Wakes - What Meeting Places They can Be

I was at the wake for my good friend Charlie V. last night. Lots of old friends showed up though not nearly as many as one would have hoped for, I guess because so many have moved away, are out of touch with the rest of us, or have already passed on. We all shared a lot of memories about The Mongrel and good times we had with him and each other, and we caught up on a lot of missed news from one another. We sure are all getting old, we who still remain on this earth. All these things give one pause for a lot of thought.

I'll be going to the funeral directly to lay Charlie to his final rest. So for now I have got to go, blogging probably will recommence tonight.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Firearms Training and Tactics 4 - Eyes and Ears...

...are two of our most valuable sets of organs. With them we perceive an awful lot of what goes on around us. We should never put them in unnecessary jeopardy of injury or loss, and this is especially true when shooting as each of these organs is quite susceptible to damage while we are so engaged. You can shoot once, yes just once, without hearing protection and permanently damage your ears. All it takes is one bit of ricochet material from a bullet to lose an eye - sort of like why your mom told you you could not have a BB Gun. Now I am not about to tell you not to enjoy shooting because there are some inherent potential dangers, heck there are probably more dangers involved in crossing the street. What I am about to say, to insist, is that you need to make certain to protect your hearing and eyesight when you shoot, or when you observe someone shooting, just as are my wife and son in the pic.

The best, and most practical, way to protect them is, in my opinion, with commercially available hearing and eye protection. While some can be quite expensive, you don't need to spend a fortune to pick up a pair of adequate shooting glasses and hearing protectors. Various types of fairly inexpensive yet fully functional hearing and eye protection for shooters are available a gun shops, sporting goods stores, or online. I'll give you a rundown on some of the most common types of hearing protectors, and will also tell you something about shooting glasses that should point you right on target should you want to pick some up for yourself. Remember if you shoot, you should wear them whenever practical.

I'll start with hearing protectors and why we should use them. Basically there are two types available - those that fit over and fully around (not one or the other but they cover and fully encircle your ears, this is a must) your ears like ear muffs or headphones, and those that fit into your ear canal like ear plugs. All hearing protectors, as far as I am aware, are rated in terms of their NRR (Noise Reduction Rating). Noise levels, or the levels of pressure caused by noise, are rated in decibels, and in general the higher the decibels the louder the noise. The higher the decibels that are protected against, the higher the NRR, and the better the protection level that hearing protectors give to the shooter. Note that the idea is not to cancel out all noise, but rather to reduce harmful levels of noise from damaging your hearing. A typical gunshot from a defensive firearm, at arms length from you, can send about 150 to 180 decibels into your ears. It only takes about 85 decibels to be harmful to your ears and your hearing. Granted with a noise level of 85 decibels it takes about 8 hours of exposure to produce damage to your ears and hearing; however, noise levels as high as those of gunshots can instantaneously damage your hearing and ears. The higher the decibel level above 85 decibels, the less time needed to produce the damage. Typical gunshots come in somewhere between about 140 - 180 decibels. According to the NRA: "Gunshot decibel levels, measured by John S. Odess, M.D., ranged between 143.5 from a .22 short to 174.4 from a .458 Win. Mag (American Rifleman, "Hear No Evil," March, 1996)." (My source for this can be found at http://www.nrahq.org/youth/enews/enews_06_summer.pdf. A good illustration and description of the dangers of decibel levels can also be seen at: Dangerous Decibels. They have a couple of charts showing info about decibel levels, such as what levels are produced by what sounds, and how long it takes certain levels to harm your hearing.

So when shooting, or in close proximity to shooting such as a spectator, it is imperative if at all practical, that you wear hearing protection. Note I did not say if convenient but if at all practical! In a self defense situation, or in the case of a cop walking a beat, it would probably be very impractical, maybe even impossible, to stop and don on hearing protection without risk to your own life. Yet, anytime you are at the range, a firearms sporting event, afield shooting - even as someone just there to watch - you can and probably should wear hearing protection to avoid hearing loss. This includes while hunting even though you want to be able to hear game or other hunters/people approaching. (There are special headsets that allow you to listen to, even amplify, regular sounds, that will negate the effects of high decibel levels.)

As for the actual hearing protectors, as I said there are two basic types. There are those that are of an ear muff or headset design that fit over the ear, and there are those that fit into the ear canal such as ear plugs.

Ear Muff types of hearing protectors come in two basic types: The first type of muff hearing protector are those that are passive, or in other words they do not doing anything other than block sound by the inherent properties of the materials from which they are made and how they are made. The other type are of an active nature, they actually respond to sound to block it out; this second type if battery operated and by some miracle of technology they block out high decibel levels. While muff type protectors look something like ear muffs or like stereo headsets, you should only use muffs actually made for hearing protection from loud decibel levels, and never use cold weather ear muffs or stereo headsets in place of them. These others do not afford proper hearing protection from either high or low frequency sounds, and protection from both is required to maintain hearing.

Muff hearing protectors of the passive and active types have NRR ratings up to about 30dB. This is usually considered sufficient to avoid hearing loss and ear damage. The thing about the electronic ones is that they allow you to hear regular sounds and block out the high decibel ones. The pair at right blocks out sounds above 85dB while letting you hear lower decibel sounds. Passive muffs block out just about all types of sound that a human can hear, regular and high decibel. They do not block out everything but do impair how well you hear normal sounds while wearing them, and this is something the electronic ones are supposed to overcome. Remember though, with either type, the higher the NRR, the more protection for your ears and your hearing. I almost have always used passive muff types of hearing protectors ( and many times also use ear plugs at the same time as muffs). I have tried a pair of noise reduction muffs, but the battery failed. Yes they still offered some hearing protection, but I was not impressed because the guy who gave them to me did not have extra batteries. I am not saying they do not work well, even better than passive muffs, but you do need to remember to carry extra batteries for them. I should try them again especially since I already have tinnitus in my left ear. Mine is a constant ringing very likely caused by gunshot noises at the range when a muff type protector was knocked off by shooting shotgun, and by another time when the insulation was missing from one of the muffs, this in addition to having worked at JFK Airport in NYC for about 15 years and frequently being on the tarmac without hearing protectors - no one told me about this stuff back then. I digress, let me get back on track.

While it is my understanding that any hearing protector with a NRR of 20 or more is sufficient for firearms range or self defense situations, I suggest that if you decide on either type of the muff protectors, get the highest NRR you can find for the type you are purchasing. The ones I use now, a passive set, have a NRR of 29. The passive type usually have ratings between 20 and 30. I would not trust what hearing I have left to less than a NRR of 25, and as I said I prefer higher. Now don't ask me why, when using a hearing protector with a NRR of 30dB, you are protected from hearing loss and ear damage from sounds in decibel ranges of lets say 180dB since the decibels supposedly still getting through, by my figuring and I am no doctor or scientist, would seemingly be about 150dB. This is more than enough to cause damage instantaneously - and you would think that a protector with a NRR rating of 30dB would not work well enough to protect you from those high decibel levels, but yes they do work to protect your hearing, even ones with NRRs as low as the 20s supposedly will do so sufficiently. Go figure!

One other thing about muff type hearing protectors. They produce different results when worn differently. If you wear the head band over your head, as opposed to around the back of your head, as opposed to under your chin they protect you differently depending on how worn. Usually the highest level of protection, at least with muff type protectors I have used, is when they are worn over the top of the head, but make sure to follow manufacturers instructions and suggestions for the most protection.

Okay enough of the muff type, lets get to the ear plug type of protector. There are a couple of basic types of ear plugs that you can get - ones fitted to your ear canal by a doctor, and ones that are bought over the counter that are rubber or foam-like and expand to fill your ear canal when inserted properly. (No I do not mean like shaving foam, but sort of like a foam cushion material.) As far as I am aware, ear plugs can have a NRR up to 33dB. They come in various shapes and sizes to fit your ears better. As for me, I have never used doctor fitted ear plugs since it is my understanding that they do not work all that better, if any, than commercially available foam ear plugs. I prefer to use those they have supplied me at work for years, and they have a NRR of about 29. They are disposable foam earplugs that go just about fully into the ear canal. Unlike some other ear plugs, they do not have a head band or strap to hold them together as a pair. They are individual plugs. They work fine for me, but I usually use them in combination with muff type protectors, using them as a sort of backup for ear muff protectors. In other words, I first properly insert into my ear canals, as per manufacturers directions, a pair of earplugs; then I don a muff protector over and fully around my ears. This affords somewhat more protection than just one type alone. It also provides for continued ear/hearing protection should your ear muffs come off, or become less effective, for any reason.

Now here is a very important point. I just wrote that I wear ear plugs while also wearing in muff protectors in case the muff protectors become less effective. It is very important when wearing either type of hearing protector to make sure they are fitted properly. If they get knocked off or out of place a bit y shotgun or rifle recoil - ouch. Also, anything coming between the edge of a muff type protector and your head - thereby preventing a good seal - can allow too much sound to get to your ears. Even a small break in the seal can let in dangerous levels of sound. So if you wear eyeglasses, or just plain old safety glasses to protect your eyes, and you well should do so as I will soon explain, what to do? They make foam sheaths that cover the ear pieces of safety glasses or so I have heard, and these are supposed to allow for maintaining a good seal. As for me I have never seen them, to my knowledge, in over 40 years of shooting. They also make ear plugs, and you can use them as I said thereby decreasing the risk of a broken seal with muff protectors. Then why not, you may ask, just use ear plugs. Well they too can be fitted improperly, and even fall out. I would rather have one caught inside my ear muffs, than hit the ground, not to keep them clean (and they do need to be kept clean to avoid ear infection) but because it means I also had on muffs to protect my hearing. Another way to get over the seal problems is to buy ear muffs with a good flexible foam cushion seals or liquid filled seal cushions (this is the part that rings the opening of the muff and contacts your head around your ears). One other thing about muff protectors that I have heard but have not verified is that they offer superior protection to plugs alone because they help decrease sound transmitted into your ears that travels through the area of your head around the ear lobe. This because they cover that area. I don't know if it is true but I guess it sort of sounds sensible. As I said though, I prefer to use both at the same time.

The thing you want to do is to protect your ears as well as you can and each of the above types of hearing protection have advantages and disadvantages. You have to make your own choice as to which you prefer. As I said though, get ones with the highest NRR rating you can find for either type. For sports like hunting, or to be better able to hear range commands, you may want an electronic set. Whichever you use, always remember to wear them in accordance with manufacturers instructions, and always make sure to wear them when shooting or at a shooting event if at all practical. In addition, make sure others around you are wearing them, the hearing you save maybe your children's.

As for shooting/safety glasses, what can I say, we are talking about one of our most valuable organs and one of most used senses during waking hours. Protecting your eyes while shooting may not be inherent common sense, but once you know just a little something about firearms, about ammunition, about gunpowder, about bullets and fragmentation and about ricochets - eye protection is basically a no brainer. Yet, shooters often fail to wear eye protection while shooting, and if they do wear some sort of eye protection it is often not the proper type; I just understand why.

The best type of eye protection for a shooter is probably shooting goggles, or in other words, goggles that fully mask the eye area, with a seal to your face completely around the eyes, and with a protective clear shield in front of their eyes (click the pic, wait a second or two, for a moving view). The next best choice is probably shooting glasses, those made specifically for use while shooting or for use in other high risk of eye injury activities. These should afford as much protection as possible to the eye. This means that shooting glasses to be very effective at eye protection while shooting should cover a larger area than do most eyeglasses. Regular eyeglasses are not usually an effective eye protection while shooting, and if you require to wear eyeglasses to see properly, then get eye protection that will fit over them such as goggles or shooting glasses made to fit over eyeglasses.

The reason I say most eyeglasses are not good enough for shooting glasses is that while shatterproof in most cases, they do not cover enough of the area around the eye, in the proper way, to avoid certain types of potential hazard from hitting your eyes while shooting. If you wear glasses, take them off now and look at them - use another pair if need be to see them. Look at the size of the lens, compare this to a run of the mill pair of polycarbonate shooting glasses (I prefer clear to the amber or yellow as shown). Which is larger, probably the lens of the shooting glasses. Now look to the side of the lenses connected to the ear piece. Is there, on your eyeglasses, a sort of shield (or wrap around lenses) at this point on each side to protect your eyes from particles that may enter the eye from the outside corners. There should be on well designed shooting glasses. Now look at the top ridge of your eyeglasses. Does it basically go straight across from outside lens end to lens end, and is it about as thick or a little thicker than each lens? Look at a well designed pair of shooting glasses and note this ridge is much the same on them except that it extends from the front of the lenses back toward the point where the glasses rest along your eyebrows. In other words this ridges is deepened, or thicker, it provides a sort of a platform atop the ridge of the glasses, and this platform helps prevent particles from entering your eyes from above. If you don't get what I mean, pout on your eyeglasses, now place your index fingers behind the top edge of each lens, get it now. That extra thick or wide ridge acts like the top of a pair of goggles acts, albeit not as well because it does not seal against your face. I will readily admit that to my knowledge, most shooting glasses, even expensive ones, do not have this feature, and I think that a shame - but there is a solution and I will discuss it later. Good shooting glasses also have highly shatterproof lenses. Yes they can be broken, but should not splinter into little pieces that could go into your eyes. I think most eyeglasses are like this nowadays, but I prefer shooting glasses or goggle over my eyeglasses while shooting just as a safety measure. Of course, many people shy away from glasses or goggle mad for shooting. They prefer their eyeglasses or sunglasses. If you insist on wearing these as eye protection while shooting or observing a shooter, then at least pick up some side protector shields that fit over the ear pieces and sit at the end of the lenses near the outside corner of each eye.

Now remember I said that there was something you could do to make up for having shooting glasses that do not have the top ridge of ewhich I wrote. The thing to do is to wear a brimmed cap of some sort while shooting or a spectator at such an event. The brim of a baseball type cap, or oither hats, will effectively keep an awful lot of particles from reaching your eyes from above. I think it best to still wear well designed shooting glasses with that ridge I described, but a hat like a rimmed basebball cap is a good thing to wear while shooting. They also keep the glare from the sun out of your eyes, and can make it easier to see in such instances of glare.

So why wear shooting glasses or goggles while shooting, or while a spectator to shooting? Just to protect those things that allow you to behold you children at play, your lovers smile, and a beautiful sunrise or sunset. Wear hearing protector so when your love whispers sweet nothing into your ears you hear them, when your child cries out for help you will hear that an be there in no time, and to hear the music of the birds as they sing their songs in the srping. You tell me if it is worth it to protect these wonderful senses, I think so.

All the best,
Glenn B

Like A Steam Locomotive Rolling Down The Track...

...he's gone, he's gone, and nothings gonna bring him back... (from He's Gone by the Grateful Dead).

On Monday night, unknown to me until yesterday afternoon, I lost a good friend of about 35 years. He was only 54 years old, and he apparently died of a heart attack, which was sort of surprising to me considering the life he led. No, I was not surprised that he had been a candidate for a heart attack at age 54, but rather that he made it to 54 at all - he lived life hard and fast - his own way - much like a steaming locomotive rolling down the track, and I guess I was surprised that with all his other derailments he still kept on chugging along. He seemed invincible, but of course, he wasn't; now he's gone. His brother Joe, the last surviving of 3 brothers (their brother Will passed away years ago) called me to let me know, and I went right to Joe's place to be there for him because he too is my good friend. (I spent the late afternoon, all of the evening, and some of the night with his family, thus my lack of blogging yesterday.) His name was Charlie Vaughn, or as we often called him - The Mongrel. Despite his looks he was a pretty lovable guy. He had his faults, plenty of them, but he was one hell of a good and loyal friend, and if the chips were down he would stand by you at all costs. He was also an American, a loyal one at that. He had some pretty libertarian views (he liked personal liberties like recreational drug use, the right to keep and bear arms), yet he had some pretty conservative political views too (as in hating commies, being opposed to illegal aliens, wanting stiff jail sentences for some crimes), but no mater his politics on any issue he loved his country dearly. He was also a good loving son, brother, and father.

I was always surprised that he actually encouraged me to go for a career in law enforcement after I told him I was thinking of it. Many years ago, when I went to John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Charlie coined a nickname for me: Legal Aid. When I went into the Border Patrol, to enforce immigration laws, he was thrilled - this despite his own way too often run ins with the law. He thought there was nothing more grand than my busting 'illegal immigrunts' as he called them; and he once gave me a pair of handcuffs (new in the box - so not stolen from a cop) as a present to help me do my job. I am pretty sure those are still the ones I use on my job today. Even when I went over to U.S. Customs and busted drug smugglers he always encouraged me to do my job well, go figure for a guy who was as much a Libertarian as was he!

In the last decade and a half or so, Charlie changed his ways a great deal. He cleaned up his act if not his appearance (he loved his tats), stopped the drugs, and worked regularly. Heck he even went out and got a set of choppers as in false teeth. Throughout his life, he kept in touch with his daughter even though not married to her mom, though on good terms with her too. He had a son by another woman and I suppose he would have kept in touch (and maybe he did unknown to me) with him too if he could have done so. Yes he lived free; and no he was not the perfect picture of morality by anyone's standards, but he was still one hell of a good man; and he was my dear and loyal friend. We had many an adventure together. Our adventures included our other friends, his brothers, his sister and the rest of the family; and sometimes just the two of us out to have a good time. We went to an awful lot of Grateful Dead shows, in at least 4 or 5 different states together, and getting to them were adventures all their own, especially when I was employed as a fed, and I had to make sure he wasn't smuggling any drugs into my car. What a long strange trip its been (these too are the words of the Grateful Dead, from the song Truckin).

In recent years, heck for the last 21 years since I got married, I did not see my old friends as much as I should have. When I moved to Long Island about 12 years ago from Glendale, I saw them even less. I was very lucky that about a month or so ago, I saw Charlie and had a couple of beers with him, and we talked about old times, current times, and times to come. We may have been made of a different cut of cloth - him more of the outlaw, me more of the lawman - but it was the same piece of cloth from which those two cuts had come. I miss him dearly already - He's Gone.

All the best,

Glenn B

Happy Independence Day...

...yes it is the 4th of July already. So it is time to celebrate our way of life, our liberties, and our freedoms; I just wish I could do it as did our founding fathers - with a bang - but here in NY state fireworks are prohibited. Still though one never knows for sure what is in store for the night ahead, but I have a bit of an idea that things will be loud and bright tonight.

Besides a celebration and fireworks, today is a day to really reflect upon what it is that makes the USA a great republic. Take a look at the Declaration of Independence, take a look at the U.S. Constitution, take a look at the Bill of Rights. It won't take long to read them all; then think about whether or not we are the country that our Founding Fathers intended us to be, think about whether or not our current situation is based upon our Constitution; then look up the word constitution. Yes there are plenty of things of which we can be proud as citizens and legal resident aliens of the USA, but there are also many things that need some hard work to get us in line with the foundation, the bedrock, upon which our country was formed - the Constitution of the United States of America. If you agree with me, then make everyday a celebration of American Independence by keeping yourselves informed of current events, current legislation, current political agendas, bogus political ideologies, that are only masked desires of politicians for personal gain, that would erode our rights - and make sure to write to those officials at least weekly, in fact to all elected federal officials, and let them know you will not stand for such. Keeping this country based upon its groundwork, its Constitution, will keep it (us) free and allow us to enjoy our liberties as was intended from day one of its formation.

In other words - be a patriotic American. Stand up for your rights and liberties as did our forefathers, and don't let your government take them away from you, even at the risk of losing life or limb. Those rights and liberties are precious, they are what make us Americans and what make our country the greatest in the world. Yes I said the greatest, and I mean that absolutely. If you doubt it then just ask the millions upon millions of legal immigrants who live here, and ask the 12 million illegal aliens within our borders, why they came here, and why others continue to come instead of staying home or going elsewhere. Confound any of you so called Americans who doubt it.

By the way, if you want to read some interesting U.S. History, go to: http://www.foundingfathers.info/. I got the gifs from their site, and they ask that I place a link to the site on my page in exchange for use of them. Sounded fair to me.

All the best,
Glenn B

PS: I am reminded that today is the 231st anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That is a special number for me, it was my call sign for most of my 4 years as a Border Patrol Agent.

Sorry about the lack of blogging...

...since I have been back from vacation. We got back home on Saturday night, then Sunday was a day full of chores waiting to be done, and Monday was a long day at work catching up. Today will probably be another long day at work, but I am hopeful that later tonight I'll be able to write up something about the road trip, something else on current affairs, and maybe something else in my Ballseye's Firearms Training and tactics series. Working for a living with all of its obligations, as opposed to being a fulltime blogger, makes it difficult to write at times. As much as I like to blog, I do have those other obligations, and I have to keep my priorities straight. Sorry I cannot get it done right now, but I have got to run, duty calls.

All the best,
Glenn B

Home Again...

...the road trip is over, and that is too bad because it was a nice one. We traveled somewhat over 1,000 miles all within in New York, and we got to see and do some really nice things. I don't have the time to fill you in on all of them now, but I will get to that in a later post today as time allows. I will take a little time though to tell you, it went much as I had planned, and we traveled from our home, through the city, up to Saranac Lake where we spent a couple of days. Then we drove onto Geneva, NY. We spent the night there, then off to Niagara Falls, but instead of spending a night there we drove back to Geneva after spending a few hours at the falls. Once back at Geneva, we visited Taughannock Falls State Park. The next day we went to Binghamton, NY. Details will be posted later with some pics. Now I have a lot of chores to catch up on.

All the best,
Glenn B

ROAD TRIP>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>and I was up at about 0530 so we could leave early, but sleeping beauty would not awaken, so I went back to bed. As it is, Brendan awakened at 0730, and we will be out of here within a few minutes. I figure we will hit Saranac lake by about 3:30 at the latest with no traffic, but then again we have to drive through the NY Metro area to get out of here.

All the best,
Glenn B

Little Or No Blogging This Coming Week For Me...

...that is until next weekend. The Road rip takes off tomorrow, and I kind of doubt I will be at many, if any, motels with a computer for me to use. Sorry about that, but I will post about the trip once we get back next weekend.

All the best,
Glenn B

Road Trip Upon Us - Almost Packed...

...for the road trip. I have almost everything in the Corolla's trunk with a lot of room left over in the back seat. If I can get the larger of our two coolers into the trunk, and it is not that large, then the smaller one will come along too but in the back seat. I have about 6 bottles of water in the freezer to use later for our ice. Keeps it neater using bottled water, and when it melts it sure goes down icy cold. If I can find the room, I will put a few more bottles into the freezer overnight.

Right now I am hopeful I remembered anything we might need. The only thing I think we need one or two more of are flashlights. I think I only have one of my mini-maglights, but there are more around to be found in the house somewhere. All our other gear, with the exception of a rifle, is already in the car. That rifle, by the way, will be our Henry Survival rifle as trunk space is a premium and I want it in the trunk out of sight. Hopefully no one steals my car tonight, that would be a bummer; but I sleep lightly, and I will have the dogs and shotgun ready just in case anyone wants to try.

As for the trip route, we will plan it somewhat as we go along, but I have decided on some areas to I would like to visit and to show to Brendan. For starters, and subject to our whims and fancies of any moment, we will head up to Saranac Lake and spend two nights there. From Saranac Lake, we will be close to Ausable Chasm, and the Ausable River and some excellent trout fishing. If we decide to leave, I have some ideas after that, the next stop being Geneva, NY at the north end of Seneca Lake. This would put us nearby to Taughannock Falls State Park, and I would like to visit there to see if Brendan can duplicate his catch of a few years back when he caught a nice Brown Trout there. I am hoping to spend one night in Geneva, then move onto Niagara Falls the following day. Brendan has never had the pleasure of seeing Niagara falls as did his sister some years back. I think he will like it, and we may also take a cruise on the Erie Canal while in the area. Then the next night's stay is yet to be determined, but it has to be on the way back home as this would be Friday night, and we have to be home by late Saturday. We will see where we land on that last night; just the same as on most of the others it will depend upon what we feel like doing and where we feel like going. I guess really not being sure of where we will be going is one of the fun things about a road trip, even if I already have a route planned out. As I said earlier, it could all change based upon our whims and fancies of the moment.

I am figuring that hotels, yes we will probably stay in hotels each night of the trip (I pretty much have ruled out camping), and for the first two nights I have reserved rooms in the Best Western at Saranac lake. For the next night, it will be Motel 6 in Syracuse or Geneva, that is if we go the route I have in mind. Then it will be Holiday Inn (a free night from credit card points, and the last hotel stay I will get for those points in a long time based on how slowly they build up). Then the last night who knows, but something not too expensive. I look at it this way, Motel 6 would be fine again if we can find one on the way back home through NY or PA. I know there is a nice one in Binghamton, and my bet is Brendan would probably like to visit my uncle's old neighbors, and some fishing spots, from when he owned a farm up that way. I have been to some Motel 6's that have been horrendous but now have discovered that if you do not see the ACCOR decal on the door or in the office of the Motel 6, then it is a franchise, and not a corporate run Motel 6. All my bad experiences with Motel 6 have been at franchised ones, not at the ones displaying the ACCOR Motels insignia. I avoid the franchises like the plague. The ACCOR Motel 6's are usually very clean, with small but adequate rooms, a small pool, and free telephones for local calls, and cable TV with HBO. The people working at them are usually very nice. They are priced pretty inexpensively. One other thing I like about them is that they allow pets. Sure other hotels allow pets, at least some of them do, but do they allow these. Motel 6 let me keep this guy in my room after Brendan and I caught him in Arizona near Madera Canyon 4 years ago. It was a Sonoran Gopher Snake, around 5 1/2 feet long (click on the pic for a larger view). Yes Motel 6 does have its good point as far as I am concerned. Besides that, I look at a motel, especially on a trip like this, to be little more than a place to stop and sleep. If clean, safe, dependable, and reasonably priced then I will stop over there if along the way especially since I do not have money to burn on fancy hotels. Yes all I can think about is the washing machine I just bought, the mortgage, the college bills, and such. Yikes, but the road trip goes on, and I will scrimp and save by going to Motel 6.

Well, just a bit more to get packed. Then I have to clean up my animal enclosures. Thank goodness my wife Linda will care for all the critters for 5 days or so. She does not have to do just about anything with the snakes, but does have to feed the tortoises, the turtle, the hamsters, and the mice (5 tanks of mice alone) while we are away. She is a good woman putting up with all of this especially since she does not like any of my choices of pets.

Later for all of you, be back next weekend.

All the best,
Glenn B

No News, No Current Events, No Politics...

...on my mind today; I couldn't focus on any of that with our upcoming road trip so near. I did some shopping at Costco, picked up a 4 foot long folding table at Lowes; and then came home and worked in the garden for a couple or few hours. After that I enjoyed a couple of heffe weisse biers. Then I got to the chore of packing for our upcoming road trip. Of course, Brendan has not been anywhere around the house today - probably with his girlfriend, but it sure would be nice if he had packed. I guess he will be busy packing tomorrow after work. Well I have all my clothes packed, and I think I have all the fishing gear we need. Now to pick a rifle of two to bring along.

I don't have any hotel reservations yet, and only one sleeping bag, so I don't know if we will be camping out or sleeping in beds in some motel. I guess it depends on where we point the Corolla when we drive away from the house. I almost cannot wait. Five days, maybe 6, on the road and having fun.

As for the rest of the night, well I guess supper is overdue, so I am about to eat. I just made myself a sardine sandwich on super heavy multigrain bread, and I slathered it with horseradish mustard. That should go good with one more heffe weisse bier. Then off to slumberland, so I can get up early tomorrow to finish my chores and our packing.

All the best,
Glenn B

Worrying About A Stranger...

...is not something I do regularly, but I have been a bit worried lately. As you may remember, I signed up with Soldiers' Angels awhile back. That meant I got assigned to a particular soldier in the U.S. Military for, I think, the next year. In that year it will be my responsibility to write to him at least once a week (or was that monthly?), and to send a care package now and again. Since being assigned to a soldier (mine is in Afghanistan) we have written to each other a few times. he is stationed in a Forward Operations Base (FOB), and I imagine he sees some action now and again quite often. I mailed out a care package to him earlier this week, or late last week (my memory is shot), and I also emailed him again. he has not replied to my email, and that actually has me worried. Can you imagine being pretty worried about someone you have never met, and probably will never meet; it is a fairly unique feeling. This is not like hearing about someone on the new, and then being concerned, this is more like being worried for a member of your family. Maybe not quite as strong as if he were an immediate family member, but certainly stronger, much stronger, than someone you hear about on the news. I guess this is because there has been that communication between the both of us already, and because we have been attached through the Soldiers' Angels Program as a sort of a team. I just hope he is okay, and that he stays that way. I guess I wish him to be home soon and safe, but until then that he do his job with bravery and honor.

All the best,
Glenn B

Visitor 5,000 - Thank You...

...and thanks to everyone else who has stopped by for a visit. I guess I don't get those mega individual page view hit numbers that other sites have, but I do seem to generate at least a little interest (it took almost a year to get this many page views, I think 10 months). Oh well, its fun, and if you read it, I'll keep writing more of it.

I had two other views of note lately: #4,080 was done by some at the NRA, and another recent view was from Toyota.

The info on number 5,000 is below, just in case it was you (whomever you maybe).

Ballseyes BoomersBy Details > Visit DetailVisit 5,000


[<<] [>>]
Domain Name

(Unknown)
IP Address

72.14.193.# (Google)
ISP

Google
Location

Continent
:
North America
Country
:
United States (Facts)
State
:
California
City
:
Mountain View
Lat/Long
:
37.4192, -122.0574 (Map)
Language

English (U.S.)en-us
Operating System

Microsoft WinXP
Browser

Internet Explorer 6.0Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1)
Javascript

version 1.3
Monitor

Resolution
:
800 x 600
Color Depth
:
24 bits
Time of Visit

Jun 22 2007 10:09:56 am
Last Page View

Jun 22 2007 10:09:56 am
Visit Length

0 seconds
Page Views

1
Referring URL


Visit Entry Page

http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/
Visit Exit Page

http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/
Out Click


Time Zone

UTC-8:00
Visitor's Time

Jun 22 2007 7:09:56 am
Visit Number

5,000

Now if only I could figure out how to promote this blog well enough to get 50,000 individual page views in the next year.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Firearms Training And Tactiics 3 - Acquiring Your First Firearm

You have decided to take up shooting, and you already have learned the firearms safety rules, and you have learned some firearms nomenclature, and you have signed up to receive instruction from a person who has been certified as a firearms instructor. Good for you, you have gotten started.

There is now a decision to be made about which type of gun to buy yourself. If you are lucky, your instructor will supply the firearms with which you will learn to shoot, and he/she will have a good selection on hand for you to try out. Maybe you are already done with the training and ready to buy a gun for yourself. Maybe you have not yet started the training and need a gun to get through it. Whatever the situation, if you want to get your first gun I have some suggestions to help you out. Note I said gun as opposed to gun(s). Sure you can bring multiple guns right away. You can go for lessons in which an instructor wants to teach you how to shoot them all in the same class, or if done with your classes you can you can go all out and buy a as many as you can afford, but that is not what I think works best. So what do I recommend? I recommend getting that first gun, keeping it simple at first, and after you become somewhat proficient with that one type of firearm you learn how to shoot others. In other words go to take a class on pistol shooting, or revolver shooting, or rifle shooting, or shotgun shooting, but not a class on all aspects, at least not for your initial training. Or if done with your classes get yourself one type of firearm and make yourself proficient with it before moving on. Keeping it simpler at first will make it easier throughout the learning process even as the process becomes more complicated; and note the learning process with firearms is an ongoing one, it does not end after your initial familiarization classes.

Starting with one gun will not only keep the learning process simpler, it will also keep your selection of firearm for the class simpler; or will keep it simpler for you to become more proficient after the initial class has ended. It also will be much less expensive at first, meaning the price of additional firearms can be stretched out over a longer time period, and that you will have more money for range time and ammunition purchases.

Now, if you go this route, you need to decide which type of shooting you want to learn first in order to determine which type of firearm you need to buy. It would be good to ask your instructor for some recommendations, not so much as to brand, but as to the type and the specifications within that type that he/she suggests to accomplish the type of shooting you will be doing. In other words, if you are going to learn how to shoot primarily for self defense while legally carrying a concealed firearm (always do anything with firearms legally), then you will want to learn how to shoot a handgun. If instead you want to learn how to shoot because you plan to start duck hunting, or clay pigeon shooting you would want to learn how to shoot a shotgun. Likewise if you were going to learn how to shoot to be able to go out on your first elk hunt, you would likely want to learn to shoot a rifle. Once you have figured what general type of firearm you need from among the rifles, shotguns, handguns, you will then want to figure out which more specific type of firearm you want to buy.

The breakdown from 'General Type of Firearm' to more 'Specific Type of Firearm' (of those commercially available) goes something like this:

Rifle

Shotgun

Handgun.

Now taking rifles as an example, there are more things to consider.

Rifle Sub-divisions: Among the rifles the next choices are: muzzle loader or breech loader. Muzzle loaders being akin to rifles used by the pioneers. These are broken down generally into percussion or flintlock. If you go more modern, which would be my suggestion, then your set of choices would be modern rifles that shoot either centerfire or rimfire cartridges. This would then be followed by action type, such as: bolt action, semi-automatic, or lever action. Then you would decide on the caliber you would want to shoot, one that would be suitable for the purpose at hand. These are fairly general distinctions about which anyone who is an instructor can give you reasonable information; and you can get many more opinions at the range and out of gun magazines and forums. Still though, you should make up your mind based upon the recommendations you receive, don’t let someone else pick for you.

After you have something general in mind, then comes the fun part of actually selecting a firearm based upon things like: brand name, reliability, how it feels in your hands, of what the stock is made, the type of finish used for the gun (stainless steel, blued steel, Parkerized{a black military style finish that is supposedly more rugged than bluing}, and so forth), how much ammunition it holds, whether or not it is legal in your area, and unless you are much better off than me financially there is always price to consider.

Shotguns: The above also goes for Shotguns, which come in the same basic action varieties as do rifles; but there are also double barreled shotguns that come with side by side and over/under barrels.

As for handguns, there basically are revolvers and pistols. Revolvers are all, as far as I am aware, multiple shot handguns, having a cylinder that holds from about 5 to 10 cartridges in individual chambers. The cylinder revolves bringing a fresh cartridge in its chamber in line with the barrel for each new shot. Commercially available pistols, in general, come in various actions from single shot, to bolt action, to semi-automatic. Those that are repeaters are usually box magazine fed, the bullets get loaded into the magazine, and the act of firing the pistol results in a fresh round being entered into the pistol’s single chamber, which is at the back end or breech end of the barrel, ready for the next shot. You usually can also load a pistol with a single shot directly into the magazine, and this is one of the reasons IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO PROPERLY MAKE SURE A GUN IS LOADED OR NOT WHEN YOU HANDLE IT.

My recommendation is to keep the first gun simple, no matter what basic type you pick from among the rifles, shotguns and handguns. I also strongly recommend you buy as high a quality firearm as you can afford. Bear in mind that buying quality does not necessarily mean you have to buy a firearm with every option that is known to mankind. Just buy pretty much a basic model of the one you have decided upon. I will say though that one decent option some recommend is an adjustable sight. With a rifle these sights are a must, with a shotgun it depends on the type of shooting being done, and with handguns, at distances out to 15 yards, it should not matter much one way or the other for your first gun. I do not recommend telescopic sights on a beginner's firearm. Get to shoot it well with iron sights, then proceed to optical glass sights, it will just get you to be a better shooter overall.

Once you have decided which gun to buy, buy the gun from a local reputable dealer. I say to do this from a local dealer because that way you can check out the gun before you buy it, whereas if you buy from an online dealer, you only see the gun after you have bought it. I also say, go to a reputable dealer, this so you do not get hosed. Check around and compare prices for the same exact gun. Then check out the gun itself. Does it feel good in your hands, does it appear to be blemish free, does it operate properly, is it easy to take down for cleaning, and so on. Have the dealer demonstrate all of this to you, and handle it yourself (presuming you have already learned firearms safety and how to properly handle a gun). You may want to ask someone who is more knowledgeable about guns to accompany you to the gun store, you might even ask your instructor. Then once purchased, take it to the range as soon as possible after purchase and test fire it; if you have not yet learned how to shoot, wait to do this with your instructor. Some gun stores have their own ranges where you can shoot used models, or loaner guns they have in stock. If you are buying a new model they have in stock, see if they also have a loaner you can shoot first, to see if you like how it handles, before buying the new one – this of course presuming you already have learned to shoot somewhat or have your instructor with you.

You may be getting the picture that should you go to a firearms shooting class, you will want to be able to go to a basic class where the guns will be supplied by the instructor, then after you learn how to shoot somewhat well, you buy your own. This is my recommendation as I find that buying one first, then learning how to shoot, is often a mistake. Learn how to handle and shoot safely, then go out and make your decision on which specific gun to buy, it is better to buy while somewhat knowledgeable.

I don’t think that I mentioned yet whether or not to buy a new gun or a used one. Used firearms are often great deals, but also can be big headaches if they were not well maintained. Sometimes it is easy to tell if they are in good shape, other times it is not so easy. A new gun is less likely to be a headache, at least in my experience. New guns usually come with warranties, and manufacturers almost always have parts in stock for currently available new guns, and you are just about assured that the new gun you are buying will handle modern day ammunition pressures whereas some old guns cannot handle modern ammunition. Yes I strongly recommend a new gun for your first purchase.

Of course, if someone like dad, granddad, or uncle Ernie, is giving you an old and well maintained gun for your first one, be very happy, and use that one. Sometimes shooting doesn’t get much better than learning how to shoot with a gun that has been passed down through the family (but remember make sure the gun is safe and fully functional before shooting it). My daughter and my son both learned to shoot using my guns, and there are not many things better at making me feel as if I did something really good for, and with, my children than passing along the knowledge of how to exercise their right to keep and bear arms.

In a future rant, I will probably give much more specific info on acquiring a gun, and how to choose different types, and how to check out used guns, but for now I am keeping it simple for the beginner. Of course the beginner may have some questions, and that is one way to use the comments section of this blog. Until next time, enjoy safe shooting.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Firearms Training and Tactics 2 - Learning To Shoot…

…can be undertaken for a number of reasons. You may want to learn how to shoot for self defense, for competition, for hunting, as required by your job, or just for fun. Whatever the reason, learning to shoot can usually be lots of fun; but you do need to think safety (see my first rant in this series), and you do need someone else to teach you how to safely handle and shoot firearms. Sure you can try to teach yourself, but that would be like a defendant in court who defends himself, he has a fool for a client.

I recommend that you arrange for someone to teach you who is not only knowledgeable in firearms safety, and how to shoot, but who has been in some manner certified or otherwise qualified to be a firearms instructor. The National Rifle Association (NRA) offers courses in firearms training through its network of NRA certified instructors. If you choose one of them to train you, shop around as I found that prices for such training can vary markedly. I imagine there are other organizations who certify firearms instructors to whom you could also go to seek out a person to train you.

Some of the reasons you want a certified instructor to train you is because they do this professionally, because they know or should know what needs to be taught to you, and they have been trained in how to train. In other words they are a whole lot more likely than the average Joe Shooter to train you properly without leaving something out, and without teaching you bad habits. Of course I am not saying that the average Joe Shooter could not sufficiently train you, but yes I am saying that proper firearms training is more likely to come from someone who has been taught by a professional as to how to train others.

Whoever trains you should begin with firearms safety and nomenclature. For example if they tell you to keep your finger off of the trigger until you are ready to shoot, they should also be telling you what is a trigger. A good instructor does not assume that you know these things, or that common sense dictates anything about firearms and their use to you. In order to learn about firearms properly and safely, you need to be taught about them from step one, by a competent trainer, it is that simple.

As a student you need to resign yourself to the fact that the instructor probably knows more than do you, and this is often true even if you are an advanced shooter. You have to allow yourself to be taught. Do not enter a training situation with a hostile attitude toward the instructor, or with an attitude that you already know it all. This would be quite counterproductive and could wind up in loss of a life. Instead, go into the classroom with an open mind. Expect to learn new things or to get a refresher on things. If you are a new shooter, you will of course learn new things, but an old time shooter also needs to go into the classroom with an open mind. As you receive instruction, ask questions if there are things about which you are uncertain. Participate in the learning experience as much as practical. Make sure that you are satisfied that you understand what is being discussed or exhibited before you move on. Remember you are learning about something, that if done properly can be lots of fun, but if done improperly can result in needless injury or loss of life. While it can be fun, it is also deadly serious business.

While in the classroom pay attention not only to the instructor, but to the questions posed by other students. Make sure to attend all of the classes, always paying attention while in the classroom or at the range (which in fact could be the classroom so to speak). Study at home whatever handouts you are given in the classroom. If you already have one, don’t take out your firearm at home and start practicing anything you learned in the classroom until you have fully completed the classroom. Remember too, some things are never practical or safe to do at home with firearms.

When you take whatever written and practical shooting tests that you will be required to pass, always follow the instructions given to you by the person in charge of the class; and make sure you pay full attention to them before proceeding with anything, especially before handling a firearm. Don’t cheat on written tests, it really only goes to make you less proficient, and more unsafe, with firearms.

While handling a firearm in the classroom, or while on the range, never anticipate the commands of your firearms instructor. There are a couple of very important things to understand about the previous sentence. Yes the firearms instructor is in charge of the range and the people on the range. His instructions are to be taken as commands, and unless you want to be booted off of the range, you had better obey them. While you need to obey those commands, no you should never anticipate those commands. No matter how many times you go to the range for instruction, no matter how many times you have heard a command like “Ready on the left, ready on the right, commence firing” never anticipate something like that and start to shoot ahead of the actual command to do so. It could just be that the instructor says: Ready on the right, ready on the left, commence – CEASE FIRE” because he suddenly became aware of an unsafe condition.

Keep in mind that if the command CEASE FIRE is ever given, by anyone at the range, you stop firing and stop immediately. I will not, in this rant, go into more particulars about that in which you will be instructed because that will be up to your instructor, and because I need material for other future blogs.

As a new shooter, expect a class of at least three days in length, at least a few hours per day, before being qualified as a shooter who can go out on your own to shoot at a range or in the field. Some instructors may do this in one day, others in a week. Three days would be a good rule of thumb to cover the essential basics. After you might want to take more advanced training, or you may just want to shoot on your own. I recommend lots of practice in what you were taught by your instructor before you move onto a more advanced type of shooting. Spending one day a week at the range is a good goal to set, especially for newer shooters, but you may be able to maintain proficiency by practicing once a month, especially if you are an experienced shooter.

As to the type of gun with which you, as an adult, should learn to shoot, I recommend a firearm in just about any caliber you want, and for which your instructor is or has been certified with the exception of the really big calibers. Learning pistol or revolver shooting can be done with anything from a .22LR caliber up to a .45, but I would recommend a 9MM pistol, or .38 Special caliber revolver, each with at least a 3.5 to 6 inch barrel. I say this because of the less expense of shooting these, the availability of guns and ammo, the fairly easy recoil experienced by the shooter (enough to respect but not to fear), and the decent sight radius of guns with those barrel lengths. As for a rifle, you can learn to shoot with just about any caliber, but again recoil is a factor. Get one in something that is considered medium recoil when you first learn to shoot. Shotguns, relatively speaking, are much like rifles in the recoil regard, but you can use reduced recoil loads if you decide to get a larger gauged shotgun.

Of course, you can do all the same (except the shotgun stuff) with a .gun chambered in 22LR except for experiencing a decent amount of recoil; and guns chambered in .22LR are often relatively inexpensive, and the ammo is often very inexpensive. These are good guns for adults to use as first guns when shooting. Rifles, revolvers, and pistols in .22LR are great starter firearms for children. I would recommend a Bolt Action Rifle repeater (with box or tube magazine), chambered in .22LR, to start off any child in the world of shooting. This way when starting out you can use it as a single shot, and advance with the same rifle to using it as a repeater. Make sure the rifle fits the child, youth models are often available. I guess I should note that children 9on average in my opinion) as young as about 8 or 9 can be safely taught to handle and shoot firearms, but they require an added safety rule: NEVER HANDLE A FIREARM UNLESS MOM OR DAD OR YOUR FIREARMS INSTRUCTOR GIVES IT TO YOU TO HANDLE. Children shooters require competent adult supervision at all times.

There is plenty more to learn, but I leave it to your instructor to teach you in the real world, and to my future blogs to explain such in the virtual world. Of course, if you have questions, leave them in the comments section, and if I can answer them, I will do so.

Always follow the safety rules, and you will probably have years of fun shooting.

All the best,
Glenn B
aka: Ballseye

Summer - Heck That Means A Road Trip...

...is upon us, or at least the time to take one certainly is upon us. Brendan's last day of school was yesterday, I have vacation that starts on Saturday, and we hit the road on Monday (or maybe Sunday afternoon, after he gets out of work). I sort of figured that this year, instead of doing something far away and over the hills, we might just keep it local sort of, and visit upstate New York. Of course, this will require driving pretty far away, and over lots of hills, but you get my drift.

New York State has a lot to offer in the scenery department, and it has a lot to offer the outdoorsman. Along those lines, if we actually decide on upstate NY as our road trip for this year, we will probably go hiking, herping (looking for things like snakes, turtles, frogs and salamanders), fishing, swimming, canoeing, and so on. There will also be lots of other things to do, and we may go sight seeing at places like Fort Ticondaroga, Ausable Chasm on the Ausable River (and we will fish there too if we visit it - can you say nice trout), Brewery Ommegang (if we get over that way, near Cooperstown you can bet this will be one of my stops), Howe Caverns, and whatever. We only have 5 or 6 days to enjoy, and we will probably cram in as much as we can. Then you never know, we may just find one place that is paradise for this trip and stay there. One of the great things about a road trip is the spontaneity with regard to places you visit, and things you do.

I will start getting ready tomorrow night. I have a list all prepared of the things we will need. A car that is fueled up, cash and credit cards top the list. Maps are optional; I mean heck this is a follow you nose kind of a trip, so who needs maps! After those I figure I'll bring along some things like:

5 days worth of clothes
Raingear
Fishing Gear (poles, reels, full tackle box, minnow traps, minnow bucket, aerator, nets)
Fishing licenses
Ice Chest
First Aid Kit
Flashlights
Tent
Sleeping Bags
foam ground mats
Lantern
A couple of rifles (so we can have a blast if we get bored)
Ka-Bar Knives
Handgun (I like to have protection)
Pepper Spray (so we taste better if a bear eats us)
Maybe a live catch animal trap (for nature study purposes only, so we can see what was eating our food, and keeping us up all night, if we camp out)

Well, you get the idea, we are off to have out of doors fun. I only hope all this junk fits in the Corolla so I don't have to take the Taurus.

If we do head upstate instead of to some other state, I figure we will try to make it to Lake George or a bit north of there on our first day. That will get us close to a lot of places to which I'd like to take Brendan. Then again he may have some other ideas. We will see what happens once we put the car in gear.

I guess a road trip kind of precludes a lot of blogging, if any, being dome by me while we are away. If we stay in any hotels with a computer that has Internet access, I will try to bring you up to date, if not, well then I guess I'll blog about it on our return home Friday or Saturday next week. I'll still be blogging up until the day we depart though, which will likely be Sunday or Monday.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Deg Days of Summer...

...no that was not a misspelling, we call them the degs. From your left to right they are Sprocket (our very old lady), Hexi (as can be seen needing a leash to stay in place otherwise she is off like the wind to the neighbor's yard), and Pepe (not named for anything Mexican despite being a Chihuahua, he was actually named after one of my wife's favorite cartoon characters - Pepe Le Peu).

I just took this picture out in the yard, when by some quirk of fate, I was able to get them all to sit relatively close to one another, and likewise get them to face the camera at the same time. Being that it is the first day of summer, I figured I would dedicate it to the degs, since summer is the time of those good old dog days. Hmm, wonder if the powers of the Summer Solstice had anything to do with getting them to sort of cooperate for this shot?

Whatever, I may just have to see if I can get them used to this sort of a thing, maybe I can get some rally nice pics of them together in the near future. my wife would love that, as she loves these 3 stooges quite dearly despite the fact that they cause as much trouble as the 3 stooges every now and then. Then again the whole family loves them, they are adorable as far as we are concerned.

All the best, and happy Midsummer,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Firearms Training And Tactics 1 - Firearms Safety

Oh where to begin on such a subject without sounding like a kindergarten teacher. Well at the risk of sounding like just that, I will start where anyone who teaches about firearms should start, and that is on safety.

Many folks out there who teach others how to shoot, will tell you there are what they call "The 4 Rules". They will try to convince you, and probably will convince you if you are a newcomer to the world of firearms, that these 4 rules are the bedrock of firearms safety. They may tell you how Colonel Jeff Cooper wrote them up in one of his books. Then they will tell you all about Colonel Cooper. Then they also may tell you these 4 rules are all you need to be concerned with concerning firearms safety. If they tell you that these rules are all you need be concerned with, or are primarily all you need to be concerned with, then they are, in my opinion, absolutely wrong! There are quite a few more cardinal rules of firearms safety to which you need to adhere devoutly.

Now before any of you firearms aficionados, and lovers of the recently deceased Colonel Jeff Cooper, get all bent out of shape thinking that I am debasing your idol or hero; or that I am not qualified to speak about firearms safety, allow me to give you some of my background relative the subject. I have been shooting since I was about 9 years old. I learned the rules of firearms safety way back then, which would be about 42 years ago. There were quite a few more rules being taught back then than now. In 1979, I entered the federal service as a U.S. Border Patrol Agent. I have also been employed as a Customs Patrol officer, Customs Investigator, Customs Special Agent, and am currently an ICE Agent. I have done temporary duties with the U.S. Secret Service, and with the Federal Air Marshals (this right after 9/11). I have been in armed, and other life threatening, encounters at work. Thankfully not where anyone has shot at me, but I have been whacked with quite a few hard objects, and had one guy try to slice and dice me; and I had one guy take a small chunk out of my arm by biting me after he tried to grab my own revolver to shoot me. (Hmm, I guess there was one time at work then when someone did try to point a gun at me, but was not successful.) As part of my collateral duties I was assigned as a firearms instructor for about 14 years. I was also assigned as a Confrontational Safety Awareness Instructor (hand to hand defensive maneuvers, and how to avoid confrontation if possible) for several years; and was assigned as a Chemical Spray Instructor for several years. As to firearms, I instructed other agents in how to shoot: revolvers, pistols, shotguns, rifles, and sub-machineguns.

I do not instruct any loner, and have not done so for about 5 years now because I apparently pissed off a boss and they removed me from the job I liked best. It had nothing to do with anything I had done at the range or in my duties as a firearms instructor as far as I am aware, and was more likely to do with my big mouth in the office. I often tell bosses what they do not like to hear, which is the truth about how things are being done at work. When it sucks, I let them know in no uncertain terms. I can only imagine this is why I was told not to report to the range any longer, because it happened right after a conflict with one of my bosses under the newly formed agency known as ICE, and there was plenty about which I was remarking at the time, therefore there were a few bosses pissed off at me. They still refuse to give me a reason for all this, and I have stopped asking. Just wanted to get that out of the way.

Despite no longer giving instruction on my job, I still train relentlessly with firearms. I also teach my son how t shoot rifle and shotgun. Last year he went on his first ever big game hunt. We went to Maine on a semi guided bear hunt. When the guide had everyone in camp shoot at a target to make sure they knew what they were doing, Brendan (my son) shot right through the center of the bulls eye. He was the youngest hunter in the group. I could see that the guide thought it was a fluke and he asked him to shoot at the target again. Right after the 2nd shot, the guides dad sounded off with two words: "he's ready". Brendan had another shot that had touched the first. He got a bear on that hunt, shot it exactly in the kill zone, right through the heart. In addition to a successful hunt, let me tell you he handled the firearm safely at all times. This was commented upon to me by the guides more than once, and I can assure you had he been unsafe, the hunt of a lifetime would have ended immediately. I am a stickler for safety with guns. As you will learn, I have made my own mistakes with them, and you can bet I have learned from them.

I digress. Okay, back on subject a little more directly.

Firearms safety is the responsibility of almost anyone who picks up a firearm, who stores a firearm, who displays a firearm, or who simply owns a firearm. Note I said almost anyone. If a toddler picks up a firearm, well then firearms safety is not his/her responsibility is it. Yet someone is responsible for safety with said firearm, and is responsible for allowing the baby to get hold of it. Think about it.

Whenever you handle, store, display a firearm, or firearms, there are certain safety rules to follow in order to help assure that no one is These rules have been around for many, many years. They are not difficult to learn, and they are not that numerous that you cannot learn them all relatively quickly. You will see there are quite a few more than 4 of them; and with all due respect to the departed Colonel Cooper, how anyone could have reduced them to 4 seems irresponsible to me.

Here are the rules that I believe we must follow each time we are involved with firearms:

1. Learn the rules of firearms safety before handling any firearm or ammunition. Think firearms safety, whenever around firearms, it could save a life.

2. Get proper training about the particular firearm, that you are about to handle, before you handle it. (That means before you touch a firearm in any way shape or form. Such could just be a briefing from the person handing it to you, or such could be reading the manual that comes with a new gun.) Funny how often people leave out this rule, but it is not funny when you are at the range and see a guy who is totally flummoxed on how to operate the firearms he is handling, and then violates some of the other rules while trying to figure it out. Having such a person point a gun at you is a sobering experience. Think firearms safety, whenever around firearms, it could save a life..

3. Each time you handle a weapon, treat it as if it were loaded.

If you are about to do anything but shoot from the draw out of a holster, then check to see if it is loaded or not before you do anything else (hopefully if you are in a shooting from the draw situation you have checked to make sure it was indeed loaded before getting to that point of shooting it). This means even if you already checked, know it is unloaded, and you put it down - even for only a second or two - when you pick it back up you must treat it as if loaded and check again to see if it is loaded or not. In fact you always treat a gun as a loaded weapon in any shooting, showing, handling situation except in certain circumstances such as cleaning it, but even then, each time you handle it, you handle it as if it were loaded and check to make sure if it is or not. When you check the firearm, remove the ammunition - this includes any in a magazine, the cylinder, or in the chamber. Then look and feel to make sure it is empty, do this at least twice. Think firearms safety, whenever around firearms, it could save a life..

4. Always point a firearm in the relatively safest direction - and this applies whether it is loaded or not. (I am sure you have heard the excuse, after someone got shot, that the shooter did not know the gun was loaded. Well the accidental shooter just violated rule number 1 and rule number 2; and as you will see, likely rule number 3 too.) Remember too that a safe direction is not always up, or down, or to the right or to the left, or straight ahead. A safe direction depends upon the circumstances in which you find yourself, and some directions may be relatively safer than others in this regard, use the direction you think is safest. Point the firearm in the safest direction of which you can think. Of course there can be exceptions, such as if checking for a barrel obstruction and you have to look down the barrel, but then make sure to follow rules 1, 2 and 4, and even follow this rule until you actually have to look and only do so in a safe place, don't start doing this by turning the gun around with other people in the potential line of fire. Think firearms safety, whenever around firearms, it could save a life..

5. Always keep your finger off of the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Most guns, in good working order, will not go off unless you squeeze the trigger; some guns in good working order can though, and others with malfunctioning parts can too, so again you see the importance of rules 1 & 2 above. Again, there are exceptions since some guns require you to squeeze the trigger to make them safe or disassemble them (like many Glocks), but then again follow the other safety rules. Carry out this rule concurrently with rule 3 and 2.

For example, you are at a range, you finished shooting, and you have unloaded your gun. You place it on the bench pointed downrange. You get your gun case. You pick up the weapon and point it not downrange but to the right to get it into your gun case. As you do so, you fiddle with the safety, the gun goes bang and shoots the guy next to you. You unloaded the gun, you did not have your finger on the trigger, you were putting it away. What did you do wrong? First of all, you forgot to remove the bullet in the chamber when you thought you unloaded it by removing the magazine full of bullets. This happens, even to well experienced shooters, call it a brain fart - one that can be deadly. Then you laid it down and picked it up again without checking again to see if it was loaded; and it was indeed loaded. Then you pointed it in an unsafe direction while handling and operating it (even if only operating the safety). Then it went bang. Now you are in jail, and someone is dead. Don't think this could happen, just inquire about certain Remington bolt action firearms, because other people swear this is just about what happened to them. Think firearms safety, whenever around firearms, it could save a life.

6. Make sure that any firearm you are handling is in proper working order before attempting to shoot it. Common sense, you can bet it is not because people assume too much. When going to the range it is always a good idea to make sure the barrel is unobstructed before shooting it. Of course this sometimes requires looking down the barrel, so you had better make sure that you have checked and double checked to see that the gun was unloaded before doing so. Think firearms safety, whenever around firearms, it could save a life.

7. Always use the correct ammunition for the firearms you are shooting. Again, this sounds like common sense, but it is a confusing subject to the new comer what with all the calibers out there. Most guns are marked with what caliber they shoot, but if in doubt ask the manufacturer if possible, otherwise ask a competent gunsmith. Think firearms safety, whenever around firearms, it could save a life.

8. Never mix alcohol or illicit mind altering drugs with firearms; and make sure that prescription drugs do not affect you to the point where you cannot safely handle a firearm. Is this common sense, it should be, but you might be surprised just how many people have a few drinks, or smoke just one, while or before they shoot. Think firearms safety, whenever around firearms, it could save a life.

9. Always be sure of your target and what is beyond. Some may wonder why it took me so long to get to this rule. Well if you are out shooting, and you have not already followed the other rules, chances are you are wounded or dead by now, or that you have wounded or killed someone else.

For example, you are out target shooting, you find a nice hill, and you place your targets along the bottom of the hill, using the hill as a back stop. Not bad, but did you ever check to see what was on the other side of the hill. People often shoot over backstops either because of poor shooting habits, or because of ricochets. Another example is you are out hunting, you see a deer, It walks behind a bush, but then its head emerges. You know your deer, and you can easily figure where its body is located behind the bush. You decide to shoot. The shot misses, passes through the bush and hits the other hunter who was 50 yards away behind the bush and obstructed from your view. Think firearms safety, whenever around firearms, it could save a life.

10. Wear eye and ear protection while shooting or observing someone shoot. Again you would think this is common sense, but I can assure you such is not the case. All too many folks hear a constant ringing in their ears because of gun shot noise. Think firearms safety, whenever around firearms, it could save a life.

11. Always keep your gun unloaded when not in use. In other words when put into storage, even if only for the short term. This is a good idea just in case you screw up on rule number 2 the next time you handle it. Think firearms safety, whenever around firearms, it could save a life.

12. Always store guns and ammunition securely. This can mean either locked away in a safe, or a gun cabinet. It can also mean out in plain view but with a secure trigger or action lock in place. It is best to store ammunition away from firearms. Keep storage as safe as practical, but make sure it is safe. You don't need non-informed persons picking up your own gun and shooting you, or themselves, with it. It also keeps the kiddies safe. Think firearms safety, whenever around firearms, it could save a life.

13. Make absolutely certain that anyone else with whom you shoot, or to whom you allow access to a firearms, observes these rules. Think firearms safety, whenever around firearms, it could save a life.

14. Think firearms safety, whenever around firearms, it could save a life. This phrase appears 13 times above. The word ‘think’ appears about 20 times. There really is a good reason I repeated them so many times: The life I save by teaching you to be safe, and to think about firearms safety, may be my own. Think about that regarding your own life, or that of your spouse, your children, your friends, and the stranger next to you at the range - he could be me.

You may want to abide by 4 rules (which are in essence included in the above 14 rules) thinking they are enough, but if you really want to make sure you shoot safely, my advice would be to follow the other rules too. It would take all of about 5 minutes to explain 4 rules to someone, and all of about 15 or 20 minutes to explain the above to someone. Really think about it, and ask yourself: "Would it be worth taking that little extra time, and effort, to make sure the person handling the firearms knows how to do it safer than by just the 4 rules? I think the answer is a no brainer; and I am often surprised at just how many folks disagree with me. You have to decide for yourself. Safe shooting, handling, gunsmithing, collecting - or whatever is our responsibility.

All the best,

Glenn B