TriggerTalk Radio

Every week as I prepare for my weekly radio show (TriggerTalk Radio on WAAM Talk 1600) I am amazed at the Liberal Anti-Gun proposals to “Fix the gun violence crisis”.

Despite real data showing  a dramatic decrease in gun violence (40%-60% in various categories)  over the past several decades, each week brings a new attempt to legislate good behavior aimed at the already law abiding gun owner.

“Do it for the Children” is the rallying cry of representative Robin Kelly (D-Illinois) who introduced a bill (H.R 5093) with the super nice sounding name of “The Children’s’ Firearm Marketing Safety Act”. This bill outlaws the marketing of guns and gun brands on clothing available in youth sizes and restricts making guns that appeal to kids.

No longer will little Tommy or Sally be able to wear a Duck Commander hat or fleece.  A camo hunting hat with a Browning Buck on it “Just Like Dad’s” is out of the question and heaven forbid that you buy your grandson or granddaughter a properly sized single shot .22 LR  or one that is bright pink.

This includes any clothing that is designed for “Children” up to the age of 18 years old. The bill specifically calls out the prohibition of logos of shooting groups such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) or images of gun maker’s logos. A gun designed with younger shooters in mind would be required to carry a label stating “Real Gun, Not a Toy”.

In addition to clothing, this ban would apply to other toys, cartoons, and literature. Safety training such as the NRA’s very affective “Eddie Eagle” gun safety education program would be affected and I am sure that little “Green Army Men”  and GI Joes would also be banned.

Wiley Coyote would get in trouble using an ACME Blunderbuss to go after the Roadrunner, and Elmer Fudd would never be allowed to hunt for that Wascally Wabbit Bugs Bunny!

Age Two: Note “Open Carry”

I grew up with Daniel Boone Muskets and hats, Roy Rogers pistols I can’t even imagine how I survived my first EBR (Evil Black Rifle) a Mattel M16 Marauder or a Johnny Eagle Lieutenant M14  at the tender age of 10.

Maybe it was because we were taught gun safety by the adults around us. We were taught human life is precious and to respect other people and their property.

Hand drawn images of firearms or a kid pointing his finger didn’t cause the sissy school administrators to pee in their pants and expel students by hiding behind a “No Tolerance” policy.

Many of our teachers back then were military trained men and women.  Brought up with guns they used them to help preserve our Liberty. They understood their significance and the great responsibility associated with them.

Some real parenting is in order here: Teach your kids about gun safety! When they are very small they must know to run and find an adult if they come across a firearm. If a friend tries to show them a gun they must learn to say “NO” and leave to find a parent.

Do these anti-gunners really believe criminal drug dealers and gang members are drawn to guns because they saw a Browning Buck Mark hat, NRA promotional stuffed animal or cartoon character with a gun?

The purpose of this law is to reduce as much as possible parentally approved gun use by minors. The effect of this law would is to reduce the number of children who grow up familiar with guns and open to gun ownership — making broader gun controls easier in the future.

The anti-gun groups are a very patient lot and in it for the long haul. We have our work cut out for us!

I am frequently asked” What gun should I buy”?

This is a tough question, akin to asking “What Pick-Up truck should I buy? While the answer to that question is obviously an F-Series (cut me some slack, I do work for Ford afterall). The gun decision is much different.

Once the basic details are hashed out such as: What do you want to do with it? Have you shot a gun before? Do you want to carry it? We move into specifics such as type of action , caliber, recoil, weight, size, style.

All guns are not created equal however, as with other products there are all manner of companies, materials and prices to consider. You must balance these trade-offs before making your selection and it goes home with you.

In this global economy we are now subjected to the availability of products from dozens of companies from areas of the world we didn’t know even made guns.

This is both good and bad, with outstanding products now available from well respected gun makers such as CZ, H&K and FNH, as well as some made in Croatia and branded as Springfield Armory such as the great XD series.

But what about some of these other brands advertising super low prices? You may be tempted to try-out a gun that is only 50% of the price of a Glock, Ruger or Smith & Wesson.

On the other hand over the years I have seen some of these guns companies and importers come and go in the marketplace. They may have been “okay” guns, capable of putting a projectile down range with sufficient accuracy to suit your needs at the range. But will they be in business when you need a part or spring replaced in 5 or 10 years? Let’s take a step back and look at the overall economics of your purchase. Buying a gun has a few special considerations worth considering.

When you buy a gun you are often making a purchase that will last your lifetime.  In fact most guns when properly taken care of will last several lifetimes and your heirs will be shooting, hunting or using them for protection after you are gone.

I recently had this exact same conversation with my brother. He is looking to purchase the perfect handguns for his wife and oldest daughter. In May they both completed a basic pistol course at Gunsite Training academy. For their training I lent them a couple of high quality 9mm pistols.  Now he is sending me the advertisements from every pistol sale he sees at all the big name sporting goods stores. Some of these guns I have never even heard of.

I explained to him that his wife will likely have that gun for 30 years and that his daughter at 23 will have hers for 50 to 60 years. Saving $100 dollars on a bargain gun versus a high quality gun with a well proven reputation will cost him approx.  $1.5o to $3.00 per year over their lifetime of use.

The second consideration is reliability.  If the is gun is being purchased for self defense,  the most important thing is that it absolutely  positively  has to go “Bang” when you pull that trigger.

That $1 to $3 dollars per year saved on a bargain gun will seem pretty silly if you hear “Click” when you need it most!

Take your time, do your research and spend wisely because your life may well depend upon it.

I love to shoot, and do so whenever I can.  I have a tremendous amount of fun sharing my enjoyment of the shooting sports with other people.  Many of the people I hang out with have similar interests and as a result we talk about guns a lot.

Although not a shooter, my wife understands and tolerates this (mostly) . Over the years she actually has learned a lot about the Second Amendment and other guns issues by hearing me tell friends and family about self-defense, new laws, and the politics of gun control.

She recently told me of an acquaintance that mentioned enjoying shooting. This elderly gentleman was in deteriorating health and was hoping to do some shooting this summer but was having difficulty finding .22lr ammo. He wondered if I might know where to find some.

He mentioned hearing of people lining up outside local discount stores in the morning to race back to the Sporting Goods department to see if ammo arrived overnight. He explained to her that due to his health and mobility issues this was not an option for him. During our dinner conversation she considered stopping at the store for him to get some ammo to help him out.  I had to explain to her about the difficulty in finding .22lr these days.

Later that evening I got a box of ammo out of storage, one of those 550 round bulk packs that we used to take for granted.  The box still had a sticker on it for $8.47. I quickly realized I needed to do a better job of rotating my ammo while I reminisced for the old days of cheap ammo and easy availability.

The next day my wife gave the box of ammo to her friend and I forgot all about it until 2 days later when she reported that over 100 rounds had already been sent downrange. Her friend had spent the afternoon with his 5 year old grandson teaching him to shoot and about gun safety.

My mind suddenly went back to my grandfather teaching me to shoot (also at the age of 5) and although it was over 52 years ago I can still remember that day.

Each of us can help to ensure the continued enjoyment of our 2^nd Amendment freedoms by taking someone to the range and expose them to the joys of the Shooting Sports.

There is no better way to:

• Learn gun safety
• Learn proper gun handling skills
• Gain respect for the power and responsibility of a firearm
• Vaccinate someone from the anti-gun media dis-information campaign

And there is no better way to create the memories that will start a youngster on a journey of their own.