Category: Uncategorized

For those who know me well, this would be a shocker because I’m known to be an HK and Sig snob when it comes to pistols. I never disliked Glocks, I just never preferred them.
After many years of being a gun owner, I finally bought myself a Glock 43 as my back-up weapon for work. It replaced the Beretta Nano which was a gun that I owned for the shortest amount of time. The Nano is a nice little pocket pistol but I liked the ergonomics of the 43 and the trigger a lot better.

Why the 43 over the 26? The 43 is perfect for what it was designed for: a pocket pistol with a slim profile. You do lose out in firepower with it’s stock 6 round capacity magazines but it fits comfortably in a pocket holster in my support side pocket when I’m 10-8. A 26 would have to be in a vest or ankle holster. Weighing in at 1.5 lbs loaded, it’s very light to carry all day long. It’s light weight, however makes it a little harder to shoot with more felt recoil.
Shooting the 43.
It definitely took a lot of dry fire practice and live firing for me to get used to the trigger. It’s not as clean as it is in other Glocks and feels a little heavier to pull. I ended up needing to put more of my trigger finger for the trigger press and needed to get used to the increased recoil. I’m no shooting expert by any means or a sharp shooter. I’m just an average shooter who is always learning and adapting my skills to get better.
After a lot of practice, I qualified with it just fine. To qualify, you need to shoot 15 rounds at a small silhouette target 22 feet away and score at least 70%. Sounds easy right? It actually takes some discipline with a little gun to make sure your hits count. Miss three rounds, and by missing we’re talking not hitting inside the 7 ring. So after taking my sweet time for the qual, I slowly pressed the trigger until it surprised me each time, I was able to send 14 of the rounds in one group a little high a left of the X mostly 8 and 9 ring hits and one stray at the lower left in the 8 ring. At least all of my rounds counted and I passed!

I did some minor important upgrades to the 43. I got Vickers Tactical sights by Wilson Tactical with the front sight being a Tritium dot night sight and black serrated rear sights. The stock Glock sights are merely place holders for the buyer to choose from numerous sight options out there. I chose this set-up to assist in day time and night time/low light situations. http://shopwilsoncombat.com/Glock/products/169/

Another necessary upgrades are the magazines. I got Taran Tactical Innovations firepower base plates. I have a plus one for the magazine that sits in the gun to keep a low profile and three plus two for my spares. This remedies the round deficit from the the stock mags.
http://tarantacticalinnovations.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=44_49_81
The Glock 43 is a well made pocket pistol that is light, slim and is reliable as all Glocks are known to be. It’s my back-up in case my primary weapon goes down or dry. It’s always in my pocket ready to go for my worst day on the job.

Pocket holster by Desantis V5

I’ve always wanted to Camouflage my rifle via rattle can but never had the courage to do it. I wasn’t confident in my skills and was deathly afraid of ruining my $2100 LWRC M6A2. I thought about having it Cerakoted but I don’t have $200+ to throw into aesthetics alone. Yes, I know Cerakoting has a purpose in protecting the rifle and does it well, I just can’t afford it!
Last week I decided to just do it and I have to say that it was relatively easy to do and I’m very satisfied with the end product and the fact that I did it myself. Here’s how I did it:
Materials:

Multiple Cans of Rustoleum Camouflage paint. Tan, Brown and Dark Brown
(I had to use one Krylon can for Green)
Masking Tape
Camo Netting
A well ventilated area to use. It was my backyard and I used an old kennel to put it on top of.
That’s all you will need!

I broke down the entire process in 5 phases. Hint* take your time and have fun!

Phase One: Prepping

This is the absolute most important of all the phases. Wipe down the entire rifle with a lint free towel to take off any oil from your fingers and anything that will get in the way of a good contact with the surface and the paint.
Remove all your furniture, stock, pistol grip, anything you don’t want painted. (my furniture was already Camouflaged by a friend) if you want to paint those items, spray them separately.
I left my Trijicon Reflex on my rifle.
Use masking tape to tape off the very few places that shouldn’t be painted. For me, it was the objective lens, fiber optics on the Reflex sight; the critical parts of my BUIS, the piston system under the 12 o’clock rail, the bottom of the receiver where the pistol grip meets. I also left an empty 10 round pmag in the rifle. That’s it! Now you’re ready for-
Phase Two: Base Coat.

You always want to go with the lightest color to dark. I used the Tan Rustoleum Camouflage can for this. This phase is almost as important as the first. I set my rifle standing level on my dog’s old cage kennel and started spraying. The key to all of the spray painting is figuring out the distance and speed of your spray. For me it was two to three feet. Now spray in one direction and do long, steady and fast strokes to keep the paint from running.

For best results, do multiple light layers while letting it dry during each run. This is the longest phase because you have to get every part of the rifle. Be very thorough and make sure you get all of the angles. Once one side is dry, rotate it and get the next side until you get it all. You might be doing this for a long time! I spent over an hour on this phase, with the dry times included. I allowed the base coat to dry overnight before I moved onto the next.
Phase Three: Pattern.

Here’s where you utilize your artistic license. I used some camo netting for my pattern. The tricky part is getting the netting to stay close to the surface so I could get more definition from the net. I started with green and for all of the different color paints, I did a random pattern of stripes. For the color paints, do quick, short sprays at alternating distances to get a different random layers and saturation. Once one color was dry, I moved to the next, Brown. Do this multiple times until you’re happy with the pattern. Carefully take off the netting to check the status and to let dry. Same as the previous phase, rotate until you get all of the angles. At the very end, I used the dark brown to hit a few spots.
Phase Four: Air Dry.

I let it sit for half an hour before I moved it to a better place for it to dry. I let it dry for a few hours after that. The last thing you want is your fingers smearing the paint!
Phase Five: Putting it all back together.

Carefully remove all of the masking tape. Replace all of the furniture that you took off and you’re all done! See it wasn’t so hard!

Had to save the US Flag!

Since you don’t need to take the rifle apart, your Zero doesn’t change.

Running the Surefire Warden kind of cooks the paint right of the brake. Oh well. If you have any questions, leave a comment!

I thought I’d write an update to my previous review of the Surefire Warden since there is still not much information on it. The good news is that people are starting to get their Wardens from Surefire and their dealers.
So far, I haven’t seen many end users place the Warden onto a 7.62 rifle. I decided to replace the Surefire WarComp flash hider with the MB762 Muzzlebrake on my FN SCAR 17s to take away a lot of the recoil. The WarComp works as advertised; it eliminates the flash signature and has comp ports at the top to keep the barrel flat, the byproduct is a significant increase in recoil.

The MB762 is a highly effective two port brake that works opposite of the WarComp. It takes away a lot of recoil but gives a huge blast signature and flash, especially with a 7.62×51 cartridge. Enter the Warden. It attaches easily and snug on the brake and effectively directs all of the blast forward. Having the Warden attached does negate some of the brake’s effectiveness, with a very minimal added felt recoil. What does this mean? You can now shoot indoors and around your friends or partners in a tactical environment depending on what you use it for without sacrificing too much of the recoil reduction from the brake.

Top right: MB762
Bottom right: MB762 with Warden attached.

I take advantage of the “Multi caliber” feature of the Warden. I switch it over from my M6A2 and SCAR 17s therefore I definitely got my money’s worth!

Our Second Amendment, in my opinion is our most important Amendment in our Constitution because it gives us the right to defend ourselves from our own government and enemies, foreign and domestic. It gives our First Amendment and the rest some teeth and protection.
With everything going on in the world currently, it is more important than ever. It is a known fact that the percentage of actual Law Enforcement Officers per population in the United States is grossly out of balance. Just numbers alone, there isn’t enough Law Enforcement personnel available to be everywhere all at once.
Even agencies with the most highly trained, best equipped officers still have to wait for a call and then respond.
It is just mind boggling how anyone can blame an inanimate object and hold it responsible for the actions of evil people. It has always been a people problem. People don’t blame cars for DUI related deaths etc.
Gun ownership is not for everyone, besides those who aren’t allowed to own one; there are people who cannot and will not take another person’s life no matter the circumstance. There is nothing wrong with that, that is a choice each person has to make for themselves. For those who choose exercise their Second Amendment Right to own firearms, who has the right to tell them how they should do it? It says, “Shall not be Infringed.” So technically nobody really has the right to do so. Sure there needs to be laws to prevent those who shouldn’t have them and background checks.
There’s the argument that the forefathers never intended to allow the rights to be extended to semi-automatic AR-15’s. How would they know? All the other rights including the First Amendment are able to adapt with the advances of technology so why are we singling out the Second? Did the forefathers expect the invention of the internet and social media etc? Didn’t think so.
All of the most recent mass shootings should be a reminder why it is important to have the ability to defend ourselves from evil people, and not blame the weapons they choose; weapons that are usually banned for them to possess in the first place.
Criminals and terrorists do not obey any laws. Why would anyone expect them to obey the gun laws and gun free zones?
The Second Amendment does not give anyone the right to commit murder or crimes. It is against the law to murder and do criminal acts with firearms last time I checked.
I support every law abiding citizen who chooses to defend themselves and utilizes their Second Amendment Right.
For those who are against guns, I leave you with this question:
Would you rather have the ability to defend your own life when there is a person standing over you about to murder you or ask for mercy?
Also know that having a gun doesn’t guarantee safety and success. It however gives you a fighting chance at tipping the outcome in your favor.

Surefire doesn’t really need any introduction, it’s reputation as a high quality flashlight and tactical equipment is second to none in the industry.
I’ve used their lights and equipment for over a decade starting from my time as a young Explorer. I still use their products daily on my duty weapon, belt and off duty. Everything they make is made to sustain the harshest condition and be reliable. If you ever break any of their products or it just happens to stop working, they have a no hassle guarantee. I’ve broken lights and other tactical gear from hard use and their customer service technicians have always taken care of me by fixing the problem or replacing it.

The main complaint I hear is that they’re so expensive! That may be true but I always say that you get what you pay for. I have bought other brands and they all have failed me at some point. The difference is that I’d have to replace it out of my own pocket. Surefire stands behind their products and they will take care of you as they have on many occasions with me. You are paying for a dependable, durable and peace of mind.
The technology has drastically changed over the years. Ten years ago, incandescent lights were the brightest while LED lights were durable but not nearly as bright. That is not longer true, LED technology has surpassed incandescents with brightness, runtime and durability. It’s truly amazing how many lumens you can get out of a single battery these days and the tactical run time has been getting longer and longer.

I have so many Surefire lights over the years and on a daily basis, I used multiple Surefire products on duty and off.
On my car keys, I have a Titan Plus that runs on one single AAA battery that puts out 15/75/300 lumens. It is always with me ensuring that I always have a light whenever I need it. Depending on my attire, I have a EB2 flashlight that gives me a blinding 500 lumens, and 5 for jobs that need less light. When I’m on duty, I have a GX2 Tactical on my belt the puts out over 300 lumens and an X300 Ultra that is mounted to my duty weapon, the HK VP9.

For home defense, I have a Fore End shotgun light that replaced my original fore end.
For tactical equipment, I have Surefire EarPro that fits my ears easily compared to the annoying foam inserts that like to fall out. I run Surefire Muzzlebrakes on both my M6A2 and SCAR 17s to eliminate recoil. To make the rifles more useful in CQB and to limit flash signature when employing a muzzlebrake, I have the Surefire Warden Blast Regulator which directs all of the blast and concussion forward. (see my review on the Warden in my previous post).

Overall Surefire is at the forefront of tactical technology that is always innovating and creating the best tools for almost any job that requires lights or tactical equipment.

Domestic Violence cases are difficult to deal with from the start to the conclusion because nobody wins in the end.
They are some of the most dangerous calls for patrol officers and deputies due to the nature of these types of cases because it usually involves families or intimate relationships.
October is Domestic Violence  Awareness Month. The most common misdemeanor trials that go on in my courtroom are a close tie between Domestic Violence and Driving Under the Influence of alcohol or drugs. So I’ve seen a lot of these cases come through. There is absolutely no excuse for Domestic Violence. I know it sounds cliche since that’s been said over and over again and is on LAPD cruiser’s bumpers but it’s true: Domestic Violence is wrong and should never be tolerated.
The cases are usually hard for prosecutors because the witnesses and or victims to DV cases usually do not want to testify for a number of reasons: they are embarrassed at the circumstances, they are afraid of the defendant, they don’t want the defendant to get into more trouble, and so on. It’s not uncommon to hear stories changing on the witness stand, making it difficult for a jury to figure out what exactly happened in each case.
Families are utterly destroyed by these cases, and the people who suffer the most are children, especially if they witnessed the event and have to testify.
Victims sometimes blame themselves for what happened. The only fault in the majority of DV cases is that of the defendant, who lost control of themselves during the time of the incident. Each and every case is obviously different, but the common factor in all of them is that law enforcement got involved. Either a victim or witness calls 911 or neighbors and bystanders do.
It’s natural for families or couples to get into arguments, however when it gets out of control and the police have to get involved, it’s a law enforcement problem.
Sadly in some cases, it is a recurring DV case where the victims will stay with the defendant, who continues to not change their behavior. They call it batterers syndrome and I see it often. These victims are stuck in a very tough spot and have gotten used to a life of abuse and feel like that it is normal. It really takes a friend or family member to notice the clues and intervene to pull them out of that abusive relationship. It’s very difficult to convince someone who believes that what is happening is okay because they’ve been living that life for so long that they no longer know or believe that life could be any better.
Those that survive and escape these abusive relationships and move on are probably the strongest people out there.
If you’re in a position to help out a friend or family member, do it because sometimes it’s nearly impossible for them to do it alone.
This post is dedicated to each and every survivor (I do not like to use the word victim in this case) that have made the courageous steps to get out and move on with their lives.

There is not a lot of information out there on Surefire’s highly anticipated Warden. I know because I’ve been searching for any information on it since it was shown at the 2015 SHOT show.

What is the Warden? It is a blast regulator designed to attach to Surefire SOCOM Muzzlebrakes to take all of the concussion and side blast and channel it forward in front of the barrel. For those who don’t know what a muzzlebrake is or how it works; it isn’t pleasant to be near someone shooting one because you’ll be blasted with an obnoxious amount of concussion coming from it. The purpose of a muzzlebrake is to reduce and eliminate muzzle rise and recoil, allowing for better accuracy and quicker follow up shots. Some public ranges, especially indoor ranger, will not allow rifles equipped with a muzzlebrake.

There are many similar devices out there: Ferfrans CRD (Concussion Reduction Device) and Griffin Armament QD Blast Shield. Both of those devices work well according to friends who have them. Those devices are proprietary and will work with their specific muzzlebrakes.
The Warden is highly anticipated because a lot of people run Surefire’s muzzlebrake on their rifles. They showed one off at the 2015 SHOT show and since then there hasn’t been much information on it. I called Surefire and was able to preorder one back in early June and was told it would ship at the end of July. July, came and went then it was end of August, then it was the third week of September. I finally got mine last week. I was patient and with all new products, I understood that it takes time to get a new product out in the market.
I got my Warden in FDE to match most of my rifles’ furniture. The very nice feature of the Warden is that it is Multi- Caliber compatible so it works on both my AR and my SCAR 17. I have the Surefire Warcomp on my SCAR 17 and it attaches quickly, you just line it up with the notch on the muzzle device and then twist the ring until it ratchets on all the way.

I found out that my Surefire muzzlebrake on my LWRC M6A2 was a legacy brake (MB556K) and not a SOCOM brake since it didn’t have the notch. I was still able to attach it and once it was on, it was solid.

I was able to test it out at the range. I first shot the M6A2 with just the muzzlebrake. There was hardly any felt recoil at all and no muzzle rise. I then cleared the weapon and attached the Warden, checking to make sure it was aligned then shot a single round to make sure it stayed on and didn’t shift. I cleared it again to check on alignment. It was good so between me and my friends, we unleashed about a hundred rounds through it.

With the Warden attached, there was a slight increase in recoil, but there was no more side blast or concussion. It however did shoot a visible cone shaped flash in front of it, much like that of the Noveske Flaming Pig linear compensator. The flash was not visible to the shooter.

After a few magazine were empty, it was too hot to touch. I noticed that the Warden would rotate around the muzzle when I made quick checks to see if it was still secure. It was still aligned with the barrel and other than a rotating motion, it was still secured. We shot another set of magazines without any issue.
Since it was too hot touch, I wasn’t able to transfer it over to the SCAR 17. I don’t expect it to do anything to improve the performance on the SCAR because the Warcomp is mainly a flash hider with compensator ports at the top. It would probably negate the function of those ports. I will test fire it anyhow at the next time I’m at the range just to know for sure.

The Warden works as advertised and it is a great solution for everyone who runs a Surefire Muzzlebrake and cannot obtain a suppressor. It is not a suppressor and not an NFA regulated item. It makes all rifles equipped with a muzzlebrake much more practical to use for Law Enforcement, home defense and for anyone who wants to shoot it at a public range without irritating everyone around them.

Before I got into the profession of Law Enforcement, even as an Explorer, I thought that all LEO’s were experts with their pistols and knew all there was to know about firearms.
Now that I’ve been on for nearly a decade, what I thought as a teenager was far from reality. The fact is, the majority of LEO’s only have one weapon in their possession: their issued duty weapon. Most are very proficient with it after carrying it everyday. What I quickly learned early on in my career was that the large majority of my partners were not gun people like myself. You don’t need to be to do this job, it’s only one aspect of the job, albeit an important one. LEO’s come from different walks of life and have different interests and hobbies. Are there LEO’s that are firearms experts and enthusiasts? Yes, however that is a very small percentage.
I knew early on in my life what I wanted to do for my career. I was also a firearms enthusiast then and now. My interest in firearms grew as I was getting ready to join the ranks because I knew I’d be carrying one on my hip everyday and that’d proficiency with it would be critical in my survival and that of others. To me, firearms proficiency was one of the most important skills that I needed to have and it still is. I cannot say that my partners have my same set of priorities.
Firearms experts? That’s even more rare to find among LEO’s. I don’t expect everyone to be experts in this field. I spend a lot of my downtime reading about the latest technology and tactics involving firearms. It’s time consuming but I’m personally interested in this field of knowledge so for me, it’s time well spent.
There is nothing wrong with LEO’s who are not gun people. They all signed up to do a job and they do it well. They all have to qualify monthly or quarterly. They’re great officers and know how to operate their duty weapon well enough to take care of most threats. They work with their issued gear and equipment and it works just fine.
I however don’t want to just meet the minimal qualifications, I want to make myself better and prepared for the absolute worst case scenario. This way, I can easily handle any scenario knowing what I’d do without having to think about it when it’s too late.
I wouldn’t call myself an weapons expert. I would say that I’m very knowledgeable on many different weapons systems. It is important to me to have this knowledge about different weapons systems because if my weapon malfunctions or is out of ammunition, I will be able to pick up any weapon and know how to use it. I also know the capabilities of these weapons so if I come facing one, I know how to react to each of them because what you think is cover may not be the case depending on what kind of round is coming at you.
Since most LEO’s aren’t gun people, a lot of them don’t really care about the Second Amendment. A lot of them believe that only they as in LEO’s should have guns. Their beliefs come from the lack of knowledge of firearms and tactics. Please know that I’m not talking about ALL LEO’s, I’m just talking about a percentage. This is why you see a lot of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs stand for more gun control.
The reality is that Police Officers and Deputy Sheriff’s are not and can not be everywhere. They have a response time and they are now stretched thinner than ever due to budget cuts and nowadays lack of staff due to recruiting numbers at an all-time low. Everyone is truly their own first responder when Their lives are threatened that exact moment. Most people are not able to defend themselves and that’s why we have Peace Officers. For those who are able and choose to defend themselves, who is anyone to tell that person how and when they can defend themselves?
Forget the Second Amendment for a minute, every human life is precious and every human being has the natural right to live and defend that life period.
I respect those who choose to defend themselves that are law abiding and I will always be there to defend those who aren’t able to. I don’t see citizens with CCW’s a threat to my safety, I respect the fact that they made a decision to carry a firearm for their safety and went through all of the paperwork to get that permit.
Firearms are an important tool in Law Enforcement, it is rarely used, but it is the best tool available today that can deal with certain deadly force scenarios.
As always stay safe!

Jury Duty: two words that are dreaded by almost every citizen that gets a notice in mail with their name on it.
Yes, it’s inconvenient to be a juror. It is however, everyone’s civic duty and it is extremely important part of our justice system.
Some of you have been called in as jurors, even served as jurors. Most of you probably didn’t want to be there and had better things to do. Those who have actually served as jurors usually have a great experience after doing so. I wouldn’t know myself because Law Enforcement Officers are exempt from most jury service. I say most and not all because some of my partners have served in civil cases.
Ok, now imagine my point of view as Bailiff. Try dealing with a courtroom full of people who didn’t want to be there in the first place.
I’ve been a Bailiff for a few years now and have worked more jury trials than I can remember. You get good groups and every now and then, you get some bad groups.
Here’s some examples through my experiences:
Cell phones- never fails, after numerous warnings that I give to have them silenced, there is always at least one that goes off while we’re in session.
Tardiness- some jurors seem to lose track of time and will show up late from a break, holding up the trial because everyone needs to be present to continue. In some rare occasions, there are some that decide not to return and they get a nice arrest warrant with their name on it.
Luggage- you’d think that some of these jurors were going on vacation or camping with all of the bags, backpacks and sometimes suitcases that they take with them.
Destroying court documents- this happened once a few trials back; these jurors decided to rip apart a question form that they had, which was a clearly stamped court document! I had to dig the shreds out of the trash bin and the clerk had to tape the puzzle pieces back together.
Sleeping- I don’t blame any juror for falling asleep. Some testimony could be dry and just plain boring, especially when it comes to DUI trials with the crime lab tech testifying about BAC’s and so forth. I usually calmly wake them up and it’s usually not a problem after that.
Attitude- Everyone’s time is important to them but jury service is important too. How one goes about it will dictate their jury duty experience. A few have just terrible attitudes the moment they walk in until the time they’re dismissed.
There are really too many other behaviors that jurors exhibit.
What I’m here to say is that Jury Duty isn’t as bad as it seems.
Here are some facts:
A lot of jury trials actually resolve before they start. Jurors have to be ordered in advance and when there are actual jurors waiting in the assembly room, either the prosecution or defense will ultimately decide whether they have a good case or a strong enough defense and may decide to make a compromising agreement. The jurors are then dismissed before they ever walk into a courtroom and are free of jury service for a year.
The attorneys do not want a juror that doesn’t want to be there. They want someone that they believe will be fair, impartial and that will pay attention to the case. So there is a likelihood that most people won’t fit into that and will be dismissed by either side.
Jurors that get assigned to the case for the most part, have a good experience being jurors after the case is over with.
In my personal opinion, our justice system isn’t perfect, but it’s the best system out there and I believe that jurors get it right most of the time. They hear all of the evidence in the case and none are biased to either side. In criminal cases, they have to agree unanimously to either find someone guilty or not guilty. A few cases are hung and the prosecution has to then decide to retry the case or not. Our system is a fair as it can be and it doesn’t work without jurors.

It’s not everyday that I get to shoot a fully automatic submachine gun. Actually it’s extremely rare to do so, especially in California-even for Law Enforcement Officers.
The Heckler and Koch MP5 celebrated it’s 50 years since it was created in Oberndorf as a scaled down version of the G3 battle rifle.
Everyone knows what an MP5 is or at least have seen it in movies and TV shows ever since Die Hard.
It was a weapon system that has been on my bucket list to shoot. I was planning to do it on my next trip to Vegas whenever that would be.
I happen to be at my department range to do some practice with my duty and back up guns when I ran into my long time friend along with his partner (both EOD). They both were making a lot of noise honing their SMG handling skills with their issued HK MP5’s on full auto.
After catching up for a bit, my friend’s partner asked me if I’d ever shot an MP5 and I replied “No…” Then he asked if I’d like to try it out and I said “Hell yeah I would!”
He made sure I knew how to operate it, loaded a 30- round magazine and slapped the charging handle forward and I was good to go!
I decided to shoot a few short bursts before I dumped the entire mag. I was surprised with the first burst; there was a lot less recoil than I was expecting. I followed with two or three more bursts. After that, I pressed the trigger and held onto to it till the mag was empty, which didn’t take long.
After finally shooting the MP5 on full auto, I now know why it is (or was) the weapon of choice for the SAS, Special Operators the world over, SWAT teams.
It’s light, compact, accurate, reliable and extremely easy to shoot, even on full auto.
According to my friend and his partner, my bursts were right dead center and my full auto was a little spread but all on target.
Let’s just say, last Friday was a great day on the job!
If you’ve never shot a fully automatic weapon in your life, I highly recommend it and you can do so at many venues in Las Vegas. There’s the famous Gun Store and the newer Battlefield Las Vegas. In my opinion, I’d rather go shoot my money than gamble it away….at least you know what you’re getting and you’ll leave with a big smile on your face!