wrm

Much more competenterer

Waybackwhen the Firearms Control Act of 2000 was drafted, they couldn’t decide whether they should licence the person or the firearm. So they did what any committee would do — they chose both.

Which leaves us with the situation where you can be fully “competent” to own, say, a handgun, but then be denied the licence for said handgun because you didn’t prove to the registrar that you “need” it.

If you want more than two handguns or four firearms in total, you need to be a “dedicated” [hunter|sports shooter|collector]. This basically means joining an accredited organisation and jumping through whatever hoops said organisation choses to make their members prove their dedication. This can be as easy as attending four meetings or shooting four matches a year. Once you are a “dedicated” individual it becomes much easier to obtain a licence for a firearm appropriate to the organisation you are “dedicated” with. After all, if you are “competent” and have a letter from the chairman saying you need a semi-auto rifle* for 3 gun shoots or as a collector or whatever it’s really difficult for them to deny the licence.

So when I went through the rigmarole I obtained competency for handgun, rifle and shotgun. You have to prove you know the law and that you know how to make the gun go bang in such a way that you can broadly hit what you’re aiming at. I suspect that at the time there was no Unit Standard for semi-automatic rifles, or maybe it was a security business only thing, but whatever, I didn’t do the “self-loading rifle” competency.

Until yesterday, that is. Because they’re sitting on a licence application for a Browning semi-auto 22, and the only possible reason they might not give me the licence is that I don’t have this specific competency (this is not how we read the law, but our police are well known for their creative interpretation of the Law & Regs as well as their point of view that if you don’t like it you’re more than welcome to take the matter to court (where they will defend themselves using your tax money)).

And more importantly, I want to apply for a licence for a Garand, because why I can.

So I bought the book a few months ago, from Parow Arms & Ammo. Completed the open book exam, made an appointment, was handed a closed book exam asking the easy half of the questions from the open book exam, exchanged that for a competency certificate they had printed the week before, and then had to put ten shots into an A5 paper target at 10m with a Norinco LM4 (I think).

I’ve heard that one can fail the competency but if you do you should probably have someone help you with the shoelaces thing in the morning as well.

* Semi-auto rifles are “restricted”. Means only thpethial people can licence them. Fully automatic firearms are “prohibited”. This doesn’t mean what Merriam-Webster thinks it means. It means that only vewy vewy thpethial people can licence them. Collectors and film props guys, basically.

2011-08-14 by wrm Guns 4

The next shelf

(There are quite a few shelves still to come.)

This one goes around the TV. First step, bolt the TV bracket to the wall.

Looking good.

I will have to make a plan with the white wall behind the TV.

The reason I’m doing this in stages is that I wasn’t sure exactly where this unit would end up. It could have been 5cm to the left or the right. Now I can measure the remaining space and design a bookshelf to fit.

2011-07-31 by wrm House 2

WTF?

Lemme get this straight…

You’re trying to bribe me into persuading my boss to pay R7600 to send me on a course? Bribe me with a free crackberry? And the course is on ethics?

Thanks but… no thanks.

2011-07-27 by wrm Farting around 1

New toys

So we made it back home from our USA trip. When we landed at Schiphol I turned on my cellphone, which started buzzing with 12 SMSes “SAPS message: Your firearm Licence Ref. 12345 has been finalized. Card can be collected at your DFO.”

Well, OK, fair and well, but I’m not waiting for 12 licences, I’m waiting for a whole lot more, and furthermore they’d only been in the system for two months so no way can they be ready?

Well, turns out they were ready, 28 of the 33 I had applied for. Of the remaining five, three are firearms I handed in during the amnesty, and I know they’re taking a different (and much longer) route, one they’re still thinking about (probably because it’s a semi-auto 22 rifle, and they don’t particularly like people having those) and one (a 38 Special revolver) got denied.

Yea, that’s right, 28 new guns including two 357 Magnums, a 45, a semi-auto shotgun… but not the 38 Special revolver. I guess the “yes” and “no” buttons are very close together on the system.

On the left, a Llama XA in 32 ACP together with my previously licenced Llama ~~XXVIII~~ XV in 22 and Star DKL in 380 ACP / 9mm Short. They’re +- 2/3 size Colt 1911 semi-clones.

To the right of that, a Star B (9mmP) and above it an Astra A-100 in 45 ACP.

Then, a Colt 1903 pocket hammerless in 32 ACP (this one was made in 1920 and isn’t nearly as nice as Tamara’s older models) and above it an Astra Cadix (22 Magnum, 9 shot) revolver.

The little pistol with the white grips is a Llama XVIII “Executive” in 25 ACP and is a lot more fun to shoot than you might think. Above and below that is an FN 1906 Vest Pocket in 25 ACP and an Astra 2000 in 22 Short.

The long barreled revolver is a Llama Ruby XXIV 22 target model.

The Browning 1910 (32 ACP) at the top right is in really good nick, as is the Astra 500 below it. The Astra 500 is an interesting piece — it’s basically a single-action Constable, and they only made 450 of them. Nice rescuing something like that from the cops’ smelters.

I ended up not shooting the A-100 or the 2000 because… I didn’t have ammo. For some reason, when packing, I thought the A-100 was 9mm and the 2000 was 25 ACP. Silly me.

And I only got three shots through the 1903 before the front sight fell off. Managed to find it, will have to make sure it stays put next time.

I also left two of my “new” guns at home — the Llama Comanche III ‘cos it was at the bottom of the safe and I didn’t see it, and the Marlin 1894 because (1) the firing pin is borken and (2) I don’t have any 38-40 ammo at the moment.

I’ll obviously have to repeat the exercise this coming weekend.

Also, another road trip to Witbank is indicated to fetch the other half of the guns from Classic Arms.

(Not pictured is the Ruger 96/22M levergun in 22 Magnum which I shot on the rifle range. Nice gun, will have to find a scope for it).

[Thanks to littlegun.info for the Llama Shooter’s Bible scans]

2011-07-17 by wrm Uncategorized 9

Disney

Internet is $9.95 for 24 hours, so we’ve been out there experiencing Disney rather than in here blogging.

Best so far: Hollywood, the Rock and Roller Coaster. We’re going there again. Tanya also liked the Tower of Terror.

The Star Wars ride is also very well done, much better than the space one at Epcot (in general, Epcot did not impress us).

From the all-you-can-eat department — if you’re hungry, the chicken dinner at the All Stars (where we’re staying) isn’t a drumstick and a thigh as you might expect, no, it’s a half chicken (plus two veg and a roll). Good value for under $10. Wine choice is limited to Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio or Merlot, and not expecially good examples of those. Ah well.

Abovementioned internet is in the form of a single RJ-45, so it’s time to log off and give Tanya a turn.

2011-07-07 by wrm USA 2011 0

Ten years ago

On this place, 10 years ago, nothing happened.

Back home though, I met Tanya.

Happy anniversary to us.

2011-07-07 by wrm Geek 0

Smell

So I walked into a voodoo shop and was immediately transported to Hillbrow late eighties.

Smells evoke the strongest memories.

And I still have no idea what that incence is called.

New Orleans is dirtier than I thought it would be, this is after all a first world country. In many respects the 3 months 3 years comment that popped up recently is accurate.

Royal street is great. One street up, Bourbon street is sif. In daytime, that is. Right now, going for midnight, it’s rocking. Including guys in G strings dancing on tables. If it were girls, I wouldn’t have been here blogging.

Accommodation is good. A bit far from town, but affordable. Read the disclaimer. It’s all good.

Weather is batshit insane. 34 – 36C, with just over 50% humidity. We’re melting.

Did the swamp tour, very good guide, saw a few small alligators and quite a bit of swamp. Got takeaways from Verti Marte. Did the lunchtime cruise on the Steamboat Natches, took the ferry to Algiers and had Po’ Boys at the Drydock, shopped around some more, came back and had a shower, then Tanya and I headed out again, found the shops on North Peters Street (recommended) and went to the Gumbo Shop on St Peters Street (runs at almost 90 degrees to North Peters Street). There was a queue at the door. The place half a block down was 80% empty. This alone should tell you something.

Anyways. The Gumbo Shop sells appetiser size portions which is great if you’re not-so-hungry. Had the seafood gumbo, the chicken gumbo, the jambalaya, and the smothered turnip greens and garlic mashed potato sides. Came to $40 with two beers, a glass of Australian bubbly. Highly recommended.

2011-07-04 by wrm USA 2011 4

Cody

Cody. Destination, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, where they have an exhibit about Yellowstone, a museum dedicated to Buffalo Bill Cody and the town of Cody, and a small gun collection.

I didn’t get a picture of the sign, but it says something like “if you’re done viewing the 1200 1500 guns on this floor, there’s a further 1000 1200 on the other floor, use the lift over there”.

My brain melted and ran out my ears.

2011-06-30 by wrm USA 2011 0

Bears and bears and bears, oh my.

Some day, someone is going to drag Yellowstone (kicking and screaming all the way, no doubt) into the 21st century.

Specifically, there’s no public wi-fi anywhere in the park.

Before we left, I found a website that tells you what animals have been spotted where. Pretty useless if you don’t have web access.

Anywayz, so we drove up through Grand Teton from Jackson. First animal we saw was a large bear, identified by us amateurs as a grizzly.

Of course the place is infested by bison, can’t turn around and there’s one blocking the road looking at you (as Robert Ruark remarked about African buffalo) as if you owe it money.

Also saw elk does and calves and a coyote who was completely oblivious to people getting in our opinion waytooclose taking pictures.

(As mentioned before, pictures are a PITA, go look at Tanya’s blog for eye candy).

This morning we got up two or three hours before sparrow’s fart, piled into the car, and headed off to the Lamar Valley (where they supposedly keep the wolves). Got there and there was a chain across the road with a sign saying “closed 8 miles”, so we headed north with sleep in our eyes looking for wolves.

Didn’t find any.

Did however find a swamp donkey (they’re more scarce than thought they would be). And of course the inevitable bison. Decided to head back, but to investigate the 8 miles of Lamar valley before the road closure, found more bison and a nice herd of pronghorn. By now the kids were mostly asleep, so we had to show them pictures to prove that we ran into a second coyote right in the middle of the road.

Got to camp, had a shower, stuck washing in the machine, which Tanya watched while I crashed, hard, for 40 minutes. Headed off again, saw the waterfall and the canyon, drove all the way around to Mammoth via a huge traffic jam because there were… bears. Two of them, as far as we can tell a brown and a grizzly. Strange.

Mammoth had the mother of all pileups and a large herd of elk in the middle of town, with tourists being silly and the park ranger lady shouting at them. Got ice cream and fuel and headed of.

Found another brown bear. Then found another brown bear. Ho hum.

Back to camp, where there was a power failure. So we decided to head to the lake to shop there, maybe get some meat. No luck. There was a coyote off in the distance on our way there though. And we spotted a grizzly on the way back.

So tomorrow we’re off to Cody.

(This post brought to you by the extremely slow but free hotspot at Salt Lake City airport).

2011-06-29 by wrm USA 2011 0

Jackson

Absolutely stunning scenery.

The Virginian Lodge is on the budget side of things, but in Jackson that’s still pretty upmarket. Impressed. Kids are in the heated swimming pool, Tanya’s in the bath, and I’m sampling the Grand Teton Brewing Co. Sweetgrass American Pale Ale.

Been a long day, we left the kids in bed while we headed back to Salt Lake City to a scrapbook store Tanya wanted to visit. They were closed. Back to Ogden and the Browning Museum, which rocks. They also have a nice collection of classic cars.

Found Tanya & kids having breakfast, ate half the leftovers.

Took the scenic route via Bear Lake and Freedom Arms (got there five minutes before they close at 16:30) and picked up a T-shirt and some spares for my 22 revolver.

2011-06-28 by wrm USA 2011 0