Clan Gunscribe did our part

Yesterday, as mentioned in the previous post, was National Buy Ammo day.

I am pleased to report that between five of us patronized Scheels (No Victim Disarmament Zone signs) All Sports in Lincoln, Nebraska and we purchased 620 rounds of ammunition.

If you are in the Cornhusker State and you participated in the 6th annual National Buy Ammo Day/Week BUYcott leave a comment with the number of rounds and where you purchased them.

The Great American BUYcott

Yes I typed that correctly .....

BUY-cott - 1)The act of buying something to make a statement or support a cause 2) as opposed to a boycott - 1) The refrain from buying something or 2) refusing to support a cause.

The 6th annual National Buy Ammo Day/Week is upon us.

Rather than wax eloquent on the subject I will let the founders of the movement explain;

November 19 is National Ammo Day.

It is a nationwide BUYcott of ammunition. You buy ammunition. 100 Rounds a person.

The goals of Ammo Day:

The goal of National Ammo Day is to empty the ammunition from the shelves of your local gun store, sporting goods, or hardware store and put that ammunition in the hands of law-abiding citizens. Make your support of the Second Amendment known--by voting with your dollars!

There are an estimated 75 MILLION gun owners in the United States of America. If each gun owner or Second Amendment supporter buys 100 rounds of ammunition, that’s 7.5 BILLION rounds in the hands of law-abiding citizens!

The gun/ammunition manufacturers have been taking the brunt of all the frivolous lawsuits, trying to put these folks out of business. Well, not if we can help it! And we CAN help it by buying ammunition on November 19!

Check out the National Ammo Day website and replenish a 100 rounds or more.

You don't have to break the bank to make a statement either, two 50 round boxes of .22 Long Rifle (everyone has a .22 don't they?) can be had for under 5 bucks.

Personally I have been holding off on buying some ammo for my Granddads ole' thutty tue Winchester in anticipation of Ammo Day. If you time it right you might get to see me at Scheels on the 19th.

Random Thoughts without the benefit of any factual data to back them up

Preface; I rarely comment on team sports, even Nebraska College sports. Most of the time I pay very little attention to them (team sports) college or pro. (Bowl game & the World Series excepted) I do not have any inside information, my crystal ball is less clearer than most. The following is just things that have for no apparent reason been ricocheting around the inside of my cranium the past few years.

In fact I can usually be seen wearing an OU hat. Not because I am a big Sooners fan, I am not. I have some personal connections to the state of Oklahoma so I wear the hat in reminder of them. Even though I am not a member of the rabid "The sun won't come up Sunday morning if they lose on Saturday" Cornhuskers Fan Club, I root for the home town team and hope they win none the less.

GO BIG RED

Given history and recent events I am prompted to clear my head of some things Husker.

The Osborne era ends

I am sure that due to his success Tom Osborne had a free hand to run the program the way he saw fit without interference. When he retired and Solich took over I believe that he was pretty much able to do the same thing.

Enter AD Pederson.

I got a bad feeling about the Husker Sports program in general when Steve Pederson was hired as Athletic Director. At the time I thought he breezed into the job admonishing;

"Okay I am the boss now, things are going to be run the way I want them run and if you don't like it you can get the hell out of here"

Pederson struck me right from the start as one who wanted to micro-manage the staff to the point of back seat "My way or the highway" coaching the football team. Pederson was hot for the "West Coast Offense" and Solich wouldn't or couldn't give it to him. Early on Pederson seemed to cultivate "Just shut up and give me your damn money I'll will tell you how it is going to be spent spent" ill will with the alumni. I heard some even quit donating.

Perlman can't admit a mistake

But then what can you expect from someone that thinks a Prime Time television show about a hard drinking dope smoking washed up entertainer turned amateur porn star pretending to attend UNL is a positive image for the School.

At the time I am sure the Alumni were also supportive of Solich. He was winning after all. That could mean only one thing Solich had to go.

Say what you want about Solich and whether or not he needed to go. Based purely on his record I think he was sacrificed at the alter of "I am the boss here and I'll prove it to you Solich is history".

Enter Bill Callahan

Callahan was suppose to come to Nebraska and turn the Big Red Machine into Pedersons personal "You will coach the way I order you too" West Coast Offense semi-pro dream team. I think that much of the problem with the football program the last few years can be attributed directly to Pederson's personal "I know what's best, it's my way" involvement.

Time will tell

Now that Pederson is history I do not know if Callahan can turn this team around. I tend to think he can if Osborne will let him. Are there some coaching changes that need to be made? Probably.

It is rumored that the Big Red will get a bowl game. I keep having this premonition that if they do, come game day Osborne will be leading the team out onto the field as interim Athletic Director slash born again Football Coach.

The Second Coming of Osborne

I think he misses it, I think he wants it and after his defeat in the primary election in his bid to be governor I think he needs the ego boost.

If that is the case then Callahan will not get the "free from Pederson oppression" chance to prove himself. And that may be the worst thing that will have happened at UNL since Tommy Lee audited a few of the Underwater Basket Weaving 101 electives for Prime Time Television.

There you have it, a swirling torrent of unconnected random electronic synapses pulsating across the brain cells of my thought process.

Please excuse the maintenance

Or; You probably didn't even notice

In the last few days I have purged my Blogroll of links that have apparently "Gone out of Business" or have not been posted to in a very long time.

I have also added some new ones that I have become aware of in the last year or so. What follows is a brief about the newly added ones. I am not embedding a link to them in this post as one already exists in the Blogroll on the side bar.

Joe's Crabby Shack

"Where 4 out of 5 Freedom Fiends and Second Amendment junkies come to get the skinny on the Nebraska Legislature"

I met Joe and his Father at a Shooting Competition some years ago. Even before that we had been commenting on some of the same message boards. It was a pleasure to see him and meet his blushing bride at the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky last month.

His blog is a great read and he, "a schooled journalist" has been a much more prolific writer on Nebraska Firearms issues lately than I have. Joe is also telling the truth when he says "get the skinny on the Nebraska Legislature".

During the time Concealed Carry was being debated Joe was updating at least one message board (2005-2006) and his Blog it sometimes seemed hourly. He truly put a herculean effort into covering the progress of LB454 and getting the skinny out there. His promptness in reporting helped many of us make timely phone calls to our elected leaders. I am positive Joe's effort went a long way toward passage of CCW in the Cornhusker state and he is owed a debt of gratitude from all Nebraskans who care about this issue.

Great Blue Whale

In the top right corner of his Blog is the pronouncement that Self-Defense is a Human Right and directly under that are the 4 rules of firearms safety that should be ingrained in anyone that accepts responsibility of owning a firearm. I would add a 5th though, "Always maintain control of your firearm", but that is just me.

I became aware of the Blue Whale while reading the Crabby Shack and immediately liked it. Since the Whale admitted to attending the Gun rights Policy Conference I am sure I met and likely had a "gun chat" with him.

The Ten Ring

"A blog by two self-described gun nuts. One who started as a liberal and the other who started as a conservative. We helped each other grow and thrive over the past nine years."

Follow along with Yosemite Sam and Denise as they delve deeply into the Second Amendment arena. Read through their archives and learn what it was that brought them to this point in their lives.

Their Blog is a wealth of information, including numerous reports on specific firearms they have acquired since their personal enlightenment.

Sadly lacking though is a field/history report on a Ruger 10/22.

Two of my favorite posts are their explanations, one by each of them on how they came to be such firearm aficionados.

It seems that the restrictive gun laws of a draconian New England state, enacted to discourage firearms ownership, did not prevent these two from owning guns; It encouraged them to learn about and acquire as many as suits them and their finances.

Product Review; Hoppe's Bore Snake

Subtitle; Damn I'm getting lazy

For the last year or so I have been using Hoppe's Bore Snake for some of my various center fire calibers and shotgun gauges.


The Bore Snake is a cleaning device that consists of a weighted on one end rope with a bore brush embedded in cleaning floss. To use it one simply applies their preferred bore scrubber to the floss just ahead of the bristle area, drop the brass weight down the barrel (from the chamber end if possible) and pull it through from the over end. A few passes with a Bore Snake and most barrels are as clean as they are going to get.



The neat thing is that the Bore Snake is Machine washable. As the directions say "Band securely or use a wash bag for machine cleaning. Air Dry."

Versus standard cleaning kits

In the past gun cleaning long barreled firearms necessitated the assembly of a 3 or more piece cleaning rod, sorting out the proper jag for the caliber or gauge (brass brush, patch jag etc.) One would install the patch jag make a few passes to dampen the bore, switch to the brass brush to scrub the barrel and then back to the patch jag to remove loosened residue and dry the bore.

In side by side comparisons I have found that 2 or 3 passes that can be accomplished in a minute or so does as good a job of cleaning the bore of a firearm as 10-15 minutes of fumbling around with a standard cleaning kit.

Bear in mind that the bore snake only cleans the bore, all of the other tools firearms people keep on hand for cleaning the rest of the arm are still necessary. (tooth brushes, dental picks etc..)

When I am in the field I have taken to keeping one handy for whatever caliber or gauge I happen to be carrying. The one glaring drawback that I see to the Bore Snake being beneficial in the field is something that has yet to happen to me (Knock on wood).

Plugged Barrel

Should a firearm be dropped on the muzzle or some other way gets the bore plugged the Bore Snake won't be much use. As mentioned earlier it is a rope. It likely can't be used to clear the obstruction. Once the obstruction is cleared or cleared enough for the brass fob to pass I'm sure it will do a bang up job with the rest of the problem.

How much are they?

Depending on the vendor prices vary. For just the Bore Snake itself I have seen them for as little at 12 bucks at Wal-Mart to nearly 20 dollars on a Gun Show Table. Hoppe's also offers the Bore Snake as a kit that also includes bore cleaner and a handy ballistic nylon carrying case for some dollars more. Personally I think the time saved is worth the price.

They love this in the Sandbox

As I was writing this piece I learned that some of our fighting men and women in the Middle East are using this product and many more of them would like to have one. Knowing that the son-in-law of a friend is headed to Baghdad for a fifteen month tour in a few days, I stopped by Wal-Mart and bought one for him to take with him. His wife recently delivered their second child and Richard has already had one tour in Afghanistan.

I found the last one they had in .22 caliber behind about a half dozen Bore Snakes for 12 gauge shotguns.(Sometimes it pays to do a little looking) If I couldn't find one I was prepared to give him my own slightly used one in the same caliber just to be sure that he had one. He told me that a lot of the time they were having to clean their weapons 2-3 times a day to insure that they would function. Having spent some time in the desert a long, long time ago myself I can readily attest to that.

If you know or are related to someone heading out to the Middle East for the first time or going back for another tour do them a big favor and get them a Bore Snake sized for .22 caliber to take with them. If you know someone that is already over there send them one.

Project Bore Snake

In doing some on-line research for this missive I also encountered a website called "Project Bore Snake". Located in Fresno California it is the mission of the people that run "Project Bore Snake" to equip as many of our fighting men/women as they can with these cleaning tools. If you don't know anyone going or already there you might consider making a donation to "Project Bore Snakes".

Financial Liability for No Guns Allowed signs? GRPC Notes #3

Background

Chunk Klein, along with a few others successfully challenged the status quo on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Ohio several years ago. This challenge led to the passage of a concealed carry law in Ohio. Until that time there were no provisions for concealed carry in the Buckeye State and those that openly carried a sidearm were often charged with something akin to "disturbing the peace" or "inciting a panic". There was nearly no way a citizen in Ohio could legally exercise the Right to Keep and Bear Arms without running afoul of the law.

Ultimately the state Supreme Court ruled that those in power could not have it both ways;

No statutory allowance for concealed carry and punishment for open carry.

It had to be one or the other

Since there were no provisions in statute that recognized concealed carry without penalty, the only way for citizens to "legally" exercise their Right to bear arms was to openly carry them on their person and NOT be subject to arrest, punishment intimidation and harassment.

This decision amounted to a cease and desist order on Ohio law enforcement charging those who openly carried a sidearm for personal protection with a crime.

From that decision large numbers of Ohioans held "Open Carry Walks".

Right to Keep and Bear Arms supporters across the state held very peaceful walks, in major population centers, while openly carrying sidearms. These walks were informative and brought national attention to the issue. They were also heavily monitored by the many law enforcement agencies.

They Still didn't get it

While there were no overt acts by Peace Officers to prevent or intimidate the exercise of a pre-existing Right recognized in both the Ohio State and Federal Constitution there were several reports that citizens leaving the walks were singled out and covertly set upon by Peace Officers engaging in tactics of intimidation.

I do not believe that there were any arrests, but several citizens reported that after leaving the march they were singly accosted, detained and investigated for exercising a Right that the Supreme Court of the State of Ohio had recently affirmed.

Even someone that barely eked out a passing grade in a High School Government class should realize the implications of that action and be appalled by it.

What part of;

The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio mandated that the open carry of a firearm in the state of Ohio is a legal activity affirmed by the Ohio State Constitution.

did they not understand?

What those few officers did is the same as stopping a person for, "driving the speed limit", "properly using turn signal devices" or "making a complete stop at a stop sign/light".

As noted above the Supreme Court decision and the open Carry walks ultimately led to the passage of Concealed Carry in Ohio. A provision in the law, and in many other states as well, allows those responsible for private property to post signs that deny employees and consumers the ability to legally carry a firearm on their premises.

Although the Politically Correct term for these areas is "Gun-Free Zones", legally armed law-abiding citizens refer to them as "Victim-Disarmament Zones". The rightful conclusion is that since armed criminals by virtue of their job description do not obey the law the only people who comply are "defenseless law-abiding victims".

A Book on the Subject

Since that time Chuck Klein has written a book entitled "Guns in the Workplace", A Manual for Private Sector Employers and Employees.

It is not an understatement that this book should be read by everyone one that owns their own business. Additionally business owners should make it required ready for their entire Human Relations Departments if their business is large enough to require one.

As I have oft stated in the past, should I encounter a "No Firearms allowed sign" in my travels I, as a law abiding citizen, will respect the wishes of that management and not patronize their establishment.

It is not a protest or boycott on my part;

It is simply an expression of respect for the Rights of that property owner/manager and my own ethical standards on obeying the law.

Klein's book, edited by William M. Gustavson Esq., is an excellent "how to" manual for those that are struggling with the idea of employees and consumers legally carrying firearms on their property. The book carefully examines both sides of the decision to allow it or not.

The most interesting aspect that I gleaned from the book concerns the financial liability that a business may incur if they decide to prohibit the legal carry of firearms on their property.

Klein indicates that should harm occur that could have been prevented had that person been in possession of their legally carried firearm, the business could be financially liable in a civil action brought by that person or person/s survivors for failure to provide or allow for adequate protection.

In essence by denying a person, that is legally able to carry a firearm, from possession of a firearm on that property that business is acknowledging that they have assumed responsibility for the safety and protection of, not just the firearm owner but, all persons that either work or patronize the premises.

Klein writes that in some states statutes have been written "exempting" businesses from such liability when they declare their property a "Gun-FreeZone". He points out however that courts generally do not favorably view a for profit business being free from liability for intentionally restricting the ability of law abiding citizens to provide for their own safety and protection.

Klein goes on to reference the Federal Liability Statute (USC Title 42 , Chapter 21, Sub chapter 1) that;

...... causes to be subjected, any citizen or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proceedings for redress ...

In other words the federal law will trump the state law and businesses that post their properties relying solely on the state statute to protect them could still be liable for financial losses.

Intentional Acts are not covered by most Policies

This has led many to believe that we are covered by the "well that is what I have insurance for" axiom.

Again Klein cautions those responsible for making the "Gun-free Zone" decision to consider;

Most insurance policies have an exclusionary for "intentional acts" committed by those covered by the policy.

Preventing the exercise of a Right by a property owner/manager is an INTENTIONAL ACT.

If faced with a large monetary suit it would be reasonable to expect that any insurance company would divest themselves of any financial obligation by asserting that the covered party "intentionally" violated the terms of the policy. In this event, not only would the owner/manager be financing two law suits (one against themselves for deprivation of a right and the one they would need to bring against their insurance carrier for non-coverage/payment) any and all monetary cost/award would fall squarely on the assets of the policy holder.

Should the business, that the insurance company successfully bails on, be a corporation, limited liability or otherwise the business might be financially challenged or even ruined, but personal possessions of the owners might remain un-effected.

Conversely if the entity in question is a "Sole Proprietorship" or other "unprotected entity" any of the personal property assets of the owner, such as vehicles, jewelry, homes and other personal property would be subject to forfeiture and/or liens.

As evidenced by Chucks book there is important serious consideration that must be done by any property owner/manager when making the decision to post a property as a "Gun-Free Zone" or not.

As far as this issue is concerned I, and every law abiding firearms owner that I know, respect the decision whether it is to allow or deny. That is their Right.

I would suggest that anyone faced with the enormous responsibility of deciding this issue to not take it lightly, read Mr. Klein's book, consult jointly with legal counsel and insurance provider/s for advice and make the most responsible decision possible based on that information.

If that decision is to post "No Guns Allowed" signs and it is grounded in the best legal advice and a WRITTEN GUARANTEE OF COVERAGE conformation letter from an insurance provider then I will respect that.

Should the decision be to not post any signs at all or even post "Citizens legally carrying firearms welcome" signs (as some businesses do), I will respect that as well and show my appreciation for the recognition of a Right by patronizing the establishment.

As a final note I followed the progress of Klein's lawsuit and the resulting open carry walks when all of that took place. It was not until this years Gun Rights Policy Conference when Chuck was one of the featured speakers that I finally got to meet him.

What's a dazzling Urbanite like you doing in a rustic setting like this Kenn?

Subtitle; GRPC Notes #2

Look over there, eating at the table near the back corner it's a Black man and he has a gun.

No need to worry folks it's only Kenn Blanchard, Firearms Instructor, Gun Rights advocate, Motivational Speaker, Preacher and author of Black man with a Gun.

I had been corresponding with Kenn for several years before I met him in person. If memory serves it started when Kenn reached out to me regarding an idea he had for a firearms education training program.

My wife and I were fortunate to finally meet Kenn several years ago at one of the Gun Rights Policy Conferences.

On the Cutting edge with Kenn

At this years GRPC Kenn was a featured speaker, on the Exploiting New Communications Technologies Panel. Waxing eloquent on Podcasting, Kenn re-iterated the need, using modern technology, to reach out to those that avail themselves of devices like Blackberrys and i-pods. Many of todays younger generation do not read news papers or magazines only getting their information via the electronic media. Since my DNA is only about 36% geek I was understand with the concept, but had not realized its potential.

I guess it goes without saying that he has been producing his own Podcast for nearly a year now. Over the last few days my internet research has been greatly enhanced while listening to past episodes of the Urban-Shooter Podcast. In fact I'm still listening as I write this missive.

Conversations with Kenn

During conference breaks Kenn and I tried to catch up on old news and get current with new. I am sure our conversations sounded like short media sound bites to anyone eaves dropping but we understood what we were saying and covered a lot of gun rights ground.

Some of topics of discussion included Nebraska Senator Ernie Chambers and the Reverends Sharpton and Jackson. It seems that we, as are a lot of people are perplexed about their position on gun control.

Concerning the Reverends Al & Jesse, Kenn espouses the same views that I also hold with Senator Chambers. The gist of which is why we haven't been hearing these leaders condemn the actions of minority criminals or stand up for personal accountability in the minority community. Rather they never waste a media opportunity to call for more government control and the disarming of the very law abiding citizens they claim to represent.

Racist roots in Gun Control

In fact most if not all of this nations gun control laws are rooted in racism. I am not unfamiliar with the subject having written The original Gun Control laws were racially motivated and still are in 2004. There are a lot of hard working Americans in Senator Chambers district and if the statistics are accurate, they more than anyone would benefit the advantages of concealed carry laws. Unfortunately Senator Chambers opposes the citizens of Nebraska being able to protect themselves when they are away from their homes.

Kenn tells it like it is and anyone that has an interest in Gun Rights would do well to check him out. Do your self a favor and listen to some of his podcasts while your at it.

GRPC Notes #1

The 22nd Gun Rights Policy Conference was held this past weekend at the Draw Bridge Inn in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky which is just over the Ohio state line near Cincinnati. In following posts I hope to write more commentary on topics addressed by the various speakers.

Gun Control laws Kill people

On Saturday morning Larry Pratt (Gun Owners of America) opined gun control laws contributed to the Virginia Tech tragedy. That observation is confirmed by a number of faculty and students from Virginia Tech. I will respectfully disagree with Larry on one salient point;

It is not the laws themselves that contributed to the event they are only words on a page. Rather it is the people responsible for the creation and enactment into law of those written words that contributed to the massacre.

Of course the Mainstream Media never reported that.

Faculty and Students (over age 21) with legally issued Virginia Concealed Carry Permits affirmed that had they (in different places, at different times obviously) been able to legally posses their firearms on campus any number of lives would have been saved.

You can Monday morning armchair, wail and gnash your teeth all you want to, but these folks lived through it, they were there they ought to know.

Back in April I penned a missive on this blog entitled Reflections on a Tragedy. In it I discussed being aware of what is going on around you and some things to do if you find yourself in a similar situation. In the comments section I was taken to task for a few of the remarks I proffered.

How would people be conditioned to respond to a massacre? should they be given 2 weeks of basic training before, say, high school?

The answer is no and I think I elaborated on that point fairly well throughout the rest of that post. The essence of which is to be cognizant of what is happening around you. Get your eyes off the ground, unscrew that cell phone from your ear and PAY ATTENTION. Paying attention (Situational Awareness) allows you in most cases to spot trouble from a distance and avoid it. No one needs special training.

Quit acting like a victim.

Bad people in honing their craft recognize by repetition certain traits that clue them into who is an easy target and who is not. They didn't have a boot camp to teach them that, it is a skill they develop naturally. (unless they get caught and get a full scholarship to Criminal U.)

Likewise people that refuse to be victims just as naturally develop their own set of skills.

It is called Situational Awareness.

You also said:

"c) They were raised to believe that it is the Governments job to protect them."

Is this not what we pay taxes for?

In answer to the first question it is an absolute and unequivocal No.

I thought the reason we paid for police and military was so that they could "protect the homeland".

The Military may protect the Homeland from foreign aggression but under most circumstances they are prohibited from enforcing civilian law.

As for the Police I have addressed this in the past as well;

Peace Officers are under no legally required duty or obligation to protect citizens as individuals. Law Enforcement organizations by definition exist only to protect the public as a whole. (crowd control, accidents, public disturbances, reckless endangerment).

Bowers v. Devito

(There is no constitutional right to be protected by the state against being murdered by criminals or madmen. It is monstrous if the state fails to protect its residents against such predators but it does not violate the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, or, we suppose, any other provision of the Constitution. The Constitution is a charter of negative liberties; it tells the state to let the people alone; it does not require the federal government or the state to provide services, even so elementary a service as maintaining law and order.); (No duty to protect) = Rule 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss;Cf.

Warren v DC

In a carefully reasoned Memorandum Opinion, Judge Hannon based his decision in No. 79-6 on "the fundamental principle that a government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection, to any particular individual citizen." See p. 4, infra. The duty to provide public services is owed to the public at large, and, absent a special relationship between the police and an individual, no specific legal duty exists.

And that isn't the only one folks there is nearly a dozen more.

Note: Again as I have said before, Police Officers are some of the most dedicated, under paid and over worked people I know, and there is not one I know that would hesitate to put their life on the line for a fellow citizen.

There are some caveats that go along with that though;

They have to know you need them - if you cannot complete a 911 call how the hell are they going to know you need help or where you are for that matter.

They have to be free to respond - there are only so many Cops on duty at any one time if they are busy assisting a problem more serious than yours they can't immediately respond until they have control of that situation.

Should I tell my disabled grandmother or my 2 year old niece that it's up to them to stop the next 9/11 or the next VA Tech massacre?

Yes you need to tell your disabled grandmother and the parents of your 2 year old niece that they are without a doubt responsible for their own safety.

Do you honestly think that when you call government sponsored dial-a-prayer (911) that a cop is going to be instantly teleported to your assistance.

Exactly how realistic is that?

Get real folks when something bad happens to you it won't matter whether you are a disabled grandmother or someones 2 year old niece Peace Officers will not be there. The average response time, providing they know where to go, in Lincoln, Nebraska is on the order of 7-15 minutes. If I were to bet on it I would say 10-12 minutes.

Even if you can get a call to a police dispatcher and even if your cell phone is GPS capable how much harm can come to you in 7-15 minutes? Oh and 911 calls do on occasion fall through the cracks.

Chances are you were not practicing situational awareness and never saw it coming. In that case the cell phone you are so sure will receive that teleported Cop will be bitch slapped from the side of your head before you can even dial the 9 in 911.

Then what are you going to do? Bleed? Die?

10 minutes, hell 1 minute alone is a very long time in a violent situation.

Understand this;

Even if you completed a call to 911 you are ON YOUR OWN until any kind of help can arrive. The lives and safety of you and your family depend solely on what you do in those precious moments.

Just Co-operate and you won't get hurt

That may have been good advice a long time ago, but times change and so does advice. Todays robbers, muggers and rapists are becoming more violent. In an increasing number of crimes modus-Operandi appears to be "Immediate physical violence". This is done to establish control, exert dominance and reduce the likelihood of resistance before the demand of credit cards/cash/keys/vagina is issued.

Don't believe me? How about the media? Everyday there are news stories from somewhere in the United States that read (or words to the effect);

The Victim - I was not even aware of the thug until they walked up and stabbed/shot/knocked me.

I fail to see how a potential gun shootout between a killer and one or more usually un-trained vigilantes is going to make schools, workplaces, etc. safer and think this is a totally unrealistic option. It's typical libertarian pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking that has no basis (that I'm aware of) in reality.

I reject the words untrained and vigilante in that statement. Does that mean anyone with a fire extinguisher is a wannabe fireman? A first aid kit a wannabe Doctor? A spare tire a wannabe auto mechanic? The firearm is is just another safety precaution that people with concealed carry permits know how to employ but hope they never need to.

No, citizens that have a state issued Concealed Carry Permit do not have the untold hours that sworn Peace Officers have.

Why? Because they don't need it. DUHHHH!!!!

Peace Officers are charged with RESPONDING to situations that they have too little knowledge of. When they arrive they know not the difference between the good and the bad. The training they receive is what helps them sort the wheat from the chaff.

As private Citizen with a concealed firearm do you honestly and truly believe that you need 100,000 hours of training to recognize the thug/s standing right there in front of you wielding a ball bat/knife/gun belligerently requesting your wallet/vagina/car keys is or is not a danger to your life.

Please tell me you are not that dense. Is it really that hard to understand or do you finally get it now?


On a side note, I hear about the potential for vigilantes to step up and stop these types of massacres, but I'm not aware of it having ever happened. Do you know of any instances where it has actually happened?

It would be easy to slough this one off with;

Since legally licensed law abiding citizens are forbidden from carry on Americas campi and by definition they obey the law and leave their firearms etc...

The real answer is yes it has happened, but almost never mentioned in the Mainstream Media.

Here are three examples of just incidents that took place at schools complete with Lexis-Nexis search results:

Appalachian School of Law - Grundy, Virginia 2002

Pearl High School - Pearl Mississippi 1997 and A Middle School - Edinboro, Pennsylvania 1998

Ever wonder why most of these "School Shootings" end in suicide?

Because it is an integral part of their plan from the start.

1. Acquire arms and ammunition (usually illegally)
2. Select a location that will allow for a headline grabbing large body count. (places where no one else will be armed schools/posted malls/concerts etc..)
3. Commit suicide either by own hand or by cop.
4. Die knowing that if not in life in death 15 minutes of fame will be achieved. (Just to insure that fame next day express papers and video to the media prior to commencing the act) (Gee thats never happened has it?)

Peace Officers as a rule can not stop something like that.

Not that they don't want to, because I know every single one of them does. Unless the "shooter" attacks a Police Station it is almost always over before they get there. To survive it is up to the people there to defend themselves until Peace Officers can arrive.

It always seems to me these issues are dealt with by gun freaks from a hypothetical viewpoint (not based in actual history or reality). If you can give me a couple of examples where gun owners have actually been able to repel a mass murderer as he was engaged in a killing spree, I'd be very interested in hearing about them.

There are lots more examples based in actual history or reality, I just gave you three and they all involved Schools. Now you didn't know that because you didn't see it in the Mainstream press. Like so many people you must believe; If it isn't on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN etc.. that it can't, didn't or won't happen. Honest law abiding citizens with firearms use them to protect themselves and families everyday in the United States, but since most of the Press is so bias against guns they will not report that. They can't. It goes against every thing they believe in.

Now I have a question for you;

How can they (the Media) justify their anti-gun mantra in they report the over one million times a year that firearms in the hands of private citizens save lives, stop crimes and bring mass public shootings to a screeching halt?

So much for gun freaks with hypothetical viewpoints aye?

I hope you paid particular attention to the results of the Lexis-Nexis search in those stories. You never knew those incidents were stopped by armed private citizens because the Media in order to protect their agenda REFUSED to tell you. Fair and Balanced? I think not.

The Mainstream media is largely anti-gun and it should be obvious from just those few examples that they are loathe to report on anything that puts firearms in a positive light.

I hope that some what lays to rest the idea that Law abiding citizens with concealed carry permits are untrained vigilante gun freaks with hypothetical points of view.

I also hope it opens some eyes to the fact that;

Peace Officers WILL respond to your rescue, even though they are not required to, as soon as they know where you are and what the problem is. But from the onset of the crime committed against you until they arrive, which in some cases can be minutes or even hours, you are on your own. For the continued well being of yourself and family you must be prepared to act.

Laws do not stop anyone from committing a crime.

Laws are obeyed only by those that are predisposed to societal conformity anyway. They exist then ONLY as a punishment for those that are not so inclined.

I have been to the Muzzle Loading Mecca

For those of you that have read this Blog from the beginning you know that since about 1970 I have been an "on again, off again" Muzzle Loader. But then again I am "on again, off again" on various other types of firearms as well. It really boils down to the time of year and season.

By way of explanation

When the weather starts to change the call of the wild goose, the cackle of the Great China Bird (Pheasant) and the whistle of the Bobwhite Quail stirs the soul I am "on again" with shotguns. Later when the air chills, the leaves turn color and the woods begin to reek of the rut I get "on again" with deer rifles forsaking for a time the scattergun.

Shortly after the regular firearms season I break out the black powder gear and begin to get ready for those cold crisp December mornings afield with my Front Stuffers.

Muzzle loading takes a certain level of constant dedication that I do not always have time for during the rest of the year. I particularly enjoy hunting with my "Smoke Poles" though. The idea that I can take to the woods and harvest food for the table with the same tools used by the Frontier Folk that settled this great Country is like stepping back in time.

Even though I generally hunt the same land with my black powder firearms as I do my "regular deer rifle" it is a vastly different experience. When I am out hunting with my .54 caliber caplock muzzle loader I often wonder if I am trekking the same paths, seeking to harvest direct descendants of the same food source that some similarly armed early settlers were a couple of hundred years ago.

For nearly 75 years

Headquartered in Friendship, Indiana I have long been aware of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association. Since 1933 the NMRLA has promoted the preservation of our frontier heritage that is the foundation this Nations generations since have built on.

It has always been my desire to visit their shooting range in Friendship.

For the past few years or so I have been friends with NMLRA's treasurer Ralph Walker. Through his and many great NMRLA members efforts I can now say that I have been to Friendship.

Friendship we have a problem!

I want to go back.

More on the GRPC later I promise

It is no big secret that I am one of the usual suspects in attendance at the annual Gun Rights Policy Conference (held at Fort Mitchell, Kentucky this year). Being less than an hour from the conference, which was held at the Draw Bridge Inn, the fantastic folks at Friendship sponsored a range day on the fourth of October for conference goers.

Folks let me tell you the hospitality was next to none. The NMRLA along with providing transportation to and from the event, laid out more food than we could eat. The NMRLA had their various ranges set up with a host of muzzle loading shotguns, rifles and pistols along with all the powder and ball we could shoot.

There were at least four full 12 passenger vans that the NMRLA rented for the occasion. Several others, including the wife and I provided our own transportation. We have a friend who is a Customs Agent at the Cincinnati Airport whom we rode with. Thanks again S.O.S. we don't get to see each other near enough.

Safety and Education first

The NMRLA also had on hand plenty of members to educate and promote the safe handling of Americas first firearms for those that were experiencing the smell of black powder smoke for the first time. Many of these members are professional firearms instructors I am sure. They patiently answered all questions posed and relished in the pleasure of introducing their hobby to a number of "Greenhorns".

The center piece for the day was a period cannon that was loaded to belched smoke and flame about every half hour.

I would like to personally thank Ralph and the entire NMRLA membership for opening their range to us and at their expense providing the transportation,food, firearms and ammunition for what has for many years been a desire of mine ... to visit and shoot at the Mecca of Muzzle Loading, Friendship, Indiana.

Another Chuck Story

No not Hagel this time, Daniels.

Since Charlie Daniels was performing we attended the Nebraska State Fair for what was probably only our fourth visit in the last six years. We did go twice last year for the Three Dog Night and Kansas concerts. Experiences that I waxed eloquent on in previous From the Heartland pages.

A great time was had by all.

Well maybe not exactly all by the number of people that appeared to walk out at two points during the performance.

More on that in a bit.

As I noted last year both concerts started late and the sound was atrocious. This by the way is not just my opinion. I have conversed with several people in the last year that attended either or both and they had the same disappointing things to say as I did.

Not so with the aging Long Haired Friend of Jesus Country Boy.

Charlie Daniels started on time and for the most part the blend of vocals and music were a pleasure to listen to. There were one or two very brief instances where the scripted high notes intruded on the vocals, but that occurs sometimes even on professionally produced soundtracks.

Unlike last year one didn't need to know the words to the songs to understand what was being sung.

Professionalism

I can only surmise that the drastic difference between what we saw last year and this is respect for the audience and professionalism.

I know there are valid reasons why an act may not start at the proscribed time and I can allow for that.

I just can't get over how atrocious the two acts were last year especially when you contrast that with what we witnessed on the last night of the fair this year.

One heck of a concert

Charlie Daniels and his entourage were on stage and ready to perform minutes before the the appointed time and when they did perform it was nearly as well as listening to one of their albums at home.

Walkouts

At two points during the concert I was struck by the number of people that walked out. If it had been but a few I probably would not have noticed, so I am referring to significant numbers here.

No I did not count and it was not one or two headed for a refill at the beer wagon. What I am referring to are whole apparent families or groups of people that never returned to their seats.

The first walkout occurred minutes into the concert.

Support the troops

Mr. Daniels spoke of his and the CDB's numerous trips to the Middle East in support of the troops and that despite our differing views on political leadership it is an American duty to support our brave men and women in uniform.

Yes people got up out of their seats ne'er to return when Daniels spoke those words.

The second time a large number of people departed the open air theater was when Charlie offered up and began to perform a selection from one of the CDB's Gospel albums.

Yes people got up out of their seats ne'er to return when Daniels sang about Jesus.

As I previously noted I probably would not have noticed this exodus if it had only been a few wayward souls or a "drunkard that wants another glass of wine".

Believe me there were significant numbers (I had an aisle seat and it was enough to be a distraction from the performance) that left open blocks of seating available for those that were standing at the back.

Okay! So you are an atheist and don't support the troops. I can hang with that you are entitled to your opinions and I don't disparage that.

I can only ask what rock have you been living under?

Anybody that has even remotely heard of the CDB in the past few years has to know that Charlie Daniels is vocal about his Patriotism and has always believed in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Why would you be surprised, shocked, offended when he expresses these views from his "Pulpit"?

Do you think that exercise in free speech is reserved only for the likes of "Guns kill people like spoons make Rosie Fat" O'Donnell, Tim Robbins or Mr. Madonna" Sean Penn?

It was one heck of a concert and this "Long Haired Military Veteran Friend of Jesus Country Boy" is glad he went.

Thank you for your Service Chuck

According to insiders two-term Republican Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel will announce Monday his intention to not run for re-election and he will not run for President in 2008.

As many know, including the Senator himself, I have been a rather harsh critic on these pages and elsewhere. This does not prevent me from acknowledging the time and sacrifices he has made in his service to the people.

Senator Hagel has been a servant of the people for a large portion of his adult life. He served with distinction in the military, earning two Purple Hearts during an unpopular action, held political office within the state of Nebraska and was elected twice to the Senate seat he now holds.

Thank you for your service Chuck and thank you for your service to this great State and Country.

Four Months since my last post and my third Blogiversary has came and went

I can't really believe that it has been this long since I last posted.

We have had a relatively interesting and busy year at Casa de Gun. After home improvements and family the internet and a few other things have been way down on the list of things to do.

Since I have had several recent personal contacts from people that read this site concerning my health and wellbeing I thought I should write a post thanking them for their concern. It means a lot to me.

Yes we are doing fine Thank you all for caring.

I hope to start writing regularly again in the near future.

Walther P 22 Broken Slide

At a bowling pin shoot that I was recently competing in one of the contestants experienced a massive malfunction with a Walther P 22.

The Slide Broke



As can be seen in the photos about a 3/8" piece of the full front end of the slide broke off. It does not appear to have been cracked and finally gave way. The entire break is fresh with no signs of oxidation that would be present if it had been partially cracking over time and then finally failed completely.




The sidearm in question is equipped with the five in barrel and fake muzzle break.

For those not familiar with the Walther P 22 it is available in two barrel lengths; three and a half and five inches. The three and a half in barrel when installed is even with the end of the slide. The five and a half inch barrel when installed extends an inch and a half past the end of the slide. Rather than just having the barrel stick out from the end of the slide Walther design a fake muzzle break that covers that portion of the barrel that extends past the end of the slide. It is there for purely cosmetic reasons.

This particular P22 is 3-4 years old and has had thousands of rounds through it. The owner assured me that it does have less than 10,000 through it though. His son was shooting it when it catastrophically malfunctioned.

The usual complaint I hear and have personally experienced with the Walther P 22 is a roll pin working its way out on the top rear of the slide and blocking the safety from completely engaging. This problem is easily solved with the application of two roll pin punches, one on each side of the pin.

The owner of the offending Walther has since been in contact with the Company and has arranged to return the firearm to them for evaluation and repair. I will try to update this memo when the owner has more information.

Reflections on a Tragedy

In the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech there has been a lot of media posturing from both sides of the firearms for personal protection issue.

Now that a bit of time has passed I want to make a few observations.

An individual determined to cause as much havoc as possible in the shortest amount of time possible will not be deterred by any law, rule or regulation. There is no law that can be past that will prevent this from happening again. To many people died Monday because A) They had not been conditioned to respond to an event like this B) They were not allowed to possess the necessary tools to protect themselves and C) They were raised to believe that it is the Governments job to protect them.

There are a number of school shootings BECAUSE the shooter knows that there is likely no one there to shoot back thus ending the carnage before the maximum planned effect can be realized.

How many existing laws or rules were broken?

It was against school policy for students and faculty to possess firearms on campus. Mondays maniacal marauder violated that on two counts.

At various times prior to and during the rampage the firearms were likely carried in a concealed manner. It has not been reported that the shooter possessed a Concealed Carry Permit thus violating Virginia law on multiple counts of carrying a concealed firearm without a permit.

It is illegal, immoral and unethical to take a human life without legal justification, as in the case of self defense. That law was broken thirty how many times?

One more or a hundred more can not and will not prevent it from happening again.

The Police, may God have a special place in heaven for them for the work that they do, cannot be everywhere all of the time. These situations will continue to happen no matter how many gunlaws are passed. It is the responsibility, nay I say duty of every American Citizen to repel such actions when immediately confronted with them and if that means using a firearm then so be it.

Are Adult Students mature and competent or not?

It seems odd that students of higher learning are thought to be mature enough to grasp the concepts of Chemistry, Biology, and Juris Prudence, but are too immature to accept the responsibility for their own safety.

As a student I would be outraged at an institution that tells me on one hand; You are bright, young and intellegent, we want a person like you to pay us thousands of dollars to further educate you. Then on the other hand; We don't think you children are old enough, intelligent and mature enough to be trusted with the tools to look after your own well being.

There is not one law that can ever be enacted that will ever prevent what happened at Virginia Tech on Monday.

In a recent article on the Lincolnite Blog Mr. Wilson posed the question what would Lincoln do if it happened here at the Lincoln campus of the University of Nebraska.

A tragedy like this can occur at any time or place. We can wish things like this would never happen, there are steps that can be taken to minimize it when it happens but it can never be prevented from happening.

It should come as no surprise that I believe that allowing legally licensed citizens (students and facualty included) to carry on campus is one of the steps necessary to minimize an occurrence like this when it happens again.

It will suprise some to note that I do not think the firearm is the best or only step that needs to be taken.

A few years ago I mentioned in this Blog something Jeff Snyder, a prominent New York City Attorney told me;

Question: Do you know how people in America train to react to violent situations?

Answer: Then sit in front of their televisions and watch it happen over and over again.

Question: Do you know what happens when American citizens are thrust into violent situations?

Answer: They stand there and watch it happen to them.

We react the way we have trained ourselves to react, and for most of us that is to do NOTHING except stand there dumbstruck and watch it play out around or to us.

From the coverage of the VT events that I have seen I would have to say that Jeff is right.

Not all but some of the students I saw interviewed said that they just stood there unable to believe what was happening.

They were essentially frozen in place with a deer trapped in the headlights look while they were shot, shot at or witnessed someone else be shot. They reacted the way there were trained to react.

They stood there and watched it happen.

I always caution people I counsel on personal protection that your mind is your best weapon. Be cognizant of what is going on around you.

Situational Awareness

Situational awareness can and does prevent a majority of events from occurring. You do not have to believe that it is happening, all you have to believe is that something bad is happening and that you will be safer someplace else and as fast as you can go there.

What If # 1

If you leave a building at night headed to your car in a dark parking lot and things don't look or feel right TURN AROUND AND GO BACK IN THE BUILDING even if you may be armed. No one has anything to prove by proceeding into a potential danger zone, even if you are armed.

What If # 2

If you hear what you think are gun shots do not stand there trying to figure out what is going on or why. Immediately with due haste proceed in the opposite direction even if you are armed.

What If # 3

If you are walking along the street and note some unsavory characters a block or so down on your side of the street change direction or cross the damn street even if you may be armed.

Responsibly Armed Citizens

Responsible Concealed Carry permit holders do not, or should not proceed in the direction of a known threat because they are carrying a firearm.

These responsible individuals know that the firearm is the absolute last resort when all other options of avoidance have failed and the threat of death or grave bodily harm is so imminent that the use of the firearm is the only option left.

I have always maintained and still do that SITUATIONAL AWARENESS is the best tool we have to protect ourselves from violence. If you can see or sense it coming far enough in advance it can be avoided.

People get your eyes of off the damn sidewalk and constantly scan the area around you. Be aware of your surroundings. Go wide around corners especially at night. Stay away from poorly lit areas at any time of the day. Do not make yourself look like a potential victim.

Criminals are more prone to prey on those that appear to be an easy mark. The ones that walk with their heads down or so engrossed in a cell phone conversation that the predator doesn't have to chase his victim, all he/she has to do is wait like a spider for someone to unknowingly walk right into their web.

It happens everyday, everywhere. Wake up people and start paying attention to what is going on around you.

The Chief's Corner...... aka Tom Casady Chief of Police Lincoln, Nebraska

Welcome to the Blogosphere Chief Casady

Anyone that been a reader of this Blog for any length of time or perused the archives knows that I have written some very critical commentaries concerning Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady.

It is also well known (or should be) that I have written an equal number of articles praising Tom for what he has accomplished in his tenure as Chief of the Lincoln Police Department.

It might also surprise some that he has read most or all of them

Yes I use the screen name "Gunscribe" on this Blog and on some other message forums, but I am far from anonymous. The people I write about, especially those in Public Service, for the most part, know who I am and I meet and greet with them at local functions from time to time.

Jeff at Alphecca once told me, "Tim be more of a Media Whore .. like me"

Besides that if anyone was paying attention I (by name) and this Blog were featured on virtually all of the media outlets locally, some regionally and a few nationally last year.

In essence I do use a screen name but I have never hidden behind it.

Something else that I haven't written much about is the communication that I have with Chief Casady. The Chief and I have known each other personally for a few years and exchange phone calls and/or E-mails on an irregular basis. Occassionally he gets my answering machine and I always get the vivacious Virginia Fisher (whom I have met by the way) before getting put through to the Chief. Personally I think I get the better end of the deal.

On an even more irregular basis Tom and I actually get to sit down and shoot the bulls.....eye. It was on one of these occasions (sometime last fall I think) we were discussing this Blog "From the Heartland" when the Chief opined that he was entertaining the idea of authoring a blog as well.

At the time I thought it was, and still do, a great idea. I forthrightly encouraged him to go ahead with it. I know the Chiefs a big computer guy and was very capable of doing it himself but I even offered to help him set it up when he was ready.

I guess he didn't need any help as Chief Tom Casady now has a Blog and he is rapidly gaining a number of regular readers. Many of them are Bloggers as well and are adding him to their Blogrolls. (Of course a story in the local fishwrapper helped speed things along)

The Chief's Corner

The Chief has always had an open door policy and a blog opens that door even wider as witnessed by the number of comments he is already receiving on the articles he has penned. I do know that this is not a whim or spur of the moment political thing as referenced in some of the comments on his Blog. Chief Casady was interested in the concept for at least the last six months that I am aware of and I know a lot of thought on his part has gone into this project since then.

Whether you love him or hate him Chief Casady's Blog is going to be a good read.

You may not agree with him but he is a very articulate individual and more than capable of debating his positions rationally. I do not agree with him on every issue, and a few spirited conversations have ensued. Disagree with him I may but I respect the Chief and his ability to debate the stands he takes on certain issues.

Congratulations Chief

I would be humbled to know if my encouragement early on had some small part in your decision to finally go ahead with this project. It is the best way I know for you to speak directly to the people you serve, without having it laundered through the local media, most of whom will put their own spin on it anyway. It also gives those same people, through the comments section an avenue to respond back to you without having to call or negotiate the metal detectors (in place for a valid reason) to visit your office in person.


Chief Casady's blog is the newest addition to my Blogroll as well.

Again Congratulations Tom, you have been one of my readers for awhile and now I can officially welcome you to this Blog and to the Blogosphere.

Keep us informed Tom and much success with this endeavor.

Gun Dealer experience and an I screwed up Confession

Notice of personal opinion

This post is a narrative of the experiences that I have had with one particular Firearms dealer in the past couple of months and my own personal perceptions about those experiences. References made to or about any specific individual in this entry are my own thoughts and opinons.

Changing Dealers

Several months ago I was distressed to learn that the Federal Firearms Licensed dealer I had lined up to handle transfers for my out of state firearms purchases had given up his license to pursue another more profitable venture. He referred me to a dealer in another town he said he was using now.

I contacted said dealer about a new firearm reciever purchase I had in mind and asked if he would handle the transfer. He indicated his fee would be 25.00 bucks and then told me what his price was for the same item.

I bought three Firearms from him

Being as it would only a few bucks more if I bought it from him I agreed to and did so. I try to support the local dealers by buying directly from them when they can get what I want and their prices are in line with the going rate nationally.

From the very begining I felt his tone had a rather gruff edge to it, but I thought his price was fair. Fair enough in fact that I made a subsequent purchase of another firearm, a Military Surplus Mauser.

That was followed up by a third purchase. This was also a brand new firearm reciever and identical in make and model to the first.

In about a two month time period I paid him over four hundred dollars for three firearms.

Note that all three purchases required the completion of form 4473 at a FFL location. All of the required paerwork for all three sales was legally accomplished.

During one of these transactions nearly four hundred rounds of Military Surplus ammunition was bought from Gun Dealer by one of my offspring. (Offspring was present at all transactions)

Bad day at the Range

When we were finally able to get to the range we discovered that none of the ammunition bought from Gun Dealer would discharge. There was a dent in the primer but no "Ka-pow". We had some other Mil- Spec ammo that Offspring had aquired from another source on hand and since all of it went bang we concluded that it was not the firearm. (The Mauser purchased from Gun Dealer by the way)

Yes the Wife knew I was buying another Gun

I discussed the ammo problem with Gun Dealer and he offered to replace the entire lot at no cost. During the same conversation I asked him if he would mail a copy of his FFL to an out of state FFL that had an almost thiry year old firearm I wanted for my collection. (Not something Gun Dealer had in inventory)

Last Monday (April 9th) I arranged a time with Gun Dealer to pick up the firearm. Offspring and I travelled 80 miles round trip to pick up my "new to me firearm" and exchange the "not go bang bullets". This was fourth transaction with Gun Dealer.

Here fill this out, here's your gun and ammo now get the hell out cause I gotta go

In a whirlwind of a 15-20 minute session we examined the firearm, I filled out the 4473 while Offspring produced the offending ammo and Gun Dealer located "should go bang this time bullets" all the while rushing us as Gun Dealer had a meeting to attend.

Concluding the mild pandemonium it wasn't until we got back to Offsprings home, shortly after 8PM, did I realize that I had forgot to pay Gun Dealer the 25.00 dollar transfer fee. By the time I got to my home Gun Dealer had left a scathing message on my answering machine.

Since it was nearly eleven in the evening when I got home I was hesitant to call him back as I know he has a day job.

By the time I got up the next day there were five more very short tempered messages on my office machine wanting to know when he was going to get his money. By way of the messages I thought they were going to forclose on his home or his kids were going to starve to death in the next twelve hours if he didn't get the 25.00 dollars I owed him.


I called the Dealer on his cell phone as soon as I had gotten out of bed and heard the messages. (I was going to call him anyway) After apologizing profusely I offered to drive back out to his shop that very evening (Tuesday the 10th) and pay him.

He allowed how that wouldn't work for him and that if I wanted I could put a check in an envelope and mail it. I told him I was not comfortable with that and I would really prefer to hand it to him as I wanted to personally apologize and when would be a good time to meet. I really felt bad at the time and still do.

Gun Dealer hemmed and hawed and no specific time was set. Niether of us called the other during the rest of the week. I was out of town Saturday and arrived home that evening to find out that Gun Dealer had been in town and stopped by the house. I was out of town again on Sunday.

Today (Monday the 16th) the wife and I travelled to the Gun Dealers location and I handed him the 25.00 for the original transfer and an additional 10.00 dollars for my lapse of memory last Monday.

Gun Dealer in an obvious state of anger refused to accept my offer of atonement and would hardly speak to me . Several times as I again apologized he threw up his hands in disgust before going back in side slamming the door in my face.

I screwed up and I admit it right here and now for you all to read

I realize that I screwed up in not remembering to hand over the cash the first time, (last Monday) but with all that was going on at the time (filling out the paperwork, examining a newly aquired firearm, exchanging bad ammo for hopefully good ammo and being rushed to leave) it honestly slipped my mind.

I felt bad about it, apologized profusely and offered more than was owed as compensation for the trouble I had caused Gun Dealer only to have it (the extra 10.00 bucks) thrown back at me and a door slammed in my face.

What suprises me is that after nearly 500 dollars worth of business and a plan to aquire at least two more firearms from out of state for my collection Gun Dealer goes so extremely ballistic (my opinion) over a lousy 25.00 screw up that he had a partial hand in.

You'd think he was going to have to file for bankruptcy or something if he didn't have it RIGHT NOW.

But then remember I offered to drive the 80 miles round trip that same day (Tuesday) but he would have none of that. I guess he needed something to bitch about to keep him warm for a few days.

I believe I have done what it should take to make it right and Gun Dealer refuses to accept that.

Personally I believe he enjoys being gruff, angry and short-tempered. Thinking back on all of our interactions I can't think of one where he did not display at least a hint of one of those tendencies. It is my humble opinion that these are not qualities a Federally Licensed Firearms dealer should posess.

"Oh Gawd its you again. Here's your gun, where's my money and now get the hell out" is not an endearing trait that would keep me coming back. Life is too short and I absolutely refuse to pay someone to treat me like shit or act like he is not appreciative of my patronage.

This Gun Dealer ain't the only FFL I have listed in my rolodex.

Terry Edwards,

Since you chose not to discuss this matter further I am conveying my thoughts to you in this open forum. There is a comment section at the end of this post and you are free to respond in any manner you choose.

Personally I don't think much of your short tempered demeanor, nor do I think much of the way you handled this situation. It was mostly my fault and I readily admit that here in public. You had a hand in it as well. I do accept all of the responsibility for it though. It was an honest mistake on my part.

I have sincerely apologized for my actions repeatedly and offered in a telephone conversation Tuesday to drive out to your shop that very day. I was in my opinion and to put it mildly short-temperedly rebuffed.

Since you were unable or unwilling to set a time and place for us to meet I took it upon myself to travel the distance and renumerate you for more than I owed you. You had not asked for any extra and I offered it as an atonement for my short comings in our last transaction.

Your short tempered bordering on violent refusal to accept the added amount and the slamming of the door in my face speaks volumes about your character.

I have tried to set things right with you and I have no idea why you are unwilling to accept my apology and understand that this was an unfortunate and unplanned error on my part.

I have humbled myself before you and asked for your forgiveness, only you can say why this has not been sufficient.

All I can say now is that the ball is in your court now Terry.

Sincerely Yours,

A Humbled and Repentant Gunscribe

The first time I did business with him I told him I ran this website and that if he wanted I would mention him and provide his contact information in hopes that it might generate some business for him.

As I previously stated he has a full time job, the Gun business is apparently a side that he runs from a building next to his house. (All legal and proper by the way). In fact you can find him set up at most of the local Gunshows.

At the time he gave me permission to run his information on this site so I am including it here for anyone that may wish to do business with him.

This has been my experience with this Gun Dealer, your mileage may vary. I certainly hope it does.

Don Imus in the unemployment line

In a way I have to say that I am ambivalent about the whole Don Imus thing.

Yes he has done a lot for charity, yes what he said was reprehensible and yes he has apologized for it.

I have never been a Don Imus fan. I have on occasion watched a few minutes of his show on MSNBC once in a while when I happen to be up that early and the other news stations are regurgitating stuff I have already heard ad nausium. Given that, my opinion is that Don Imus has been or acts like he has been a burnt out shell of his former self for a very long time. I have long compared The Imus in The Morning on MSNBC to the movie "Weekend at Bernie's".

What I thought I was watching was a hunched up old curmudgeon propped up behind a microphone and prodded to speak every so often so that the rest of the crew would have jobs.

I guess I really don't care whether he kept his job or not since I never really have paid any attention to him anyway.

But then what do I know, I am still waiting for an apology for the Tawana Brawley affair and the comments Sharpton made about the Duke LaCrosse players a year ago.

I'm not holding my breath for the day Rosie gets the axe either, but that is a whole other story.

A 3 Piece Suit for a Dress Race no Suprise

Svaboda bests Beutler by a Bit in Primary

Correction: When I first learned the results of the primary I could swear that I heard Ken Svaboda had garnered more votes than Chris Beutler. As an anonymous commenter and further checking on my part pointed out Beutler actually got more votes than Svaboda. Thanks for setting that straight who ever anonymous is.

Well the local primary voting is behind us now. There was no great surprise in the Mayors race Democrat Chris Beutler and Republican Ken Svoboda advance to the final round.

I still stand by comments on this race that I have made in the past;

All we are doing is trading a dress for a 3 piece suit, with either candidate we will end up with Coleen Seng Lite.

Camp leads Abbot

John Camp another Councilman that I support garnered nearly 50% of the vote in his district to face Allen Abbott in a run off.

Spatz gets McRoys Attention

I was pleased to see that John Spatz best incumbent Annette McRoy. Since they were the only two running in District four both would automatically advance to the general election anyway.

Annette whom I have felt has not been an effective representative for her district was cited in the Lincoln Journal Star;

Incumbent Annette McRoy also plans to refocus her efforts on the campaign trail, after slipping into second position with just 54 votes separating her from District 4 leader John Spatz. The two are vying for representation of northwest Lincoln.

Annette it is a little too late to refocus, you should have done that over the last four years. You can't change your record now. You can try to explain away some of the things you have done but you can't change it.

It remains to be seen whether John Spatz will be any different, but having spent time with both candidates I believe he will be more effective than what we have now.

District Four needs a change in leadership.

It's not the movie I wanted to see but ...

Shooter aka Point of Impact

Having read or listened to all of Stephen Hunters books about "Bob Lee Swagger" and his dad "Earl" I was anticipating the release of the movie "Shooter".

Shooter is supposed to be based on Hunters book "Point of Impact". What I was hoping to see is a period based movie on the book as written.

What I saw was a modernized version. In the print version "Bob Lee" began his military start and end in the 1960's jungles of Southeast Asia. In the movie "Bob's" military career ended in present day Africa.

No it was not the movie I was hoping they would make but I feel like it is a good movie none the less.

The basic premise is still the same;

A retired Marine Corp sniper after losing his spotter to enemy fire retires, along with his dog to a hermits life in the mountains. A few years later his is recruited by a supposed Government agency to prevent an alleged plot to assasinate the President.

As the plot turns the President was not the intended target and "Bob Lee" is framed for the assassination.

When I heard that the movie had been made in the present tense I was determined to see it anyway and cop an attitude about how badly Hollywood had screwed up another good book.

Much to my chagrin I liked what they did. The basic plot and suprise ending remained and for the most part there was no over the top violence simply for the sake of violence.

There were a few verbal snipes about the current state of politics, but over all I think they did a good job of morphing the "Bob Lee" of the 1970's to a believable first decade of the 2000's "Bob Lee".

The Plame Game and the 8 canned Justice Leaguers

G.W. 6

U.S. Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President. He can fire and hire them when ever he wants, it is a function of the Executive Branch of Government. That 6 years into his Presidency He elected to fire a few of them should be a non event.

But like rabid dogs the left is all over it snarling, barking and chomping on about how disgraceful it is that eight Attorneys were told to join the unemployment line.

Slick Willie 92

Where were these same bastions of protocol when Slick Willie back in 1992 moments after taking the Oath of Office fired every damn one of them.

I didn't hear Leahy, Schumer, Biden or any of the other Democrats calling for Janet Reno's head. Hell she hadn't even been confirmed yet, Bill did that one all by his lonesome.

Hillarys Hypocracy

What I find amusing is that even Hillary is calling for Gonzales to go. In other words it's okay for her lying cheating husband to axe them all on his first day in office, but George Bush needs to can Gonzales for firing 8 after 6 years in office.

Some Rinos side with Dems

The part that really disgusts me is there seems to be a few Republicans that are calling for the Attorney Generals head as well.

Let the House and Senate hold their investigations

Let them subpoena Rove, Miers and who ever else they want to. Get it out in the public arena, shine the light on how hypocritical the platform of the left is.

President Bush offered them the opportunity to save face by having his people talk to the Libs off the record to explain Public Employee personnel issues in private, as it should be.

Now not only will the 8 Attorneys have lost their job they will be forced to endure the public humiliation as to why they lost them in the first place.

They will lose this like they lost the Plame Game

Last week Valerie in all her smugness testified under oath that she was a covert agent for CIA. Moments after she got done the person responsible for the creation of the Covert Agent Act testified.

Since she wrote the criteria she should know whether Plame is covered by the act or not and she testified under oath that the vim and vivacious Val was not and is not a covert agent with CIA.

Of course this is something that most of us including Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald have know for the last few years anyway.

After all of his investigating, posturing and wasting millions of taxpayer dollars "Fitz" never indicted anyone for leaking Val to the press. He knew she wasn't covert from the beginning of his witch hunt.

Which begs the question; Why did he need to investigate a crime that never happened?

Considering all of that it took brass boobs for Plame to take an oath to tell the truth and then state for the record that she was a covert agent for CIA. Covert Agents do not enter the front entrance of CIA headquarters in plain sight day in and day out for years on end.

It seems that everyone but her, her husband (the one that likely outed her in the first place) and a few Radical left wing leaders knew she was not protected by Covert Status.

When, if ever will she be prosecuted for lying under oath?

The Libs will lose the Justice League 8 debacle just like they lost the Plame Game. The shear audacity to make eight firings after six years an issue when their poster boy canned 92 on day one is incredulous.

Score: Whitehouse 2 - Leftwing Libs 0