florida school shooting

wow...again, I'm speechless. Innocent students gunned down while they were at school. Makes you wonder and contemplate gun control. For me as a parent, the thought is frightening...

Does my right to own an assault rifle trump children's rights to be safe in schools?

And yes, it is an assault rifle...say what you want. It was designed for nation states to battle other nation states on a battle field. It was never designed for civilians, so yes...it is an assault rifle. The sooner we "gun nuts" start describing it for what it is, the more likely the gun control people will take us seriously.

Again, whose right is more important? Or is it not an issue of individual rights...maybe it's an issue of ideals?

I'm not advocating one side or the other...not yet...but I must admit, my mind is heavy with this issue facing our nation and citizens...and especially our children.

I look at my assault rifles and begin to think:
-do I really need these?
-what type of self defense situation would I find my self in where this would be the correct tool for the job?
-when's the last time I actually shot them? They're not my "go to" guns for plinking or long range marksmanship.

But then I begin to ponder:
-why should I punish myself and others by banning an object when the real issue is mental health?
-as a parent, should I help abolish a fundamental right to possess these weapons? How would my son feel about me making decisions for his future and the ownership of these weapons before he's able to make the same decisions for himself?

Just some things to consider...one thing is for certain on this earth...change is inevitable, and I can feel a change coming...

I feel deeply for the parents. I can't even begin to imagine how they feel.

When we become mothers and fathers, we also take on the role of security guards by default. And my son is protected, believe me. For example, when out and about town, both my wife and son know to walk on my left side, about one pace behind, so should the need arise, I can draw my handgun from my right side, and push them behind me with my left arm. It's not anything we've actually practiced, it's just a natural thing. What I'm getting at is...I can protect my child, anywhere at anytime...unless...he's at school.

When he's at school he's defenseless...and that bother's me deeply. I consider myself to be pretty intelligent and an excellent problem solver...but for this, I have no answer...

Thoughts on Vegas Shooting

....really speechless at this point. How someone could so coldly plan and murder so many people is beyond my comprehension. As the details are coming out, it's becoming easier to see how calculated this individual was....unreal...

In the days and weeks to come, I'm sure we're going to hear more about gun control from those who support it...and those who oppose it. These are my "knee-jerk" reactions to articles I've read the past 2 days, and no, I'm not going to provide links to them. I'm not going to give them anymore attention or traffic, period.

1) I've seen many, many articles the past several days where people are trying their best to pin this on the NRA. The NRA is not responsible. That's like trying to blame the FAA for the planes that went down on 9/11.

2) "Its time we outlaw machine guns!!!". news flash people...the 1938 firearms act made machine gun purchases damn near unaffordable unless you were a millionaire at the time. It required a 200$ tax stamp to purchase, which at that time, was 10 times more than the cost of the weapon. With the additional legislation from the 1986 firearms act, you still need a stamp and must be a class 3 dealer to purchase and own. Full auto weapons prior to 1986 can still be transferred from individual to individual, but are so rare, in limited numbers, and so costly (17,000$ and up!)...they're like unicorns, I've heard they're around but I've never seen one.

3)statistics this...statistics that...blah blah blah...so tired of hearing these numbers spit out and regurgitated. Ex. "X" amount of gun deaths every year (70% of them are suicides, but they fail to mention this because it doesn't support their viewpoint)...and on , and on, and on

4)"imagine if he had a silencer!" jeez...they're not silencers, they're suppressors. When attached to a weapon, they're still loud. most only have a 40 decibel reduction if that. This isn't the movies people.

I could go on and on but why...most of these people aren't open to education on the subject matter much less robust debate from an opposing view point. I don't intend to sound insensitive, just tired of the same bullshit and political meandering after every tragedy.

enough for now, thanks for reading, and yes, i'll try to post more often!

tell me how you feel in the comments
 

WHY DO WE PREPARE?

Because hurricanes don't care where you live or how much money you have. And FEMA sucks...

FEMA gave each individual needing assistance 5 bottles of water, and 3 MREs per day...and this was 4 days after hurricane Sandy wrecked havoc on the northeast. Absolute desperation ensued, however, looting and violence was minimal...could have been much, much worse.

Romainian 1969 trainer rifle restoration

I picked up this little Romanian training rifle for less than 100 bucks. Its beat up pretty bad, but the bore is in excellent condition and it's a real tack driver at the range. I'm torn as to what to do with it.

Alot of good collectible guns have been ruined by someone trying to "clean" it up. When someone buys an old gun, especially a military one, they want a little dirt and rust. However, these guns have flooded the country, are plentiful, and don't obviously hold much value as I just bought this one for less than a bill. So a full on restoration should be in order...but one thing is stopping me...the availability of parts.

If I'm going to invest the time in refinishing, reblueing, polishing etc., I'm gonna shoot the crap out of it afterwards for years to come...hard to do when parts wear out and you can't find replacements.

So that said, I'm just gonna do a proper "cleaning" job to remove rust and preserve the rifle as part of my collection.

-These are the problem areas

-Notice the rust around the bolt handle, trigger and trigger guard. It's not heavy but its consistent all over the rifle. I wouldn't say the gun was neglected, just used as a cheap 22. It most likely stayed in the corner of someones house, they would grab it for pest control around the yard, then back in the corner it went.

-more rust again and couple dings in the stock

-yes...there is rust all over this thing

-crappy photo, but the bore is spotless and the crown is in very good shape as well

-look at all the "fuzz" inside of the front sight hood...that's dust...lots of it, again, this baby was no doubt leaned up in somebody's corner for the last 10-15 years.

Now it's very important to remember this: when cleaning up an old weapon for collecting/resale, upon completion, no one should be able to tell that it was touched. So for this little project we're gonna start with a process called electrolysis, stay-tuned for the setup and instructions on how to build your own.

My Son Is Here

My son was born August 30th 2012!

A little early no doubt....5 weeks early. The play by play goes like this:

· 1:45pm, Routine doctor’s/ultrasound appointment. No big deal, just another appointment right? It was revealed that the umbilical cord wasn't providing enough nourishment to our little man. What he was receiving was being distributed to his brain and heart, little if any was making him fat, long, and strong.

· est 2:15, Doctor informs us that we're doing this now! I was like "Ok, like Friday or next week?". She replied..."No, like right now. I need you to get in your car and drive over to the hospital. We already have a bed in pre-op ready, I’ll be grabbing a few things myself and meet you there!"

· est 2:15:30, Wife breaks down into a puddle of jello and tears. My fight or flight kicks in...and dammit it's time to fight!

· 2:30, We arrive at the front door and are ushered back directly to pre-op. When asked if I had a camera, I answered no. I was granted a 20-25 min window to retrieve one as well as our "baby on the way bug-out-bag"

· 2:32, Civic SI is in the wind. All available horses are firmly planted to the ground, hazards turned on, 7,000 rpm shifts, speeds only limited by wind resistance!

· 2:39, Burst in through the front door of our house. Baby bug out bag, CHECK. Camera and extra batteries CHECK. Pillows, extra bra-socks-pajamas, CHECK...then my phone rings....random number...."Hello?"..."Mark?...Where are you?" (Being tactical and specific to mission data...and mainly confused and pumped on adrenaline) I replied "I'm in the living room!"..."We need you here NOW!" the voice said. I checked my watch, it had only been approximately 9 mins, something was wrong, it's go time!

· 2:40, standing in the drive way I decided that the Civic wasn’t fast enough, I went back in and grabbed the keys to the WRX. Ignition on, engine start, CHECK. Traction control off, CHECK. Hazards on, power robbing A/C off, CHECK. Pocket content confirmation...what/wait...no wallet, no flash light, no knife, no ID, no VIP parking pass...just one loaded pistol in a IWB holster that I had forgotten to remove in the house…F&#K IT, IT’S GO TIME.

· 2:41, LAUNCHED, 300hp unleashed on the street, speedlimts were hints, and no passing zones were mere suggestions

· 2:57, slid sideways into a parking spot. Blue smoke rolling out of the hood, smelled like clutch. No time to check for fire. Chirp-Chirp, doors are locked, lets roll.

· 2:58est, the anesthesiologist was at the front door waiting. “Drop your bags and put on this gown, mask, and cap…we got to go now!” she said. I followed her instructions and we sprinted down the hallway. She flashed her badge at an unmarked door and the hallways turned to bleached white tiles…we were in the bowels of the OR department.

· 3:01, she threw her shoulder into another unmarked door (so she wouldn’t compromise her sanitized hands) and I followed. 15-18 people were in the room, fully clad in OR scrubs and wearing full face masks, in the center of the room was my wife on the operating table. “LETS GET THIS PARTY STARTED!” I exclaimed as everyone applauded.

I can’t begin to praise our OBGYN enough. This woman had been by our side since January when we found out we were pregnant. She was vigorously cutting her way into my wife’s stomach, and in an attempt to either put me at ease, or show me how bad-ass she really is, occasionally she would twirl her scissors like a cowboy holstering his colt revolver. I reassured my wife everything was ok during the process. Modern medicine and anesthesia is amazing, numb from the chest down, she couldn’t feel a thing. The curtain was there so she couldn’t see most of her guts still attached and laying on tray beside her. Unbelievable I was completely calm, and to reassure myself, I held up my hand to check for shaking, none found, all good.

During the operation on my wife, the doctor, and myself discussed how BMW had recently ruined the M3 by installing unresponsive electric power steering. Then we discussed her recent move to a Honda Fit. We even educated the rest of the room on the difference in gear ratios between a 5 and 6 speed manual transmissions. My wife weighing in that we’ll always be a family whose cars have clutches. Then mid sentence, the doctor stopped and said “Ready…HERE WE GO!”

And just like you peel back couch cushions to look for your keys, she opened up my wife’s midsection with Hulk-like strength and snatched my son from her insides! They laid him on a nearby table for me to see. He was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It was like looking through a telescope the wrong way into a mirror. He has almost all my features and face structure…a virtual mini-me.

·         3:09 Willie T blessed us with his presence. Planet earth will never be the same again

And that’s how it happened. We weren’t ready…but we were prepared. We were weak, but we fought the good fight and won. We didn’t have the tools or training we needed, but we adapted and overcome. In less than two hours, we were parents. We’re a family now

All we need now is for him to be strong, smart, and healthy. All he needs/wants now…well…is titties.