Scattershooting While Wondering Whatever Happened To Ed McGivern

 So Bachmann is running against vaccinations now, or at least the ones ordered by Rick Perry. Funny how that works. The folks over at Redstate mentioned how she never raised a peep over her own state's coercive vaccine program.

Here is what I know, and remember I'm not a doctor, my scientific education, such as it is, is from the University of the Public Library and Used Book Store. Gardisil protects the patient from a particularly nasty cancer, IF it is administered before that patient becomes sexually active. Please remember that phrase "before the patient becomes sexually active." This vaccine is somewhat expensive, I read where it costs some $360.00 for the series. The common health insurance does not pay for this vaccine although it would if it were mandatory, therefore the ill fated executive order. This executive order carried an opt out clause where parents who believe that their daughters would forgo sex until they turn thirty could say no.

 This somehow became a big effin' deal as the Vice President is wont to say, no one is exactly sure why. There are no reported incidents of horrible outcomes from this vaccine.  And, since very few of our innocent little daughters did forgo sex until they turned thirty, including mine (thanks for the grandsons, Steph) it would be nice if the foes of this overturned executive order would debate it on the medical merits.  Now I could be way off. It is possible that there are hidden dangers to this vaccine, young women growing a third leg or, perhaps, a trunk-like appendage down there. I haven't studied this as much as I might have if Gardasil had come along when our little girl was of the age the vaccine must be given.

 All I know for sure is that the percentage of girls who sit down with their parents and discuss becoming sexually active just before they do is kind of small these days. Perhaps it has always been small.  I went through high school just before the sexual revolution (darn it!) and even back then there few of us who graduated virgin. Of course that was pre-Pill days and I gotta say, even fewer of us who wanted to graduate virgin.

 Anyhow, say what you will about that executive order, Gov Perry is the best of the lot of declared candidates. I really like Cain but his chances are slim and fat and Slim caught the 4:32 Greyhound outta town. Perry has been Governor for ten years, ever since GWB resigned to take the big job. Although some folks in the big cities like to fear the theocracy we haven't had organised gay bashes down here. No one has been forced into any churches where they are forced to handle snakes. The biggest danger anyone faces from our Texas churches is a car wash or, if you get sick and we hear about it, a couple of covered dishes and some prayers. And some of those covered dishes? Heck it's worth gettin' sick.

 Few people, today, remember Ed McGivern.   Born in 1874, he died in 1957. During his lifetime he became the king of the pistol. A sign painter by trade he graduated from a university back when no one majored in politically correct angry studies. Perhaps it was because he lived in Lewiston, Montana he became interested in shooting.  A somewhat younger Elmer Keith had the same interest. Elmer was a cowboy and hunter, with far less education but between those two old westerners, they stood the world of handgun shooting upside down.

 Ed was not much of a hunter with handguns, his main interest was the use of the handgun for police and for armed self defense. McGivern taught himself to be so fast with handguns that he often broke the timing devices of the day. One of his records that still stands today is five shots in 45/100s of a second, the shots could be covered by a silver half dollar. He did this, twice.

 When Ed's shooting career started to gain some notoriety a Philadelphia businessman name Walter Groff became Ed's patron. Ed, between making a living as a sign painter and his constant shooting, had no time to handload his ammunition. Groff sent him caseloads of the stuff.

 His fame spread so fast and wide during the '20s and '30s that when a bad guy came to Lewiston to rob the bank the police showed up. The bank robber took hostages inside the bank The Chief of Police sent for Ed. Ed buckled on his Smith and Wessons in his buscadero rig and ambled on down to the bank. The Police Chief shouted over his bullhorn that Ed McGivern was on the scene and, if the robber didn't surrender he was comin' in after him. The robber surrendered. No one was hurt. A perfect example of the proper use of the gun. It's always best to be so good with the gun that one does not have to fire. Kind of like Ronald Reagan and the nukes.

 Ed was one of the first to tout the .357 Magnum revolver as a police round. A short time after the .357 was out he had studied it's use for long range shooting. A short time later Ed proved that a man standing six hundred yards away would be in range.  No, Ed couldn't hit him every shot but the guy would be huntin' cover.

 Ed was just the opposite of the movie cowboy. Standing only five feet, five inches Ed was kind of portly his whole life. Shortly after his five shots in 45/100s of a second arthritis forced and end to his shooting career. Ed was fifty-eight when he set that record.

 Ed's book, Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting is still in print and still packed full of useful lore for the student of the gun. And, if ever you get a chance to see one of those grainy old black and white movies of Ed's exploits, well, they're just as amazing now as they were sixty+ years ago. One wonders what he could do with, say, a fifteen shot Glock. Although back then Ed, or Mac to his friends, could shoot a revolver faster than the self loading semi auto could cycle. 'Course, that was a six shot revolver. "Course only hits count. From the reading I've done lately most police departments would be better suited if they went back to issuing those old, obsolete revolvers and spend the saved money on ammunition and training. Too many of today's police think they can miss fast enough and often enough to win a gunfight. Sigh.

 Ed had much to do with a couple of handgun stock design that are still in use today. And much to do with handgun sights.