks, which raised my blood pressure and heart rate considerably. I told him I would present my information, but he was NOT LEAVING or I would also file a report for leaving the scene of an accident. Then he got mad. So I said in the interest of goodwill I would show him my license. Being a good, law-abiding driver AND concealed handgun license holder, I showed him my driver’s license, with the CHL on top – just as I was instructed to give it to a policeman. Suddenly his attitude changed significantly, and he started nervously eyeing my right trouser pocket (and the hand within, and started once again with his “I’ve got it here, I know I do!” I still had kept one hand in my bulging pocket.
Finally, by the time I was starting to sweat bullets (not sure what calibur, but large!), the police arrived. The officer asked for my license, and I handed it to him, and saw the grin at the CHL (ok, I wasn’t THAT old!) and he asked me (out of earshot of the other driver) if I was carrying, or if I had a weapon concealed. I explained that I was not but that I did have a Glock 23 in my glove box. He grinned, and didn’t check, just asked me to wait in my car while he spoke to the gentleman.
The man ended up being taken away in the police car in handcuffs, since he had no less than 5 outstanding traffic and DUI warrants, and no license. The policeman finally asked if I wasn’t carrying on my person (I started shortly thereafter) what my weapon was that convinced the man not to drive off? I grinned and said, “that little laminated card you’re holding.” He smiled, told me the man had 5 other warrants, including driving with an expired license, and said I was free to leave.
I drove off, and I will never forget the power of the possibility. Nor shall I willingly relinquish that possibility.
February 26, 2013 @ 5:21 pm
cg56,
You had a very cool head and outstanding presence of mind. I think you’re selling yourself short though on the age thing. As a terminally married and pretty well used up old guy, I still analyze and appraise and I classify women under 35 in the catch and release category. 35 to 70-ish is when you gals really get a handle on your position of running the cosmos and are forces of nature to be revered and, when not happy, feared.
Keep desiccant in your ammo cans and watch your six.
February 26, 2013 @ 12:26 pm
A shotgun is more preferable weapon for self defense. I believe in the right to bear arms, but there is a limit to how far I will go.
You just can’t turn weapons with this capability out on the streets and expect nothing bad to happen. There is no common sense in that.
If we want to continue the sells of high capacity, assault style weapons, then we must provide a counter to the worries of our fellow citizens.
I suggest we register our firearms like we do our vehicles and carry liability insurance on our weapons. Proof of insurance would be required to purchase ammunition. Registration would stop the illegal sale of stolen guns. And insurance would protect us financially if someone or property is harmed by our guns.
This would stop all those who want to ban guns outright and protect our rights to own and bear weapons.
February 26, 2013 @ 6:40 pm
brtaylor,
Weapons with what capability? Shotguns, scary looking, semi-auto carbines firing anemic rounds, 9mm. pistols, what? Why do you assume that the ownership of those weapons means the citizens will take them out on the streets? Considering all the privately owned weapons, there is no crime that I’m aware of committed by law abiding citizens with guns, yet 800K-2.5M crimes are prevented by those same citizens every year.
I assume by “high capacity, assault style weapons” you are referring to my previously mentioned scary looking, semi-auto carbines firing anemic rounds like the AR-15. Do you really think that a weapon like that which has nothing near the power of a common hunting rifle is a menace to society? If you look at the statistics, you’ll see that type of weapon is responsible for fewer deaths than any other means including fists. Do you think three 10 round magazines are a safer alternative? Are you aware of the fact that changing a magazine in an AR-15 can be accomplished in under three seconds?
“…we must provide a counter to the worries of our fellow citizens?” You’re kidding, right? How about the worries of our fellow citizens regarding an ever increasing federal government that can’t manage our economy, our defense, or anything else for that matter wanting to disarm us? Don’t you think that’s a cause for worry? When you walk out of your house, are your streets crawling with law abiding citizens with scary looking weapons?
States with the highest number of concealed carry permits have far fewer violent crimes than states and cities with the most Draconian gun laws.
The only purpose served by registration is to have a list to be used for confiscation of legal weapons owned by law abiding citizens. It will do NOTHING to prevent violent crime as has been demonstrated time and again. Didn’t work in Chicago, NYC, Detroit or DC. Take a look at the Gun Control Genocide Chart:
http://jpfo.org/filegen-a-m/deathgc.htm
Forcing citizens to buy liability insurance to exercise their rights protected by the Constitution is a violation of those rights and the people it would affect the most are those who need the weapons the most and are least able to afford it. Poor people are more often victims of violent crime. They’re scuffling to support themselves and their families while essentially living in a combat zone.
As a veteran, citizen, taxpayer, voter and Jew old enough to remember people in my neighborhood in the ’50s with numbers tattooed on their forearms. I’m not going to go on and on about the cliched “…from my cold dead hands”, but I will say that until ALL criminals, the police, the National Guard and our elected officials are disarmed, I am not giving up any of my weapons. As we say, in my culture, since the Holocaust, “Never again!” and we mean it. As many of my fellow citizens who don’t have the same cultural history, but still understand the perils of being unarmed say, Molon Labe!
February 26, 2013 @ 3:14 pm
The choice of using the shotgun or not when going into a building to apprehend someone was determined by who all was known to be in there. Were there any innocent victims or could there be more than one conspirator within that building?
With the wide pattern of a shotgun w/00 Buck, what were the possibilities of hitting bystanders, victims or possibly some other innocent person within a close proximity to the perpetrator.
Working alone in a rural community with backup not readily available the shotgun was used quite often but in most incidents my .357 service revolver was always on hand.
(Yep, I said .357 Revolver, guess that dated me, Im an old timer)
February 26, 2013 @ 7:16 pm
tomt,
No kidding about dating yourself. I’m a fellow fossil and my choice for the nightstand is a .357…backed up by a 12ga. They’re like Zippo lighters, work every time.
February 26, 2013 @ 3:39 pm
Why would anyone listen to a man who is too stupid to tie his own shoes?
February 26, 2013 @ 8:36 pm
Hey Dudley,
You’ve got to be joking! Joe Biden cannot tie his shoes?
Shoot-fire, I’ll volunteer to tie em for him. Together that is!
February 27, 2013 @ 7:53 pm
We often hear people (today) ask ‘Why does anybody need an “assault rifle”.
Sure, the term is a bogus one, but the question deserves an answer.
If asked, my answer would be:
For defense of my home, it is necessary to plan for the gravest threat likely to occur. Therefore I would prepare for an unwanted entry by multiple persons.
In order to meet that requirement, I would NEED:
A firearm that is lightweight, manuverable, and dependable. It must be small enough to use in the confines of a room, but long enough to have natural point-and-shoot ergonomics. The weapon must be of medium power and low-recoil to assure good control when shooting repeatedly. Finally, it must be able to sustain operation until the threat is neutralized without going in search of more ammunition.
Anyone familiar with the AR15 rifle knows that all of these characteristics are incorporated in the standard design.
It is a natural choice for ‘personal self defense’, and was explicitly so described by Department of Homeland Security in Section C of solicitation number HSCEMS-12-R-00011.
February 27, 2013 @ 11:20 pm
vietnamvet,
Can’t argue with that at all. I don’t care for them and never did, but I never trained with one. Did you carry one over there? I trained on the M-14 and M-60 which was my assigned weapon. I went with a Mini-14 to have something in .223/5.56 and think it’s perfect for the job. My main “go to” is the M1A Scout though.