Firearms & Obligations...

...come in all sorts. Today I fulfilled two of my obligations. One was to renew my membership with the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, the other was to renew my membership with the West-Side Rifle and Pistol Range. These may seem like less than obligations to some of you, but allow me to assure you that they are indeed obligations, firearms obligations, that I take seriously.

As for the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association I find it important to join organizations that help support and protect my right to keep and bear arms under the U.S. Constitution. Said right is being assailed from every direction and has been chipped away at little by little until it has reached the point that my liberties and rights no longer are what is defined in our Constitution. I would much rather that this be corrected through debate, elections, and other peaceful means rather than it coming down to that which said right assures us all - the ability to overthrow a tyranny. So I have joined the NYSRPA on a yearly basis, and I am a life member of the NRA.

Support of groups that try to protect our 2nd Amendment rights is not enough. Active participation in what that right conveys is an absolute must. Therefore I am an avid firearms enthusiast, not only because I like to shoot, but because I want to be able to stand ready and join a militia if ever called upon to defend our constitution against tyranny. Many seem to have forgotten that the 2nd Amendment is the one that allows us to keep all of the others, and without it, we surely would have been overcome by they who seek power in government in any way that they can achieve it. Politicians, and other power hungry sorts, need reminders that we are actively taking part in our right to keep and bear arms, and are not merely paper tigers who join clubs or associations that are mere mouthpieces to help promote our cause.

By joining and keeping your memberships in such organizations active, and by actually participating in firearms related activities, you are contributing to the economy of the firearms industry. Without that financial support our right to keep and bear arms would likely fade away out in short order.

So yes, I see both of these as obligations, and I carry them out faithfully year after year.

All the best,
Glenn B