I find it truly unfathomable that we have again taken a cue from England who regularly spies on its own citizens by way of surveillance cameras that have been set up throughout their country. Instead of us doing that here, we have one upped them by announcing that soon unmanned surveillance drones will be filling our skies watching us. They reportedly, as per a Fox News television report this evening, will have the ability to follow a person from the time he leaves his or her home until they return home. They just reported that Congress is seeking to pass this bill and to have the FAA plan for these to be in our air space by 2015. In addition, Fox reports, there may be up to 30,000 drones in our skies by the year 2020. (Thirty thousand comes out to 600 drones per state, amazing and scary.) Imagine that - our government resorting to full fledged spying on our own country to such a magnitude! It is truly pitting itself against the citizenry and you can bet many, even most, of the citizens of this country will not stand for it.
I, for one, imagine that a revolution, to overthrow such a government, cannot be far off. Note, I am not advocating it, nor condoning a revolution, I am just saying I cannot believe that one is far off when our government starts acting like it has to spy on us the same way it spies on the Red Chinese, the Iranians, the Pakistanis, the Russians, and on terrorists.
Think about it, it reeks of governmental abuse of power. It is not something, in part, that was ever imagined by the framers of our Constitution. I am not saying that similar governmental abuses were not envisioned just that such technology was not envisioned. As for the governmental abuse, the framers of the Constitution not only imagined it would come about, they prepared for it by assuring we would have a way to handle it. They put the 2nd Amendment into the Bill of Rights to assure we would be ready for it. If a revolution does come about because of such governmental abuses and because our government may have evolved into no more than just another tyranny, well I know the side I will choose and if you know me at all you can make a safe bet it will be on the right side, the one that supports our rights under the Constitution. Again, I am not advocating a revolution nor calling for one in any way. I would hope we can avoid it altogether. I much prefer peace and would much prefer to see our government return to abiding by the Constitution, as opposed to disregarding it, by way of the right folks being voted into office. Yet, I am scared, very scared that a revolution cannot be avoided because I have never seen the government apparently so openly abusive as it has become during the current administration. It seems to get worse with each passing administration - no matter who is in power. The government seemingly is pushing us towards a revolution at breakneck speed and I think we, the American people, need to take heed.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, February 13, 2012
Hey Gun Rights Folks - Starbucks Appreciation Day - Tomorrow February 14th
Two years ago, Starbucks stood up to the anti-gun lobby and followed their policy of standing by local laws. Thus they allow open carry of firearms in their stores in states and local communities that allow for legal open carry. This enraged the gun-control lobby such as the Brady Campaign which petitioned Starbucks with about 28,000 signatures asking that Starbucks deny people the right to carry firearms in Starbucks stores. Starbucks did not budge on their policy, and someone in the gun rights community, apparently a blogger, called for a BUYcott of Starbucks. In other words, the gun rights bloggers were asking the gun-rights community to spend as much money as they could at Starbucks and to let them know that they were shopping at Starbucks because Starbucks stood by the laws allowing for open carry. Again, that was 2 years ago. It was a success.
This year, the anti-gun types are calling for a boycott of Starbucks on February 14th, tomorrow. In response, the gun-rights community is hoping that people who support the 2nd Amendment and gun rights will go to Starbucks tomorrow and spend as much as you can. In addition, let them know you are there because they supported laws allowing for open carry. Some are even calling for you to spend $2 bills if you have them to indicate your support of the 2nd Amendment. Me, I think buying a coffee and a brownie would be more than good enough but you can bet I’ll also let them know that I am there because they supported laws allowing for open carry.
Mind you, I know that if the laws opposed open carry, Starbucks would then support those laws. They are in support of the laws within any given community, in other words they want to abide by the law that is in effect. The thing is we want to work on them and show that we support them and thus maybe we will actually persuade them to come over to our side. Thus, instead of just allowing for open carry in their stores, not due to their support of the 2nd Amendment but because they want to abide by whatever law is in effect in any given community in which one of their stores is located, maybe they will someday openly support the 2nd Amendment because of our support for them.
For more info, see: http://cheaperthandirt.com/blog/?tag=buycott-starbucks.
By the way, even if you do not drink coffee, or if you do not like Starbucks coffee, you can still buy something there to show your support. Remember to let them know you are there to support them and the 2nd Amendment.
All the best,
Glenn B
Pistol License Application Submitted
I stopped the headquarters of my county's police department this evening, just to make sure i had everything right on my application and to make an appointment to get things rolling. I had thought they were open until 7PM every night but low and behold they closed at 5PM tonight and of course i got there with only 10 minutes to spare. Well, one of the officers took care of me regardless of the time and reviewed my application which was in order. Somehow I forgot my birth certificate and a utility bill, both of which I had in an envelope at home that was supposed to be in the larger envelope I had with me. He said to bring those things in with me when they fingerprint me. That date has been set as March 15 at 1PM.
Another one of the people who works in the pistol license division told me it usually takes about 2 weeks to get the license after the fingerprints have been submitted. I guess that would make it the end of March as the time frame for me having the license, that is if all goes well. Other than my usual bad luck with such things, I would guess there would be no hold ups.
I have to say that the gentleman who helped me was just that - a gentleman! He was very courteous and professional. He was also nice enough to work about 15 minutes passed closing time to get me through the application submission process. In addition, he knew and was a friend of one of the people I put down as 'someone who knows me'. They usually require formal references but this requirement is waived for retired LEOs I imagine it is waived because we have to get a letter of reference from our last employer and submit that (called a 'good guy letter') with the application. So instead of 4 or 5 references, they ask us to put down the names of a couple of people we know. The person, that I put down, that the officer knew, is one of my neighbors and a friend. He is also an inspector in the same police department where I was submitting the application. That brought a raised eyebrow. It is good to have friends in the right places although I don't expect and would not want any extra attention because I put him down. It was rather amusing though to see the reaction when the officer first saw my neighbor's name on the application. I have to remember to say 'hi' to my neighbor from the officer.
So, even though I only went to the police department to see if I had it all completed properly, the application actually has been submitted. I have a date for fingerprinting. I am guessing they would also possibly interview me at that time if need be. After that, I expect to get the license within about 2 weeks. That cannot be beat for anything getting done in NY State. I will be quite the happy camper when I do have it. Even though I anticipate it being issued pretty quickly, I almost cannot wait; I amanxious eager to get to the range to get some shooting done with my handguns.
All the best,
Glenn B
Another one of the people who works in the pistol license division told me it usually takes about 2 weeks to get the license after the fingerprints have been submitted. I guess that would make it the end of March as the time frame for me having the license, that is if all goes well. Other than my usual bad luck with such things, I would guess there would be no hold ups.
I have to say that the gentleman who helped me was just that - a gentleman! He was very courteous and professional. He was also nice enough to work about 15 minutes passed closing time to get me through the application submission process. In addition, he knew and was a friend of one of the people I put down as 'someone who knows me'. They usually require formal references but this requirement is waived for retired LEOs I imagine it is waived because we have to get a letter of reference from our last employer and submit that (called a 'good guy letter') with the application. So instead of 4 or 5 references, they ask us to put down the names of a couple of people we know. The person, that I put down, that the officer knew, is one of my neighbors and a friend. He is also an inspector in the same police department where I was submitting the application. That brought a raised eyebrow. It is good to have friends in the right places although I don't expect and would not want any extra attention because I put him down. It was rather amusing though to see the reaction when the officer first saw my neighbor's name on the application. I have to remember to say 'hi' to my neighbor from the officer.
So, even though I only went to the police department to see if I had it all completed properly, the application actually has been submitted. I have a date for fingerprinting. I am guessing they would also possibly interview me at that time if need be. After that, I expect to get the license within about 2 weeks. That cannot be beat for anything getting done in NY State. I will be quite the happy camper when I do have it. Even though I anticipate it being issued pretty quickly, I almost cannot wait; I am
All the best,
Glenn B
Some Gun World Humor Via YouTube
Nice to see that there is some humor in the gun world. I would hate to think though that anyone would take this video seriously.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
AK-47 - Pain In The Arse - Well Not The Gun As Much As CA Seems To Be
My AK-47 has had some problems that require a qualified gunsmith take a look at it. Since the AK-47 is a Romanian WASR10 that was imported by, then had compliant parts put on it by, Century Arms, I contacted them to see if they would do this as a warranty service. The issue of whether or not it was still under warranty was not addressed in their return email to me, what they basically said was to contact their location up in Vermont and they would take care of it.
So, I called their Vermont location on last Thursday. I was told that the rifle needed to be sent in for the problem it is having because it is a safety issue. I asked how they wanted that done and they told me that NY State law requires it be sent both ways through an FFL dealer. Well, that is out and out horseshit, NY State law only requires that when it is sent to me it has to go through an FFL. I am most certainly allowed to send it directly to Century myself for the examination and any required repairs. After a brief discussion with the woman at Century Arms, who then apparently did some checking with me on hold, she agreed yes that is correct, I can send it to them myself. She did say she needed an FFL Dealer to contact them before they issued a return authorization number, so they would be assured it would be sent back through an FFL Dealer for the return transfer to me.
I went to an FFL holder on Thursday. He assured me I can send the rifle in myself and that it only had to come back through him. Then when he was on the phone with Century Arms, they pulled the same horseshit on him and tried to tell him he had to both send it and receive it. After a discussion with them, he was then assured, yes I can send it directly. He told me they said they would call me later that afternoon with the return authorization number. They never called me and I did not get the chance to call them that or the next day. So, I called Century Arms today. Guess what, I was again told they would not accept the firearm if I sent it directly because it was illegal as per NYS Law. After about 5 minutes on the phone, during 2 calls since the first was lost, I was told, in essence: 'While it may not be NY State law, it is our policy at Century Arms that you need to have an FFL holder send us the rifle'. There is the crux of it folks, they try to make it as difficult as possible for the firearm owner, they are almost as bad as the government in my opinion! Why would they implement rules that make it more difficult, than state or federal law, for a law abiding firearms owner to send in a gun for repair unless maybe they just want to discourage people from sending them in? Now, this will probably cost me an additional $25.00 and I am not happy about that, not at all.
I called the FFL who told me, Century Arms has sent him at RA number, he said he would get back to me about it and I am awaiting his return call. My guess is he is calling them to ask why they are insisting he send it to them, or at least I hope he is doing that. I know that on Thursday, he seemed quite surprised that they at first insisted that he had to send it in as per the law. he seemed to have gotten that straightened out with them because he told me they finally agreed that I could send it to them directly.
I guess time will tell as to what I have to do to get this gun looked at and fixed. should have had it boxed and sent on Thursday as far as I am concerned. Who knows when it will be shipped now! I have to tell you, after being given this ongoing runaround about shipping it, I hate to imagine what they will tell me about the actual problem and then about fixing it. I am hopeful it will not have been less of a problem just to have trashed it and then bought a new one.
All the best,
Glenn B
So, I called their Vermont location on last Thursday. I was told that the rifle needed to be sent in for the problem it is having because it is a safety issue. I asked how they wanted that done and they told me that NY State law requires it be sent both ways through an FFL dealer. Well, that is out and out horseshit, NY State law only requires that when it is sent to me it has to go through an FFL. I am most certainly allowed to send it directly to Century myself for the examination and any required repairs. After a brief discussion with the woman at Century Arms, who then apparently did some checking with me on hold, she agreed yes that is correct, I can send it to them myself. She did say she needed an FFL Dealer to contact them before they issued a return authorization number, so they would be assured it would be sent back through an FFL Dealer for the return transfer to me.
I went to an FFL holder on Thursday. He assured me I can send the rifle in myself and that it only had to come back through him. Then when he was on the phone with Century Arms, they pulled the same horseshit on him and tried to tell him he had to both send it and receive it. After a discussion with them, he was then assured, yes I can send it directly. He told me they said they would call me later that afternoon with the return authorization number. They never called me and I did not get the chance to call them that or the next day. So, I called Century Arms today. Guess what, I was again told they would not accept the firearm if I sent it directly because it was illegal as per NYS Law. After about 5 minutes on the phone, during 2 calls since the first was lost, I was told, in essence: 'While it may not be NY State law, it is our policy at Century Arms that you need to have an FFL holder send us the rifle'. There is the crux of it folks, they try to make it as difficult as possible for the firearm owner, they are almost as bad as the government in my opinion! Why would they implement rules that make it more difficult, than state or federal law, for a law abiding firearms owner to send in a gun for repair unless maybe they just want to discourage people from sending them in? Now, this will probably cost me an additional $25.00 and I am not happy about that, not at all.
I called the FFL who told me, Century Arms has sent him at RA number, he said he would get back to me about it and I am awaiting his return call. My guess is he is calling them to ask why they are insisting he send it to them, or at least I hope he is doing that. I know that on Thursday, he seemed quite surprised that they at first insisted that he had to send it in as per the law. he seemed to have gotten that straightened out with them because he told me they finally agreed that I could send it to them directly.
I guess time will tell as to what I have to do to get this gun looked at and fixed. should have had it boxed and sent on Thursday as far as I am concerned. Who knows when it will be shipped now! I have to tell you, after being given this ongoing runaround about shipping it, I hate to imagine what they will tell me about the actual problem and then about fixing it. I am hopeful it will not have been less of a problem just to have trashed it and then bought a new one.
All the best,
Glenn B
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