Good Advice

How to stay happily married to a woman who decides to own a gun.  Caleb knows what he's talking about here.

My Problem With The Illegal Immigrant Issue

SayUncle sums up my position on illegal immigration in 9 words.

I've known some really wonderful people who are in the country illegally.  That being said they broke laws when entering the country.  Does that automatically make them bad people?  Not much different than the people going 90 mph in a 30 mph zone.

My problem with the issue is that most folks look at side issues like medical treatment, nonpayment of taxes, taking American jobs, effects on the education system, and other gripes.  The real issue is that immigrating to this country legally is expensive and a huge pain in the arse.  In my opinion, getting into this country legally should be a lot easier.

That comes with more than a few caveats of course, but if they are in the country legally they can start paying taxes on the work they do.  If they are in the country legally, they can face actual consequences for breaking the laws of the land.  If getting in legally isn't a huge issue, the whole family could come live in this country and earnings would not simply be sent home to the family left behind.

Illegals are people too, but they damn sure broke the law to get here.

Purdy

Every once in a while I find myself thinking that New Mexico is a pretty state.  Then I go back to Colorado and remember what amazing scenery is all about.

Not to say that New Mexico isn't pretty, it's just that my preferences run more towards the views on the north side of the border.

Momma Always Said

It takes a special kind of stupid to steal from your employer who happens to be a firearms dealer, take said stolen property, which happens to be a fully automatic weapon, on a joy ride to the local strip joint, and on the way back home at 2 A.M. turn on the lights and sirens you installed on your personal vehicle.

Why would anyone hire this guy???

"Gun Experts"

I'm sick today and stuck watching the teevees.  I saw the program Guns of the World on the history channel and thought it might be interesting.  Unfortunately, only 6 minutes in I'm already yelling at the "gun expert" they have showing off old British flintlock pistols to get his damn booger hook of the damn bang switch.  Not really helping me feel any better.  It's a good thing I don't sit at home bored out of my mind full time, I'd probably have an aneurysm.

The Turkeys Win Again

Both my wife and I had conversations with turkeys this weekend, but neither of us could convince them to come within shotgun range.

I did find this though.

Between that and the other kind of turkeys I found, it was an awesome weekend.

The Gun Ban Loophole

As reported elsewhere, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that the dismissal of a suit fighting Colorado University's policy of banning lawful concealed carry on its campuses was in error.  I imagine that this one will go back to district court before the ruling (no matter which way it goes) is appealed.

This ruling definitely helps the fight going on up at CSU.  Colorado State University has even less of a legal leg to stand on at this point and hopefully will be smart enough to see that.  Likely though that mess will also be played out in court.

Marco ... Gobble Gobble Gobble

I spent part of the night today getting ready for Turkey hunting this weekend.  It is quite possibly the best version of Marco Polo I have ever played.  The season opened last weekend, but I decided that the weather was way too nice for hunting.  This weekend is much better with a 50% chance of rain, possible freezing temperatures in the morning, and likely little sunshine and even less warmth.

Here is what I will have with me when I go searching for Tom.

From top center and going clockwise:

• Camo hat with built in face and neck covering (kinda like a balaclava, but with a bill)
• Turkey vest to hold all my calls, plus water and other random junk
• Binoculars used chiefly to spot turkey rocks and turkey stumps
• Patterned turkey target used in the morning to remind me what my shotgun does at 40 yards to a turkey's head
• Federal 2-3/4" Magnum #5 turkey shells.  It's what my shotgun likes to eat.
• Two 00 buckshot loads for any hungry bears or coyotes (just in case)
• Stoeger 12 GA, over/under shot gun with two turkey chokes
• Camo shirt, pants, and jacket
• Various calls (pot & peg, mouth, and box calls)
• Montana hen decoy, flat and light and still fools turkeys

All the way on the bottom is my ParaUSA GI Expert.  It is a 1911 in .45.  It is there in the event that some outside entity causes turkey hunting to go Tango Uniform.  In a situation like that, two guns are always better than one.

BAG Day Purchase

I mentioned a bit ago that I picked up my BAG day treat a bit early. 

Pictures below.

As I mentioned before, this is a great trainer that is a lot of fun to shoot.  Now I just need to get my red dot and sling on it and either a VFG or an AFG.

"Accidentally"

When does an accident turn into negligence?

1. Dad left his loaded handgun on the kitchen table.
2. 17 or 18 year old sister broke 3 of the 4 rules
3. Sister had not been taught that if she did not know how to handle a gun she should NOT TOUCH IT.

My boys are 3 and 6.  The 3 year old knows to not touch any firearm, leave the room, and find a responsible adult.  Notice I didn't say any adult.  My 6 year old knows all of that plus the 4 rules.  He can not only tell you what the rules are, he can explain the why's.

Teach your children gun safety.  Even if you don't own a gun, teach them gun safety.  Accidents are so very often the result of poor training.  The more training your children have, the less likely an accident will occur, the more likely you can hug your kids at the end of the day.

Why I Own A Gun #5472

Just down the road from my place in New Mexico, a guy who works closely with two of my coworkers was forced to shoot two men who broke into his house at 5:30 in the morning.  One intruder died at the scene, the other was transported to the hospital and is expected to survive.

The homeowner did not know either of the two men.  The homeowners roommate apparently had brought home the sister/ex-girlfriend and the two drunk men decided to come get her.  They backed the homeowner into his bedroom before he shot.

Remember that crazy drunk is everywhere and can pop up even at 5:30 AM on a Sunday.  Stay sharp and stay safe.

Delicious Alterior Motives

I've been looking for an inexpensive case tumbler.  I can't see spending between $50 and $85 plus shipping and handling to make my brass purdy.  I have heard more than one person say that they use an old ice cream maker with good results.

With that in mind I went to look for a new shiny ice cream maker to replace my old one (soon to be repurposed as a super-duper brass cleaning device).  I found a reconditioned ice cream maker at Best Buy of all places for under $40.

The results were easy and delicious.  For anyone still making ice cream using the old ice and salt method, I would recommend switching to the new fangled prefrozen bucket post haste.  The results look like this:

In case you're wondering my new, not so shiny, brass tumbler is hard at work and doing a great job.

Step 2: ????

Tam ponders the Underpants Gnome plan for revolution.

It Can't Be The Scenery

JayG has a post up on the American teacher who ventured into North Korea.  I've just got to wonder what attracts these people to North Korea.

I don't think it's the scenery.

Maybe it's the traffic police.  Not sure that's worth $700,000, 8 years of your life, and a less secure world though.

New Shooters' Smile

I mentioned in the last post that I had two new shooters at the range on Saturday.  One was my six year old son.  He has shot before, but always with me right behind him.  This time he was on his own and did a great job.  He can recite the 4 rules and understands why each is important.  Here he is behind the 15-22.

He did a great job and more importantly had a lot of fun.

The other new shooter was my friend's daughter.  She was fearless and shot everything put in front of her.  She started with the 15-22.

She then moved up to the 30-06 and shot it like a pro.  Once again, she had a lot of fun.

When we moved to the pistol range she was a little more cautious, but with a little encouragement, she picked up the 1911 and knocked down more than a few steel plates.

I've been informed by the lovely lady's father that Saturday was the highlight of her spring break.  To those of you worried about taking your daughter shooting, I would hold up my friend's daughter as shining example, and say to you, What are you waiting for?

As a side note, the adults had a good time too.  Below is visual proof.

New Toy

I had two new shooters to take to the rifle range yesterday (more on that later), but my wife forgot to bring the .22 down from Colorado.  That was the last push I needed to head to the Outdoorsman yesterday and pick up an Evil Black .22.

I picked the Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22.  The chief reasons were the size, accessory rail, and collapsible stock.  These three features make it very easy to set up for my 6 year old son to learn on, while still allowing me to configure it easily and quickly into something I can use and enjoy.

The good:  We went through over half a box of bulk Remington (which some people have had issues with in this rifle) without a hitch.  We put a ton of holes through paper.  The sights make sighting in the rifle a snap.  It was very easy to train new shooters with.  Most importantly though, everyone shot it and loved it.

The bad:  Towards the end of the day I changed ammo from bulk Remington to some CCI ammo I bought with the M&P 15-22.  I got failure to feeds and slam fires almost immediately.  I pulled the mag and unloaded the CCI ammo.  Went back to shooting the Remington stuff and everything was fine.

The ugly: The box of .22 I bought with the gun was .22 Long, not .22LR.  This is ugly for two reasons.  I didn't so much pick out the CCI ammo as said, "Throw in a box of 100 of that CCI stuff you have back there."  The folks at the gun store should have caught my mistake.  This is why I hate when they keep ammo behind the counter.  I tend to not double check what they got me like I do when I pick it out myself.  The second reason is that I didn't check.  I always check my ammo.  I check the box and the cartridge before loading up just to make sure that the ammo gremlins haven't been playing tricks again.  I didn't check and just got lucky.  That mistake could have easily led to the rifle going kaboom.

Final verdict:  The M&P 15-22 is a great little gun.  It will provide hours of entertainment and it costs very little to keep it fed.  Just make sure to feed it only .22LR and never feed it after midnight.

At Least Some of Them Are Dressed In Something Other Than Black

Labrat throws out a link to an old post about the Easter weekend goings on around here.  All I can say is that I'm glad I was warned about all the extra foot traffic.  I made sure to have extra coffee and get all the cobwebs out before driving into work this week.  Other people could have used another cup.

Tell Me What I Missed

I've been planning on doing a Gun Blogger Glossary for a while now.  I know that when I first started reading the gun blogs there were more than several commonly used terms that threw me for a while.  Discussing possible first handguns with several of my coworkers reminded me of those confusing times.

Check below and let me know if I missed something or if I am way off base on something.  Wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last.

Gun Blogger Glossary

• APPLESEED - A program designed to teach shooters to become riflemen, complete with a history lesson.  More info here.
• AR - Short for ArmaLite, typically referring to the AR-15 pattern rifle, the most popular of the EBRs
• ARSENAL - Any number of weapons higher than one according to the MSM
• ASSAULT WEAPON - A weapon that defies definition because there is no such thing.  See also "Shoulder Thing That Goes Up"
• ATF - See "BATFE"
• BACON - Meat of the gods
• BATFE - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
• BATFEIEIO - Kenneth Melson had a farm BATFEIEIO.  And on that farm he had some Airsoft rifles BATFEIEIO.
• BECAUSE YOU SUCK AND WE HATE YOU - Heckler & Koch (HK) worked hard on their marketing slogan.
• BIANCHI - The NRA's Action Shooting tournament
• BLOOMBERG - Mayor of New York and an ardent gun rights denier.  He has shown in the past that he is not above having his men break the law in order to deprive others of their Second Amendment rights.
• BRADY - Most often refers to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
• CCL - Concealed carry license
• CCW - Carry concealed weapon
• CLIP - NOT A MAGAZINE!  This is a clip.

• COWBOY ACTION SHOOTING - Where grown men and women play dress up and then sling lead at steel targets like Wyatt Earp did to the Clanton's at the O.K. Corral.
• EBR - Evil Black Rifle.  See: "Tactical", "Shoulder Thing That Goes Up"
• FORD EARTHFUCKER - Every Gun Nut's dream vehicle...or something
• GAMER - Someone who participates in shooting competitions to the possible detriment of their self-defense shooting skills
• GAMERFAG - A "Gamer" who has "turned it up to 11"
• GUN FREE ZONE - More properly termed a Second Amendment rights denial zone.  Also a good place for car thieves to go gun shopping.
• GUN PORN - Pictures of guns (almost always zero pretty ladies present in said pictures)
• HELLER - Most frequently referring to the Supreme Court case of District of Columbia v. Heller.  Also Dick Heller the lead plaintiff in the case.
• HSUS - Humane Society of The US.  They are not humane.  They are also one of the biggest threats to hunting and gun ownership in the country.
• IDPA - International Defensive Pistol Association, one of the "practical" shooting sports organizations
• INSTEAD OF DOING SOMETHING - This is what most politicians do on a daily basis
• JEWS IN THE ATTIC - A test for potentially corrupt laws invented by Joe Huffman
• JMB - John Moses Browning, inventor of every cool gun you've ever shot (probably)
• JMB, PBUH - John Moses Browning, Peace Be Upon Him
• LOOPHOLE - Something legal that some people feel should not be.  See the Gun Show Loophole for a good example
• LOST & STOLEN - A requirement in some cities to report within 24 hours that a firearm has been lost or stolen.  See "Instead of Doing Something"
• MAGAZINE - Anything that isn't a clip.
• MAIG - Mayors Against Illegal Guns.  Most mayors that are members don't realize that the name should be Mayors Against All Guns Everywhere.
• MAKE SARAH BRADY CRY - Doing anything that the Brady Campaign would disapprove of.  Such as having fun.
• MICROSTAMPING - A completely useless technology designed to be used as a backdoor gun ban.
• NRA - The National Rifle Association
• NRA-ILA - The lobbying arm of the NRA
• OC - Open carry.  To carry a firearm in the open for all to see (typically holstered on the hip)
• ONE QUESTION - Joe Huffman's response to gun banners
• ONLY ONES - Law enforcement officers who feel that they are the "only ones" qualified to handle firearms.  It comes from a popular video of an officer uttering his famous last words.
• PIG CANDY - The best bacon you've never had.  I suggest adding the cayenne.
• PSH - Pants Shitting Hysterics or Pants Shitting Hysteria.  More info on the types of S involved in PSH can be found here.
• REASONED DISCOURSE - The internet equivalent of taking your ball and going home.  Typically comments are either moderated or shut down completely to avoid having to think about anything that might force them to shift their world view.
• SHOULDER THING THAT GOES UP - An infamous quote by Carolyn McCarthy that does an excellent job of illustrating how ignorant of guns most gun banners actually are.
• TACTICAL - Anything black that makes the owner feel more like an "operator"
• TACTICAL COFFEE - Better than a .25 in some situations
• TACTICAL PANTS - Pants with pockets in the pockets in the pockets (and comfy too).  A complete guide here.
• THREE GUN - Competition shooting involving a rifle, pistol, and shotgun
• THREEPERS - Supposedly the 3% of gun owners that are either crazy brave or just crazy
• UNPOSSIBLE - After improbable, there's impossible after that comes unpossible.  There's a whole laundry list of unpossible here. 
• USPSA - The other practical shooting sports association
• WOOKIE-SUITER - Science fiction reading, small "l" libertarians.  Complete definition here (with picture).
• ZOOTSHOOTERS - Quite possibly the coolest shooting sport around

*Edited to add PSH and Wookie-suiter and now Unpossible