Al Gore’s Current TV Rebuffs Advances by TheBlaze, Agrees to Sell Channel to Al Jazeera

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Via Don

 
Seeking to expand its presence in American television, al-Jazeera, the Qatar-owned news network, has agreed to buy Al Gore’s low-rated Current TV, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but a person familiar with the matter said al-Jazeera paid a few hundred million dollars for Current TV. The network, which was co-founded by Mr. Gore and entrepreneur Joel Hyatt in 2005, has recently been struggling with low ratings.

The multimillion dollar deal came after Current rebuffed TheBlaze when it approached the network about buying the channel last year. According to a source close to the negotiations, officials at TheBlaze were told that “the legacy of who the network goes to is important to us and we are sensitive to networks not aligned with our point of view.”

An executive for TheBlaze confirmed these details on Thursday, noting that the decision not to sell to Beck’s network came only hours after executives reached out to a Current representative to discuss the matter. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Hyatt said that the decision to go with the Middle Easter outlet came, in part, because, “al-Jazeera was founded with the same goals we had for Current.”

This admission on the part of Current clearly shows that the network aligns itself with al-Jazeera — at least when it comes to goals and aspirations — something critics will likely question. As the AP noted, Dave Marash, a former “Nightline” reporter who worked for the network for a time, left in 2008 after sensing an anti-American bias.

More @ The Blaze

Cabella’s Charging Medical Device Excise Tax on Receipts

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Why the medical device excise tax should have been applied to all the items listed in the receipts pictured above is something of a mystery. 
The state of Texas (where these receipts are said to have originated) allows sellers to pass along the expense of the new medical device excise tax to customers by “separately stating a line item charge on the invoice or receipt given to their customers for ‘Federal Excise Tax’ or something similar,” but the vendor, Cabela’s, is a retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise not known for selling medical devices, and the items listed in the receipts (such as a Ruger Attache Pistol Case) would not seem by any stretch of the imagination to fit FDA definitions of medical devices. 
It’s possible that some vendors switched over to new sales software on 1 January 2013 that was programmed to accommodate the new tax but improperly applied it to all purchases rather than just those of qualifying medical devices. 
More @ Snopes

New York Legislature to Introduce Bills Making Posession of Any AWB Firearms Illegal, Remove Grandfathering

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Via aronatbc

  
"Gonna get folks killed." 
The New York Legislature is set to consider a bill that would vastly expand the state’s current “assault weapons ban.” Here’s some of the, er, highlights:

• All firearms must either be rendered inoperative or surrendered to the police. No grandfathering, no exceptions.
• Removes the “grandfathering” exception for possession of magazines with a greater than 10 round capacity.
• Bumps up AWB-firearm possession from 3rd degree “criminal possession of a weapon” to first degree, putting simple possession of such a firearm at the same level of punishment as Rape 1 or Manslaughter 1.

Oh, and the whole thing is severable. So if one section is ever declared unconstitutional, the rest of it stays. Full text here. There are also two other bills being considered . . .


S202-2013 has one heck of a preamble:

More @ The Truth About Guns

Unrestored 5,500 miles 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split Window Coupe 327/340 HP, Bloomington Gold Hall of Fame

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Visited many a Virginia girl's college during '63 and '64 in an identical machine.
 MECUM
This 1963 Chevrolet Corvette split window coupe is a crown jewel in the fabulous John Justo Collection. An unrestored original with a mere 5,500 miles on the odometer, it is a multiple award winner in the hotly contested collector Corvette hobby, having earned Bloomington Gold Certification, places in both the 1995 Bloomington Gold Special Collection and the 1997 Bloomington Gold Hall of Fame. It has also been decorated with the coveted NCRS Top Flight Award. With its exceptionally rare combination of Riverside Red paint, matching Red interior and 327/340 HP engine – the most powerful carbureted engine in the 1963 lineup – this high-caliber Sting Ray coupe is very much an archetypal example of the breed.

As befits its status, it is also exceptionally well documented with the original sales invoice, window sticker, title facsimile and Protect-O-Plate. Furthermore, this super low-mileage, factory Red/Red Split Window was formerly on display at the National Corvette Museum, it was featured in the March 2003 issue of Vette Magazine, and it graced the cover of the June 1989 Bloomington-Normal Visitor Guide promoting Bloomington Gold Corvettes USA.

- Bloomington Gold Certified
- 1997 Bloomington Gold Hall of Fame
- 1995 Bloomington Gold Special Collection
- NCRS Top Flight Award
- All original car
- Unrestored with 5,500 miles
- 327/340 HP engine
- Riverside Red with Red interior
- Original sales invoice
- Original window sticker
- Original owner Protect-O-Plate
- Original title copy
- Formerly on display at the National Corvette Museum
- Featured in the March 2003 issue of Vette Magazine
- Very desirable color combination
- Riverside Red with Red interior

J&G Update

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Most of you have heard of the panic buying that has been occurring since proposed gun control legislation has been discussed daily on the news. We wanted to try to keep our customers informed of what we see going on from our end, both bad and good.

First the BAD:

1. There are extensive shortages of several key items. Products that may be banned are often no longer in stock, such as mags over 10rds for AR-15, AK-47, popular pistols, and ammo in key calibers. The urge to stock up on these items continues to be very strong and we are unsure what supply will be like in the future. Manufacturers may not be able to keep up, some stating that future supplies will be limited for quite some time, especially on AR and AK rifles and magazines.

2. Prices are going up. This is a fact of life during shortages due to increased demand and short supply. If you browse gun auction websites you will see the value of items climbing daily. Luckily most of the prices at J&G Sales have not changed and remain stable, although some items have increased, or will soon. The increased prices are due to several factors, including:

A. Suppliers who have increased our costs when we order replacement stock. B. Suppliers no longer importing or producing certain items at all, making what is currently available no longer replaceable and increasing its value. C. Some price increases to allow items to be available to more people over a longer period, preventing a few resellers from buying everything.
Now the GOOD:

1. Many suppliers are ramping up production to try to get product to the dealers to restock as soon as possible. We are expecting AR-15 mags to continue coming in, as well as handgun mags, and ammo. Shipments will probably be smaller than previously, as manufacturers try to spread around the supply and not ship it all to only one or two dealers. Gun production is more difficult to increase, and many manufacturers were already running close to full capacity before the rush. We do expect more domestically produced guns, although AR style rifles will probably be available only in small batches. Unfortunately, we do not expect a steady supply of AK style rifles for some time.

2. Prices seem to be stabilizing a bit, although they will continue to be extremely volatile depending on the details of new legislation, and on continued word from manufacturers regarding future availability.

In summary, we hope these times will pass and enough government representatives will remember their oaths of office and keep our freedom intact. We at J&G plan to stick it out for the long haul and continue to supply our customers into the future. We pledge to you that we will not cave to outside societal pressure and will stay loyal to you and continue selling lawful items to law abiding citizens.
We appreciate your support and loyalty and wish you all a peaceful and blessing filled 2013.


LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD !!
Join with other gun owners and let your voice be heard, feel free to check out groups such as the NRA, Firearms Coalition, JPFO, or Gunowners Of America and pick the one you like. Click here to see about joining the NRA: https://membership.nrahq.org/forms/signup.asp?CampaignID=XS005080 Click here for Firearms Coalition http://www.firearmscoalition.org/ or visit Gunowners of America at http://www.gunowners.org and see JPFO at http://www.jpfo.org   J&G Sales Ltd. - 440 Miller Valley Road, Prescott, AZ 86301. Phone: 1-928-445-9650

Guns are good for the goose but NOT for the gander.

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Hilarious.  You get bitten once, you double down hoping you'll be bitten twice?  Brilliant.
A Clarkstown police report issued on December 28, 2012, confirmed that The Journal News has hired armed security guards from New City-based RGA Investigations and that they are manning the newspaper’s Rockland County headquarters at 1 Crosfield Ave., West Nyack, through at least tomorrow, Wednesday, January 2, 2013.

According to police reports on public record, Journal News Rockland Editor Caryn A. McBride was alarmed by the volume of “negative correspondence,” namely an avalanche of phone calls and emails to the Journal News office, following the newspaper’s publishing of a map of all pistol permit holders in Rockland and Westchester.

Due to apparent safety concerns, the newspaper then decided to hire RGA Investigations to provide armed personnel to man the location.

Private investigator Richard Ayoob is the administrator of RGA. He told the Clarkstown Police on Friday, December 28 that there had been no problems on site at the Journal News headquarters despite the massive influx of phone calls and emails.

McBride had filed at least two reports with the Clarkstown Police Department due to perceived threats. However, the police did not find the communications in question actually threatening. Incident-Report 2012-00033099 describes McBride telling police she was worried because an email writer wondered “what McBride would get in her mail now.”

Police said the email “did not constitute an offense” and did not contain an actual threat.

The Journal News caused an international stir when they released an interactive map of pistol permit holders names and addresses in Rockland and Westchester counties last Sunday, December 23. The editors have said they believe knowing where guns are is in the public’s interest. The newspaper has also taken a strident editorial position in favor of strict gun control.

Rather than take the map down following the public uproar, the executive board at the Journal News has decided to “stick to their guns” and double-down on their original decision, as they have said a map listing all pistol permit holders in Putnam County will soon to be posted.

The controversial use of the Freedom of Information Act to create the interactive map may come back to bite the Journal News and others who would prefer that pistol permits remain public record.

More @ Rockland County Times

The twisted "logic" of gun control laws.

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Oleg VolkVERBATIM

 
This is a 10-22 receiver. By US law, this is considered a firearm. If you bring this item to a "gun-free" zone, you would be guilty of a felony. In case of Browning M1919 machine gun, the "firearm" is merely a flat rectangular sideplate with a serial number, no different from any other sheet of steel except for the serial number.
 

 
By US law, this muffler for rimfire cartridges is also considered a firearm. So bringing this tube with baffles to a school would also be a felony.
 
If two people own the same model muffler and accidentally swap them at the range, nominally they are both guilty of crimes for turning a restricted item over to somebody else - even though neither person gained any new capability from the act nor harmed anyone.
 
 

A friend emailed me this picture. DIAS stands for drop-in auto sear, it's a part of a trigger mechanism. Possession of this tiny piece of metal which has to be made ​​before 1986 without registration and payment of $ 200 excise tax is a felony, same as an unregistered machine gun. And yet it's just a part so simple that putting it with bolts and fixtures on a hardware store shelf wouldn't attract any attention.
*** The examples I bring up are obscure trivia, but they can and sometimes do lead to real prison terms and felony criminal records, and to lifetime loss of voting rights. Gun control treats guns as black magic fetishes. It's not clear how having a flash hider on a rifle harms the public more than having a muzzle brake, or how having a 15.9 "barrel harms people more than having a 16.1" barrel, or ... the examples are countless. The entire concept of prosecuting innocent possession instead of harmful actions is actively malicious because it ruins real lives over imaginary offenses.

Six-Year Old Suspended from School for Saying 'Pow'

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Via Angry Mike

 
BreitbartVERBATIM
 A six-year-old student at Roscoe R. Nix Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland, was suspended the week before Christmas break because he made a gun with his hand and said "pow" while playing with another student.

This is a direct result of the hysteria Democrats and their willing accomplices in the mainstream media have created in the wake of the horrendous crime at Sandy Hook Elementary.

The school's assistant principal, Renee Garraway, actually sent a letter home to the six-year-old's parents that read in part: "Your son...was involved in a serious incident. [He] threatened to shoot another student."

Has this assistant principle never heard of playing cops and robbers or Cowboys and Indians? This is as embarrassing as it is infuriating.

Because of the school's actions this six-year old child had to retain an attorney.  But here's the good news -- the attorney, Robin Ficker, sees the lunacy behind this ridiculous suspension and is criticizing the school for not even calling the six-year old's mother to discuss the situation. Rather, they just said "you're suspended" and because of that, "five years from now when someone at Montgomery County looks at [the child's] permanent record, they're going to see that he threatened to shoot another student."

Added Ficker: "What [the school's] doing is looking at the worst possible interpretation of a young, naive six year-old."

Shame on the assistant principal and on every school administrator who had anything to do with this ridiculous, hysteria-driven overreach.

'Fiscal Cliff' Bill Includes Corporate Welfare for Hollywood, NASCAR

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Via Cousin John


House Republicans passed the 'fiscal cliff' bill last night, which will raise taxes on those making more than $400,000 a year to 39.6%, extend unemployment insurance for one year, raise the estate tax from 35% to 40% and eliminate the payroll tax break for the middle class.

However, the 150-page bill also includes some corporate welfare for various industries, which will cost the federal government more than $100 billion in revenue.

Hollywood, NASCAR, railroads and more industries got unnecessary special treatment in this bill, which had to be passed to avert financial disaster for the U.S.

ABC News reports (video below) that the bill includes:

$430 million for Hollywood through “special expensing rules” to encourage TV and film production in the United States.  Producers can expense up to $15 million of costs for their projects.

$331 million for railroads by allowing short-line and regional operators to claim a tax credit up to 50 percent of the cost to maintain tracks that they own or lease.

$222 million for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands through returned excise taxes collected by the federal government on rum produced in the islands and imported to the mainland.

$70 million for NASCAR by extending a “7-year cost recovery period for certain motorsports racing track facilities.”

$59 million for algae growers through tax credits to encourage production of “cellulosic biofuel” at up to $1.01 per gallon.

$4 million for electric motorcycle makers by expanding an existing green-energy tax credit for buyers of plug-in vehicles to include electric motorbikes.

More @ Opposing Views

Deal Means Higher Taxes on 77% of Households

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The budget deal passed by the U.S. Senate today would raise taxes on 77.1 percent of U.S. households, mostly because of the expiration of a payroll tax cut, according to preliminary estimates from the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center in Washington.

More than 80 percent of households with incomes between $50,000 and $200,000 would pay higher taxes. Among the households facing higher taxes, the average increase would be $1,635, the policy center said. A 2 percent payroll tax cut, enacted during the economic slowdown, is being allowed to expire as of yesterday.


More @ Newsmax

Gettin' by with what works...

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Some decades back a "jam box" ended up under the Christmas tree with my name on it.  Another small package had some cassette tapes in it... Alabama, Bruce Springsteen, and Fleetwood Mac.  I mostly used it while plugged-in since it took a small truck load of D-cell batteries to keep it running.  Amazingly, it still works and except for a small crack in the corner and a few scratches... it has somehow survived Van Halen through Roth and Hagar, Hank Williams and Junior, and had even aged better than Mick Jagger.


The ol' "jam box" has been hanging out the last few years on the wall of the barn.  It still plays AM and FM... and there's still a box of cassette tapes laying around covering the better part of classic rock and country from the pre-MTV era, back when MTV actually showed music videos.

Some folks will ask why I still keep it around.  Well, it works... it plays music... it plays Reds games... it plays old faded Springsteen tapes.  Some say "new" isn't always better, but actually "new" isn't always needed.  If I'm working in the barn, welding, hangin' out, changing oil... it keeps me entertained... and that's all I ever expected or needed from it.  No sub-woofer, no CD, just ol' music, talk, and sports.

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."  ~Philippians 4:11-12 
I must admit, it's taken a lot of years for me to be happy with just gettin' by, but my gal... that terrific redhead I married who grew up in pretty humble circumstances... has been a good balance for me.  I watch a lot of folks who were livin' high on the hog, or livin' beyond that and high on someone else's hog who are now suffering pretty badly, but really... many of 'em aren't suffering that badly.  They're just experiencing the difference between their desires and needs.  Most of us wouldn't be or aren't happy livin' on just what we need.  Heck, one look in our gun safe shows that.
I've done my best to live the right way
I get up every morning and go to work each day
But your eyes go blind and your blood runs cold
Sometimes I feel so weak I just want to explode
Explode and tear this whole town apart
Take a knife and cut this pain from my heart
Find somebody itching for something to start

The dogs on Main Street howl 'cause they understand
If I could reach one moment into my hands
Mister I ain't a boy, no I'm a man
And I believe in a promised land
~Bruce Springsteen

So what's the point?  Well, I think this country is still headin' for a fall... at least financially.  If it actually happens, there will be a lot of folks who are going to have to just make do... or die.  If you haven't started thinking about it yet, you should.  
Why not think about times to come,
And not about the things that you've done,
If your life was bad to you,
Just think what tomorrow will do.

Don't stop, thinking about tomorrow,
Don't stop, it'll soon be here,
It'll be, better than before,
Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone. ~Fleetwood Mac
Maybe it's time to start... and get prepared for... Gettin' by with what works...
So what do you think?

The new shootin' range...

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When we moved to our current country home about fifteen years ago, we had just a handful of neighbors, a state nature preserve adjacent to our property on two sides, plenty of wildlife, and agricultural zoning so shooting and hunting out back whenever we wanted wasn't a concern.


We had built our first shooting permanent shooting range about ten years back on our property when we had a concrete, covered "shootin' porch" put on the back of our new barn.  My good friend Matt over at Jerking the Trigger helped me put a bit of sweat equity into that barn back then and he has joined me on occasion back then and over the years to shoot on our range.


Over the years, the one thing that has changed is we did have quite a few new neighbors build houses in the area during the first decade of the new millennium. So along with that... and the very wet, clay ground here at our property... and to add the ability to shoot multiple targets at various angles for practice, 4H Shooting Sports, NRA/CCW courses, and other shooting activities... we decided to re-design our fifty-yard range in addition to putting in a lot of tile for drainage on the property.


Since the gals and I shoot regularly, often multiple times each week, we wanted to be able to shoot year 'round without having to slog through water and mud to set targets so we decided to put drainage in the base of our range and cover it with compacted, number-eight washed-gravel that is ten to twelve-inches deep.  This small gravel will not cause ricochets, with .22s or .308s - it's been personally tested by the gals and I, although the gravel will scatter.  We put a commercial-grade plastic cloth under-layment down after the excavation of four to six inches of sod and top soil to keep the mud and weeds out while preventing the gravel from endlessly sinking in.


The earthen berm is thirteen to fourteen-foot high and configured in a "horse-shoe" shape so that shooters can safely address targets at various angles.  We've planted it with a mix of grass seed and Crown Vetch with a straw-mat covering so hopefully what has started growing so far this fall will fill in nicely during the spring.  We may need to over-seed in the spring, but it's a good start.


Since some folks may ask, the finished range is sixty-five feet long and thirty-five feet wide.  We put in commercial-grade white-vinyl, privacy fence down each side that is seven feet tall with six-foot high privacy panels.  The gals wanted it to look nice and while it may not offer ballistic protection, it does provide privacy, safety, a minimal amount of sound abatement, and a "what stray bullet, show me the hole" liability mitigation factor.  Fortunately, our neighbors are to the left or right or east... the range is almost four-hundred feet off the road, points west to the state nature preserve and the closest structures due west of us and the range are almost five and a half miles away... did I say we live in the country?

I know you can never be safe enough with firearms and shooting, but I think we've taken more than adequate precautions in the re-configuration and construction of this range.  We'll also be able to use the range for parties and entertaining too since we have a spare refrigerator and freezer in the barn and my Dad's fairly new gas grill to put out there on the shootin' porch when it's needed... ... for bacon, steaks, and bangs... I think Dad would approve!


We'll be relocating our archery range to take advantage of the side of the new earth berm outside of the new shootin' range and we still have the two-hundred yard range on the far side of the property for tweaking our rifles.  If our home facilities don't always fit the need, we're fortunate to have the local gun club just ten minutes or a few country miles away with archery, shotgun, pistol, rifle, and cowboy action ranges.

There's still some landscaping, roto-tillin', and grass seedin'' to do around the outside of the range and for all the drainage trenches throughout the property... but we still have a few good weekends left to work on that this fall... when we're not shooting on the range, of course.  

So now you folks know why lately I've been down to one post each week.  What can I say... it's been busy 'round here... and the gals and I are blessed with more than we deserve... including... The new shootin' range...

I'll have a number four shotgun combo...

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There was a comment on the last post about using a shotgun for deer hunting here in Ohio as opposed to some folks out west who need a center-fire rifle to cover long distances or up-state in the east where a thirty-thirty, lever-action rifle does the trick.

There are so many hunting situations, laws, and variations around that what some folks think is the best solution might just depend upon where you're from or maybe where you're at.  A good ol' pump action shotgun offers the shooter and hunter a lot of versatility and reliability... plus here in Ohio, a shotgun is a necessity during gun season for deer hunting.


As a long-time shooter and hunter, plus as an NRA, CCW, and 4H Shooting Sports instructor, I am often asked about my opinion regarding what kind or type or brand or model of firearm someone should get.  My first two questions usually are "What do you want to do with it?" and "How much do you want to spend?".  When it comes to shotguns and limited budgets, it's hard to beat a pump-action shotgun from companies like Mossberg and Remington with the all the variations and accessories that are available from the factory and third-party vendors.

Now I'm not about to argue brands here as everyone has an opinion, but due to our prepping nature, the gals and I have standardized on the Mossberg 500 series here and if you're selecting a brand... it's very hard to beat the "big two" for variations, parts, barrels, and accessory availability.


Slap on a longer barrel with interchangeable chokes like this twenty-eight-inch vent-rib barrel from Mossberg and you're all set for just about any kind of winged-critter hunting including ducks, turkey, quail, pheasant, and crows depending on your screw-in choke selection.  You can also head out for some trap, skeet, five-stand, sporting clays and bust some clays too.


For big critter hunting like white-tail deer, shotgun slugs are required here in Ohio.  While there are several rifled and smooth-bore/cylinder-bore options available for the Mossy, I like the twenty-four-inch rifled barrel with cantilever scope mount.  The 3x-9x Bushnell scope came with the barrel right from Mossberg and since the scope mount is directly attached to the barrel, you can switch out barrels and keep your zero dead-on.


If huntin' two-legged varmints who have kicked down the door of your house is a concern, you might just want to mount up a short, cylinder-bore barrel like this eighteen-inch barrel from Mossberg.  Now you've turned your pump-action shotgun into a short, maneuverable home and self-defense firearm that can blast out one-once slugs, double-aught or number four buckshot... and even less-than-lethal options are available.

So if you're looking for a versatile firearm with many uses and your budget is a bit short of what the political candidates are spending these days...  consider your options, but as for me... I'll have a number four shotgun combo...

Butt kickin' and dry-firin'...

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Wow, this fall has been busy for me and the gals.  I've been feelin' like a one-legged man in a butt kickin' contest... no offense intended to those with one leg... it's just an ol' sayin' that's been around for years.  I've picked up the NRA's Personal Protection Outside the Home Instructor certification, been accepted into the NRA's Training Counselor program for early next year, and completed the Ohio 4H Shooting Sports Shotgun Instructor certification.

My main gal and I are stepping up as the lead advisor (me) and the Ohio Shooting Sports Coordinator (her) for our 4H club.  I've also been appointed to the Board of Directors for our local sportsmens club and still serve on the county 4H committee.  All that has been on top of our regular duties as professional educators, parents, church members, etc.

I'm starting to learn to say no with some authority, but you wouldn't have guessed that from the previous paragraph.  Sometimes things have to go or slow down and as some of you have noticed... the blog is down to about one post each week, but I still enjoy keepin' the blog up as it relaxes me and keeps me in touch with so many great folks out there so I'm committed to at least one post every week or so.

Of course, I still find time for prepping, hunting, the outdoors, and shooting.  Having a place to shoot and hunt out back is sure an advantage.  I've been trying to make sure I get my exercise each day by ridin' the Schwinn Airdyne, weight lifting with dumb-bells, keeping my trigger fingers and hands strong with the Grip Master while driving to work, and walking the trails to check trail cams.


A few friends of mine have recently lamented that they haven't been able to get much range time in lately or even for months.  Even with our own range here at home, I still do a lot of dry-firing with both pistols and rifles and practice drawing from concealment fairly regularly... even out on the shootin' range.

There's been a lot written about dry-fire practice, including some good things by my friends Ron, over at When the Balloon Goes Up, and Matt, over at Jerking the Trigger.  I think one of the keys to effective dry-fire practice is being methodical and focusing on fundamentals and technique over speed... almost like developing a kata in a martial arts discipline.  Dry-firing isn't anything new, bulls-eye and rifle shooters have been using the technique for many decades.  I even ran across an advertisement (below) for a dry-firing arm weight from fifty years ago in the November, 1962 edition of Guns magazine.


There are a lot of ideas, tools, lasers, special equipment, and other gadgets to assist the shooter with dry-fire practice, but I have two items that I believe are critical.  First, the Triple-Check... make sure your gun is unloaded, the magazines are unloaded, there is absolutely no ammunition in the area, you're aiming at a safe target or location and TRIPLE CHECK your gun to make sure it is empty.  That's right, three times, check it... check it... and check it again.

The second critical item is simply DO IT!  Practice dry-firing regularly.  Work on the fundamentals   Get the trigger pull going in a steady motion, straight to the rear until it breaks.  Make sure your grip is consistent.  Practice operating the controls on your gun.  Always be aware of what your muzzle is covering if you're practicing drawing from concealment.  Oh, and don't forget your off-hand... you know, the one you don't use to write.

So, feel free to let me know if you have any ideas or tips that help improve the dry-fire practice experience... but for now I need to get back to... Butt kickin' and dry-firin'...

Makin' a list, checkin' it twice...

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The gals and I are what some might call "preppers".  That term can cover quite a range of activities and lifestyles.  When you grow up or live out in rural areas like we do, what folks call prepping is just how we've always lived.  When the Blizzard of '78 hit northwest Ohio, we were snowed under for almost two weeks... no power, no school, no police, no fire service or EMS... folks took care of their own and each other... the firewood cut and stacked many months before kept us warm, the summer's garden produce was canned and stored in the basement, we melted snow for water, and we survived and helped others as best we could. Besides, ridin' a snow mobile right into downtown to get items at the grocery store was pretty cool and that was back when you could call "Joe" to open up his pharmacy at midnight to get a prescription for the elderly neighbor.


These days a lot of folks live paycheck to paycheck, some by choice, some not... but many live day to day if they were ever faced with their food, water, or shelter supply stopping.  While I'm not sure you can plan and prepare for every possible circumstance without it consuming your life, I think most folks can plan and prepare for some.  Like anything, to do it right you need to educate yourself, make a plan, and follow through... at a steady pace, not a crazy-mad rush that causes you to burn out and drop the whole matter.


For more immediate needs, the gals and I have Bug Out Bags (BOBs) ready to go and we've added Get Home Bags (GHBs) to our preps.  What's the difference, well the BOBs are set up for "buggin' out" and have supplies for at least three days and possibly up to two weeks of survivin', while the GHBs have what we anticipate needing for one day, maybe overnight... to get home from work, a friends, shopping, etc.


We're currently on Christmas break and my daughter and I went through our BOBs to check and update our preps and I changed out some clothing as I've lost some weight.  My daughter said she would like a list of everything that's in the bags and where 'cause she can't always remember... which I thought was a profound idea since I can't remember every little thing, let alone the expiration date or age of some supplies AND I have lists of just about everything else in our lives... lists for planning, lists for to-do, lists for the budget, lists for reloading, lists for groceries... boy have I got lists.


So we made a list of what was in each of our BOBs and GHBs, put them in zip-lock bags and put the bags right inside the top compartment.  I also made a list of future items and upgrades.  For example, we have to live within our budget and we have to do almost all our preps in triplicate as there are three of us.  I like the L.A. Police Gear backpacks we have, but they are not the best and while we chose Coyote brown/tan to look less tactical and conspicuous, we'd like to eventually get better quality bags that have a frame and look even less tactical... although the Molle strips are very handy.


The GHBs are $29.99 gear bags from Cabela's that we picked up on sale for $9.99 each.  They probably won't make it to the summit of Mt. Everest and back, but they should make it home with us.  The GHBs were also packed with consideration for the vehicles they sit in during the summer months so 120 to 130-degree heat won't ruin anything inside.

If you're interested in putting your own BOBs together or updating what you have, there are plenty of lists already out there on the internet.  Greg Ellifritz has a recent list in his post over at Active Response Training for the BOB and the GHB.  Greg has his BOB weighing in at 55 pounds, but realizing his physical condition in comparison to knowing what our physical condition actually is... we've tried to keep our BOB's under thirty pounds before we add the fire-power and requisite hardware.  James Wesley, Rawles' Survival Blog has plenty of information and lists for planning or checking your preps when it comes to BOBs and GHBs.  Survival Cache also has a list to consider for a BOB.

So we hope you folks don't have to use your BOBs or GHBs anytime soon, although we've tried using and replenishing ours on occasion to test our preps, but you might want to make a list... and the gals and I do hope you have a very Merry Christmas... and be good... because we're not the only ones... Makin' a list, checkin' it twice...