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Oh my! NSFW
One evening, Grayson H. and five of his friends decided they wanted to go catch a 7 p.m. movie at the Central Mall in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The mall was overly crowded, so they parked about 100 yards from the door and walked to the ticket counter.
Before the movie started, the group decided to go back to their vehicles, since they had a little time to waste before the movie began.
Mike Seeklander is owner of Shooting-Performance LLC, a full-service training company, and the co-host of “The Best Defense,” the Outdoor Channel’s leading self-defense and firearms instruction show.
One of the friends in the group, Tabitha, was going through a difficult divorce and the group of friends was looking forward to a fun evening to cheer her up. However, while the group was standing in the parking lot waiting for the movie to start, Grayson noticed that Tabitha’s ex-husband was driving around.
Before Grayson knew it, Tabitha’s ex had jumped out of his vehicle and was walking toward the group. The ex, identified as 34-year-old Fadi Qandil pulled a gun from his waistband and fired multiple shots at Tabitha missing her.
Grayson saved Tabitha by pushing her out of the way, but he was hit by the gunfire and fell to the ground. Immediately, Grayson pulled out his own gun, a Smith & Wesson, and returned fire striking and killing Qandil. Grayson made a full recovery from his wounds.
Obviously, Grayson saved lives that day and while he carried a Smith & Wesson, which is a great gun, it’s definitely not the most expensive gun on the market.
I hear from a few folks that think guns are too expensive these days, but you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a quality gun.
Here are some solid handguns on the market that are under $500.
SIG Sauer P250
Normally, SIG Sauer firearms aren’t put into the “inexpensive” category. Their finely tuned construction and impeccable accuracy are more akin to a Swiss watch than they are a cheap handgun.
Believe it or not, SIG Sauer manufactures a handgun for less than $500, which is an incredible value for a high-quality gun and one of my personal favorite guns to carry.
The P250 is a double-action-only pistol with a modular system that gives the shooter the option to change to different calibers, barrel lengths, and grip sizes.
The P250 can be purchased in 9mm, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, .45 ACP and .380 ACP.
The price will depend on the specific options you choose but this is a great value for a gun under $500.
Walther Creed
The old PPX was blocky. The new Creed overhauls the PPX design into a sleeker sexier design.
This is a relatively new pistol from Walther, designed to meet the demands of folks wanting a decent entry-level gun without breaking the bank.
The Creed was designed with comfortable ergonomics and a high-quality trigger that is typically featured on much more expensive guns.
In addition, in the 9mm you get 16+1 rounds, which is a great number for a compact 9mm.
The Creed starts around $400, and I love to carry this gun.
Smith & Wesson SD9VE
Smith & Wesson is known for it’s long tradition of making quality firearms including both revolvers and semi-automatics.
Smith & Wesson is known for its long tradition of making quality firearms including both revolvers and semi-automatics.
The SD9VE is a polymer-framed striker-fired 9mm pistol with a magazine capacity of 16 rounds.
The thing is, this firearm has been around since the 1990s and legend has it that the company spent millions of dollars researching the shape of the human hand to create the best grip and shape of the pistol.
The upshot? For around $400 you get a solid handgun.
Canik TP9
The TP9 SF is a handsome pistol, but you’ll want it for the price and performance!
Canik is a Turkish company that broke into the U.S. market with its poly-frame striker that is extremely accurate and reliable.
One of the biggest advantages to this firearm is that you can easily purchase aftermarket accessories to upgrade or replace any parts.
Plus, with Canik’s TP9, you get a 9mm with an 18+1 capacity for around $350. I own this gun and it’s never given me any issues.
Kahr ST9
Like all Kahr handguns, the ST9 is an excellent American-made pistol that is reliable, durable, and accurate.
The Kahr Arms ST9 is an ideal choice for concealed carry and those looking for maximum stopping power and ultra concealment with all the features of a tactical pistol. The Kahr Arms ST9 offers enhanced grip texturing, with an integral accessory rail and an enhanced magwell for speed and efficiency. Like all Kahr handguns, it’s an excellent American-made pistol that is reliable, durable, and accurate. This version has a stainless steel slide with front and rear serration for ease of operation and 3-dot combat sights to get you on target quickly. If you are looking for the ultimate in concealed carry, the Kahr Arms ST9 may be the EDC pistol you have been searching for.
The sleek-looking, two-tone, ST9 carries an MSRP of $456.
Do you have a favorite handgun for under $500 that should have made this list? Make your best case in the comment section.
Jason Hanson is a former CIA Officer and New York Times bestselling author of Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life. To get a free copy of his book, visit www.SpyEscape.com.
General H Norman Schwarzkopf passes on…
General Schwarzkopf was the General that was responsible for the success of Desert Storm, We in the storm called him “our General”, From everything that I read, he and the other officers that were the product of Vietnam war, vowed not to repeat the mistakes that hamstrung the American war effort. I remember several of them, He would not do the incremental increase that marked the Vietnam effort. Schwarzkopf wanted to have overpowering force to apply on the Iraqi’s. He wanted an entire armored corp in theater when the Shield became Storm. That is why VII corp was brought in from Europe, and that is how my unit found itself still in BDU’s in a desert war. We in VII corp were very recognizable from the stateside units, they were the desert chocoships and our stuff was Forest green. Another belief was the what we called ” the duration effect” We were told that there would be no rotation of units, we would be there for the duration. There would be no individual soldier rotating out also. You would go to war with your buddy, no FNG’s like Vietnam. There were no ROE restrictions, no Navy/Air force segregated kill box. All the assets were available to the commander for the sole purpose of completing the mission. General Schwarzkopf was responsible for our pride as a military and finally throwing the “Vietnam effect” on our national policy. May the vikings raise their meade glasses as another warrior arrives in Vahalla.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who topped an illustrious military career by commanding the U.S.-led international coalition that drove Saddam Hussein‘s forces out of Kuwait in 1991 but kept a low public profile in controversies over the second Gulf War against Iraq, died Thursday. He was 78.
Schwarzkopf died in Tampa, Fla., where he had lived in retirement, according to a U.S. official, who was not authorized to release the information publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
A much-decorated combat soldier in Vietnam, Schwarzkopf was known popularly as “Stormin’ Norman” for a notoriously explosive temper.
He served in his last military assignment in Tampa as commander-in-chief of U.S. Central Command, the headquarters responsible for U.S. military and security concerns in nearly 20 countries from the eastern Mediterranean and Africa to Pakistan.
Schwarzkopf became “CINC-Centcom” in 1988 and when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait three years later to punish it for allegedly stealing Iraqi oil reserves, he commanded Operation Desert Storm, the coalition of some 30 countries organized by then-President George H.W. Bush that succeeded in driving the Iraqis out.
At the peak of his postwar national celebrity, Schwarzkopf — a self-proclaimed political independent — rejected suggestions that he run for office, and remained far more private than other generals, although he did serve briefly as a military commentator for NBC.
While focused primarily in his later years on charitable enterprises, he campaigned for President George W. Bush in 2000 but was ambivalent about the 2003 invasion of Iraq, saying he doubted victory would be as easy as the White House and Pentagon predicted. In early 2003 he told the Washington Post the outcome was an unknown:
“What is postwar Iraq going to look like, with the Kurds and the Sunnis and the Shiites? That’s a huge question, to my mind. It really should be part of the overall campaign plan,” he said.
Initially Schwarzkopf had endorsed the invasion, saying he was convinced that former Secretary of State Colin Powell had given the United Nations powerful evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. After that proved false, he said decisions to go to war should depend on what U.N. weapons inspectors found.
He seldom spoke up during the conflict, but in late 2004, he sharply criticized then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the Pentagon for mistakes that included inadequate training for Army reservists sent to Iraq and for erroneous judgments about Iraq.
“In the final analysis I think we are behind schedule. … I don’t think we counted on it turning into jihad (holy war),” he said in an NBC interview.
Schwarzkopf was born Aug. 24, 1934, in Trenton, N.J., where his father, Col. H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., founder and commander of the New Jersey State Police, was then leading the investigation of the Lindbergh kidnap case, which ended with the arrest and 1936 execution of German-born carpenter Richard Hauptmann for stealing and murdering the famed aviator’s infant son.
The elder Schwarzkopf was named Herbert, but when the son was asked what his “H” stood for, he would reply, “H.” Although reputed to be short-tempered with aides and subordinates, he was a friendly, talkative and even jovial figure who didn’t like “Stormin’ Norman” and preferred to be known as “the Bear,” a sobriquet given him by troops.
He also was outspoken at times, including when he described Gen. William Westmoreland, the U.S. commander in Vietnam, as “a horse’s ass” in an Associated Press interview.
As a teenager Norman accompanied his father to Iran, where the elder Schwarzkopf trained the country’s national police force and was an adviser to Reza Pahlavi, the young Shah of Iran.
Young Norman studied there and in Switzerland, Germany and Italy, then followed in his father’s footsteps to West Point, graduating in 1956 with an engineering degree. After stints in the U.S. and abroad, he earned a master’s degree in engineering at the University of Southern California and later taught missile engineering at West Point.
In 1966 he volunteered for Vietnam and served two tours, first as a U.S. adviser to South Vietnamese paratroops and later as a battalion commander in the U.S. Army’s Americal Division. He earned three Silver Stars for valor — including one for saving troops from a minefield — plus a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and three Distinguished Service Medals.
While many career officers left military service embittered by Vietnam, Schwarzkopf was among those who opted to stay and help rebuild the tattered Army into a potent, modernized all-volunteer force.
After Saddam invaded Kuwait in August 1990, Schwarzkopf played a key diplomatic role by helping to persuade Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd to allow U.S. and other foreign troops to deploy on Saudi territory as a staging area for the war to come.
On Jan. 17, 1991, a five-month buildup called Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm as allied aircraft attacked Iraqi bases and Baghdad government facilities. The six-week aerial campaign climaxed with a massive ground offensive on Feb. 24-28, routing the Iraqis from Kuwait in 100 hours before U.S. officials called a halt.
Schwarzkopf said afterward he agreed with Bush’s decision to stop the war rather than drive to Baghdad to capture Saddam, as his mission had been only to oust the Iraqis from Kuwait.
But in a desert tent meeting with vanquished Iraqi generals, he allowed a key concession on Iraq’s use of helicopters, which later backfired by enabling Saddam to crack down more easily on rebellious Shiites and Kurds.
While he later avoided the public second-guessing by academics and think tank experts over the ambiguous outcome of Gulf War I and its impact on Gulf War II, he told the Washington Post in 2003, “You can’t help but… with 20/20 hindsight, go back and say, ‘Look, had we done something different, we probably wouldn’t be facing what we are facing today.'”
After retiring from the Army in 1992, Schwarzkopf wrote a best-selling autobiography, “It Doesn’t Take A Hero.” Of his Gulf war role, he said, “I like to say I’m not a hero. I was lucky enough to lead a very successful war.” He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and honored with decorations from France, Britain, Belgium, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.
Schwarzkopf was a national spokesman for prostate cancer awareness and for Recovery of the Grizzly Bear, served on the Nature Conservancy board of governors and was active in various charities for chronically ill children.
“I may have made my reputation as a general in the Army and I’m very proud of that,” he once told the AP. “But I’ve always felt that I was more than one-dimensional. I’d like to think I’m a caring human being. … It’s nice to feel that you have a purpose.”
Schwarzkopf and his wife, Brenda, had three children: Cynthia, Jessica and Christian.
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Gun Guy TV
For example I give you exhibit A
or Exhibit B
Anyways if the wind could move one of these Land Yachts. Then there would be no way in Hell that I would still be in the area! Grumpy