Health Centres unprepared

A visit to a local health lasted just two minutes recently, as the power had gone for over an hour. The two doctors on duty left the building, leaving behind a number of pregnant women and nursing and administrative staff.

The interior of the building was bright and airy, with cross winds and plenty ventilation. They even had a second weight scale that required no power. So doctors could still have seen patients, albeit with limited tools.

But the two doctors on duty left within minutes of the power loss. Not to head to another health centre where their skills were badly needed, but on their own personal affairs.

Should this have been a large-scale disruption, with other complications (major earthquake, tsunami, civil war, terrorist attack, major jailbreak, Honduran/Venezuelan armed conflict, take your pick) thrown in to the mix, one can just imagine the ensuing chaos, confusion and anger.

Professor Courtnay Bartholomew in his weekly column ‘Science Report’ often points out the lack of patriotism and integrity some doctors display in their daily professional lives. He lays part of the blame for this at the feet of the School of Medicine, University of the West Indies, and the process involved in accepting medical students.

CONGRATS TO NEW AIRGUN OWNERS

Congrats to the two owners of new Hatsan AT44S-10s. They bought the guns last week, after reading about them right here on AirgunsTT. These two experienced shooters are both quite happy with their purchases.

CHOGM 2009 and Gun Control

The 60^th Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting begins tomorrow and delegates have been streaming into the country over the past few days.

Two countries, Fiji and Malawi will not be represented. Fiji, because of their democracy problems, and Malawi, ostensibly because they cannot afford the travel. It has been reported that France and USA--two non-Commonwealth nations—will be gate-crashing the party to lobby on environmental (read climate change) issues. Perhaps a few Commonwealth nations may consider attending the next G8 and G20 to raise pressing issues of their own.

It is interesting to see how the various security details operate. Some are high profile but professional, others are low profile and professional, while others can be quite casual. The range of weapons and ammunition is astounding though, as can be expected when heads of state of over 50 countries congregate.

AirgunsTT welcomes all heads of state, their attendant security details and entourages to Trinidad and Tobago. We urge you to use this 50^th meeting to re-think the old British policy of keeping our respective citizens unarmed. After all, if the USA had not rebelled against this dastardly policy in the 1770s we would never have witnessed what wealth, splendour and magnificence awaits a nation who decides to throw off its parasitic colonial masters and live according to its own rules. The mere presence of the USA today is a living testimony to what a nation can achieve on its own terms.

Jews For the Preservation of Firearms Ownership has compiled compelling statistics that link a disarmed population with potential genocide.

In the DVD “Innocents Betrayed”, JPFO states that “…170,000,000 civilians that have been murdered by their own governments in the 20th century alone. 170,000,000 men, women, and children who were defenseless to protect themselves. 170,000,000 victims of gun control.”

Jews have learned from their--and others—history. Shouldn’t we all?

More and more foreigners are traversing our soil— armed—while 95% of Trinidadians and Tobagonians applicants are denied firearms licenses.

We’ll shoot airguns for now… Hone the skills. Stay legal.

"The world is filled with violence. Because criminals carry guns, we decent law-abiding citizens should also have guns. Otherwise they will win and the decent people will lose." - James Earl Jones

Another air rifle at home

So The Goddess got a new air rifle. Her father also bought her an expensive new set of equipment for her work. Is he competing with me? If so, his pockets are deeper than mine, so he’s won.

Now there’s another airgun in the house. The more the merrier. Can’t wait for my children to come of age so they can have their own as well. New Zealand allows 16-year-olds to own airguns with a parent’s permission.

Incidentally, one of the best ways to ensure children don’t handle illegal guns is to allow them to grow up around guns. Just as in the case of maths, if their introduction to guns is fun rather than traumatic, then you’ll have a responsible shooting enthusiast, maybe for life. Ensure safety first, by teaching The 4 Universal Gun Safety Rules.

Australian boat captain arrested for guns, ammo

Australian boat captain Michael Norman leaving court yesterday.

Michael Norman, the captain of a boat, Save Our Seas, was arrested for failing to declare two rifles and 2,240 rounds of 7.62 ammunition. He declared two shotguns and 1,000 rounds of ammo on the Customs and Excise declaration form.

Norman had overstayed his time in Trinidad. When, arrested, he told authorities a South African security firm had ordered the two rifles.

Meanwhile, the scourge of illegal guns continues to terrorise citizens, as a 47-year-old father is shot to death by unknown killers in Arima. His 16-month-old baby was also shot in the face, but survived.

Ukraine: One Million Hit By "Plague Worse Than Swine Flu"

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, left, wears a face mask as she visits a regional hospital in Lutsk, about 400 km (247 miles) west of Kiev, Ukraine.

Estimates of one million people infected by an unknown flu, described as a viral pneumonia and a “plague worse than swine flu” by doctors.

“A deadly plague could sweep across Europe, doctors fear, after an outbreak of a virus in Ukraine plunged the country and its neighbours into a state of panic.

Universities, schools and kindergartens have been closed, public meetings have been banned and theatres shut. Last week several border crossings in the country were also closed.

A doctor in Western Ukraine who did not want to be named, said:” We have carried out post mortems on two victims and found their lungs are as black as charcoal.

“They look like they have been burned. It’s terrifying.”’

Something wicked this way comes. 

Prepared?

New shipment of air rifles

The 10-shot Hatsan AT44S-10, now in T&T.

A new shipment of eight different models of Hatsan air rifles are in town. Six are springers, and two are pre-charged pneumatics (PCPs). The PCPs are a single shot and a 10-shot, the AT44S-10. Better to buy the pump and a diving tank if you get a PCP.

The air rifles are available at Agostini’s in Port of Spain. They range in price from $1783 to $7360. No replacement parts or scopes are available yet though. Although the dealer said some parts are on order.

If you need a good reliable airgunsmith, then check Gregory Clement (details at top right hand corner). 

Two pressing issues for Trini airgunners

The 10-shot Marauder. Not for local airgunners.

We have countless airgunners In Trinidad and Tobago. Countless, because those charged with the duty of compiling relevant data do not release those figures. It’s a big national security secret.

Airgunners (and firearms owners) tend to be secretive, regarding their airgunning activities. Except with other airgunners. And for good reason. The average bandit doesn’t know much about rifles. So when he sees a long gun, more than likely he’ll start planning how to get it from the owner.

Most airgunners would not admit it, but they also want to own firearms. The TT Police Service operates as though their mandate is to remove legal guns from homes. Some individual members go further and rent their service-issued firearms, or illegal guns to violent criminals. Since the average non-shooting civilian tends to associate guns with violence, when they see a gun in another civilian’s hands, the immediately get nervous. Ask any shooter. That’s one reason why we usually keep our guns a secret. Never mind the fact that those same air rifles may have to protect the community, in an emergency.

So a neighbour sees your air rifle and calls 555 or 999 or the local police station. Despite knowing the airgunner  and her/his family for years as upstanding, law-abiding citizens. The police hear “man with a gun” and spring into action. When they arrive at your home, they’re sure you’re guilty of something. Maybe they can clear some of the backlog of unsolved robberies, rapes and murders with this one arrest (multiple arrests should your family be home, and friends visiting).

After the jack-booted ninjas (IATF) shoot your dogs, kick down your door, and terrorise, traumatize and threaten your wife and children, you are then allowed to produce your single shot, breakbarrel, .177, smoothbore air rifle. By this time, everyone at home is in handcuffs, with neighbours muttering, “they probably dealing drugs all these years and we didn’t know”. After all, if the ninjas kick down your door, then you MUST be guilty of something.

Depending on the mood of the on-scene corporal or serjeant, you may be allowed the privilege of producing your paperwork for the air rifle. Not satisfied, the police continue to search your entire home, including rifling through your wife’s underwear (a thing even you wouldn’t do), your children’s rooms and prized science project.

After turning your home upside down, and finding no evidence of criminal activity, they depart with a warning, and no apology. A version of the event is then documented in the station diary and other places.

A few months or years later, you apply for a FUL, and denied without explanation. You seek legal advice, and told to take your complaint to the Firearms Appeal Board. But wait, even though there is provision in law for this board, non has ever been constituted since Russell Huggins was Minister of National Security!

One citizen has taken the government to court of this matter.

CALIBRE AND RIFLED BARRELS

Our laws permit citizens only .177 caliber airguns, with smoothbore barrels. Almost no manufacturer produces smoothbore barreled air rifles anymore. Some are produced on special order of 100 rifles or more. So only dealers are allowed. A few dealers make enormous profits because of these old irrelevant laws.

There are a number of really good multi-shot air rifles on the international market today. The latest being the 10-shot Benjamin Marauder. It’s a duel-fuel (pump or CO2) beauty that retails in the US for US$500. Of course it doesn’t come in smoothbore. If a local dealer gets a special order through, then it will most likely retail here for four times the price, or more. The six-shot Evanix retails here for US$3,000, and sold in the US for US$600. The 12-shot FX Revolution is sold here for US$4,200. Both PCP, smoothbore, .177 calibre.

Only the rich can afford these prices.

In contrast, a .22 firearm (rifle) can be picked up off the shelf at Walmart for US$200-300.

The time has come for Trinidad & Tobago airgunners to be able to buy rifled bore airguns. We should also have the choice of .177, .20, .22, .25 or larger if we so desire. The present .177 severely restricts us as to what game we can take down. This also leaves us at a disadvantage to the hunters who use shotguns. An unintended consequence is, we have been forced to hone our shooting skills to near-sniper levels: one shot, one kill. This is no solace though, as one shot would almost never take down a deer. It would just wound the poor animal. We have been reduced to mere vermin shooters.