reasonablenut

Admittedly, I've been out of this for awhile. I missed the passing of DuToit. Obviously I missed a lot of other things.

Several months ago we rolled out a product that we thought would do some good. Ensuing flame wars and whatnot, convinced me it wasn't that easy.

The original reaction was much like this. Caleb thought it was a waste of money. We fucked about in comments for awhile, but the CW was the chances of one having to actually use a firearm was so slim as to make this useless and duplicates the comprehensive firearms coverage included in every State Farm policy.

Sebastion backed him up, as did XRLQ.

Since then, Caleb had to fight off an attack from a homeless guy and Sebastian has decided you're more likely to have to defend yourself than get hit by a meteor.

Really don't know what the underlying philosophy is, but these two back each other up, even when it contradicts shit they've already said.

Good for them. People take them very seriously and, without a doubt, they know what they're talking about at the range.

I just question followers (both magazines and commentators.)

The manager of this site is a good looking woman. I wouldn't kick her out of bed for eating Puffy Cheetos.

On the the other hand, she's a fucking idiot. I hadn't run into this Newsweek blog before the Ft. Hood atrocity. It appears many people write for this blog and all of them are morons.

First off, it looks like they are of the opinion that there is such a thing as pre-Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. This is so obviously stupid, that it almost need not be addressed. Of course this had nothing to do with Islam or the fact that maybe it's not a good idea to send a Muslim into a theatre of operations that is kind of, sort of about killing Muslims. No. Now the trauma of war can be felt and have deep psychological consequences before the subject even goes near a war zone. Pretty soon, newborns that come into this world at times of conflict will have pre-pre-Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder.

Today they follow up with something equally idiotic.

I never made the jump to digital/HD/whatever-the-fuck it is TV. I figured life without Matt Lauer couldn't be all that bad. I was more than right. I don't miss television at all. I'm beginning to think that certain web outlets qualify in the same way.

If not watching or reading these fucktards makes life easier, maybe I'll just steer clear of the whole ignorant mess.

A comment from the Old Man (aka William):

We started MMD Brokers with an idea. We thought it was a good idea and completely new, not to be compared to any existing approach. It was a policy written by CCW holders tailored to the needs and liabilities of CCW holders. We believe it is an excellent product which meets the legal requirements that a CCW holder would think was their responsibility. We were naive as respects the "gun community."

We thought the need was obvious and our solution was the best available. We figured that gun people come up with products all the time that are immediately embraced by the community.
We honestly were not prepared for the immediate negative shit storm that we ran into. Negative comments, nit picking and completely ignorant comments. I have been doing this insurance thing for most of my life and I know the business. I also know what this product does and why it is needed.

And so we come to today. David at Random Nuclear Strikes has manifested the first ray of light that we have seen out of the gun community thus far. I know the post he put together was not an easy one to write. He has really put together all of the things that we wanted this product to be and the crucial need for this product. We feel that it is almost a necessity for the responsible weapon carrier and it was our intention in designing the product to meet the needs that David so painfully outlines.

Legal defense funds/networks are fine, I have looked at them all. I have not found an actual contract that outlines their responsibilities in the event of a self defense situation and accordingly I have viewed them as a less than adequate solution to the problems we face as concealed carry practitioners.

Make no mistake,we are in this to make money, but we also firmly believe in this product as the ultimate and best available solution.

I honestly want to thank David for his courage and also for giving us a glimmer of hope in what has been, thus far, a completely discouraging endeavor.

Comment from me (ReasonableNut aka Benjamin):

For a long time, I was giving David shit for not doing this post. This program became effective on July 1st, 09, and David had said he reviewed the material and thought it to be a good idea. He also said he'd do a post on it (obviously we are rabid for lawyers to look at this.)

Awhile went by, and still there wasn't any post. We saw each other in Reno for the first time in 4+ years and I asked him what the holdup was. He indicated that this was a topic he wanted to approach carefully.

Now that he's posted it, I think I understand a little better why this particular commentary took a little longer to percolate on than reviewing a new AR magazine or writing up a range report.

I want to thank David for his candour and honesty. Me and the Old Man discussed and agreed that he makes a better argument than we ever could.

It also comes with a dose of reality that is probably torturous, but that he's lived through and me and 99.9% if us have not.

That's balls.

Kirk is finally done. For those of you that haven't followed the pilgrimage, it was a long hard slog, just like most of his gun projects. Maybe moving out of Maryland would help, but maybe not.

If anyone recalls, Kirk was lucky his Boomershoot rifle 4 years ago was actually done. I think he got to shoot it twice before he left for Idaho. If I'm wrong, he'll correct me.

Regardless, he ended up with a tits looking AR. I've never seen a "gold" trigger on one before. The contrast is striking.

Cheaper Than Dirt was kind enough to do a post on CCW Insurance. Their blog is impressive, though hard to find. I think that will change.

Uncle was kind enough to kick us some linky love, as well. Greatly appreciated.

That young lady impressed a great many people.

I don't know who provided Rawles with the link, but he posted it.

We disembarked on Wendesday of last week. Our route was rather simple: Take I-40 over to Kingman, AZ and then head north from there.

We soon found out that the gas tank's capacity was only 12 gallons. That makes for a lot more gas stops than I am used to.

Everything went fine until Kingman. I have a NM CCW and a Utah CCW. Well, right about the time we were making reservations and planning this trip, Nevada decided it would no longer recognize UT licenses. They never recognized NM.

So I unload and case in Kingman. The bitch was, my extractor broke while I was unloading. I brought a one-shot 1911 to Reno. Ended up using my dad's. Needless to say, I ordered 2 extractors upon returning home.

Then, at the Nevada border, we hit the Hoover Dam. If you read that link, it is word for word bullshit. There were no bypass signs posted, no indication of what kind of clusterfuck you were driving into, and no non-commercial route.

At the dam, we got a little freaked out. It looked like they were searching every 5th car. At that particular moment, we realized that we had a Russian sniper rifle in the car, along with a shitload of Russian ammo, and I was smoking Ukrainian cigarettes. Luckily, we weren't the on in five, or whatever.

Nonetheless, it took an extra hour just to get through a fucking dam.

That put us in Vegas right around rush hour. We're from New Mexico; we're a couple of hicks, at this point. It freaked me out.

We agreed that we would stop at the first good looking place north of Vegas. I didn't realize that there is pretty much nothing between Vegas and Reno. ZERO.

We finally stopped in a town called Beatty and it was a lot better than I thought it would be. We ate and drank (and smoked) at the Sourdough Saloon, which was 100 feet from the door of our motel room. I don't understand why anybody would be in Beatty, but if you are, the Sourdough has the best burger I've had in several years.

Past that, we arrived and fucked around with valet parking and dyslectic bell-hops.

More to follow.

Much like Uncle did, I need to admit that this blog now has a vested interest in a commercial enterprise. So on the issue of insurance and firearms, consider me fairly biased.

That being said, the above linked "enterprise" caught a lot of shit back in July. People seemed to think that their existing insurance would cover a self-defense situation.

Well the California Supreme Court has spoken. As goes California, so goes the nation. And for a California court to take the side of an evil insurance company is unheard of.

Here's the link. Read it and think about it:

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2009/08/05/102768.htm

Given, this is not a case of the use of a firearm, but the doctrine holds.

I'm not going to post my recollections in a consecutive stream. I'll post what strikes me when I sit down for the next week or so.

My biggest shout out is to the West Nevada Pistol League. They provided the steel for the pistol match. I could have not shot and had a great time. I got my ass kicked by a pre-teen girl and an old guy.

Regardless, the range had some really cool shirts. Actually, this is my favorite shooting shirt now. It doesn't seem like anybody else noticed them in the range check-in. I thought they might me online, but, apparently, are not.

If you make to Reno, buy a cool shirt.

I read The Road last weekend.

I need to qualify this post by saying that I have had experiences with Cormac McCarthy, and, in my humble view he is a complete cunt as a human being. I think he's a vain, hypocritical motherfucker that is badly in need of a really good ass-kicking.

All that aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel (while pretending somebody else wrote it.)

It is not, as most reviews say, an "apocalyptic" novel. More a post-apocalypse apocalypse novel. The premise being that the earth cannot grow anything and all wildlife is dead. Survivalist shit doesn't really have anything to do with it.

With the continent or planet (he never specifies) in that state, it comes off as more a race to the end or who can outlast who. Regardless, it is clear there is no goal beyond tomorrow.

To go any further would probably contain spoilers, and I ain't down wit that.

The novel can be read in about 2 hours flat, given the font size and spacing.

If you can borrow it from a friend, I highly recommend this book. If not, I guess you might have to add to this asshead's coffers.

Did I mention that I don't like Mr. McCarthy?

I guess the Rendevous is a mere two weeks away, or less. We've got the rental car and all that shit. I'm still trying to figure out Nevada gun laws.

Since MMD went into business a month ago, I've argued a lot of bullshit. At times, I've lost my temper. The temper can be seen in my reaction to "Luke."

The other partner is a bit more even-tempered than I am. Here is his response to the multiple, ignorant criticisms of this program:

WHY YOU NEED THIS POLICY IF YOU CARRY A CONCEALED WEAPON

Engaging in an act of self defense will involve two separate and distinct legal processes – criminal procedures and civil actions. These are two different areas of law and specialized to the extent that many criminal lawyers will not take civil work and visa versa.

If you are involved in shooting another person, make no mistake, you will be arrested and your weapon will be confiscated. The time involved to establish your innocence will vary from a few hours to months or even years. A criminal lawyer should be retained as quickly as possible and this will involve legal fees and retainers. YOUR HOMEOWNERS POLICY OR YOUR UMBRELLA POLICY WILL NOT RESPOND TO ANY OF THESE EXPENSES. You are on your own. With a favorable result in your criminal defense, our policy will reimburse this expense to the limit of our liability on the policy. (Note that this reimbursement will be twice or five times what the NRA policy will reimburse depending on the limit your choose.)

If you do injure or kill your adversary in an act of self defense you will be sued by some interested party. Even if your state has a castle doctrine, you will still be sued and will have to go through the legal process of defending this suit until it is dismissed in court. It is doubtful that your homeowners policy will respond to these suits due to the definition of occurrence in those policies which includes the requirement that the occurrence be "accidental’ and also because of the intentional acts exclusion. Once again, our policy will respond unequivocally in defense and payment of these suits up to our limit of liability.

"The chances of this happening are so remote that I don’t need insurance."
If the chances are so remote of being involved in a self defense situation, why do you bother to carry a concealed weapon at all?

"This insurance is written on a surplus lines basis and accordingly must be expensive for what your get."

Surplus lines carriers write coverages that are not available in the standard market. Standard companies will generally not insure any liability exposures that involve firearms – ammunition manufacturers, gunsmiths, ranges, shooting clubs and instructors are all written on a surplus lines basis. The liability coverages involving firearms offered by the NRA are all written on a surplus lines basis. Rates in the surplus lines market are established in the open market and are in a lot of cases much more flexible than standard lines rates which must be filed with each individual state.

"The policy is redundant with my other insurance – homeowners, personal liability, umbrella."

None of the liability policies you currently carry will respond to any expenses on the criminal side of the equation, which can be expensive even if it is a righteous shooting.

"My state has a castle doctrine and I can’t be sued for an act of self defense."

First, your act of self defense must be legally determined to be a lawful act of self defense before it would fall under the castle doctrine. Secondly, anyone can sue anyone for anything and accordingly you will be sued castle doctrine or not. A defense of this civil suit must be mounted until the court decides that your case falls under the provisions of your castle doctrine. Thirdly, in most cases, the castle doctrine only applies within your own residence and does not apply to acts outside of your own premises.

CCW Violation: My experience and trial in a court of law.

http://ohioliberty.blogspot.com/2009/07/ccw-violation-my-experience-and-trial.html

After the Shooting Stops: Dealing with the Aftermath of a Lethal Encounter

http://www.usconcealedcarry.com/public/227.cfm

Aftermath of a Shooting

http://www.neshooters.com/miranda.pdf

After a shooting, What to reveal

http://www.tactical-life.com/online/combat-handguns/after-a-shooting-what-to-reveal/

Self defense or Unjustified Shooting?

http://law.jrank.org/pages/10128/Self-Defense.html

Homeowners Policies and Acts of Self Defense

http://www.irmi.com/expert/articles/2006/cooper01.aspx

"Reasonable Actions to Protect Persons or Property
…In the case of Cooperative Fire Insurance Association of Vermont v. Bizon et al., 693 A.2d 722 (1997), the superior court held that even though the insured’s shooting and killing an intruder may have been done to protect his property, the policy contained an unambiguous intentional acts exclusion and there was no question but that the action was intentional. And in the case of AutoOwners Insurance Company v. Harrington et al., 565 N.W.2d 839 (1997) the supreme court of Michigan held that "to except injurious action taken in self-defense from an intentional acts exclusion would impermissible disregard the clear language of the exclusion…"
Homeowners Coverage Guide, Interpretation and Analysis by Diane W. Richardson

// posted by Benjamin @ 7:44 PM 3 comments

Kevin over at Smallest Minority is also planning on attending the Gunblogger Rendezvous in Reno this fall.

Unlike me, he took the initiative and donated a gun to raffle off to benefit soldiers.

Typically, the pussies at PayPal balked at the idea and canceled the raffle to benefit our finest.

Truly shameless, but I guess that's we've come to expect.

Hell, we're such pussies that Chicago and Baltimore are becoming war zones, due to our and our politician's complacence.

Hit the header and read the whole story from Kevin.

Ever since this program was introduced, and linked to by Joe, SayUncle, and Gator (all of whom threw it out there as an interesting concept, without qualification), there have been some occluded conversations about the nature of this policy in certain circles. I hope this post serves to rectify the misunderstanding that seems to be abounding.

A) "Intentional Acts." A standard homeowners policy or umbrella excludes all intentional acts, without exception. If you think a court or a jury of your peers will not view the decision to pull a trigger, whether inside your home or without, as an "intentional act," you are deluded. Your homeowners policy, essentially, provides no coverage. If it is a high profile case or there are other extenuating circumstances, they may choose to defend you under a "reservation of rights."

B) "Criminal Defense Reimbursement." This coverage doesn’t exist under any homeowners policy. But, according to all of the experts on the intertubes, District Attorneys are inherently a fair-minded crowd, who would never prosecute you for, what in your mind was, a justified shooting.

Also, if you want to call me a fraud or a scam-artist, have the balls to do it to my goddamn face.