First-hand Account of Incident at National Shooting Club (from Calguns.net)

[Sven]

http://calguns.net/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=888602736&f=751609466&m=5636083181&r=4736025181

This is the first-hand account of what when happened on July 5th 1999 at the National Shooting Club in Santa Clara, California - now Reed's Indoor Range.

Check it out. Lots you can learn from this incident.

 

[Preacherman]

Many thanks for posting this, Sven. I agree - a whole lot to be learned from it. I've posted the link to the API List as well.

 

[Redlg155]

I agree, good information. I've always wondered about the hazards of being openly armed in a gunstore.


Good Shooting
RED

 

[Peetmoss]

Wow that was one hell of a story. Glad only the BG got hurt. A story like that makes one think.

 

[Sven]

Can you imagine what might have happened if the BG hadn't been dropped?

 

[Blackhawk]

Quite a story, and full of lessons about a lot of things.

 

[Baba Louie]

Mr. Stevens chose poorly.

Poor boy. Lack of self control strikes again.

Full of pain and rage.

Hope he gets all rehabilitated whilst locked up.

Glad everyone else ended up safe. Monsters do lurk out there, don't they?

Practice, practice, practice.

Adios

 

[MountainPeak]

Very interesting story. Thanks.

 

[Keith]

Wow! That was great! It is really rare to get a debrief like this since most people in this situation are very defensive about possible civil cases. And in this case, the guy is articulate enough to tell the story in clear terms.

Keith

 

[Drjones]

That story REALLY makes me rethink my choice of 230gr. Speer Gold Dot JHP for my G30.

Perhaps a lighter bullet would in fact be better?

Thank you for posting the story, Sven!

 

[Standing Wolf]

Stevens survived his wounds due to the simply fact that there are three major trauma center hospitals in the area, he was taken to Valley Medical. It turned out that he had almost bled out completely and had to be defibrillated twice in the ambulance on the way.

There's the problem.

I used to shoot at that range every Saturday or Sunday afternoon. It was pretty safe most of the time. The people who worked there were level-headed and conscientious. Most of the equipment worked most of the time. The selection of firearms for sale wasn't very extensive, but I bought several guns there.

 

[thumbtack]

Thanks for posting the link.

 

[HABU]

I, like DrJ, am rethinking my choice of load for my Defender.

 

[MitchSchaft]

am rethinking my choice of load for my Defender

Me too.

 

[Slotback]

Very interesting indeed.

 

[SIGarmed]

If you haven't visited www.ammolab.com yet and are interested in the best defensive ammunition its a good site. There are many myths that need to be dispelled.

 

[Mordwyn]

My understanding is that the Glock 30, or any compact .45 ACP pistol with a shorter barrel, needs a lighter bullet in order to get the required velocities and thus good bullet deformation when striking a soft target like a human torso. Because of this finding I carry Corbon 185 gr. JHP +p in my Glock 30

Most of the muzzle velocities shown on the boxes of ammo like the Speer Gold Dots mentioned in the article are cronographed using full sized 1911's with a standard 5 1/2 in barrel (IIRC)

Glock 30's and pistols like them just don't have the barrel length to get decent enough Velocity out of 230 gr. bullets, and so they produce sub standard results as a defensive round when used in such weapons

 

[Poodleshooter]

Glock 30's and pistols like them just don't have the barrel length to get decent enough Velocity out of 230 gr. bullets, and so they produce sub standard results as a defensive round when used in such weapons

I recently clocked a 230gr LTC handload doing 885fps from my Glock 30. This was done with a pretty fast powder (I expected it to run around 825fps). They can get up there, but you do lose about 50fps vs a 5" barreled .45

 

[MitchSchaft]

but you do lose about 50fps vs a 5" barreled .45

That doesn't seem like losing very much power .

 

[FPrice]

Thanks for the posting. Some good information there.

Also, an example of how an armed citizen can prevent mass shootings.

 

[Quartus]

I don't think its wise to refrain from shooting when an opportunity presents itself. Hoping he'll just rob and not shoot could get you killed.

 

[Sven]

Ironic how the hero later regretted asking the guy not to kill himself. If only the crook had taken care of things himself right then and there, it would have saved everyone a lot of time and money.

Instead, society gets to pay his rent and food for the next 40-60 years.

Granted, this is a human life we are talking about, but this is a human life that was planning to kill as many other humans as possible - sub-human in my book, and ripe for extermination.

 

[Quartus]

Yah, Sven, that's part of the reason for my comment. I value human life - even this kind. But there comes a point where a person has forfeited his right to life. When he points the gun and says, "gimme", he's hit that point. And at that point, I don't think it makes sense to try to find a way to "peacefully" resolve the situation. You protect the innocent, as quickly and effectively as possible. To delay shooting in hopes that it will all just go away is not sound thinking, IMO.

 

[Sven]

Re-reading my statement, that was harsh.

Ideally, there should be a guaranteed non-fatal way to completely stop an armed opponent who is planning to hurt himself or others... unfortunately, no such thing exists.

The point is: Two 230 grain HPs stopped the perp in his tracks. Stevens was completely in shock - re: what he said after being shot.

One thing the author fails to mention is what happened to the gun that was held by Stevens. Was it dropped? Kicked away? Curious about that...

 

[BerettaNut92]

One thing the author fails to mention is what happened to the gun that was held by Stevens. Was it dropped? Kicked away? Curious about that...

Don't quote me on this, but assault weapons (the Colt 9mm falls into this category in CA) ban makes it a felony to loan such a weapon. I think the original owner can be on the premises but it's a gray area.

In CA, if your buddy lets you shoot an AR at a 3-gun match and runs to take a leak, both of you are felons.

Been a while since I looked over the SB23 text, but I bet the gun's not for rent because of the ban.