The Wandering Minstrel

Frank Miniter, author of The Ultimate Man’s Survival Guide and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Hunting, penned an article for the environmentally focused National Review blog, Planet Gore. In it, Miniter points to one gleaming industry among many tarnished by the Obamination.

Guns: Two Kinds of Green — By: Frank Miniter

Yesterday the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearms industry’s trade group, went to Capitol Hill and released a study detailing the positive impact the firearms and ammunition industry has on the U.S. economy — and its environment.

NSSF President Steve Sanetti said, “During difficult economic times and high unemployment rates nationally, our industry actually grew and created 16,800 new, well-paying jobs. Our industry is proud to be one of the bright spots in this economy.”

According to the NSSF’s numbers, in 2008 the gun industry employed 166,200 people; in 2009, it was up to 183,424 employees. The gun industry’s economic impact in 2008 was $19,199,634,700, whereas in 2009 it was $27,846,304,300. This resulted in the gun industry collectively paying $2,035,154,440 in federal taxes in 2009. Because of excise taxes that go to conservation, in 2009 the gun industry raised $450,177,780 for fish and wildlife-associated conservation, including endangered-species protection. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will redistribute this revenue to the states for conservation and education programs, as it does every year.

So every time you hear a gun go bang, think of it as a cash register ringing for conservation. (By the way, the green movement once again won’t add a nickel to these conservation programs.)

Step One: Sign the petition.
Step Two: Share with everyone on your Facebook pages.
Step Three: Use the ‘I Support Arizona’ image on your Facebook and Twitter profiles.

When I signed it, there were already over 30,000 signatures.

Sign the petition at this link. You can read the bill (pdf) at this link.

According to the GLOCK website, these are the basic firearm safety rules. We memorize the first four, but maybe some of us need to be reminded once in a while that there are really more than four. We all know that there can be exceptions, depending on circumstances, to some of the rules, but never to the first four.

Handle all firearms as if they were loaded.
Always keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction.
Keep your finger out of the gun’s trigger guard and off the trigger until you have aligned the gun’s sights on a safe target and you have made the decision to fire.
Always be certain that your target and the surrounding area are safe before firing.
Whenever you handle a firearm, the first thing you should do (while keeping it pointed in a safe direction with your finger outside the trigger guard) is to open the action to determine whether or not the firearm is loaded.
Thoroughly read the instruction manual supplied with your firearm.
Before firing your weapon, you should routinely make sure that your firearm is in good working order and that the barrel is clear of dirt and obstructions.
Only use ammunition recommended by the firearm manufacturer, and always be certain that the ammunition matches the caliber of your gun.
Quality ear and eye protection should always be worn when shooting or observing.
Never use firearms while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
All firearms should be stored unloaded and secured in a safe storage case, inaccessible to children and untrained adults.
The transportation of firearms is regulated by Federal, State and local laws. Always transport your firearm in a safe, unloaded condition and in accordance with applicable laws.

I discovered a cool website today while reading about Glocks on Wikipedia. It is called Genitron.com and on their site they have a really neat interactive featuring a Glock 23. If you have wondered about how Glock pistols work or about the safety features, then this interactive is for you.

Clickable image - cutaway

The interactive features cutaway views, employs motion effects to demonstrate the action and has annotated details of just about everything in a Glock pistol. The animation is set up to let you browse through the various functions and features. It is really kind of neat and you will especially enjoy it if you own or shoot Glocks.

Click the image above to see one of the full sized cutaway views. Click here to go to the interactive Glock.

About Genitron.com (from their home page):

This is an information-only website presented as a public service for the purpose of providing technical data and pricing on as many handguns as we can find on the market today. We do not actually sell handguns, but rather provide a resource to help people make decisions on which handguns they are interested in.

Utah permit holders traveling to New Mexico need to know that this is immediately in effect. In addition, authorities are going to review their reciprocity with several other states.

It always pisses me off when officials cite public safety as a reason for taking our private safety away from us. From the New Mexico Office of Public Safety:

Santa Fe—Effective immediately New Mexico will no longer recognize concealed carry licenses issued by the State of Utah for the purposes of reciprocity in New Mexico, as the requirements for licensure in Utah do not meet the standards required in New Mexico statute. Rules governing the concealed carrying of weapons and issuance of licenses require that training and other provisions be as stringent or substantially similar to New Mexico requirements.

Questions concerning licenses obtained from Utah by New Mexico residents have made it necessary to reevaluate which states will be recognized as valid in New Mexico.

“We’ve had situations where certain concealed carry instructors in New Mexico solicit clients with the promise that if they train here and obtain a Utah license, which entails significantly less training than does a New Mexico license, it will qualify here,” said Department of Public Safety Secretary John Denko. “This is incorrect, and is nothing less than an effort to circumvent New Mexico concealed carry requirements which are designed to protect the public safety while honoring individual rights under the Second Amendment of the constitution.”

The state will also review the status of eighteen other states currently recognized on an informal basis, with the intent of entering into written agreements with these states to ensure compliance with New Mexico law. These states are: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wyoming.

New Mexico currently has a written reciprocity agreement in place with Texas; the status of this agreement will remain unchanged.

You can review the latest state laws at handgunlaw.us. Their site is right up to date on this one as far as I know.

Busy day today. My only offering is courtesy of the artistic eye of the Better Half. Her photo of seven seven-round H.K.S. speed loaders invokes both symmetry and a Fibonacci-esque natural progression at the same time. Clickable image.

All rounds are Remington 125 grain .357 magnum HP except for the seven Speer 158 grain .357 magnum HP loads center stage. The firearm for dispensing these loads would be the S&W 686.

Kate, as she prefers to be called, was born April 23rd in 1920. I have this old photo from her wedding taken in December of 1938 when she married my Dad. She has four children and a bunch of grand and great-grand children.

We’re having a celebration for her tomorrow to be held in her home in the north San Fernando Valley, CA.

I just hope that I have the genes from her side of the family tree. Her Dad lived until his late 80’s and his mother was 96 when she checked into the Cloud Ritz Hotel.

I posted a photo of a ‘48 Chevy coupe a while back. This is its 4-door counterpart and this one is just as sharp, and is for sale for a mere twenty-five grand.

(Clickable) image credit: The Better Half.