Saw a couple of the episodes of the new Showtime series Lock N Load. Eye opening, at least to the antis, but not really any surprise to folks who go into gun stores on any kind of basis.
What strikes me about the series is these are just regular people walking into a gun store. Some have never been around firearms before, some have mediocre experience and some are life long gun owners. This includes men and women, boys and girls. I would venture a guess that you could probably duplicate this series in just about any gun store in the country.
And it's not just life in the store. On last nights episode, the owner/proprietor goes out shooting with a couple of kids, shooting both .22 rifles and pistols. Good on him. In the other episode I saw, he got his butt kicked shooting clays with what he thought was some broad who walked into the store, but who turned out to be the Grand Poo-Bah of ladies shotgunning.
After watching these two episodes, I think if Showtime puts this out on DVD, I might have to pick it up, since I personally don't have Showtime at home. And I would encourage those who think gun stores are the den of evil incarnate on Earth to watch a couple of episodes, you might learn something.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
A New Term
Whilst out trying, in vain I might add, to do my part to decrease the elk population of Wyoming, I stumbled onto an epiphany of sorts.
One night while sitting around the tent imbibing some of Adolph Coors' master works and discussing the problems of the world in general, and the state of American politics in particular, with my father and brother, I came to a sudden realization.
I am not a Conservative.
I am not a Libertarian.
I am not a Republican.
What I am is a Fundamentalist American.
What does it mean to be a Fundamentalist American? Well, first off, I have a deep appreciation and love for America, what it means to be an American, and a belief that we are in fact a decent and moral nation.
I believe what the Founders put down on paper, both in the Declaration of Independence and in the Constitution, is how it's supposed to be. That the "Living Document" argument is a stupid one. The writers and framers of the Constitution put in place a mechanism to change it and using the courts to do the dirty work to change portions that they either don't like or have to clout to change on their own is as they say, chickensh*t.
That rugged individualism isn't just some nifty little catch phrase, it's what made America what it is today. People like my grandfather who survived the Great Depression doing jobs that most modern Americans squish and squirm at doing as "beneath them", and who went on to do great things. Not great things in the sense he invented something and became rich and famous, but great things like helping to build a small northeast Wyoming cow/jerk water town into something besides a cow/jerk water town.
Or the man who was larger than life when I was growing up. A Mountain Man. Real life, no kidding mountain man named Timber Jack Joe. I met the man growing up, he was an icon in Wyoming lore, harking back to the days of Jim Bridger and Kit Carson and Jedediah Smith. He was not a"re-enactor", but a man who believed in all his heart in rugged individualism.
I believe in what I was taught from a young age: that you are responsible for you, and not anyone else. Seeing as now we get a constant barrage of being our brother's keeper and that somehow, propping up failure is a noble thing. Failure is just that, failure. That is how life is lived. If you don't fail, you don't learn. Doing the same tired things over and over and expecting different results each time is, to put it mildly, stupid.
So there it is, my epiphany. Fundamentalist Americanism. I'll add more on the subject in the days and weeks to come, but for now, I thought I'd share this with everyone, just to get it off my chest.
One night while sitting around the tent imbibing some of Adolph Coors' master works and discussing the problems of the world in general, and the state of American politics in particular, with my father and brother, I came to a sudden realization.
I am not a Conservative.
I am not a Libertarian.
I am not a Republican.
What I am is a Fundamentalist American.
What does it mean to be a Fundamentalist American? Well, first off, I have a deep appreciation and love for America, what it means to be an American, and a belief that we are in fact a decent and moral nation.
I believe what the Founders put down on paper, both in the Declaration of Independence and in the Constitution, is how it's supposed to be. That the "Living Document" argument is a stupid one. The writers and framers of the Constitution put in place a mechanism to change it and using the courts to do the dirty work to change portions that they either don't like or have to clout to change on their own is as they say, chickensh*t.
That rugged individualism isn't just some nifty little catch phrase, it's what made America what it is today. People like my grandfather who survived the Great Depression doing jobs that most modern Americans squish and squirm at doing as "beneath them", and who went on to do great things. Not great things in the sense he invented something and became rich and famous, but great things like helping to build a small northeast Wyoming cow/jerk water town into something besides a cow/jerk water town.
Or the man who was larger than life when I was growing up. A Mountain Man. Real life, no kidding mountain man named Timber Jack Joe. I met the man growing up, he was an icon in Wyoming lore, harking back to the days of Jim Bridger and Kit Carson and Jedediah Smith. He was not a"re-enactor", but a man who believed in all his heart in rugged individualism.
I believe in what I was taught from a young age: that you are responsible for you, and not anyone else. Seeing as now we get a constant barrage of being our brother's keeper and that somehow, propping up failure is a noble thing. Failure is just that, failure. That is how life is lived. If you don't fail, you don't learn. Doing the same tired things over and over and expecting different results each time is, to put it mildly, stupid.
So there it is, my epiphany. Fundamentalist Americanism. I'll add more on the subject in the days and weeks to come, but for now, I thought I'd share this with everyone, just to get it off my chest.
I'm Baaack!
Well, another hunting trip has come and gone and the elk population of south-central Wyoming is still intact. Skunked again. But at least this time I got to SEE elk (two cows and a calf, although their siting was a complete accident), as opposed to most every other time when it's just a vicious rumor they're there.
On the plus side though, I got to spend some quality time with my father and my younger brother. And, even though we didn't get any elk, we did manage to kill a rather sizable quantity of beer.
I'll try to post some pics of our home away from home for the past two weeks so everybody can see what we were up against.
On the plus side though, I got to spend some quality time with my father and my younger brother. And, even though we didn't get any elk, we did manage to kill a rather sizable quantity of beer.
I'll try to post some pics of our home away from home for the past two weeks so everybody can see what we were up against.
Monday, October 12, 2009
I'm Off...
No, really. I'm off to attempt to thin the elk population of south-central Wyoming for the next two weeks.
I'm taking my Savage 10GLXP3, my M1A, and my brand spanking new 4" S&W Model 57. And just to make sure the anti's have enough to slobber over, I'm also taking my new Draco pistol with me. What I love most about Wyoming laws is they have no magazine restrictions. So I'll also have two 30 rd Polish polymer mags filled with 154-gr soft points. Why? Because I can.
Anyway, I'll post the outcome when I get back.
TTFN!!!
I'm taking my Savage 10GLXP3, my M1A, and my brand spanking new 4" S&W Model 57. And just to make sure the anti's have enough to slobber over, I'm also taking my new Draco pistol with me. What I love most about Wyoming laws is they have no magazine restrictions. So I'll also have two 30 rd Polish polymer mags filled with 154-gr soft points. Why? Because I can.
Anyway, I'll post the outcome when I get back.
TTFN!!!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
What A Day
It's been a good last 24 hours. I've received my Utah carry permit in the mail and the Galco holster for my 4" Model 57 Smith arrived yesterday.
On a related note, what the hell is up with the availability of .41 mag ammunition and components? I mean, if you listen to all the gun writers, nobody likes the .41. It doesn't have the snort of the .44 and it's not as sexy as the .357. If you listened to the writers, nobody should have them.
Evidently, someone forgot to tell everyone ELSE. 'Cause loaded ammunition is almost as easy to find as hens teeth, and components, well jacketed bullets anyway, are almost as easy to locate as the loaded ammunition.
Sheesh.
On a related note, what the hell is up with the availability of .41 mag ammunition and components? I mean, if you listen to all the gun writers, nobody likes the .41. It doesn't have the snort of the .44 and it's not as sexy as the .357. If you listened to the writers, nobody should have them.
Evidently, someone forgot to tell everyone ELSE. 'Cause loaded ammunition is almost as easy to find as hens teeth, and components, well jacketed bullets anyway, are almost as easy to locate as the loaded ammunition.
Sheesh.
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