OK, this is more or less two separate subjects that I've squashed together into a single post. Totally unrelated but one story kind of blends into the other...
13.7MB MPEG in-car video of AutoX run.
I AutoX my Subaru Impreza every weekend with the Philadelphia region of the Sports Car Club of America and got to talking with a cow-orker about a rather interesting problem that came up at a recent race. An acquaintance approached me and asked what he should do with the Glocks he was carrying concealed. They were secured in a fanny pack and he really had no idea what to do with them because SCCA rules say the cars must be completely empty when racing. No rules specific to guns, but all loose objects must be removed from the car and no dangerous objects are allowed (gas cans, even if secured and bolted down, are not allowed, etc.).
Both I and my co-driver are licensed to carry and wouldn't be racing until the next heat, so I suggested that we hold on to the pack while he race. Even though he worked at a range I frequent, saw my co-driver and myself on a weekly basis and was the person who sold me my 1911, he was a bit paranoid about letting the pack out of his sight for the hour he'd be on the track, which I can totally understand.
After another few minutes of converstation, he decided to keep the guns on him, hopped in the car and headed for the start line. So, we now have a car on the track with a fanny pack either on the driver or rattling around loose inside the cockpit as he navigates hairpins and slaloms at a high rate of speed. If reported, this probably would have gotten him banned from SCCA events due to safety concerns. This has nothing to do with guns per se; this has to do with potentially dangerous objects in the cockpit during a run. Check out the above video to see just what a car goes through during a run and see the damage a loose object could do in the cockpit.
So anyway, back to the flow of the story. I was discussing this with a cow-orker who stops by my cube every once in a while and talked about the dangers of having any loose objects in the cockpit. During my race on Sunday, the bungie cord that straps down my water bottle let loose and a liter of water fell into my lap going into turn one. Saying this broke my concentration would be an understatement as I overcorrected and just barely made the next gate.
We joked about my foolishness in having a loose bottle in the cockpit and the topic then changed to what I do with my 1911 when I race. Since the gun stays at home during competition weekends, it's really not an issue for me. And, if I did carry at events, I sure as heck would have my wife or co-driver keep them and not have them anywhere near the car while I was driving. It's just common sense...
Being the attention deficit fools that we are, the topic then jumped to my laser sight. Here comes part two of the story...
So there's this girl I work with who is completely incompetent and lacks common sense but is otherwise quite friendly. She and I have had gun debates before (she's anti-gun but really can't come up with a decent reason why) and she chimed in with, and I quote:
"Shouldn't laser sights be illegal? Lasers cause retinal damage and, if you pointed your gun at someone's face, you could hurt them."
End of quote. Duh. I could feel my IQ dropping just by hearing that statement. I stared at her in utter astonishment at the complete stupidity of that comment. Now, realize, I do know the extreme dangers of lasers and other high output light sources. I do know that even momentary exposure to a laser or laser diode can cause minimal eye damage. But...if a gun is pointed at someone's face, they have more to worry about than retinal damage from a laser sight.
Duh. I pulled out my laser pointer and showed it to her. I shined it on my hand. She then asked, "doesn't that hurt, isn't it burning you?" Ugh. I had to explain to her how the laser was simply a beam of focused light being emitted from a small diode. I then went on to explain to her that if I were to intentionally shine it in her eyes with the intent of causing damage, yes, it is illegal and could very well be considered assault.
She seemed confused. I could hear the gears crunching.
"So, it is illegal to point a laser sight at someone's face!"
I had to bite my lip. I explained in plain english that it was illegal to brandish a gun...period. I also had to explain that if I pointed it at someone, that in and of itself would be assault. I then had to go on to explain that, if I hypothetically sweeped someone's eyes with a laser sight when aiming at them, they have a heck of a lot more to worry about than eye damage.
"Never point a gun at something you do not intend to destroy." The conversation shifted to safety, and she was utterly amazed to find out that it was illegal to point a gun at someone just to scare them. I guess it also made her feel a bit better that most people with a carry permit are extremely careful and responsible about it.
Guh. I dunno. I'm sure this has just turned into a huge babbling rant, but I had to vent. Ack. I still realize that yes, getting hit in the eyes with a laser is a Bad Thing(tm), however that's not the point.
/Sciri/
[This message has been edited by Sciri (edited October 03, 2000).]
13.7MB MPEG in-car video of AutoX run.
I AutoX my Subaru Impreza every weekend with the Philadelphia region of the Sports Car Club of America and got to talking with a cow-orker about a rather interesting problem that came up at a recent race. An acquaintance approached me and asked what he should do with the Glocks he was carrying concealed. They were secured in a fanny pack and he really had no idea what to do with them because SCCA rules say the cars must be completely empty when racing. No rules specific to guns, but all loose objects must be removed from the car and no dangerous objects are allowed (gas cans, even if secured and bolted down, are not allowed, etc.).
Both I and my co-driver are licensed to carry and wouldn't be racing until the next heat, so I suggested that we hold on to the pack while he race. Even though he worked at a range I frequent, saw my co-driver and myself on a weekly basis and was the person who sold me my 1911, he was a bit paranoid about letting the pack out of his sight for the hour he'd be on the track, which I can totally understand.
After another few minutes of converstation, he decided to keep the guns on him, hopped in the car and headed for the start line. So, we now have a car on the track with a fanny pack either on the driver or rattling around loose inside the cockpit as he navigates hairpins and slaloms at a high rate of speed. If reported, this probably would have gotten him banned from SCCA events due to safety concerns. This has nothing to do with guns per se; this has to do with potentially dangerous objects in the cockpit during a run. Check out the above video to see just what a car goes through during a run and see the damage a loose object could do in the cockpit.
So anyway, back to the flow of the story. I was discussing this with a cow-orker who stops by my cube every once in a while and talked about the dangers of having any loose objects in the cockpit. During my race on Sunday, the bungie cord that straps down my water bottle let loose and a liter of water fell into my lap going into turn one. Saying this broke my concentration would be an understatement as I overcorrected and just barely made the next gate.
We joked about my foolishness in having a loose bottle in the cockpit and the topic then changed to what I do with my 1911 when I race. Since the gun stays at home during competition weekends, it's really not an issue for me. And, if I did carry at events, I sure as heck would have my wife or co-driver keep them and not have them anywhere near the car while I was driving. It's just common sense...
Being the attention deficit fools that we are, the topic then jumped to my laser sight. Here comes part two of the story...
So there's this girl I work with who is completely incompetent and lacks common sense but is otherwise quite friendly. She and I have had gun debates before (she's anti-gun but really can't come up with a decent reason why) and she chimed in with, and I quote:
"Shouldn't laser sights be illegal? Lasers cause retinal damage and, if you pointed your gun at someone's face, you could hurt them."
End of quote. Duh. I could feel my IQ dropping just by hearing that statement. I stared at her in utter astonishment at the complete stupidity of that comment. Now, realize, I do know the extreme dangers of lasers and other high output light sources. I do know that even momentary exposure to a laser or laser diode can cause minimal eye damage. But...if a gun is pointed at someone's face, they have more to worry about than retinal damage from a laser sight.
Duh. I pulled out my laser pointer and showed it to her. I shined it on my hand. She then asked, "doesn't that hurt, isn't it burning you?" Ugh. I had to explain to her how the laser was simply a beam of focused light being emitted from a small diode. I then went on to explain to her that if I were to intentionally shine it in her eyes with the intent of causing damage, yes, it is illegal and could very well be considered assault.
She seemed confused. I could hear the gears crunching.
"So, it is illegal to point a laser sight at someone's face!"
I had to bite my lip. I explained in plain english that it was illegal to brandish a gun...period. I also had to explain that if I pointed it at someone, that in and of itself would be assault. I then had to go on to explain that, if I hypothetically sweeped someone's eyes with a laser sight when aiming at them, they have a heck of a lot more to worry about than eye damage.
"Never point a gun at something you do not intend to destroy." The conversation shifted to safety, and she was utterly amazed to find out that it was illegal to point a gun at someone just to scare them. I guess it also made her feel a bit better that most people with a carry permit are extremely careful and responsible about it.
Guh. I dunno. I'm sure this has just turned into a huge babbling rant, but I had to vent. Ack. I still realize that yes, getting hit in the eyes with a laser is a Bad Thing(tm), however that's not the point.
/Sciri/
[This message has been edited by Sciri (edited October 03, 2000).]
I know what you mean about loose things flying around the interior during racing, and the fact that this person had guns in there with him? Im glad i race in the New York region 
