HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-08-25 CorrespondenceCouncil
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
OKJOE@aol.com[SMTP:OKJOE@aol.com]
Sunday, August 16, 1998 9:53 AM
council@blue.weeg .uiowa.edu
Fault in the design of small handguns used by Police.
Fault in the design of small handguns used by Police.
The following discusses a fault in the design of
small handguns used by Police. It has been sent to
Police units across the country. I am now sending it
to Mayors, City Managers, and Council members.
You may wish to discuss it with your Police staff.
Your feedback will be appreciated.
Police real time TV recordings of actual shootouts
show that small handguns have no means for aiming-
and-applying their deadly force that is used by the
participants in gunfights.
Handguns have sights for aiming, but stop action
reviews of TV clips establish that they are not used in
gunfights. The participants just point in the direction
of another party, and blast away. Accuracy and
survival is left to chance and instinct.
The 1997 video of the New Hampshire State Patrol
Officer shooting it out with another young man is a good
example. The participants were within 15 feet of each
other, blasting away, and hitting nothing.
Current small handguns do not have a simple, ready,
and reliable means for aiming-and-applying their deadly
force that is used in close combat situations.
This fault was not known the 100 or so years ago
when current gun designs were developed and patented.
Gun makers in the late 1800's did not have TV cameras
to capture what actually takes place when handguns are
used in close combat.
An improvement that provides a simple, ready, and
reliable means for aiming-and-applying deadly force in
high stress and close combat situations is available.
It utilizes a well established method of instinctive
aiming that is fast and accurate, and it can be applied
to pistols and revolvers.
Here is how the method works.
The index finger is placed against the side of the
weapon just above the trigger guard, and aligned with
the barrel. The index finger is pointed at a target,
and the middle finger is used to pull the trigger. The
method of aiming can be called Point and Shoot or
P&S. It works.
Page I
P&S can be used with some sub-machine guns and
assault rifles, but not with most pistols and revolvers
because the design of the upper rear portion of those
guns does not allow the index finger to be placed above
the trigger guard. A modified form of the P&S method
can be used with them. And, here is how that works.
The index finger of the gun hand is placed against
the side of the trigger guard, aligned with the barrel,
and used to point at a target. The fingers of the other
hand are lightly wrapped around the fingers of the gun
hand, and the index finger of the other hand is used to
pull the trigger.
A few problems can crop up when using P&S as just
described. The index finger may be hit with the slide
of a pistol or be burned by powder flash. And the index
finger may move with each shot and need to be realigned.
Also, a shim may be needed for aligning the index finger
with the barrel.
Most importantly, as there is no ready and reliable
means for aligning the index finger with the barrel, it
is doubtful that P&S as just described, would be used in
a real time shootout.
A simple and inexpensive index finger rest can be
added to guns to provide a ready and reliable means for
aligning the index finger with the barrel and aiming it
in close combat situations.
The finger rest is added just above the trigger
guard and it is aligned with the barrel.
The index finger is placed against it as the gun is
drawn, and pointed at a target. The gun can be fired
using the middle finger.
The finger rest can be called a Point & Shoot or
P&S index finger rest.
In most pistol and revolver applications, the trigger
guard and trigger will needed to be extended to allow
the middle finger to pull the trigger. That will require a
modifed frame and longer trigger, but no change to the
gun action is needed.
Besides allowing automatic and accurate aiming,
a P&S index finger rest provides improved weapon
support because the weapon can be firmly grasped
by both thumb and index finger. The gun will feel
comfortable and solid in your hand.
Grasping a gun with the thumb and middle finger
while also leaving the index finger free to squeeze
off rounds in the heat of combat will no longer have
to be done (if it ever was).
The gun will actually hang onto the level support
platform made up by the thumb and index finger.
Recoil willl be absorbed better, and target
re-acquisition will be quicker.
You will get a flexible yet stable shooting platform
that allows you to stay on target while moving.
Page 2
The free hand can be cupped and used as a holder
for the gun hand to give added support, or the fingers
of the free hand can be wrapped around the fingers of
the gun hand for added support.
The sight still can be used to aim, and the index
finger still can be used to pull the trigger.
A P&S index finger rest also shields the index finger
from the slide of a pistol, and from powder flash.
When a P&S index finger rest is used, the index
finger will stop working at a cross-purpose. It will
start doing what it can do naturally and accurately,
and that is point. As fast as you can point at a target,
the weapon will be aimed at that target.
Shooting scores will go up, and so will a user's
chance of survival.
Police casualty rates can go down. Current rates
are 150 killed and 23,000 injured each year.
The user will have better control of high stress
situations because of increased weapon control.
Accidental shootings will be reduced along with
their emotional and dollar costs, and questions of
liability.
If you require others to carry a small handgun to
use when they place their life at risk for you, shouldn't
they have a gun that will not make it a gamble as to
whether they live or die when they use it?
To require them to carry small handguns that are not
designed to be aimed in life and death gunfights, is bad
policy or worse.
Test P&S. If it doesn't work, let me know. That will
be a first.
And if it does work, equip your Police with guns that
give them the advantage when they risk their life for you.
Isn't their life worth the cost of a modified frame, an
extended trigger, and maybe a new holster? And your
training costs won't change, only what is done during
training.
Here are more details on P&S index finger rests.
The P&S index finger rest should be about four
inches long, positioned just above and about one inch
in back of the trigger guard, aligned with the barrel,
and have two fiat surfaces each about 3/4 of an inch
wide, one that extends horizontally out from a point
just above the trigger guard, and one that extends
vertically down from the same point and which can be
the side of the gun.
The position of the index finger rest should
insure that when the index finger is placed up and
against it, the side of both the middle and root
knuckle of the index finger make contact with the
Page 3
horizontal surface, and the palm side of the index
finger makes contact with the vertical surface. The
contacts are critical to automatic and accurate
aiming.
P&S index finger rests can be incorporated into
parts for new weapons or existing weapons, or they
can be added to existing weapons. They can be added
to one or both sides of weapons, and they can be added
to the front grip if there is one.
When you test the P&S method as described above,
and of course at your own risk, please send me some
feedback. I will take off the ID portion and add it to the
comments portion of my web page.
If you would like to test a pistol with a P&S index
finger rest, you may need to have a gunsmith add one
for you at this time.
If you would like me to contact a gun maker to see
if they will provide you with a gun or modified frame and
trigger for testing, let me know, and I will ask them.
You can visit my web site for information on how you
can make and add a simple test finger rest to a weapon
for testing purposes: http://members.aol.com/okjoe/psl .htm
If you have questions, please let me know.
Best Regards,
John Veit aka okjoe@aol.com
Page 4
-08/20/88 TIHI 14:59 FAX 319 354 6432 IOWA RF,<Y
~]002
.~ngust 20', 1998
City Ck-rk Officc
City of Iowa City
410 E. Washington Street
iowa CL'y, IA 52240
Dear Council:
We are rextucsting a change in the sidin~ material required 'br our Ce~j~cate of '
Appropriateness. We fecl that the cost to use wood siding on a new ~ is unfair
~md excessive. The conursi~ee had an ~lternate pwduct ca] led "Fflxr Cement" proposed
by the Voluntary Architectural Advisor and this product w ts agreeabl~ by us as well The
commiUee has since then decided that only wood products can be used for this project.
This neighborhood has a variety of materials which includ< wood, stucco, brick, vinyl
siding and aluminum siding. We feel that if we are forced nto using only wood, then all
historic areas that are worked in the future will have to foi ow the same guidelines. We
would like to propose the use ofvinyl s'uth~, fiber cement siding, or posm~ly wood siding,
but at our own choice. TI~ commitlec voted on a 4 4 tie n using tb~ fiber cen~nt as an
alto-male to vinyl sidir~, but due two ~,,ant positions on ! ~e committee, wc did not have a
deckling vote.
Please talk to Scott Kroeger about the homes ~ich have used th~ new fiber cement
siding, but also have it blended vd~ the older wood sidini .. If you have auy questious for
me, feel.free to call me at my office, 354-0581 or at houx 626-2492. Thauk you for Your
time and consideration
Sincerely,
629 Melrose Avenue
Iowa City, IA 52246
August 20, 1998
Iowa City City Council
Civic Center
Iowa City, IA 52240
Dear Council Members:
The enclosed article which I have submitted to the Press Citizen is an elaboration of the
comments I made previously to City Council. The subject of West High School bussing
was raised at last night' s West High parents' meeting, and we were told it will be on next
week' s Council agenda.
Truly yours,
Michaelanne Widness
As a parent making school transportation arrangements for four high school teenagers, I am
wondering why it is not easier to get West High students to and from school by bus.
I' m talking primarily about students living east of the high school in neighborhoods serviced by
the Westwinds and Plaen View buses. The bus schedules and stop locations are simply not
convenient for taking the bus to West High. The only bus that gets kids to school in time for
early bird PE at 7:10 a.m. bypasses much of the west side. The bus stop intended for student
use on Westwinds Drive requires more than a 10-minute walk from the new Willow Creek Trail
up the hill along the stadium to the back of the school. Since the path is crushed stone, it will
be problematic in wet and snowy weather. Moreover, in winter, the early bird students will be
making this walk in the dark.
One easy fix would be to add a stop in front of or behind the school. When I suggested this to
Joe Fowler of the IC Transportation Department, however, he told me that city buses do not
pull into the school because of the congestion at the traffic signal on Melrose. The irony, of
course, is that this congestion results at least in part from the lack of convenient bus service,
requiring kids to drive or be driven to school.
The situation is different on the east side of Iowa City. There the city provides dedicated bus
service to and from Southeast Jr. High, City High and Regina. There are three morning buses,
in time for early bird and first period classes, and three buses after school, providing
transportation for even those students staying late. While this service resulted from
circumstances specific to the east side, the fact remains that students attending east-side schools
have a convenient alternative to the automobile for school transportation. At the very least,
there is an equity issue here that needs to be addressed.
Why must parents rely on the city to get our children to and from school in the first place? Isn't
this rightfully the responsibility of the school district? There are, after all, some students--those
living more than three miles away--who can take a school bus to West. Aren't school buses
paid for through our taxes? If so, every homeowner should be entitled to the same school bus
service for his/her children. And why the three-mile distinction? While we are all familiar with
the five-mile-walk-to-school stories from previous generations, I think it is unrealistic to expect
today' s kids to walk three or even two miles to school, particularly when they see half-empty
buses heading for West High driving through their neighborhoods. (In what must surely be the
most glaring example of the absurdities that have been created by the current system, a city
school bus picks up Regina students in one west-side neighborhood to take to West High where
they transfer to a bus bound for Regina; other students in this neighborhood also going to West
are ineligible to ride the same bus.)
It is clear that by not encouraging bus use, we are encouraging the use of cars. The
ramifications resulting therefrom go beyond the obvious traffic congestion before and after
school. The new West High parking lot is very tangible evidence of one of the costs associated
with so many students driving. A less obvious one, perhaps, is that students with cars need not
stay at school all day. As concerns about gang and drug activity in the city grow, we should
not overlook the potential for these and other problems when kids have such ready access to a
car.
This issue is not simply about parents who don' t want to drive their kids to school or buy them
a car. It' s about setting an example and about encouraging habits, some of which may be life-
long. A city that is serious about promoting the use of alternative forms of transportation cl~ht
to look to its bus system first. If you believe, as I do, that improvements should b0~nade t~lhe
current busing arrangements to West High, contact Joe Fowler at 356-5156, City C.:.'~hcil ~hll
the City Clerk' s office at 356-5040) or Kay Seagren at the Board of Education.
Recently, after an absence of eleven days, I returned to
my home at Ecumenical Towers, in downtown Iowa City. After a
day or two I walked in the evening with a gentleman friend...I
suggest that no woman walk alone, after dusk, in or near downtown
Iowa City. I was amazed at the emptiness-the dearth of traffic
and ordinary, decent-appearing people on the streets! I was
aware that at this time of the year (August 12) the students
had not yet returned to campus but still-"Where are the PEOPLE"?
I kept exclaiming. The board fence along the Iowa Ave. and
Dubuque street construction project was plastered with flagrant,
gross "advertisements" for upcoming performances at Gabes, The
Que, Augie's, Sal's, etc., etc.; and dire warnings every few
feet of "DOOM"..."DOOM".
The PEOPLE were on the Ped Mall, hanging out, kicking the
little ball around, sitting on the benches, leaning against
shop windows, smoking whatever it is they smoke...doing their
thing. We bought ice cream cones and sat off to the side, at
a table in the light of the ice cream store...part of the scene,
but apart. It's so public-minded that the City is renovating
the Ped Mall. These inhabitants will have another ten years
to abuse it with their presence.
If I'm alone in the Ped Mall, taking a stroll or resting
after shopping at Old Capitol Mall, I sit somewhere between
Linn and Dubuque, on College Street, near the library complex
and the Butterfly Exhibit, although at noon I often sit boldly
near the fountain, enjoying the antics of children at play there
and aware of responsible citizenry, hurrying on their noontime
errands, or conversing over their outdoor lunchtime breaks.
But after dusk it's a zoo; be careful; don't feed the
animals; don't go there alone!
August 7, 1998
CITY OF I0 WA CITY
TO:
RE:
The Honorable Mayor and the City Council
Civil Service Entrance Examination - CUSTOMER SERVICE
REPRESENTATIVE
We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa
City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) as
eligible for the position of Customer Service Representative.
Roxanne Gustaveson
IOWA CITY CIVIL SERVICE
CO/.~.~SSION
ATTEST:
City Clerk
410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET , IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-1826 · (319) 356-5000 , FAX (319) 356-5009
August 7, 1998
CITY OF I0 WA CITY
RE:
The Honorable Mayor and the City Council
Civil Service Entrance Examination - PARKING CASHIER
We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa
City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) as
eligible for the position of Parking Cashier.
Miloud Benzeguir
IOWA CITY CIVIL SERVICE
COMM~ BION
/
ATTEST:
Mi~ian Karr, City Clerk
410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY, IOWA ~2240-1826 · (319) 356-5000 · FAX (319) 3~6-~009