I have been thinking of ways the gun owning community can come together as one voice, more powerful than the NRA, which is recognized by many as the most powerful lobby in Washington. It won’t be easy, but it can be done. I think it starts with each of us asking ourselves this question; how many gun, shooting, hunting groups are each of us involved with? After determining that, we need to become more involved and bring this proposed legislation to light. And how do we do that? Simple, really. Just talk about it. Make those people more aware of what this legislation is, what it really is about, and ask them to write and call their representatives.

Personally, I am involved in Pheasants Forever, NRA, a gun forum named Mauser Central, the F15 forums, the Accurate Reloading forums, 1911 forum, and the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. Each one of these have a membership that is gun and/or hunting related. Additionally, I moderate one of the forums on Mauser Central.

While an individual thinks to themselves, “what can I do alone” it is based on an old marketing principle called The Marketing Theory of 200. The basis of this theory is that each person can influence the decision of 200 people, either directly or indirectly, positively or negatively. I’ll give you an example of that theory.

A new restaurant opens up, and you decide to dine there one evening. The food is mediocre, the service is bad, and it is overpriced. This is just YOUR opinion. The following Monday you go to work, and one of your co-workers makes the passing remark that he and his wife are thinking of going to this restaurant for dinner. You tell him not to bother, that you have dined there, the food is mediocre, service is bad, and it’s overpriced. He says thanks for the info, and based on YOUR experience and non recommendation, he and his wife will pass on that particular restaurant. He goes home and tells his wife what you passed on to him. A friend of his the next day says something about the new restaurant, and relays to him what you said. At the same time, your co-workers wife talks to one of her friends on the phone and relays to her what YOU told her husband. It keeps going on and on and on, but you get the idea.
We need to start talking about this with everyone in our “community.”

We should all realize that we will not get any support for our “right” from the media, with possibly a few exceptions. Politicians will, more than likely, be conned into going along with it, at first, because it concerns that all encompassing evil….GUNS. That is why it is important for each of us to start talking about this now. To everyone who will listen. We need to nip this in the bud, now, and the only way we’ll get an ear to listen to us is to start with our friends and neighbors who hunt, shoot, or collect guns.

What we don’t need to do is be totally apathetic. We don’t need to appear to be crazed gun toting maniacs. We cannot afford to sit on our hands, keep our mouths closed, and stick our heads in the sand. What we are talking about is a CONSTITUTIONAL right, guaranteed in writing. We cannot afford to let this infringement go any further. And while I believe that this legislation is close to be unconstitutional, if we do nothing, we will end up with nothing.

We will be fighting against all sorts of groups that use the media as an ally. PETA, Hand Gun Control, Americans for Gun Safey, the ACLU (oddly enough, these idiots know about the 1st, 4th, and 5th Amendments but don’t know the 2nd exists), and any number of other left wing, socialist liberal groups.

We also have to write letters to the editor of our local newspapers. If they don’t publish them, write them again and again and again. Get others to write letters to the editor on the same topic. Take a tv reporter to the range and SHOW them that people who like guns are not the ones who go on a rampage and kill six people with a gun that is ALREADY illegal. When the media reports that a gun killed someone, ask how that happened. Wasn’t a HUMAN involved in it.

As a joke, I set up my webcam and focused it on a 1911 pistol, slide locked back, and a loaded magazine resting next to it. Let it “broadcast” on the net for 24 hours, and guess what…that “evil” gun didn’t move. It didn’t grow feet and walk out the door, load itself, drop the slide and shoot anyone. Simply amazing.

In previous posts I have talked about bringing in the next generation of hunters and shooters. How are we going to get them to the range or in the field if they have nothing to shoot or hunt with? We have to win this battle not only for ourselves, but for the generations to come.

I’d better slow down on this for now, as I don’t want to pop a vein. So, I’ll post some links to some of the forums I frequent. Hopefully you will follow them and add your opinions and reinforce my feelings as to how strong the gun community is, and how much stronger it can be.

www.mausercentral.com/forum

www.m1911.org

www.f15.com

www.accuratereloading.com

thanks for putting up with me…….

Well, I guess I need to stand on a soapbox and scream to anyone that will listen, but our “rights” as guaranteed by the Second Amendment are now under assault again. With the results of the most recent election which gave the Democrats/Liberals control of Congress AGAIN, new severe anti-gun legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives by none other than Carolyn McCarthy, D-NY.

Essentially, it is the same legislation that has been voted down for the last six years, and concentrates, but is not limited to, so called “assault” rifles. The newly proposed legislation wants to limit magazine capacities, again, and limit if not out right ban, the sale and possession of any “assault” type weapon irregardless of whether it is a fully automatic firearm, or merely a semi-automatic. Wording also includes “any rifle with pistol grip” which would automatically preclude ownership of any AR type rifle, not to mention AK’s, CETME’s, or almost any other “military” style based firearm.

Ms. McCarthy is almost obsessed with banning ALL firearms, whether they be used for target shooting, hunting, or self protection. Her husband was one of those killed by the crazy man on the Long Island (NY) Railroad while returning home from his job in Manhattan. While I have sympathy for her loss, I do not blame the gun used in this heinous act, but rather the individual who perpetrated it.

On top of that, Jim Zumbo, noted writer, author and shooting enthusiast most recently associated with Outdoor Life magazine, recently made statements on his blog that assault type weapons had no place in the hunting arena. I was sad to hear his opinion on that matter, and it was just his OPINION!

For those who varmint hunt, especially prairie dogs, one of the most accurate guns used in that vein is one of the accurized AR-15’s in 223. In the hands of a serious shooter, they are extremely accurate out to at least 300 yards. However, Mr. Zumbo said, again…his OPINION…that they were not a viable hunting weapon. After a firestorm of protest erupted, resulting in Mr. Zumbo losing the sponsorship of Remington and Outdoor Life, I’m sure that several of his other sponsors have either withdrawn or will withdraw sponsorhip in the very near future. On top of that, his words are now being used against the hunting and gun owning community. As hunters, shooters, and gun owners, we have acted as one in “killing and eating” one of our own, Jim Zumbo because of what he said. It is time for all of us, shooters, hunters, gun owners, and collectors of firearms to stand together as one to fight this battle, and defeat it.

This assault on our freedom guaranteed under the Second Amendment has been going on, in earnest, since the Omnibus Crime Act of 1968 was passed and signed into law, due to the shooting death of Robert Kennedy at the hand of Sirhan Sirhan and the assisination of his brother, President John F. Kennedy by, allegedly, Lee Harvey Oswald. The upshot of that law was to restrict the interstate commerce of firearms. No longer could we as individuals, cross state lines to buy, sell, or trade firearms. Yes, we had to comply with local regulations, but if you are old enough to remember, you could order a firearm through a mail order company and have it delivered to your home.

Over the years we have faced this battle on many fronts. Each battle has progressively eroded our right. The worst assaults took place under William Jefferson Clinton. Evil “black guns,” magazine capacities, and “assault weapons” were continuously attacked as being the cause of violence in our streets. The “feel good” crowd led by Rosie O’Donnell, and others of her ilk, aided by the media suddenly caused all gun owners to be cast into the same lot as common criminals. Groups of anti-gunners sprung up overnight, not unlike toadstools in your lawn. The “Million Mom March” was thrust upon us, along with hysterical rallies on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

Of all of them, Rosie O’Donnell stands out as one of the most vicious and vociferous voices to take away our freedom. She has used her position as a celebrity, and her First Amendment right of freedom of speech, to make her ideas and thoughts known. Long and loud she has used the media coverage to make headlines denouncing guns and gun owners, and has been so succesful that new rules and regulations have been offered up as legislation. However, for those of us in the gun “community”, we have not failed to make note of her hypocrisy. While railing with a foaming mouth against US, the group of security people around her and her children actually carried guns. It is simply a case of “do what I say, not as I do.” She apparently believes that as a celebrity, she has more of a right to defend herself and her family than the rest of us.

One of her biggest allies in our government is Diane Feinstein, D-CA. As mayor of San Francisco, she somehow managed to obtain a concealed carry permit. Not something easily attained in that beautiful city, but I guess as mayor, she had more of a right to self defense than the rest of the citizenry. After moving from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. as a U.S. senator, she somehow managed to get herself appointed as a deputy U.S. Marshall, which allows her to carry a concealed weapon on domestic flights. Can any of us do that? Another case of Liberal hypocrisy. The list goes on, but I will not. At least not now.

I’m old enough to remember when we went to highschool with a shotgun or rifle in the trunk of the car so that we could head out after school to get some hunting time in. Those days are long gone now, sadly. And schools are now declared “gun free” zones, with some serious legal consequences if you happen to have a rifle, shotgun, or handgun in your vehicle. Lots of businesses have gone so far as to ban firearms in your vehicle on company property.

We have a duty, a really serious obligation, as hunters, shooters, and collectors to stand and fight against a further erosion of our rights and our chosen sport. If you are not a member of a pro-gun group, you need to join. The NRA, GOA, SAF, and others all maintain high profile lobbying groups in our nation’s capitol. While I personally don’t agree with some aspects of these lobbies, they are working for us, gunowners, to stave off all the attacks on our right to “keep and bear arms.” If you don’t want to join one of them, then there are other alternate choices such as a gun club/shooting range, but almost all of them require a membership in the NRA to join. Membership in your local or state wildlife federation is a viable alternative.

As I have stated in previous posts, we also have an obligation to pass along our love of guns, hunting, and shooting to the next generation so the rights, such as they are today, are not further eroded, or taken away entirely. We only have to look at what the anti-gunners have already accomplished in Great Britain and Australia to see where we are headed if we do not, as a group, act today and make our collective voice heard.

In a previous post I referred to the gentleman who was giving away guns so that another generation of youngsters could learn about them, and get them hooked on hunting and shooting. In the course of an email correspondence with this gentleman, I mentioned that the small son of a friend of mine had shown an interest in shooting, but that his parents did not own a gun. So, he would come to my home and I would set the bullet trap up in the backyard and let him shoot my pellet rifle. And the kid is pretty dang good at 25 meters, keeping almost every pellet on target even though the rifle is way to big for him. I need to add that his parents are not anti-gun, they just don’t own one, and his father has never been hunting, or shooting.

You can imagine my surprise when he called me and asked me for my FFL dealer’s name and address. When I asked why, he said he had a youth model gun headed my way for the boy I had remarked on. I gave him the information he requested, offered to pay for the gun and shipping, but he said no, that it was his pleasure to do it. Besides, he added, it was a used gun that he had taught his daughter to shoot with, and that she had outgrown it.

Well, a few days pass and my FFL gives me a call and says that a package had arrived with my name on it. It took a few seconds for me to recall the conversation from a week earlier, then told my FFL that I would drop by his shop later that afternoon. I did, and what was waiting for me was a Rossi combo set…a single shot 22 and a spare barrel chambered in 410 gauge shotgun. And the stock is really, really short. My FFL laughed and asked what I was doing with a youth model….he knows my wife doesn’t shoot, and both my sons are grown and gone from home. I told him about the friend’s son, and that it was a gift to me to give to him. Bill, my FFL, smiled and said since that was the case, he was going to pay it forward a bit himself, and waived his usual $20 transfer fee.

After filling out the paperwork, and getting cleared by the Feds, I loaded it up and headed for home. Later that evening, I called my friend and asked if he and his son could drop by for a few minutes, that I had something to ask both of them. He said sure, and about 45 minutes later they were sitting in the den. When I asked if Robbie could have a gun, his dad sat there a bit stunned, then said yes. Robbie, who is 9, was now so excited that I thought he was going to wet his pants. I pulled out the case and removed the butt section and the 22 barrel and put them together. Robbie was almost drooling at this point. I handed it to him and got a big, big smile. Then I showed him how to open and close it, and went through about 10 minutes of safety instruction.

I made a point of telling the kid that it was his gun, but it was going to stay at my house. But, the next time I was going to the range, he and his dad were invited to go along. The reason I am keeping it for storage is I have a safe where it will be locked away with mine, and since no one in his house has any experience with firearms, no since in risking a stupid accident.

We haven’t made it to the range yet since the weather has not been in a mood to cooperate, but Robbie comes by almost every evening for a few minutes to handle HIS gun. He also gets a safety lesson each time. I don’t know who is more excited about him shooting it, him or me. I’m almost positive that he will be hooked for life on it, and I think his dad is going to want to learn to shoot also. I hope so.

That is all we can do to preserve our activity…one person at a time.

For those of us who enjoy the outdoors, be it hunting, shooting, fishing, camping, or merely taking a walk across a field or in the woods, we have to do more than merely enjoying these activities ourselves. We have to introduce the next generation to these activities. Now I know all about the computer/XBox/Playstation/myspace.com group. And getting them off their tiny behinds sometimes is not that easy. But we, as sportsman/women outdoor types, need to pass along our love of the outdoors in order to assure future generations will have an outdoors to enjoy.

Where do I start, you ask? It’s easy, really….take a neighbor kid to the range, or fishing, or camping. In a lot of states, 4-H clubs sponsor shooting teams, teaching them the safety and skills they need. In other places, local and state wildlife federations do the same. In still other places, local hunting/shooting clubs sponsor a day or two of safety training and shooting in an effort to pass along wisdom, techniques, and equipment in an effort to nurture an interest in their sport.

It doesn’t take much to start out. You already have the equipment, so it’s not a financial burden. You might have to buy an extra brick of 22 ammo, but that’s not going to break the budget. All it takes is sincerity on our part, and an investment in time. And time spent introducing some youngster to our activities is the best investment we can make to preserve and enhance what we already love.

I would bet that all of us belong to at least one group, either local or national, that works to enhance our sport. The NRA, National Wildlife Federation, National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Quail Unlimited, Pheasants Forever are just some of the groups of which I speak. How many of them have local chapters that encourage, actively, the introduction of their passion to the next generation? Better yet, how many of us, individually, have taken steps to introduce the next generation to our passion?

A few people here know that I am a moderator on a gun/shooting forum. One of the members there has taken it upon himself to pass along his love of guns and shooting to the next generation. Over the last two years, I can’t tell you how many firearms, both rifles and shotguns, he has given away so that children will have a gun to learn to shoot with. I can tell you that in the last two weeks, he has given away five. I’m not going to reveal his identity or even his state of residence, as he does not seek publicity, but rather seeks to bring more and more young people into our sport. But his generosity is almost beyond belief. He also has funded two shooting teams in his local area. I know that a lot of us can’t do it on a scale such as that, but we can, if we want to, bring in one or two youngsters at a time.

I was lucky growing up. I lived on a ranch, out in the country. My father and both my grandfathers hunted. We had guns in the house…and surprise, they weren’t locked and wired and concealed. My brothers and I knew what they were, what they could do, and were taught how to handle them safely. We also knew that if we violated the rules, what the consequences would be. And they were harsh, and in today’s world, I’m certain that Dad would have been prosecuted for child abuse! However, we did not violate the rules about guns.

The best thing was learning about guns, and the safe handling of same, and the times we went hunting. I was taught about the habits of certain species, where they liked to live, what they ate, and the best times to hunt them. Hours spent in the woods or afield with Dad and one or both of my grandfathers was wonderful. Too bad so many kids today don’t get to spend that kind of “quality” time with their father or other family members and enjoy what the psycho babble crowd call “significant bonding.”

Collectively, we have a wealth of knowledge and it is now time for us to pass it on so that future generations will be able to enjoy what we do.