Saturday, January 26, 2013

A Wise Man and A Buffoon Discuss The NY SAFE Act

It is a 15 minute video but if you are at all interested in the latest violation of New Yorkers' right to keep and bear arms,watch this video. Then guess which one I think is the wise man and which the buffoon. Bear in mind, although I fully support the RKBA, I imagine that I would still think of both of them the same as I do now even had they been talking about the weather instead of the NY SAFE Act. I mean it is just so obvious as to which term fits which man - isn't it!


 
Politicians never cease to amaze me especially when it comes to how willing some of them are to totally disregard our natural and Constitutional rights. Hat tip to Richie M for this one.

All the best
Glenn B

Friday, January 25, 2013

The Second Amendment Foundation

I stopped over at the Wandering Minstrel's blog tonight and am happy I did so. Bob put up a brief but excellent post suggesting that now is the time to donate to The Second Amendment Foundation. He explained that as opposed to the mostly lobbying that is done by the NRA, the SAF files and supports lawsuits on the behalf of gun owners, and thus on behalf of all of us, concerning our right to keep and bear arms and our liberty to exercise that right. I have heard about the Second Amendment Foundation before and would have sworn I had joined or sent them a donation but could find nothing to that effect in my saved emails or my receipt files.

So tonight, I signed up for a 5 year membership with them. I figure it is money well spent. I will also donate to them over time, probably starting next week when I get my next pension payment. One thing Bob pointed out, about donations to the SAF, is that said donations are tax deductible. I can see myself donating a good amount of dollars to them, over the course of the next year, if that is correct; I hope so.

All the best,
Glenn B

Gun Control Thoughts

So tell me - in NY State (with the SAFE Act) and on the national level (with Obummer’s executive orders) if I do absolutely nothing, it means I will become a felon! Absolutely friggin amazing that our law makers have let no crisis go unexploited and by twisting around blame have blamed inanimate objects and law abiding citizens for the latest tragedy.

I wonder why, as with magazine capacity, they have not limited automobiles to only be allowed to travel as fast as the highest speed limit - think how many lives that would save. Cars kill more people by far than do guns, in this country, every day. Yet, we can buy cars that go over twice as fast as the highest speed limit within the USA, maybe even faster. You see, that is because it is not the car but the one driving it who is to blame when the driver runs down and injures or kills someone. The blame game according to politicians and leftists: With cars, the driver is to blame, with guns it is not just the shooter to blame but the gun makers, the ammo makers, the gun stores, the gun shows, the Internet, the movie makers, the video game makers, Republicans, Conservatives, Libertarians, every law abiding gun owner in the United States of America and probably their parents too. Oh did I forget the Founding Fathers and the framers of the Bill of Rights; heck I bet they would even blame God if they believed in one! All so very understandable, to all, when it comes to cars but somehow not with firearms, that it is the criminals to blame. 


As for justice: Run someone down and kill them, get a few to several years in jail and then you will be set free to do it again. Shoot someone down and kill them, go to jail for a few to several years so you will be free to do it again. Whoops, you caught me, you saw it didn't you. While you can commit a felony and go to jail for it, when you get out of prison, you certainly can legally own a car again but commit any felony and even some misdemeanors and you are forbidden to legally own a firearm again. The politicians figured it all out so well as to how to prevent violence committed with firearms haven't they! So, how could someone possibly ever shoot anyone again after having been convicted of a felony. Oh those politicians and their silly laws, don't they see that getting rid of guns is the only answer - getting rid of cars too. For that matter, getting rid of cars would save many more lives than getting rid of guns. Then again, getting serious again, executing the killers would solve everything with regard to recidivism for vehicular or firearms related criminal homicides. The death penalty might even make some folks think twice before speeding, drunk driving or shooting someone.

Of course, if you are looking at prevention in the first place, why not immediately revoke the driving privileges of anyone caught driving recklessly, or using firearms in like manner, and why not institutionalize the psychos, why not immediately jail for 25 years (as an add on to any other jail sentence) anyone who commits a crime with a firearm or other weapon (any weapon, including a car). Probably makes way too much sense to work in these Bizarro States of Amerika. Instead, our politicians have decided to punish the law abiding firearms owners of this once great nation and to demonize an inanimate object that needs a hand to point it and a finger to pull the trigger.


All the best,
Glenn B

Monday, January 21, 2013

The Less Than One Percent Supporting The Right To Keep And Bear Arms

It is said that only three percent of the population of the 13 British colonies (that became the United States of America) actually fought in the revolution to overthrow English rule. On this past Saturday, by my estimation, only 1 percent of the membership of Long Island Firearms showed up to protest the evidently unconstitutional gun control law passed by the NY legislature and signed into law by governor Cuomo earlier in the week. There are over 6,000 members of Long Island Firearms, an organization that has dedicated itself to protection of our right to keep and bear arms on the local level. That only 57 signed up for the bus trip there and maybe a few handfuls more drove up on their own is absolutely shameful as far as I can see. Yet, that may have been better than the percentage of overall gun owners, in NY State, who showed up. It appears less than one percent of all gun owners in NY State participated in the rally and protest; the crowd maybe reached 2,000 at most.

I guess, like too many others in our nation, the firearms owners who did not attend can give as many excuses as there are days in a month about why they did not participate. Perhaps they can also come up with as many reasons as to why they seemingly, like so many on the left, expect someone else to do their work for them. I just don’t get it but I’ll be sure to know on whom to vent my anger if we lose this battle and it will not be reserved solely for liberals – there will be plenty to go around for the armchair conservatives and libertarians.

Getting back to the protest, the one in Albany, NY probably had a total of about 1,500 to 2,000 pro-Right To Keep and Bear Arms people at it. I have seen scant news reports about it. There was only one van there from the media, something called YNN News.

As for the folks who actually participated in the protest, they went at it 150%. Many came from different parts of the state and had a long journey to get there. It took the LIF bus about 3.5 hours to make it there. Once there, we piled out onto the street and realized, heck it was going to be a cold one. Not terribly cold but cold enough that you would not want to be standing around outside for 4 to 5 hours. I think we got there about 1030 or 1045. That was well before the noon starting time for the event. There was only a small handful of others there by then but sure enough, more protesters came rolling in. We all assembled in a park that was about one square city block around, surrounded by government buildings. Brendan and I went off to grab a quick sandwich and when we got back, at about 1145, it had already begun.

There were speakers from New York Rifle and Pistol Association, from the media, from the NY legislature, from pro-gun groups and the like. The speeches went on and on but to what avail since almost no one from the media was apparently listening or watching and thus would not spread the story. I saw a total of two news cameramen videoing the event and one guy, maybe a reporter and maybe not, going around interviewing people while recording audio only and none  of those there seemed to be working too hard.

I got a good amount of photos of the protesters using my phone camera (sorry I could not find my regular camera before we departed for the protest) and some of them appear here in this blog post. There were all sorts of folks protesting, from moms and dads with young children to octogenarians with canes and even one guy in a sort of walker/wheelchair.  People of every race were in attendance and it was obvious of many ethnicities and nationalities. There were tactical shooters, preppers, target shooters, plinkers, hunters, gun collectors, law enforcement officers, military personnel, security professionals, politicians, media personalities (a radio talk show host from Albany gave some good speeches), firearms rights organizers and just about any other type who had a love of freedom and who realized that being at liberty to exercise our right to keep and bear arms has kept us free. My guess would be that there were folks there from most every political party found in the USA and all were pro-RKBA. As I said, the protesters were giving 150%, chanting and urging on the speakers always in support of our liberties to exercise our RKBA. They who participated have done something of which to be proud; I only wish there had been more of us there – many more of us. If we intend to win this battle, we need support from the whole firearms community – each and every one of you.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




 


This youngster apparently finally had enough
and seemed to be telling Cuomo where to go.
I guess it all went on until about 3PM instead of 4PM as had been planned but it started early and the point was made more than enough times by the time it broke up. Besides that, the size of the crowd was evidently dwindling somewhat by then; I am guessing though that there had to have still been 1,000 people then when it finished up.

Brendan and I are ready to do it again. I hope the next one is on a weekday when the legislature is in session and Governor Cuomo in his office and when the media decides to show up in good number (that last hope is probably pointless, why would they want to support us). Oh well, just one other thing for me to say. There was a handful of Albany city police officers there and also a few NY State troopers and some officers in plain clothes in the crowd with large dogs, as in K-9 units. The truth is, none of them were needed there since this was an absolutely peaceful form of protest by people who respected the property on which they stood while protesting. Never once did anyone in the crowd lower themselves to the likes of those in some of the Occupy Wall Street events I saw on the news; but then I never would have expected anything but decent respectful behavior from law abiding gun owners - at least until they are pushed too far - then, who knows!

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, January 18, 2013

Protesting The NY State Gun Control Legislation

My son and I will be traveling up to Albany, NY, tomorrow, along with 55 other members of Long Island Firearms to protest the latest round of NY State's anti-gun legislation. Sadly, said group, with a membership of over 6,000, could only get enough members, who committed to the trip, to fill one bus. I hope others will be driving up in their own vehicles. This protest had been planned as one to try to avoid passage of the legislation but Governor Cuomo and his henchmen pushed it through the NY State Senate and Assembly in record time earlier this week. Now it has become a protest after the fact.

The NY State legislation, that has been passed into law, will effectively make many firearms that use magazines holding more than 7 rounds obsolete. Why? I think because there will not be even one manufacturer that will go out of its way to produce the required 7 round magazines for their firearms for the group of owners who own those guns and who live in NY. Why would they and why should they? It would not be financially feasible for them to retool to make the 7 round mags for such a small group of gun owners. Of course there are pistols like the 1911, for which 7 round mags are standard but most other pistols and many rifles have magazines with higher standard magazine capacities than a mere 7 rounds.

The legislation also requires registration of assault weapons, outright bans many so called assault weapons, requires background checks to purchase ammunition, ends Internet sales of firearms to New Yorkers, outlaws selling assault weapons within NY even if legally owned (except to a relative) and forces all owners of magazines that hold more than 7 rounds to dispose of them out of state within one year, among other things. It applies to the police as well as the civilian population but the tyrants are already planning to change the law to exempt police officers so that their henchmen can be better armed than the populace. It got pushed through the NY legislative branch so fast that no one noticed they had forgotten to exempt law enforcement as they do usually. Then again, why should police officers and other LEOs be exempt from the law!

As for how it effects me: My Ortgies Pocket Pistol, that was manufactured in the 1920's, will become useless because no one is going to make 7 round mags for it. My Glock 19 probably will also become useless because Glock will unlikely manufacture 7 round mags. The same goes for my three 92 series pistols from Beretta and for my Beretta 70S, likewise for my Ruger MKII and the same for my High Standard Dura Matic. Why would any manufacturer make 7 round mags and run the risk of a state like CA or IL passing a law similar to NY's but demanding mags that only hold 6 rounds! Likewise for my rifles that utilize standard capacity magazines holding more than 7 rounds. For now, you can still use those higher capacity magazines but it would be illegal to load more than 7 rounds into them.

I am beginning to fear the time may be drawing near when we may hear the retorts of the citizenry by way of many guns being fired in revolt. If so, it may finally become clear to the politicians who passed this law as to why the right to keep and bear arms was enumerated in the 2nd Amendment. Hopefully this weekend's protest will remain peaceful and help accomplish something toward overturning the current tyrannical legislation.

All the best,
Glenn B

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Should We All Pay More Taxes - My Reply

Should We All Pay More Taxes was the title of an article I just read. I do not often reply to articles like that but felt compelled to do so in this instance. My comment to that piece follows:

"I can tell you why no one in the middle class, or upper class, or in the lower class of working folks, should have to pay even a dime more in taxes - because it is way past due that something else happens. The time is right for an alternative to higher taxes. You know what time is due, the time for - the unrighteous who think themselves entitled, those leeches on unemployment for up to a year when yes there are jobs but just not the ones they want out there, the drug dealers who get public assistance and food stamps, the fakers on disability who are more able than you or I, the homeless bums who could work but choose to suck charity's tit dry, the Occupy Wall Street useless hippies who rant and rave and never earn anything but the disrespect due them - those useless pieces of flotsam in our society to get off of their supposedly entitled arses and get legitimate jobs and pay taxes. It is time for the great part of the 47 percent who pay nothing, but who take everything, to finally get jobs waiting tables, washing dishes, scrubbing floors, cleaning up dog poo in kennels, digging ditches, handing out fliers, or doing whatever menial jobs they can get to pay their fair share and to lighten the burden on the rest of us by not taking what we have dutifully earned. It is also time to get rid of the 30 million blood sucking illegal aliens in this country and for them to give up their jobs to the above mentioned useless American citizens so that tax rates on the rest of us can finally go down. Think about it, then sleep on it, and maybe you will wake up as a responsible adult tomorrow.  Something tells me though, you are a hopeless liberal, just as hopeless as is the future of any country, like the USA, in which so many feel entitled, even empowered, to take so much from the rest of us and give nothing in return except demands for more.

Sincerely,
Glenn  B"

That was my reply and my rather simple solution to end the so called fiscal crisis. Well maybe one other thing, getting rid of all the assholes in government too but that is for myself and the rest of you to commence next election day and to keep voting on in all subsequent elections.

By the way, I put the stamp on my voter registration packet today and it goes into the mail tomorrow. I have pulled myself out of the Republican party, and registered as not a member of any party, because from what I can tell - Republicans are almost all RINOs. In the future, I will vote for Libertarians (for the most part) and maybe also now and again for the rare truly conservative Republican and or for a conservative or Libertarian leaning independent (if there is such a thing).

All the best,
Glenn B

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

If I Remain Within NYS And Do Nothing - I Will Become A Felon!

That is the way the latest gun control legislation has been written and passed in New York State. I was a legal firearms owner one day and now if I do absolutely nothing, in the time spans provided for under the new law, I will be guilty of both misdemeanors and felonies (of course, if convicted). I do not think I am long to remain a resident of the Empire State. How appropriate a name for it, isn't it? It would be more apropos if one added a single word before Empire - either Evil or Dark.

Anyone who resides in the following states, please give me some feedback about the overall political climate in your state: KY, LA, FL, IN, WV, TX, OH and PA. I am considering relocating to one of them. I would prefer one closer to NY but since PA has a pretty miserable score, on the Brady Campaign 2011 State Scorecards, I am leaning elsewhere. In other words, PA has a fairly high score indicating, as far as I am concerned, that they have too much gun control. KY and LA, on the other hand, have the lowest possible scores other than zero and that indicates gun friendly states from what I can see. So, I am interested to find out the general political climate in each of these states because I do not want to relocate to a state that may be heading toward becoming another NY, NJ, MD, MA or CA within a few years and also that is not a state that is gun friendly yet very liberal on almost everything else - like VT.

All the best,
Glenn B

Sunday, January 13, 2013

RKBA SUPPORTERS - IF YOU LIVE IN NY STATE

If you live in NY State, support the RKBA, consider yourself a defender of the Constitution of the United States of America and of the Bill of Rights and of the 2nd Amendment,  then send emails and call your state representatives today, Monday, January 14, 2013. Do it over and over again. Let them know that you oppose any anti-gun and anti RKBA legislation or executive orders. 

Do it today - DO NOT HESITATE - because it has been reported that Governor Cuomo will try to ram through anti-gun legislation as early as today (source). If it does not happen today, keep up the pressure. Make every peaceful effort to keep your liberty to exercise your right to keep and bear arms and do all you can do to avoid a revolution because if they start confiscating arms a revolution may follow.

Al the best,
Glenn B

House On Journal News Map of Pistol License Holders Burglarized

One of two suspected burglars has been arrested after allegedly breaking into a White Plains home that was listed on the interactive map of Westchester County's pistol license holders - that controversial map having been published online by the Journal News. It is suspected that the alleged burglars may have utilized that map to pinpoint their targeted house. Why is that suspected? Well, you see, they allegedly attempted to break into the gun safe located in that house. See:

http://newyork.newsday.com/news/nation/journal-news-gun-permit-map-used-by-burglars-to-target-white-plains-home-1.4441678

That map was one heck of a fine piece of work by the Journal News, don't ya think? Oh that's right, maybe the folks at the Journal News did not bother to think of the consequences of publishing that information but then I would bet none of them were on that map. I think that the folks who work there can be exceptionally proud of themselves, for being pure assholes, if their map was used even in part, by the suspected burglars, to target the firearms in that particular home!

All the best,
Glenn B

Gun Appreciation Day

 
 
 

I would much rather see someone organize a march on Washington, DC by legal gun owners but for now Gun Appreciation Day will have to do. I wonder if the president will visit his local gun store as it sure seems he appreciates guns at least when carried by all the president's body guards.
 
All the best,
Glenn B

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Just Another Reason That I Am No Longer A CheaperThanDirt Customer

At the last gun show I attended, on November 10, 2012 (two months ago as I write), I bought 420 rounds of Federal 62 grain, penetrator tipped,  XM885, 5.56x45mm ammo, on stripper clips, packed into an ammo can. The total cost was $180 (maybe plus tax). I thought that price was fairly high. I needed it and bought it. Why did I pay what I thought was a somewhat high price? Because although the price was high, due to demand, it was not all that much higher than the price asked by anyone else, was in fact less expensive that what some were asking, and in fact was about the average going price based on then current prices that slowly had escalated over time over about the past 6 years. In other words it was just about the fair market value. I should have bought a full case, from that same dealer, he had them at $385!

Then we arrived at where we are now, ammo prices gone into the stratosphere because of panic buying and because of certain dealers taking advantage of the panic buying and then instituting what I believe are less than ethical price gouging practices. One of the companies that I believe has done this, in fact the one that has raised prices higher than any other company that I have seen raise prices is CheaperThanDirt.com.

While I already have decided not to buy from them again, I went to their site tonight, among others, while checking on availability of ammo and current pricing. I was surprised to see that CTD has the ammo I just mentioned above in stock (as I write). What should have also surprised me is the price they are asking for it but I guess it really comes as no surprise, to see what they are asking for this ammo, after seeing what I think was other price gouging on ammo by them. So what are they asking for an item for which I recently paid $180? They have a current price of $799.59 (as I write) plus shipping and they call it "Our Low Price"!

Imagine that, a $619.59 difference - wow. I could have bought 3.44 more of those same 420 round cans of ammo for just the difference in prices. If a price change like that, within a 2 month period, is not indicative of price gouging, well then - I guess I do not know what could be an indication of such! CheaperThanDirt can take some idiots money and right now but not my money, and not ever again my money. I am not telling you not to shop there, just letting you know why I am not. You can spend your money however you want to spend it.

Oh how I mourn that I did not buy a full case or two from the guy at the gun show.

All the best,
Glenn B

Dan's Sporting Goods - Wow - What Excellent Customer Service!


Last week, I ordered a 'tin' of 440 rounds of 7.62x54R caliber ammo, Russian manufacture, from Dan's Sporting Goods (aka: dansammo.com). I was surprised to find anyone with this particular ammo in stock and absolutely amazed they were selling it for only $94.00 shipped because others have sure jacked up their prices lately. I was also quite astounded that it shipped the day after ordered it and it arrived at my home two days after that. That was all excellent but not the end of the story nor of my amazement.

When I received the parcel and opened the shipping box, I was rather dismayed at what I saw in front of me. The ammo can, instead of being that drab green color, that I am so familiar with because of previous purchases of the same kind of ammo, was a zinc colored with what appeared to be whitish corrosion all over it. It had what appeared to be a pull tab on the lid (which I am pretty sure was connected to a wire under the lid that would, when the tab was pulled, rip the top open on older Russian ammo cans. I looked over the markings on the box and saw the number, that I believe indicates the year of the case production, 57 (meaning 1957). Another number, the one I believe signifies the year of the gunpowder production used in these rounds, was 56 (meaning 1956). I was not a happy camper. I had inquired about the ammo they were selling and was told it was 1970s to 1980s production. The website indicated it came in the familiar green 'spam' can.

I shot off an email to Dan's. They replied the next day and told me that indeed some older cans had been sent out. They said I should keep that can of ammo and they would send me another can of ammo. Presumably that would be of the later production ammo I had thought I would be getting. They sent the replacement out on the same day they emailed me, week. I received the second can on Tuesday. It was an ammo can of the 'spam can' variety, drab green in color, with the date of production for the shell casings as 1972 and the powder as 1971. That was more or less what I had expected in the first place. (I know other folks disagree with me as to what the codes on the cans mean but I am confident that the numbers I mentioned indicate years of production; I got my info straight from the mouth of a Russian who dealt this type of ammo.)

I have to hand it to Dan’s Sporting Goods. I have not gotten customer service like that from another company if quite awhile. They made a mistake and they corrected it without delay, no questions asked and even let me keep the stuff they sent to me by mistake. Wow. I can only see myself making more orders from them as they get ammo in  stock of which I am in need (oh please have them get in some 5.56x45mm 62 grain NATO spec ammo soon).

As for the older can of ammo they sent me the first time around: while old ammo like that stores longer than modern production because of the type of primers used, the age of the can I first received was at the limit for me – I mean it is almost as old as me! I suppose, that like me, that ammo could still be good but it probably does not have much more for is storage life left to it (again like me although I do hope to be around and kicking until at least 75 or so). On a more serious note, the welds on that ammo can seemed to be failing as there appeared to be holes in the welds in some areas. I don't know if those holes go all the way through but if they did then both air and moisture could have gotten inside and helped shorten the storage life of the contained ammo or even ruined the ammunition totally. The newer production stuff I received probably can be stored for at least another 15 or 20 years and still be reliable ammunition. I suppose I will have to test the older stuff as soon as I get the chance but the newer can is going into storage.

In closing, just let me add that I highly recommend Dan’s Sporting Goods for your ammo needs.

All the best,
Glenn B

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Is It Time For NRA Members To Spend Their Money Elsewhere

I am an NRA life member. I paid for a life membership for my on too. I was proud to be a member of the NRA but not any longer. Why not? In the face of calls for the destruction of our Right To Keep and Bear Arms in the aftermath of the murders of school children in CT, what has the NRA done? They promised to make a meaningful contribution, but to what - was it to more gun control by way of arming more government workers? They recommended ceding more power to a special group by arming them as opposed to arming regular citizens. What special Group - Armed Security Guards. They who in effect would be an outreach of government in that they would either be hired by or contracted by local, county, state and probably even the federal government as specialists to protect school children and it is likely they also would have to be licensed by government. All the while when armed school teachers and armed custodians and armed gym instructors and armed clerks and armed parents would have been the better solution but the NRA cedes the ability f the armed citizen to the armed guard! That proposal was disgraceful.

What else have they done. They implicitly called for the restriction of the rights of groups that utilize another right, that of free speech - the video and entertainment insudtries. Shame on them for implying that a ban of games that include violence be banned. Isn't that in essence the same as calling for a ban on guns. From what I understand, they also promised the Obama Administration that they would do something meaningful along the lines of gun control. Not along the lines of protecting our RKBA or the Bill of Rights or the Constitution but along the lines of gun control. They have also met with Vice president Biden - big deal What do they expect to accomplish by talking with Biden. he is even more liberal than Obama in my estimation. What was the result of the meeting, the media reporting that the NRA is against the administration's proposals for more gun control - whoopee! It is time for the NRA to truly rally its membership and accomplish something because the politicians and the res of America will listen to the united voices of that membership.

So, why is the NRA not calling for the protection of that right with all of its might and all the strength of a united membership behind it? Remember, the NRA mouthpieces, the ones who beg for you money while seemingly pretending to stand for that right (the only one that protects all of our other rights) seemingly are doing little to nothing effective to protect the RKBA, at least from what I can see! Why is that?

Why is the NRA not calling for us to exercise other rights to support our RKBA and to do so in mass. The NRA has many, many members and support for the NRA has been on the rise. Why are they not organizing us to march on Washington. not with the intent to revolt but with the intent to show our strength and that a revolution may be imminent should the federal or state governments attempt any further subjugation of our rights and destruction of our economy? I am calling for the NRA to do it, I am demanding they do it it - I am telling the NRA to get it done and get it done by next month at the latest or we are going to lose the RKBA and all of the others along with it.

I would guess, more than two men, maybe at at least that thousands if not tens of thousands of other NRA members are calling for the NRA to do likewise and to make American stand up and notice that we, the law abiding firearms owners in this country and our firearms no matter what type, are not the problem. The fact is that gun sales have skyrocketed over the past 2 months. If I had a pulpit that has power of that of the NRA - I would be demanding that the NRA membership (made up of armed, law abiding citizens of these United States) march on Washington, DC to the Capitol Building and to the White House to demand that the Obama Administration cease and desist from infringement of our rights under the Constitution of the United States of America. I would demand it be done by early next month. But since the NRA apparently is not going to do it, and since it looks to me as if they have tucked their tails between their legs, I am beginning to think they are not worth another penny of my hard earned money to support their pansy assed policies of speaking loudly and carrying a small stick.

The time is right,
Glenn B

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

The New Roof Is Getting Laid...

...and a lucky roof is it! The new roof was supposed to be done on Friday but the roofers got an unexpected opening today and called me yesterday to see if I wanted it done today. I said sure, why not and the lady said good because rain is forecast for Friday.

They roofers came by at about 0720 this morning and started working almost as soon as they got here. All of the shingles are off, the gutters and leaders torn down, and wood on the base later of roof that needed replacing has been replaced and shingles are going up on one side so far. A couple of rafters need bracing, they cracked in the big storm and they are going to move the exhaust for by bathroom fan from the soffit to the roof, they tell me it vents better that way. Who am I to argue. Luckily for us, a great deal of it is being paid for by the insurance company; that is if they ever send me the check.

I guess by the time I get home from work tonight, the roof will have been finished for hours. They sure seem to have enough guys working on it to get the job done in one day. I am figuring at least 10 guys out there right now; I think only one speaky the English and none think I understand Spanish. Next one of them that calls me a pendeco is going to get a face full of Ballseye in Spanish.

All the best,
Glenn B

Monday, January 7, 2013

To Go To The Range Today Or Not...

...was the question of the day for me. I am ready to take my Varmint Slayer (Marlin XS-7 with 2.5-10x44 Hawke Optics Scope) to the range to sight it in and have some shooting goodness. Even though I only had 40 rounds of ammo for it, I still could have had a lot of fun range time. Then, the doorbell rang and it was the UPS guy dropping off another 100 rounds of .308 ammo that I had ordered from MidwayUSA.com. That did it, I was going to go to the range now that I more than enough ammo for the Varmint Slayer for a day of swell shooting. Then, the phone rang. It was work calling to ask me if I could work 1-9 PM today because someone else had to take off for an emergency. Oh, well, no range for me today. As a matter of fact, now that I think of it, no range for me for the rest of the week as I will be working everyday through Saturday if I remember right. Besides working my regular Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, I will be filling in for another guy on Wednesday and I think on Friday too. Earliest possible range day will be Sunday but more likely day will be Monday. Maybe I can sneak off to the indoor range on a day I only work until 5PM but that would mean only shooting at 25 yards.Probably just better to wait the few days and go on Sunday or Monday.

All the best,
Glenn B

Sunday, January 6, 2013

A Little Gun Pron - The Scoped Marlin Varmint Slayer

I started looking for a bolt action rifle in .308 or .30-06 back in 2009. I finally picked up a Marlin XS-7 in .308 back in mid-October 2012; yes, I am pretty much The Great Procrastinator. This rifle did not come with sights but did come with a factory mounted scope rail. To make it a complete and shootable package, I needed some optics. I decided on the Hawke Optics, Varmint Side Focus (SF) 2.5-10x44 scope.  After getting the glass, back at the end of October (yeah, I cannot believe I got it so quickly), all I needed to do to make it firing line ready was to get some scope rings and mount the scope. I hemmed, I hawed, I went online and looked at rings and tried to decide if I would need low, medium or high height rings. I figured that medium would be good and just kept window shopping on the Internet. 

Sometime in November I recalled that I had at least one pair of scope rings hidden among my firearms things somewhere in my basement. I searched high and low and after awhile, sure enough, I found them. In fact I found two sets of rings, one low and the other medium height. I put them on the side, where I would not forget their location, then I forgot all about them. Just before Christmas, I had to clean the basement because the wife was throwing a party and we would have adults and kids coming over. Since chances would be that the kids would wind up in the basement, I had to search out and secure any of my firearms and ammo that were not already locked up, which wound up being nil but I had to look to be sure. While cleaning and looking, what should I come across but the two sets of scope rings. I moved them to a spot where I would be sure to see them just about every day, then immediately forgot about them again.

Yesterday, I was doing some puttering in the basement and low and behold, there were those pesky scope rings again. I decided I had better get them on the rifle and secure the scope to the rifle with them. Then I went to bed. Well, today, late this afternoon, I got the bug and finally mounted the rings to the rifle and the scope to the rings. I put the bottom halves onto the scope mount and tightened the retaining screws tightly. Then, laid the scope into the bottom half of each of the rings and started to put on the upper halves. At that point, I got some help from my son and as I held the scope in place he tightened the screws and secured the upper haves of the rings to the lower ones. He also helped in making sure that the scope went on sort of, kind of, almost level on the horizontal plane left to right. Finally, I tightened the rings so each side looked even as to the gap between the top and bottom halves.


 
The pic (click to enlarge) shows the Marlin XS-7 in .308 caliber, mounted with Hawke Optics Varmint SF 2.5-10x44 scope, with flip-up lens covers. All the tools needed to mount the base, rings and scope are shown. I used the screwdriver to make sure the screws holding down the mounting rail were secure (one was loose). The Allen wrench came with the rings and was all that was need to secure the rings to the rail and scope to the rings. That is an extra screw next to the wrench. Those critters in the background are Bearded Dragons and definitely not varmints. They certainly seem rather indifferent to the proximity of my varmint slayer.

It is now ready to be brought to the range (and makes a pretty picture) even though it does not have a sling. Maybe I will get one and maybe not. Perhaps, if for no other reason, I should get one to make it easier to lug over hill, over dale, as we hit the dusty trail, when we hunt with it. Of course, using the sling to steady the rifle while shooting might be a good idea but not always so practical a thing to do while out hunting. Sometimes there is no way, no how, no time that you could get the sling on for a more steady shot without spooking your prey. At the range though, there is nothing to spook - well, as long as you don't start pointing the rifle haphazardly at other folks.

Right now, I only have two different brands of .308 ammo and only
20 rounds of each. I have an order in for 100 rounds of yet another type of ammo for it. That ammo should be delivered this week. I am debating if I should go to the range with it tomorrow or wait until I have the other 100 rounds. I'll see if the range bug bites tomorrow or not. Since it took me over three years since I started looking, until I finally bought a bolt action rifle in said caliber, and then took me over two months to purchase and ultimately mount a scope on it, I guess there is no great hurry. If all goes well, the weather will hold out and I will get to take it to an outdoor range to sight it in this week. Otherwise, if I have to go to an indoor range with it, I will only be able to sight it for 25 yards. I would much prefer getting it right the first time and sighting it in for 100 yards at the outdoor range. 

Once it is sighted in, I am thinking of heading to Dutchess County (if rifles are legal hunting implements therein) or elsewhere in NY, such as Columbia County (where I am certain rifles are legal hunting implements), to get in a little coyote hunting. Only tried that once before, up in Maine, as an afterthought to Brendan bagging a bear up there. The coyotes had all the luck that day or two. I don't see any reason though for that lack of our luck to deter us now and I am pretty sure he will be happy to come along. If he doesn't, I suppose I will be out there freezing off mine arse all by my lonesome - well, just me, the varmint slayer and the coyotes.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Tactical (or Tacticool) Mosin Nagant

You wouldn't normally think of a Mosin Nagant as a tactical rifle although I am certain some of them have enough inherent accuracy, with the right ammo and optics, to be used as a sniper's rifle. Why though, would anyone want to try to turn a Mosin Nagant into a tactical rifle? The thing about Mosin Nagants is that they are inexpensive and plentiful (for now) and there are a lot of firearms folks out there who like to tinker with their guns. Mosin Nagants probably are some of the best guns with which to tinker even for the amateur gunschmidt. If you screw up Mosin Nagant, so what - maybe you lose a hundred bucks. If your project turns out okay, you may have something of which to be proud, that will also be useful as an excellent defensive weapon, target gun, as or plinker or something you can sell for a profit.
 
So what things might you want to do to a Mosin Nagant, either a 91/30, M38, M39 or M44 model? You could shorten the barrel (and the cleaning rod to match). That would certainly be a plus with a model 91/30 because it could reduce the weight considerably, well only as long as it still shot on target. You could also put a muzzle break on it to reduce recoil which pretty much would be a must if you shortened the barrel a good deal. Other obvious additions would be: a bent bolt, an accessory rail, long eye relief optics (like a pistol scope or red dot scope), a bipod, and a synthetic stock. Is there anything else to add – sure, why not a pistol grip and a folding or collapsible stock. Finally, you could also put a camouflage paint job on it, like Duracoat.
 
By now, if you know Mosin Nagants, you may be thinking I am having some fun with you or that I am just crazy as a loon. After all, why would anyone want a tacticool tactical Mosin Nagant. I guess first of all simply because it could be fun and secondly because maybe it is not a bad idea at all, especially if you want an inexpensive SHTF defensive weapon combination big game hunting rifle for which you can easily obtain both high quality boxer primed/brass cased ammo or military surplus ammunition.

Still though, the Mosin Nagant only holds 5 rounds, so how could it ever be considered tactical. Well, the Russians sure made tactical use of them in WWII, but if that 5 round mag still sticks in your craw then consider that there is someone out there in pre-production mode who is working on a 10 round mags for them.  Mags that have tool free installation. Go figure but the Mosin Nagant Tactical Rifle may just be the next big thing. 
 
Don’t believe any of it? Think it is just so much tacticool daydreaming? Take a look at the videos and be amazed at what can be done to a Mosin Nagant:




 
The website for the 10 round mag can be accessed with his link:

All the best,
Glenn B

U.S. Map Showing Addresses of All Criminals With Guns

Sometimes, there are just some very insightful things one can find in Internet gun forums.
 

Nuff said!

All the best,
Glenn B

Saturday, January 5, 2013

The Fix - For Uploading Pics To Blogger (at least for now)

If you cannot upload pics to your blog on blogger, you are not alone. When I tried a few times today, the browse option, for selecting files on my laptop, did not show up. If this is happening to you (apparently happening mostly to IE users but also to some FireFox users), switch to HTML when you want to add the photo. There is also an add photo icon there. Click on it, the browse option should show up, select the photo from your PC's files, do what you pretty much normally do and it should then show up as HTML code. When you switch back to the 'compose' mode, the pic should be there and they say you can edit it as usual. I am about to try to post my ugly mug in this post to see if it works.


If we can see my pic, then it worked. Ah, yes it worked - sorry for the mug shot.

By the way, I am amazed to have found out the fix so quickly once I looked. It was on the Blogger Buzz forums (or something like that). You can use this link to get there (probably a good link to bookmark):

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/blogger

Then, scroll down to the list in the center of the page, I selected "Something Is Broken" and scrolled through it until I found someone reporting the problem and whose posted question had a few replies.

All the best,
Glenn B

CheaperThanDirt.com Email Subsription Cancelled

I have made up my mind not to shop at CheaperThanDirt any longer due to what I think is their abhorent price gouging policy. Tonight, I received an mail from them letting me know they are selling firearms once again. I guess I had forgotten to unsubscribe from their email list but I did it tonight.
 

"gb-------------@msn.com has been removed.

To update your subscription preferences or remove from ALL future mailings, click here
Your email address has been removed. You will no longer recieve any messages from Cheaper Than Dirt."
 
All the best,
GB
 
 
 
 

The Count...

...produced a good number:

 21,765

That number could have been the number of: the hairs on my head and body, or a count of the scales on all of my tropical fish, or the seconds counted in just over a quarter of a day, or the dollars in my savings account, or the pennies in my penny jar, or my pulse beats in about 4.5 hours, or a count of something else. I am not saying exactly what was counted. Let me just say it again, it was a good number so you can rest assured it was not the number of crab lice in my navel.

All the best,
Glenn B

What The F--- Is Up With Blogger And Adding Pictures Now?

I have tried to add photos to a blog post and am no longer offered the option of browsing my files to select one to upload. Now, when I try to put in a pic, I am offered specific choices of uploading from my own blog, from Picasa web albums, from my phone, from my webcam or from a URL. What is up with that crap?

All the best,
GB

The Electoral Cliff

I saw this cartoon over at The Wandering Minstrel where Bob noted that the cartoonist had indicted the Republicans as having been complicit in the fiscal mess. I could not agree more, in fact I believe the Republicans to have been complicit, with the Democrats, in almost everything that has degraded our country during the terms of the past three presidents (Note, I said the terms of the past three presidents not the past three presidential terms).
 

You really do have to hand it to the artist because he hit it on the head as both Demoncrats and Repooblicans are responsible for the fiscal tar pit in which we find ourselves. Thus, I am pretty much convinced that come the next presidential election I will be voting for whomever is the libertarian candidate without even considering my vote going to a Republican even though I have voted Republican since my first vote many years ago. I have come to the point that they have pushed me, and the rest of America, off of the electoral cliff in their absolute disregard for their voting base. When we all hit bottom, if I can still stand - I will stand for a third party.
 
I have watched my rights and liberties dwindle under the past three administrations as so called Republicans, in Congress, repeatedly have bent over backwards to appease liberal presidents, the likes of Clinton, Bush and Obama, in almost total disregard of our Constitution, of the will of the majority of the people, and of any common sense at all. In Congress, it seems they vote on their self-interests alone. It is not limited to Congress alone. I have seen it on the local level too such as when the Republicans allowed an extremely liberal, Bloomberg, to be their candidate for the mayoral race in NYC. The Republicans have become Democrats and vice versa to the point they have melded together as an ineffectual blob.
 
The so called two party system means nothing today because they are merely a mirror image of one another - both full of money grubbing bloodsuckers who get fat off of the rest of us while they foolishly have ceded our economic strength to China and our military strength to China and to third world countries such as Iran while we ignore our once stalwart allies. Members of both parties have joined together and have diluted our rights and liberties by continuously bowing to the desires of special interest groups and kooks instead of uniting for the good of the United States of America. They have allowed our greatest strength - unity - to disappear and to be replaced by diversity. 'A house divided against itself cannot stand..' was never more true than it is now. While the members of Congress, Republican and Democrat, appear to continuously bicker, in the end they have repeatedly come together to effectively weaken our once great strengths. Their type of unity is totally undesirable for the nation. They have come together only in their effort to destroy the United States of America and to strengthen government power over the people instead of assuring their service to the people. They do so by way of their avarice, their special concerns, their push for diversity instead of unity, their desire to appease fringe groups, their desire to look good in the eyes of a mudslinging media, their absolute lack of morality, their refusal to stand on principle, their ineptness to govern effectively, their lack of support for the Constitution, and their sheer arrogance by way of belief that they are above those they govern. They have expertly divided the people of our once great nation so much so that at this point we are pushed well past the edge of the cliff and are flapping our arms ineffectively as we hope beyond hope to suddenly sprout wings and once again soar like an eagle.
 
It is never going to happen under the two party system. They are so much alike as to have become one. So, as I said above, I will not vote for a Republican come the next presidential election. Since there was never any hope of me voting for a Democrat, I find myself then looking to a third choice. I truly consider the libertarian outlook as closer to that which will help reunify us and make us strong again in that unity but  have been reticent to vote for a libertarian candidate because the likes of Ron Paul, who appears to be a kooky as they come, has scared me off. Kook or not, he is not like most Republicans and Democrats and that difference alone will be enough to make me vote for him should he run again. I would rather see someone else take the reins of the Libertarian party but it matters not whom they choose to run - the Democrats and Republicans, as they now stand, do not deserve a single vote from anyone who considers himself or herself a true American patriot. Should I be able to vote in 2016, I will more than likely vote Libertarian. Should there be a Libertarian candidate for Congress, on the ballot in 2014, I likely will vote Libertarian then too. About the only way I will continue to vote Republican, as I have in the past, would be only if an awful lot of folks in the Republican party put on some brass balls and swing them mightily and effectively. Chances are though, we will not be able to sprout those wings and we are going to crash land first. We probably will not hold those elections as scheduled because, I fear, either the government will have attained complete tyrannical power by then or we will be involved in the midst of a violent revolution before either election takes place. I pray I am wrong.
 
All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, January 4, 2013

Journal News Pistol Permit Holders Map Called Assinine, Insanity and Like Gold For Criminals

You remember the Journal News don't you. How could you forget them since it was just a couple of weeks or so ago that they published an interactive map on the Internet - "The gun owner next door: What you don't know about the weapons in your neighborhood." It is a map that gives the names and home addresses of pistol license holders in both Westchester and Rockland Counties in New york State (source). Negative criticism of that act, as being one, in essence, of absolute irresponsibility, senselessness, stupidity that would quite possibly cause gun crimes to spiral out of control were pooh-poohed by the media - at least at first. After all, this apparently was a direct shot at those who LEGALLY own firearms in the far left's assault on the right to keep and bear arms. However there were hundreds, if not thousands, of online comments that gave negative feedback about the map and in which the commenters realized that publication of that map held great potential to see a rise in thefts of legally owned guns, from the homes of the gun owners listed on the map, guns that would wind up in the wrong hands and be used in crimes, even possible killings. In addition, many people leaving feedback realized immediately that there was a flip side to that coin because while only legal gun owners homes were listed a criminal now could also figure out which homes did not have legally owned handgun sand thus were likely easier targets to burgle or invade with less chance of the criminal being stopped by the homeowner. Yes, that meant even ultra gun hating liberals' homes were at risk of criminal invasion - maybe even more so than the homes of pistol license holders.

Now ex-criminals are coming out of the woodwork and saying the move to publish that map was really an unintelligent and i essence potentially even a very dangerous thing to do. Fox  News reports the thoughts of a former burglar on this issue like this:

“Having a list of who has a gun is like gold - why rob that house when you can hit the one next door, where there are no guns? (source)

“That was the most asinine article I’ve ever seen,” said Walter T. Shaw, 65, a former burglar and jewel thief who the FBI blames for more than 3,000 break-ins that netted some $70 million in the 1960s and 1970s. “Having a list of who has a gun is like gold - why rob that house when you can hit the one next door, where there are no guns? (source)

"What they did was insanity," added Shaw, author of "License to Steal," a book about his criminal career. (source)

A second ex-burglar and ex-armed robber,  Bob Portenier, was reported as having said it this way:

“They just created an opportunity for some crimes to be committed and I think it’s exceptionally stupid,” (source)
He was also quoted as saying: “That’s one of the first things we’d check out—guns are on the top of the list of what you want to steal,” he said. “They can walk out with a shotgun and a couple of handguns and sell them on the street for $300 or $400 a pop. They can sell them to a gangbanger who ends up killing someone."

In addition Fox credited him with his sentiment: "While some burglars may use the newspaper’s information to avoid guns, Portenier said others will target homes with guns. The newspaper’s decision could even lead to legally-owned guns proliferating on the street, he said." (source)
Fox quoted yet a third ex-criminal, Frank Abagnale:

“It is unbelievable that a newspaper or so called journalist would publish the names and addresses of legal gun owners, including federal agents, law enforcement officers and the like,”

And as saying this:

“This would be equivalent to publishing the names of individuals who keep substantial sums of money, jewelry and valuables in their home.” (source)

To say that they screwed up, at the Journal News is an understatement in my opinion. That they are hypocrites beyond compare mostly is what think of them, in civil tongued terms anyway. Why hypocrites? As I noted in previous blog post, the Journal News, feeling threatened because of negative feedback they had received, hired Armed Security personnel to protect their offices and personnel from perceived threats. Note I said perceived threats because an editor of the Journal News reportedly turned a  couple of so called threatening emails over to the police. The police investigated and determined the emails did not contain anything threatening at all. In other words, the wussies at the Journal News like to stir the pot but once they get their targets riled up they apparently piss their own pants when people call them on it by way negative feedback (also known as a form of legal exercise of free speech)!

And to think, those ever so intelligent intellectuals, at the Journal News, were saying they were going to continue publishing even more information on additional legal pistol permit holders in yet another county. Truth really is stranger than fiction, more idiotic too. However, there is hope that the names of pistol license holder in Putnam County, NY will not be published on that or another Interactive map or elsewhere. Law makers in Putnam County are refusing, at least for now, to release the information citing public safety concerns. Watch the video for some info on that here (sorry I could not get it to embed).

All the best,
Glenn B

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Want To Be A Sniper But Not Attend Sniper Training?

Well, here is the TrackingPoint shooting system. It may do the trick for you and turn you into an expert marksman, or at least an expert systems user, within minutes. I would like to have seen further demonstrations such as it locking in on a moving target (if that is possible) or a shot at 1,000 yards, but I guess I will have to wait for the product to be released and have others make videos of it performing like that.




Once this becomes commercially available, I would recommend getting one ASAP if you want one. My guess would be that it will either be outlawed in almost no time or quickly will be taken over under some sort of military contract with no further commercial sales available.

Hat tip to Pat S for this one.

All the best,
Glenn B