Gun Free Zones- Funny and Serious
Gun Free Zones (Pistol Free Zones) are supposed to be safe, right? No guns are allowed, so there must be safe places to be. Many places have been made to be Gun Free Zones, including schools, universities, post offices, churches, courthouses, playgrounds, hospitals, airports, alcohol-serving establishments, etc. Some expected all gun crimes at these types of locations to stop. Unfortunately, the only persons following these laws are the good guy sides of the equation. Criminals are lawbreakers by definition, and a little gun free zone law does not stop them.
I found two great videos demonstrating this, one humorous, one more serious and informative. Both are from Fox News.
The funny:
The serious:
This second video also demonstrates my point about the crazy logic of the Brady Campaign about the Terror Watch List at the end.
This all comes back to preserving the right of the law-abiding current and future citizens to defend themselves. Criminals have no respect for laws and will not abide by the cute little “Gun Free Zone” sign. Some simple-minded folks are soothed by the notion of a nice little sign and laws to go with it. Those upstanding non-criminal citizens that wish to defend themselves are not allowed to do so.
Chipping away at the Second Amendment.
The Importance of Home Security
Many people own guns for the sole purpose of home security. This is a great choice, but will only be effective while the gun owners/users are present at your home. Your home must also have natural defenses for when the home is unoccupied. There are many things that can be done to prevent your house from becoming a robbery victim. Securing your household to prevent intruders from visiting while you are home or away is extremely important.
Researching and understanding the current situation and ideal solution is the basic requirement. Analyzing problems and fixing them is important. Check out the video to hear firsthand about a serious confrontation that could happen to you in your home.
It is important to be educated about the prevention of home invasion. Intrusion into your home is extremely important to prevent as shown in the video. To find out more about this ebook, Click Here!
It is important to defend yourself and your home from intruders. Of course, with current economic realities, the likelihood of home invasion is much more likely. Having a firearm present is great defense when the gun owner is in your home. When everybody is away, your home’s defenses must still be working.
Brady Campaign Fights More Rights
The Brady Campaign is heavily supporting legislation to close a perceived “Terror Gap.” This legislation aims to remove Second Amendment rights from American citizens that are on the Terror Watch List. Directly from the Brady Campaign website:
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| POSITION: As a way to strengthen the Brady background check system, the Brady Campaign supports the Terror Gap bill. | |||
| PROBLEM: There is a gaping hole in our nation’s firearm laws that terrorists can exploit. Federal authorities can’t stop sales of guns – including military-style assault weapons – by federally licensed gun dealers to known or suspected terrorists because of gaps in current law. Our definitions of those prohibited from purchasing guns from federally licensed dealers do not include those known and suspected terrorists.
THREAT: There is government-documented evidence that terrorists have armed themselves with guns purchased in the U.S. URGENCY: This Terror Gap threatens our safety. We don’t want to wait until after a tragedy occurs. We can do something about it now. SOLUTION: Congress must pass the bill to close the Terror Gap to stop known or suspected terrorists from buying guns. GET ACTIVE: Contact your Representative and Senators to urge them to support the Terror Gap bill. The Senate bill is S. 1317. The House bill is H.R. 2159. |
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As you can see, this will affect the Second Amendment rights of those on the Terror Watch List.
While seeming appropriate on the surface, my problem with this is that those on the Terror Watch list are not allowed their rights under the Sixth Amendment of the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution.
“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.”
Suspected terrorists are placed on this list without any sort of trial or due process. Most folks do not even know they are on the list. Some are added mistakenly. There does not seem to be any formal laws identifying what crimes or suspicions are considered to be added to the Terror Watch List. This list is kept secret according to the FBI.
The existence of this list is a beneficial tool for law enforcement to keep the public safe. Using this list to remove Constitutionally-guaranteed rights from American citizens without due process of trial is wrong.
If allowed, it has the possibility to be expanded to remove gun rights from a wide swath of American Citizens. Officials could put anybody on the Terror Watch List and remove rights by decree. Merely expanding the definition of a terrorist could quickly cause problems for untold numbers of citizens.
Homemade Shooting Bench
Shooting from a bench is the best way to sight in your firearms. Most real target ranges have durable and sturdy benches that are permanently mounted for the folks involved in target practice.
Some folks like myself like to target shoot on my own. Away from formal ranges. I personally use private property, but there are also public property locations where this can be accomplished.
I have always struggled with a shooting bench, and have wanted to have a portable unit. These can be expensive and poorly designed. I started out researching homemade benches, and found the video below.
It is very simple and basic, easy to transport, and folds for storage. When I build mine, I will be using many of the design elements from this video.
Thanks to clemdogsan for posting the great video!
CNBC Vs. Remington 700
It looks like an interesting battle between reporters with the American CNBC news station and Remington Arms company. CNBC put together a documentary about failures with the Remington 700 rifle. Airing October 20, 2010, this investigation centers entirely on this one gun.
This investigative report made attempts to smear Remington as well as the gun manufacturing industry as a whole. Was some of this criticism deserved? That is up to you to decide.
The promo for the CNBC piece
Remington Arms Company has several responses on Youtube in an attempt to do damage control for their product. This rifle as a long history of service to game hunters, police, and military users around the world. It has been in the marketplace for many decades. It is definitely not new and untested technology, I am sure that there are millions in use worldwide.
The accidental shootings in the above CNBC promos could have been prevented the appropriate safety precautions. The old standby of keeping the muzzle in a safe direction would have prevented these accidents.
One of the responses by Remington below:
New Gun? Clean it First
It is very important to clean a new gun following its’ purchase. Very experienced gun owners may know this, but new gun owners may not. The purchase of a first or second handgun is very exciting, and is quite the big deal. Lots of painstaking research likely goes into such a large purchase. It will be very exciting to go out right away and use your new firearm. It is necessary to take an important first step.
Cleaning your firearm between purchase and your first use is very important. Removing any preservative chemicals used for shipping and inventory storage is the reason for cleaning. Excessive amounts of gun grease from the factory can cause malfunctions during your first time out at the range. This of course can be very disheartening and disappointing.
A good upfront cleaning of your newly purchased firearm can prevent many problems and frustrations. Have a good first time at the range following a good gun cleaning.
