Nothing to See Here, Citizen!

Please disregard the military helicopters firing machine guns over downtown Miami (and Houston, and more to come for sure).  They are only training.  They are specifically NOT on a mission to desensitize you to seeing military helicopters firing on people in your city.

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The canopy is armored but the tail rotors are not, and rotor heads probably can't take too many rifle rounds without suffering heavy damage.  A few hundred yards means several feet of bullet drop, and remember your windage.  More effective still would be a mortar round onto the helicopters when they are stationary on the ground.

"Every terrible impliment of the Soldier" includes mortars, but your government does not want you to have them.  Yes, that would be the same government currently in the process of getting you accustomed to being fired-upon by your own troops.  For your own safety, you understand.

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Yes, we have come to the point of hypothetical consideration firing BACK (not first!) at helicopters flown by our own military forces.  Is this the change you were hoping for?

Obama Can't Do Doodly Squat. Yet.

The press has whipped people into such a frenzy that they are buying $900 AR pattern rifles for $2400 at guns shows, just so they can have one.  I will refrain from commentary on the timing and prices in this mess, but my continuing commentary is that this is 'just a scare' for the time being.

President Obama can't change the law of the land by himself.  The supreme Court already said you have a constitutionally-protected right to have guns.  More importantly than either of those, the current Congress is against Obama on this subject.  Congressmen have one job: get re-elected.  After the 1994 'assault weapons ban' went in, a whole BUNCH of them went OUT.  This must never be repeated, comerades!  In that vein, I present to you Borepatch's well-said commentary on why gun control isn't coming any time real soon.

Sipsey Street Irregulars is the first place I saw a list of the 23 ideas presented today by The Obama. In short, it is as I said: No BFD, no bans, no taking away your guns.  He can't act unilaterally, because he's not King of America, he's President and subject to (at least most of) The Rules.  My commentary is the wider blocks of text between the numbered items.

From the Wall Street Journal.

1. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.

This should have happened already, what were they waiting for? After 9/11/11 we found out the intelligence community didn't tell itself to be looking out for the guys we KNEW were bad guys, who flew the planes into the buildings. We were supposed to fix the interagency communication, already - weren't we? Or was that just talk?

2. Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system.

Translation: prevent crazy people from getting guns. Who disagrees with this? The standard disclaimer to "everybody should have guns" is "except for felons and the mentally deficient" so far so good. The only problem comes in when the State starts redefining who qualifies as crazy, but we're not quite to Soviet standards on that one. Yet.

3. Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system.

Incentives? This sounds like "tie information mining access to federal transportation dollars" until further commentary is provided!

4. Direct the Attorney General to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks.

This reminds me that, as a veteran and someone outspoken in my opinions, I am already considered a potential terrorist by my government. I don't like the sound of this, but only because of the people who will be implementing it, if any implementin' gets done at all.

5. Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.

This right here is onerous, but hard to argue with. If you don't qualify to BUY a gun, should we really GIVE you one? Sure it's your property. Compensation in return for seized assets needs to be at LEAST fair market value, but it is, again, not a horrible idea.

6. Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.

They do it already, if you ask - and if you pay $15 to $60 depending on the FFL. This is wasted time/money right here. Speaking to Bunkum!

7. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.

Eddie Eagle has been going for Decades. Give the NRA a few million dollars to promote it? Sure! Spend a few million to tell people not to have guns? No thanks! Again, the implementation will be the difference between this being a good or a bad idea.

8. Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).

Because, of course, gun locks and safes keep criminals safe from homeowners with quick access to guns! But seriously, most quick-access gun safes can be defeated by dropping them on the floor . . . by a three year-old child. I've seen it. They suck, all of them. Not that it is any of Uncle Sam's business.

9. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.

As if they don't already.

10. Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.

This DOJ is pretty shady, but if we paid for the report, why not make it available to EVERYONE?

11. Nominate an ATF director.

Good luck with that. The BATFE is broken, and having a director (instead of an Acting Director) will not fix it. At least, not one that The Obama would appoint.

12. Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.

"Front sight, press!" is what they need to know, school officials included.

13. Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.

Enforce existing law. Let's see, who has been calling for this the whole time? Oh, that's right, GUN RIGHTS advocates! I am guessing this does not extend to prosecution of feloniously showing a television camera what a 30-round AR magazine looks like.

14. Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.

Another case of "sounds good, but who's going to do the research, and what's their agenda?!"

15. Direct the Attorney General to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies.

The private sector does anything innovative they can, and you sticking your nose in won't speed anything up, thanks.

16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.

If a doctor asks about guns in your home, either get a new doctor or refuse to answer and ask them about guns in their own home. You never know you might just get a new shootin' buddy!

17. Release a letter to health-care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law-enforcement authorities.

Duh? This is a question?

18. Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.

Okay, so our kids are as worthy of protection as his? Great! How much does it cost to hire a guard for a few tens of thousands of schools at $40k/year? And who pays?

19. Develop model emergency-response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.

Once again, "front sight, press" is key.

20. Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental-health services that Medicaid plans must cover.

This should also already have been done, but thanks.

21. Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges.

Two years after the law was passed, the rules for Obamacare are not finalized?

22. Commit to finalizing mental-health-parity regulations.

See 21, above.

23. Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health.

SOME of us have been having this conversation already, thanks.

When Things Go Crash In The Night

Here I was minding my own business at the computer just now, with my Darling Wife reading on the couch nearby when CRASH goes something in our bedroom on the other side of the wall. Then CRASH goes something again.

This room has a glass wall facing the back yard. And it contains the crib holding #4 who was asleep.

I snatched up Big Brother and put a Hydrashock in the chamber, switched on the light, pushed my Darling Wife gently away from the door (what were you planning to do empty-handed, dear?) and opened it*. Slice the pie, and it looks like . . . our bedroom. Window blinds in place, no Goblins present. Baby still sleeping. I shut the door and slowed my pulse down a little, then fetched my Darling Wife, put Big Brother down, and grabbed a less-bright light not attached to a firearm to show her the baby was fine.

All's well that ends well, but I'm going to have to talk to her husband about setting the box that holds the baby's diapers on an unreliable supporting structure, directly over the baby's car seat. Whew!

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*the fatal funnel: not tonight thanks God!

The Window War Begins.

Will it continue?

Mike Vanderboegh, once again, made a call before I would have deemed it to be the proper time. He called on the liberty-loving people of the United States to throw bricks before throwing bullets becomes necessary. He called it before the healthcare bill vote. One brick was thrown, and it was through Louise Slaughter's office window.

In the days immediately after the attack (on America, not on Slaughter's office), there was an answer. I immediately thought of Sipsey Street Irregulars when I read the first line of a Yahoo/AP story: Bricks have been hurled through Democrats' windows . . .

There are also reports of death threats being leveled at your Elected Heroes.

Good.

They bleeding well SHOULD be afraid for their lives. The tyrants on Capitol Hill are pushing us down the path that leads to 50,000,000 dead US Americans. I very much hope that they greatly fear the potential for us pushing back. Their lust for power over mens' lives is only checked by their fear for their own lives. The founders of our country (and I) wholeheartedly endorsed this type of fear.

To be clear: I do not condone killing people without a trial. That includes slimy socialist types Democrat Congressmen. However, if things continue the way it looks as if they are going, don't be surprised if a very large number of them catch a hot one for what they did this past Sunday. In france, they used the guillotine. Here, I'm guessing it'll be something in the .30 caliber range.

Look for gun control measures to come up soon, if the pressure on the tyrants continues. Look for a couple of dead tyrants if gun control measures start looking like they might pass.

Not calling for it. I'm just saying, is all.

McDonald v. Chicago Oral Arguments Summary

Very funny paraphrase/summary of the oral arguments in a hugely important case before the supreme Court. Funny if you can read pottymouth language. Otherwise not. I was ROFL

Hat tip to Uncle

McDonald v. Chicago Arguments Were Today

While we're on the subject of praying, how about praying that justices@SCOTUS.com lean more heavily toward "shall not be infringed" than we have any reason to hope.

Another Church Shooting.

I wrote this up yesterday but forgot to post it . . .

IF you go to a church that is a "Gun Free Zone" please consider the following from Yahoo! News

RICHMOND, Calif. – Police were seeking a hooded gunman who horrified the congregation of a San Francisco Bay area church when he paced the aisles then pulled out a gun and shot two teenagers.

"Some of us" hang out near the back of the church packing heat, in case just this sort of thing might happen. After all, it's happened before.

The gunman flanked by two companions in hooded sweatshirts walked into the church, scanned the pews and fired about five shots, hitting a 14-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man in front of about 100 people, Richmond police Sgt. Bisa French said. The 14-year-old was hit in the shoulder and the 19-year-old was struck in the leg, French said. Both victims, whose names haven't been released, were hospitalized and were expected to survive. There were no other injuries.

??? Five shots, resulting in two minor injuries? It is fortunate that nobody teaches street thugs to shoot properly, I suppose.

"It's terrible when you come to the house of the Lord and start doing this," Miller said. "It's just something you don't do."

No, pal, it's something YOU don't do. These jokers obviously did.

A handful of congregants returned to the church after police processed the crime scene and finished the service. "We went on and had church anyway," Miller told the Chronicle. "We were giving thanks that nobody was killed. We wanted to go and serve the Lord anyway."

Sounds like my church . . . except there would be an additional part in the article where the suspects had been shot Dead-Right-There by several congregants. I'd hate to call anybody out by name, but I suspect that the forensic investigation into the shooting of the shooter would be . . . complicated.

Carry your guns, people! And remember, Texans, a CHL holder may legally carry a concealed handgun in Texas unless the premise is posted in accordance with the law, or there has been specific verbal disallowance of carry in that church (in which case, you should be going to a different church anyway).

Oh, and by the way, here is my bet: 95% odds these cats were either young black males and/or gangbangers or else members of the religion of Peace. That may also explain why this is the first you heard of this story: Politically-incorrect criminals (only white men are bad, donchaknow)

Guns In The "Healthcare" Bill

Jamie Dupree just posted a brief mention of the RKBA-related provisions in the healthcare bill, entitled Second Amendment Health.

Whichever Demican got this snuck in there has done us all a huge favor, and has my thanks. Also they get a stooge-slap from me along with the rest of the Democrat Caucus, for forcing this anti-American, anti-Liberty (but I repeat myself) bill through without a care for what is good, right, or even popular.

Cliffs: at least according to THIS part of the 2700+ page mess bill, you won't be required to disclose your gun ownership status, and your premiums under the government-run healthcare scam scheme can't be increased because you exercise your right to keep arms AND your "right" to "healthcare" simultaneously.

And We Needed A Civilian Policewoman There . . . Why?

A great big tip of the hat to the civilian police woman who got four hits on the mujaheddun at Fort Hood last night. While wounded.

The question I (and apparently many others) have is: Why the hell, on a base with 50,000 of America's finest volunteer FIGHTING men on station, did we need to have a civilian cop stop this mess after (assuming perfect accuracy) at least 34 shots were fired?

These were men in the frikking ARMY about to GO FIGHT against the jihad. And none of them had so much as a sidearm about him? Whiskey Tango Fox, over?

I'm writing my Elected Heroes about this. This is just stupid. In related news, apparently ZERO was too many civilians killed by our military men back in the day (say, WWII) when each man was issued a rifle and a pistol, and he kept it with him when he transferred duty stations. That is, when going from one place to another, our men had their killing tools right there with 'em, when they got on civilian airliners, buses, and trains. Can't have icky GUNS out there in the hands of TRAINED KILLERS now can we?

No, we should leave the mass murder to amateurs, and make sure they have plenty of disarmed victims on which to prey!

One is reminded of the Israeli militiaman/student who shot a school-shooting mujaheddin right in the [deleted] HEAD (twice) with his issued service rifle. Which, of course, like all the other militiamen in Israel, he had with him at school.

I also recall Hartmann, a true warrior, who faced down frikken HITLER and got permission to wear his sidearm in the presence of the Leader of the People while being awarded a medal.

Why are our men disarmed on US military installations during a WAR?

It's an overseas war, VFD.

Really?

You mean the following MUSLIM murderers are not connected, because they were not card-carrying members of Al Quaeda? Funny, it seems to me like there is a certain commonality between them . . .

D.C. Snipers
Little Rock Recruiting Station murders
Salt Lake City mall shootings
Seattle Jewish Center shootings
along with a few (dozen) others

We Lose Huge, We Win Temporarily Small.

The effort is well underway to OUTLAW speech against islam and queers. In Europe and . . . drumroll . . . here, also. Will you stand for it? Will you at least send your Elected Heroes a frikken EMAIL?

Because the force of his will is not strong enough to overcome America's collective common sense (drastically weakened though it is), The Obama was not able to get cap & tax passed in the US Senate before the upcoming Copenhagen climate conference. Have you ever seen a housecat, tossed in disgust out of someone's lap, land on the floor, sit down, and procede to bathe itself, as if the whole action were the cat's idea? Yeah, that's what Obama is doing, saying the conference is not a "head of state affair" so he's not going. More like, you couldn't force your agenda through and the REAL major world polluters decline to attend. Can't be seen as a naked tyrant just yet, eh BHO?

Aaaand one more Atlas Shrugs link for the threepers, ALSO something you didn't get from the nightly shill media network news: Obama declares Janet Napolitano's H1N1 Mexican "swine" flu a national emergency. That would be, the kind where we can roll out the troops and start rounding people up in concentration (death) camps, or giving mass injections of a vaccine full of poison against their will. Hint: CARRY YOUR GUNS PEOPLE! One commenter said they heard ALL flu will be reported as H1N1 because they just stopped testing for H1N1 specifically . . . astonishing if true, but it wouldn't surprise me, and you can expect a huge spike in H1N1 and none of anything else this winter if it's so.

One last note, and one you can actually do something concrete about: When you get the H1N1 vaccination, get it in an individual syringe package. The bulk pack contains thimerosal, the individual syringe-packaged doses do not.

Schwarzenegger Signs Ammunition Black Market Creation Act.

Wow. I bet all those morons in California who voted for Schwarzenegger over the actual conservative who would otherwise have chased gray-out Davis out of office are real happy about their votes, now

Note to those "independents and conservatives" who voted for The Obama because he is half-black: this is a foretaste. I hope you hate it.

Mark this down as reason number infinity-plus-one why I plan on never going back to California. Ever.

Prags vs. Threepers: What He Said.

Uncle pointed this out so once again "Thanks, Uncle!"

Joe Huffman has said his bit on the Threepers vs. Pragmatists debate going on right now. Here are my two cents:

^What he said.

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The only thing I have to add is that, although long-time readers will have seen me draw several lines in the sand, they are worst-case scenarios. There are other lines out there also, which I drew and which only I can see.

Accidents happen. Credit can be misattributed. That is all.

Why I Am Glad I Went Shooting Yesterday

The fun is obvious, the new shooter training is a community service, and the fellowship and food with other Christians is always good. But the real reason I like that I went out shooting yesterday is this:

Socialists hate it.

Hold on there.

VFD, now you are doing things just to tweak peoples' noses who will never know about it?

No, no, follow me here. This is a moral victory, not a nose-tweaking.

What is Socialism? You depend on the State for everything. Your food, water, clothing, shelter, job, and boy howdy especially your defense. Once the ideal society is reached (read: the following will never happen) then crime will fall off, and you will not really need the protection of the Police, you will be so safe. Until then, however, you really should depend on the State to protect you anyhow. The State knows better than you what should be done to protect you, after all!

What is Liberty? I'll tell the State to kick bricks, and I'll do what I want, fuck you very much. As long as I don't trample your rights, you don't trample mine, and (debatably) the State keeps marauding hordes at bay and roads paved, everything will be just fine with me. The State, through the police force, according to the supreme Court of the U.S., has no duty to protect me as an individual. I am on my own. If I don't feel like letting you run rough-shod over me, I can do whatever it takes to restore myself to a position of not having my rights trampled. Being aware that, when seconds count, the Police are only minutes away, I take measures to be able to preserve myself, myself.

Socialists hate that attitude. Taking it upon yourself to defend yourself and your (capitalist pig!) property is a complete rejection of the power and responsibility of the State to defend you. Ergo:

Self-defense is the highest possible act of individualism.

As I said, Socialists hate that. You know what I hate? I hate that somewhere between 100,000,000 and 200,000,000 largely innocent citizens were killed by their own governments, or in wars started by same, in the name of the collective good. You can take your Communism, Socialism, and all the other leftist "isms" out there, and stick 'em where the sun don't shine. Try too hard to force them on U.S. Americans, and we'll turn your places where the sun don't shine, in to ventilation shafts anywhere from 0.223" to 0.5" in (entry) diameter.

I taught one man and attended the teaching of one boy, how to make a Good Communist.

Hold on there.

What's all this to do with yesterday?

Yesterday was "Labor Day" in the USA. Labor day is a symbol to all Americans that the International Labour Movement (read: Socialists) are powerful enough to force every company to pay every worker in the country to slack off for a full day.

I celebrated an international Socialist holiday by doing things Socialists despise.

And it makes me happy.

Man With Gun Nearly Kills Boy In North Austin!

Earlier tonight, a young boy reported seeing a man with a gun. The man was seen by the boy while the boy was riding his bicycle up and down the street in front of his house in Pflugerville, a Northeastern suburb of Austin. Despite passing by the man several times, the boy was not killed, or even injured, by the gun. The boy's parents report that none of the encounters between the man and the boy resulted in any injuries.

~or~

I had my Glock on my hip in a high-visibility (mostly YELLOW) holster pretty much all afternoon today. That includes the few hours I spent in the garage fabricating a set of bookshelves for #1's room to suit my Darling Wife's specifications. The kid who lives across the street was riding his bike up and down both sides of the street (on the sidewalk) and I noticed one time he was having a pretty hard stare at my hip. Another time, I told him, "Hi, Ant!" and he gave me his usual non-response. I know it's hard to believe, but the gun did NOT just jump right out of the holster and start shooting everyone. I mean, even when my Darling Wife had #1, #2, AND #3 out in the garage watching me work, NOBODY was shot! Can you imagine?

We Threepers Have Some Company

In New Zealand, they have a gun registry. Civilians with small arms are required by law to register them with the government. The rate of compliance is un-knowable. The original plan (probably necessary to getting it passed at all) was to have "your guns are yours for life" lifetime registrations. Then somebody broke some unrelated laws and the country switched to "oh wait, they're yours for 10 years" decade-long registrations. Who would have ever guessed that was coming. Note: the alternatives are registration of your weapons, abandoning them to the custody of the state, or becoming an outlaw by doing the same thing from the day before the law was enacted, to the day after.

Anyway, today, many years after they went from lifetime to 10-year registrations, there is a reported rate of 22% non-compliance with the new 10-year registration law.

22%.

That 22% was the difference the gun-banners saw coming when they got this legislation passed in the first place. Those 22% would have prevented passage of the original legislation, I gay-rohn-tee. American Moderates, take note: The gun control crowd got a gun registry put into law in that country because it was innocuous; you just register your guns, that's all. Just once, ever in your life, that's all. The law was changed later to Register them each Decade OR ELSE. The gun control advocates are lobbying for three-year registrations now. If they are successful in getting 3-year registration terms, next they will go for one year. Following that, it will be zero-year and New Zealand will follow Australia into higher per-capita rates of violent crime subsequent to a complete gun BAN. That's what we call a "slippery slope" my friend.

In the linked NZ Herald article, they quote victim-disarmament advocate Philip Alpers as saying "The police really have no idea of how many guns are out there" as if that were a bad thing. The police have no business knowing how many guns are out there, just like they have no business knowing how many drill presses or hand held screwdrivers are out there. Guns are tools. To get in trouble with one, you have to do other things that were already illegal before the first gun control measure was ever passed.

Hat tip to Uncle.

You May Be A RightWing Extremist If...

If you don't follow any of the links below, at least read this.

You perhaps heard about the Missouri bulletin telling its Protect & Serve types to look out for, oh, say, Ron Paul supporters, because they might be violent right wing extremists. That was retracted within a week or two due largely to outrage on the blogosphere. Supposedly it hadn't gone all the way up the chain of command for approval.

Well if you thought that was an isolated beaurocrat's opinion you were wrong. By now you may have also heard of the same sentiments being expressed by the Department of Homeland Security in a report titled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment." that report basically says "if you are a traditional conservative, you just might be a potential enemy of the State". Michelle Malkin has the report in .pdf form and she spent some time trying to find out if it was real. Her sources say It's real. If you trust Roger Hedgecock and WorldNetDaily, read his take on it at worldnetdaily.com.

You might be a terrorist if you don't like the new President's agenda, including on immigration/citizenship, the exporting of jobs overseas, expanded socialist handout programs, and restrictions on firearms. If you think it's a bad economy, and if you think it would be a good idea to have a stockpile of food, weapons and ammunition, you might be in an eeeEEEEeeevil right wing extremist militia. If you are a returning war veteran you're automatically lumped in there as a danger.

I read the whole thing (why not, it's only 9 pages) and I note a heavy emphasis on the "first African American President" line. Here let me hold up my mirror. Do you see a racist? I also note a repeated reference to the potential for stirring up the extremists if the government were to try to ban guns again. The solution to this threat would seem obvious, unless banning guns in private hands were one of your goals.

A good summary of the attitude behind this sort of thing coming from the government of the "freest country in the world" can be found in the last two paragraphs of More Political Persectution from TriggerFinger.

Hat tip to: Frikken Everybody

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In related news: to the DHS flunky who may be reading this: Hi there and have a great day. I'm sure if you look around at my older posts you'll find ample reason to put me on your list. Fly More Flags has a message for you:

Communism Is No Joking Matter!

Question: What is the last thing that goes through the mind of a good Communist (/Socialist/Marxist) ?

Answer: One of these.



WHAT?! You let them through the perimeter?

Okay then you might have to use one of these:



********

While skimming his recent work, most of it excellent as always, I found out that Oleg Volk agrees with me.

Barack Obama: Constitutional Scholar . . . Must Have Missed That Class

Busy this morning, but I'll spare a moment to spread the word:

The Firearm Blog alerts us to an ABC Story that Obama's people are already working towards Assault Weapons Ban 2.0.

Go ahead and tell me again, how Barack understands the second amendment.

Trinity Schutzenfest 2009 Main Page

Schutzenfest: shooter's festival. from the German schutzen compounded with fest. An informal gathering of some of the United States' Militia to engage in education and training in the use of small arms. . . and a time for food, fun, and fellowship. A time to celebrate the freedom of American citizens, and enjoy some quality trigger time with friends.


Here's the idea: Sometime in the the next few months (I am currently thinking of April 4th), On April 4th, the first Saturday in April, a group of interested people will gather on a large piece of private land somewhere Northeast Southeast of Austin (less than an hour drive), and start shooting. By the end of the day, several hundred to several thousand rounds of small arms ammunition will have been sent downrange, the spent brass and targets cleaned up, and a barbecue/pot luck meal will have been eaten.

This is a closed party. The majority of atendees will be Good Christian People from my church, but others may be invited. I will only give out the location to those who respond properly and gain permission to attend. If an attendee wants to bring friends, they should first ensure the friends are Good People and trustworthy. Showing up is tacit agreement to obey all posted rules, all Range Officer commands, and abide by The Rules.

We will be stone cold sober, well behaved, and generally nice. There will be beginner-level education in safe gun handling, marksmanship classes, lessons about operation of various types of weapons, LOTS of shooting, and then a meal after we clean up.

If you are a well-trained and experienced shooter, and not afraid to holler in somebody's face for breaking The Rules, I could use your help. We will need at least two volunteer Range Officers. ROs will be doing less shooting than the rest of the group, but will by no means be left out. The more volunteer ROs we have, the more shooting they will be able to do. I have a pair of RO volunteers, thanks guys! The more the merrier, so if you want to be an RO please still let me know.

If you have never fired a gun before, this is your chance. Weapons will be provided, see the following paragraphs for ammunition protocol. We will instruct you in safe gun handling and start you off with a gun that won't hurt you or make very much noise, and you may proceed (if you so desire) to shoot anything else, once we are sure you have a grasp of the basics. Shooting is generally a lot of fun, and it does not hurt to shoot most guns, so don't be afraid to try.

If you are looking to buy a gun, or a different type of gun, this event will give you exposure to a wide variety of weapon types to help you decide. If you already have a gun but have only seldom shot it, a) shame on you and b) come get some practice. A gun you can't hit bad guys with is almost as bad as no gun at all.

If you have shot firearms before, or if you have not; if you are comfortable with guns or not, if you want to try a variety of weapons or just one in particular, but mostly if you want to enjoy the company of a bunch of Christian people who also are interested in guns and shooting, Contact me! (use the contact button at the bottom of the page)

There are no entrance or range fees.

What we need:


Guns: Bring yours if you've got any. If you don't have any, we are happy to share, but you must bring your self (or get a ride). I will keep the list of arms and ammunition required to shoot them (see below) updated as people tell me what they are bringing to the party.

Ammunition: Lots of it. The price of metal has gone up recently, so this is the most expensive part of the whole affair. If you do not mind letting go some of your stockpile, please bring what you are willing to let be shot up. If you have a few extra dollars laying around, please purchase as much ammo as you are comfortable buying, and bring it with you. Before spending your money, please contact me in case I have someone bringing a bunch of something and have not yet updated the list!.

Hearing Protection: I've got a box of foam earplugs but it may not last the day. If you have your own earplugs or muffs, please bring them.

Appropriate Clothing: Long sleeves and collars. Closed shoes. A hat with a brim. Shooting glasses (impact resistant glasses of any type with a frame that crosses between the eyes is good, covered sides are better). Long pants or dresses. Ladies, don't get offended by the truth: If it is immodest, it is also unsafe for shooting. Consider: shell casings leave some guns faster than you can see them move, and hot enough to cause a 2nd degree burn. If you don't want it burned, dress so it is covered.

Safety: There will be at least two brief lectures on safe gun handling practices. In addition, all participants are required to read, understand, and agree to abide by the Four Rules. One reason I need a set of tough ROs is that a third observed violation of the Rules is going to get the offender kicked off the premises.

Respect: Guns are deadly by design. If you act like a fool and endanger the lives of your fellow participants, you are out. Bad manners are prohibited. Vain and profane swearing and cursing are prohibited. Smoking will be done at a large distance if the landowner agrees to allow it at all. NO drinking of alcoholic beverages or use of other intoxicating substances will be allowed. Shooting sports are statistically about as safe an activity as can be enjoyed. Treating fellow shooters, their weapons, and the shooting range, with respect are a large part of the reason for the safety of this game.


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If you WILL BE coming, I need you to respond. E-mail me (address at the bottom of the page) with the following information:

Your name and contact information, even if I should already have it (contact information will not be distributed, it's for me and nobody else). If I don't know you, I will want to get to know you before letting you in on a live firing session. Don't worry, I am generally friendly and don't bite unless severely provoked.

How many persons will be coming with you (No shooting for children under 5 years old, and no shooting for minors of any age without direct supervision). Men are encouraged to bring wives, Ladies are encouraged to bring their husbands. Children are welcome, but please be sure they are comfortable around loud noises (!) or you have someone willing to stay with them in the house.

What type of arms you will bring. Let me know the make, model, and caliber of the weapons you will definitely be bringing, so that I can keep the list updated.

If you can bring lots of ammunition, please let me know that also. Once we reach an arbitrarily-chosen two thousand rounds per caliber, I'll be sure to tell everyone we don't need any more of that caliber.

If you want to shoot a weapon, please try to buy at least a box of ammunition for it. This means anything from a couple of dollars to (usually) less than $15. If the gun owners had to provide all the ammunition for their weapons, the cost would add up quickly if one weapon proved popular. It would be spiffy but not required if you were to donate any unspent ammo to the gun owners when we're done. If there is any left!

If you have a weapon that shoots an oddball or very expensive round, please either let me know (so I can publish it) that shooting will be restricted on that piece, or bring a large-ish quantity of ammunition on your own dime. You are free to bring something for show-and-tell only if you please, but don't get our hopes up that we will be shooting it.

Failure to include all of the above required information may result in your NOT being invited.
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Here's the schedule:


Late morning 11:00: classtime. New shooters (never shot a firearm before) are required to attend. Infrequent or it's-been-a-long-time shooters are strongly encouraged to attend. There will be lectures on safe gun handling, marksmanship, and operation of various types of weapons, both handguns and long guns.

Late morning to mid-afternoon: Shooting. There will be a brief review of the Four Rules before we go to the firing line. Targets will depend on the landowner's preference. He may allow coffee cans and coke cans (fun for handguns and rifles) and cardboard boxes are (fun for shotguns). Paper targets will be posted for more traditional shooting practice, but the shooting range depends heavily on the terrain (no shooting rifles up with no backstop, etc.) There may be, depending on the popularity of the idea, a time where we run training maneuvers and action drills. Shooting while advancing, retreating, and moving laterally, possibly engaging multiple targets. This sort of thing is a LOT of fun and of practical use if you ever need it, but you need a group of people with good heads on their shoulders to do it safely.

Sometime in there: An eat-when-you-want pot-luck meal. Bring food for more people than will be coming with you, and we will all share. If you get tired of shooting, or several people get hungry all at once, wash your hands and go eat. I'm not sure of the quality of tap water, so if you want something palatable to drink, you might want to bring some of that, too!

At least an hour before dark: Pick up the trash. Picking up your spent shells as you produce them will speed this up considerably. No leaving twisted metal and shredded paper for the cows to injure themselves with and/or eat.

List of weapons people have said they will bring: Model Numbers People! Tell me the model!

Check back here frequently! This list will be getting longer, as people respond to personal invitations.

Hand guns
Walther P22 .22LR
Kel-Tek P3AT
.38 Special revolverat least 2 .38 Special revolvers
Hi-Point 9mm
Glock 22 .40 S&W
Glock 32 .357SIG
Sig P229

Long guns
Marlin Model 60
M4 (yes, the General Issue Real Deal with a naughty switch, not an AR-platform knock-off)
(The guy w/ the M4 and SIG P229 begged off with a lame excuse already)
SKS (possibly 2 or 3)
M1917 Enfield
Mosin Nagant (an M44 and an 1891/30)
12 gauge shotgun
Single-shot .410 shotgun
.30-30 lever action carbine

Guns to drool over, but not for popular shooting:
DPMS .308 Winchester AR

Ammunition we will need:
.22LR
.380ACP
.40S&W
5.56x45mm
7.62x39
.30-06 Springfield


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Why are we doing this?

Because ignorance breeds fear. Too many Americans grew up in a city where the only ones with guns were the police, and the police were distrusted. Too many people think of guns as some sort of totem of violence. Familiarization with these lumps of steel, wood, and plastic, gives understanding that they are only tools, and there are too few places where a person can become familiar with them.

Because people who don't understand why the wicked scary guns are necessary, won't object when they are banned. Shooting a hunting rifle that is more powerful than a battle rifle just might get them on the right side of the gun control debate, or at least get them thinking.

Because a citizen needs to know how to operate any small arm he is likely to encounter. When the proverbial poo hits the fan and a gun finds its way into your hand, you had better know how to use it when you need to. According to U.S. Federal law, the Militia is us. Not the State National Guard, and not the Federal Department of Defense. YOU.

Because nobody wants to pay range fees but we should all practice more with the tools we are counting on to use in defense of our lives.

Furthermore:

Because a man with a rifle cannot be oppressed.

Because a woman with a pistol cannot be raped.

Because a citizen willing to use violence against evil is morally superior

Because weapons are liberty's teeth (no matter who said it

Because there bloody well should be a rifle behind every blade of grass.

And, of course, as everyone knows who is a recreational shooter: Shooting is a lot of fun!

Why You Should Go About Armed

The Shootist relates a story of one of the "only ones" who got in a scrape, to be resuced by a passer-by with a .45. If you do not read this you will have missed out on a story well told, and your life will be the poorer for it.

This is also one to consider for those of us who carry .380s and .38s. Some is better than none, but holy mackerel when you meet THAT guy!

This is also one to consider for those who believe that only the Police should be allowed to have guns. Such persons would do well to consider what would have happened in these cases as well, if 'civilians' were not allowed to have weapons.