Trigger Talk Article May 2020: Now What?
The last time we talked life was much simpler, we could pick any gun/big box store we wanted to go to and buy the gun or ammo we desired. Now we are homebound, and limited in our choices for purchasing firearms, ammo, or reloading supplies.
What to do, WHAT TO DO?
First relax, there is no need to panic regarding any firearm purchases or equipment you may need. The Federal Government has decided that gun stores fall into the “Essential Services” category. Now we may have individual Governor’s (like Gretchen Whitmer) that disagree initially, but they WILL lose that battle in court.
Many WAAM listeners and in particular TriggerTalk Radio listeners are likely already prepared for this situation. We have been talking for years about the need to have adequate supplies and tools on hand to handle most any situation.
So what do you do now?
It is a good time to clean and lubricate all your firearms. Perhaps you have neglected your long guns or pistols for a long time. Take the guns out of the safe or closet or wherever they are safely stored and get to know them again. Take them apart, clean them thoroughly and lubricate them with a good gun oil. If the gun is one that you only use occasionally make sure that you use an oil that is a good preservative that will prevent any corrosion!
If you carry a gun regularly take a close look at its operating mechanism. I recently took apart one of my carry guns and I was amazed at the amount of lint and dust that had accumulated in the many nooks and crannies of that gun. I don’t think a reference to Belly Button Lint is essential but it is certainly appropriate.
How about your ammunition? Make an effort to ensure that your ammo is stored in a clean and dry environment. I have seen ammo and guns that were stored in areas that were subjected to extreme temperature swings and they often have corrosion and damage from condensation related to the temperature changes.
If you don’t have much in the way of ammo reserves you can still order ammo online from providers such as Midwayusa.com, Brownells.com and luckygunner.com although they may have shortages of the more popular calibers.
You can also seek out of many online firearms training videos that you can watch. The
Tom Gresham First Person Defender series is a good place to start and they have many videos over several season that depict real/actual self defense situations for you to watch, re-watch and learn about proper self defense techniques.
With many ranges and gun clubs closed you may be looking for places to shoot. One of the possibilities is to switch to air guns while we are stuck at home. Many quality airguns in both long gun and handgun offerings are available to tide over your “itchy trigger finger”. Most of these are available on-line an because they are not technically firearms they can be shipped directly to your door.
An airgun used with a proper backstop in a basement or a backyard allows you to practice fundamentals such as sight picture, breath and trigger control at a very low cost and without disturbing the neighbors.
First and foremost, “Don’t Fear” we will get through this with our guns and 2nd Amendment intact. We have seen a huge increase in firearms sales in the past two months. By most measures approximately 60% are new first time gun owners that have recently had their eyes opened as to the reason that we have been crowing about our gun rights for so long!
Stay Safe!
Dick Cupka