When Adults Say: Hey Kids, Don't Mess With Guns...

...without adult supervision - maybe there is a reason for it. I tend to think that at least one young man learned his lesson. Watch the video and see if you agree with me on that.



In a way, I have to hand it to these kids. They were quite enterprising, that was a neat looking project. I have to slam them too since it seems (it sure looks real to me) they were pretty careless and rather ignorant, and totally irresponsible, in how they went about manufacturing their version of a black powder rifle and in how they demonstrated it. Not wearing eye protection or hearing protection could have cost the shooter dearly. For all we know, maybe it did at that. I would hate to have had my eyes subjected to that back-flash. If he was lucky, he blinked in the nick of time but it sure happened quickly.

Those kids sure looked old enough to have known better. Then again, I sort of, kind of, somewhat vaguely recall having been young and dumb myself - once upon a few decades ago. So, I can understand why they did it. If his eyes did not get burned, nor his face too badly, then they probably had fun or will have fun recalling their mischief at a later date (if they are ever allowed to hang out together again). Truth is, they probably could have had, and should have had, fun in a much safer manner. In fact, they still could have had it with a gun if they had some responsible adult supervision. My closing thought: I would bet, if the shooter had parents who taught him how to be responsible with guns and still have safe fun with them, that whole misadventure probably never would have happened nor even crossed their minds as a passing whim.

All the best,
Glenn B

Which Would You Prefer: Ski Poles or a .44 Magnum

It seems a hiker who was mauled by a brown bear, apparently protecting her cubs, climbed a tree to escape the wrath of the sow. At some point he depended on ski poles to defend himself from the raging sow that seemingly continued to try to get at him while he was up in the tree. Imagine that, going for a hike in Alaska and depending on ski poles for defense against a bear. Me, I would have preferably used a .44 magnum that I would have had strapped to my side (if the right to keep and bear arms was truly honored in this country) or had I not been able to carry a pistol I would have carried a 12 gauge loaded with slugs or a rifle in a good sized caliber. Heck - why not carry both a long gun and a handgun if at liberty to do so.

In this case, somehow, ski poles may have been just enough, if not to keep him from being badly mauled, then to keep him alive. Well, the poles along with him being able to climb a tree and hang on for dear life until help arrived. Luckily he was able to place a 911 call (imagine that - his phone worked) and State Troopers saved the day but that day must have seemed to have taken forever for the hiker. I am truly surprised the bear did not use the ski poles for after dinner toothpicks for her and her cub. 

Imagine the terror, being stuck up in a tree, swaying in the wind, bleeding badly from wounds that had been inflicted by a brown bear, trying not to pass out from blood loss while hanging on for dear life and that mad as hell mama bear is still trying to get you to feed to her cub. Now imagine it taking about 2 hours for the police to arrive while all that was going on. Yep, I think I would have chosen a .44 magnum over ski poles any day. 

See the story here:

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/12/12185917-alaska-man-mauled-by-bear-climbs-tree-to-escape?lite/

All the best,
Glenn B