Firearms Ownership in the Caribbean.

Tag: safety and security

  • Firearms Modification

    Personal and Legal Considerations

    So, you have been a firearm owner for quite some time now. You are sitting at home and thinking,” Its time to upgrade my firearm capability.” You begin to research the most popular upgrades from after-market sights, to specialized triggers, slides, and receivers/frames. After diligent research you finally decide on several upgrades to enhance the performance of your firearm. Then then unthinkable, you are involved in a self defense shooting incident.

    IDENTIFYING FIREARM MODIFICATIONS

    Before we continue, let’s examine what is defined as a firearm modification. According to Google a firearm modification is ” any alteration to a firearm that changes it’s appearance, functionality, or performance. These modifications can range from cosmetic changes, like custom paint jobs, to functional upgrades such as improved sights, lighter trigger, or larger capacity magazines. Some modifications are legal and can improve accuracy or ergonomics, while others such as adding a suppressor or shortening a barrel to an illegal length may require special permits or are entirely illegal.”

    Some popular modifications are:

    • Sighting upgrades.
    • Trigger modifications.
    • Aesthetic modifications.
    • Caliber conversion. (some Sig Sauer pistols)
    • Automatic conversion. (Glock switch)
    • Unauthorized suppressors.
    • High-capacity magazines.

    Opinions on firearms alteration may vary depending on who you ask. For example, a competitive shooter’s opinion may vary to that of law enforcement or military.

    THE INCIDENT AND INVESTIGATION

    We should all know that gun ownership and gun possession are generally governed by laws and regulations. As such, when there is a shooting incident law enforcement would refer to these laws and regulations to guide their investigations. Below are some legal considerations :

    • Was the firearm lawfully obtained and covered by a valid permit or license.
    • Was the user authorized to be in possession of the firearm at the time of its use.
    • Was the carrier under the influence of drink or drug or some other thing that impaired sound judgement.
    • Does the circumstances reflect a reasonable application of deadly force .
    • Was there a pre-meditated consideration to use deadly force.
    • And the state and capabilities of the firearm and ammunition used.

    The above considerations are just a few things that would be looked at during the initial investigative process. For the purpose of this discussion let us look at the last bullet point. “The state and capabilities of the firearm and ammunition”.

    At the beginning of the investigative process the firearm used in the incident would be confiscated by law enforcement for evaluation and may be used as evidence in court during prosecution. Some evaluations a firearm may undergo but not limited to are :

    • Confirmation of it’s make and model.
    • Its modifications, if any.
    • It’s serial number.
    • Its legality by way of being licensed.
    • It’s lands and grooves signature.
    • It’s striker or hammer nose signature.

    Having identified the definition and markers of firearms modification let’s apply it to “the incident” The incident occurs, you are detained during the preliminary investigation, the weapon is confiscated and sent for examination. The investigators believe there is sufficient evidence to institute legal proceedings against you for an offence. The prosecution presents the firearm in court to prove intent and your violent state of mind.

    You are before a judge and jury listening intently to the prosecution present it’s case. Your firearm is offered into evidence and is being described as heavily modified with reduced trigger resistance, upgraded sights for improved accuracy, fitted with an aftermarket magazine with increased ammunition capacity, and the words “sights, muzzle, pain” engraved on the slide.

    To the uninformed juror these modifications may appear excessive when compared to the firearm in its original state from the factory. One question that may come to mind is,” why modify a firearm that has been evaluated, tested, and permitted to be sold to the public by a manufacturer approved to do so?”. Another question may be, “what are the motivating factors for making these modifications?” In here lie that grey area where the prosecution may successfully establish a pre-meditated intent or a state of mind to “shoot someone.”

    The real and only valid question is, if as a firearms owner you are willing to be in such a situation described above, especially when there are other options. One option is to increase training time with your personal defense weapon and build capacity to respond to lethal threats effectively. If you are a competition shooter then only modify your competition weapon for that purpose and not integrate it into your personal defense weapon rotation.

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, i must highlight i am not a lawyer or firearms manufacturer. However, my background is in firearms and survival tactics training for law enforcement and the public. I am directly involved in law enforcement, i have been involved and also investigated self defense shooting incidents with some being ventilated in the courts where the considerations mentioned above played a pivotal role in determining the outcome of court matters.

    As such, my humble opinion is that firearms users should develop their capacity to respond to threats effectively with their stock firearm. Also, in my opinion the only modification a firearm should have is a weapon light or laser for target acquisition in reduced lighting conditions and a red dot for establishing a quicker sight picture but only if the weapon slide is designed to accept one from the factory.

    I also believe magazines with increased capacities should be restricted for range use and training where continuous reloading isn’t necessary based on specific courses of fire. Modified triggers should also be restricted to competition shooting guns and not crossover into personal defense guns. modified hard sights are an acceptable modification as it is minimal and can improve shooting accuracy.

    At Hubris Tactical we encourage our clients to be proficient with their stock firearms with minimal modifications as described. Let’s face it, the trauma of navigating a self defense shooting incident followed by legal prosecution takes a toll both financially and emotionally. The impact on mental health, family structure and personal reputation can have negative results.

    CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW VIDEO ON WEAPON MODIFICATION

    https://youtu.be/GTC1ZRzrz5Y?si=DGxAsmzN_7Ex2Rk

    The last thing any law abiding citizen need is to be portrayed as a reckless, mindless, gun toting violent individual for simply defending themselves or the life of another innocent person.

    Contact Hubris Tactical today to participate in our Firearms Training Program from Firearms level one all the way to Firearms instructor’s course. http://hubristactical.org. STAY SAFE AND KEEP TRAINING.

  • Christmas shopping and the Caribbean CCW holder.

    The Caribbean Christmas shopper has a unique procedure of achieving shopping perfection. As the holidays approach the Caribbean shopper usually pretends, they simply profess they do not possess the resources to facilitate celebrating the occasion whilst quietly window shopping and internalizing what the upcoming festivities could look like. Similar to a Jeckel and Hyde persona. Repeatedly reminding family members and friends that ” me eh have no money to spend on tings this year.” all the while calculating finances to confirm their spending power.

    Because of this annual ritual the Caribbean Christmas shopper finds themselves in the situation of being a last-minute shopper. Yes, the last-minute shopper. our favorite person to hate and love because we often find ourselves being that person. The last-minute shopper is that impatient person, torturing sales representatives in stores, toating a thousand pounds of shopping bags through small shopping plazas which are usually crowded with other last-minute shoppers.

    What does this cultural ritual mean to the CCW holder in the Caribbean? The trained CCW holder knows all too well the dangers of shopping under normal circumstances far worse for last-minute shopping during the festive season. The concealed carry holder though trained and knowledgeable must pay closer attention to the guidelines of survival in this extremely fluid environment. This individual should understand the colors of preparedness and must be able to apply them to survive this last-minute process.

    Shoppers during Black Friday sales

    Now let’s be real, the highly trained and highly prepared concealed carry holder would not find themselves in this position, but life has a way of throwing curve balls at us in the form of spouses and off-spring. ‘LOL’ Yes, our loving, unassuming family members who call upon us to provide transport, security and extra hands to carry bags without any consideration to the dangers of being a last-minute shopper in crowded areas where criminals would be searching for heavy spenders and potential soft targets.

    This is where the trained concealed carry holder can find themselves and loved ones at the greatest disadvantage of being vulnerable to an attack. How should such a situation be mitigated, being between a rock and a hard place. Well, this is where the CCW holder exercises initiative by using skills of persuasion and if necessary ‘laying down the law’. a couple of things that he/she can do is 1. Prevention: Plan to complete shopping early and encourage loved ones to do the same, explain the importance of safety and security during the festive season as well as use the opportunity to describe what Christmas would look like having been a victim of crime. 2 Shopping online: Due to the pandemic many stores offer online alternatives to shopping with the option of delivery or pick-up. This is also an avenue that the last-minute shopper can utilize to minimize exposure to danger.

    Being a CCW holder in the Caribbean is definitely unique, our cultural diversity definitely puts us in a position to consider varying factors that may not necessarily affect another CCW holders from other jurisdictions. What is most important is training, safety, prevention, de-escalation abilities and survival techniques.

    At Hubris Tactical we prepare the CCW holder for every aspect of survival through virtual and in person training sessions. We also include practical exercises that prepare you to face any circumstances whether in the Caribbean or not. register for our survival tactics program today. visit our website at hubristactical.org go to our registration page and register today.

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