An Homage...

“Ammo will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no ammo...”

— With apologies to Freewheelin’ Franklin

of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers

"Training With a .22"

Well, whenever we can all get ammo again...LOL! Tom Yost and I just finished filming "Training With a .22" for Panteao Productions in Florida over the last few days. It's going to be a good video, and we had a lot of fun putting it together...some pretty good seafood, too. We did a lot of work with silenced guns in keeping with my philosophy of "suppress the world."

I notice that magazines are now regularly appearing in stock on the big Internet retailers and even some local gun stores. I just picked up 10 D&H AR mags (30 rounds! 30 rounds! Oh run! Hide!) and I'm shopping for a mixed lot of pistol magazines and 32 round 9mm mags for my Spike's AR pistol. Interestingly enough, my sources tell me that we're now over 300,000 new standard capacity magazines into Colorado since the state Democrats slurped the vile-tasting Bloomie Kool Aid and I predict we'll easily top one million new standard mags (essentially double) in the state before the 1 July deadline. Whether you own an AR or not, makes sense to pick up 10 standard capacity magazines just in case there's a DD, a DoubleStar, a Stag, a Ruger, a BCM in your future.

BTW, Marko Kloos, of the Munchkin Wrangler blog, has his science fiction novel, Terms Of Enlistment, out on several ebook platforms (Amazon Kindle here)...I just ordered it and am looking forward to it.

Headed to the range tomorrow with the ARs...and standard capacity magazines (30 rounds! 30 rounds! Oh run! Hide!).

Pressing On Regardless...

...on the range all day today and will do it again tomorrow. Darn good fun! Okay, I totally miscounted on the podcast and did episode 308 (308!!!) without mentioning .308, or even 7.62. Next week, we'll talk about .308s in 309. Three hundred and nine eps...that's a really long time! Lot of hot air, isn't it?

Been working with the new Action Target line of .22 Rimfire targets...they are just super. I think the target with the knock-out center plate and "sniper" head plate is the single best target you can have if you only have one steel target for .22s.

BTW, if you've emailed me and haven't heard back, my apologies...I have been swamped by email after my published testimony before the Colorado legislature. So far, I'm over 1000 responses, with only 4 negative response (and hey, one of those was even civil!). I'll do my best to catch up...

Sorry...Hectic Day...

Yesterday I had to spend a lot of time in the studio with the voice-over for the last episode of SHOOTING GALLERY Season 13 as well as Wednesday's podcast. Then there was the snow in the driveway, which, no matter how I used my secret ninja mind powers refused to levitate and blow itself away. I've got to do some gunwork today.

Here's a good summary of the Colorado situation, especially the situation with Governor John Hickenlooper, by my friend Publicola:

"If he signs these bills, I have to come to the conclusion that he's more interested in his national prospects than he is his legacy here in Colorado,' said Republican Sen. Greg Brophy, who represents a rural part of the state's eastern plains. 'These are not moderate. These are extreme, and just really unpopular." 

How unpopular? His staff has been fielding over 1,000 phone calls a day since last week sometime. 1 call every 18 seconds is what was claimed for Monday. Hell, a fellow I know was complaining about having to call 3 times before getting through last Wednesday. With his stating that he'd sign those bills I'm pretty confident few of those calls were trying to congratulate or encourage him.

Amen to that. An interesting situation is developing...The New York SAFE antigun laws are imploding, and that state's sleaze-bag  governor, Andrew Cuomo, is trying desperately to avoid the fallout. Today, Cuomo's shills (as reported in The Truth About Guns) are saying that, heck, the Governor never even read the bills, which were drafted by (surprise!) Michael Bloomberg and the Brady Center...I guess Jim Carrey was too busy trying to single-handledly bring back child-killing diseases to help Cuomo write the bill!

Before the massive backlash against the bill began, Cuomo was trying to use the SAFE Act to bolster his Democratic credentials. It looked like he was trying to position himself to be a frontrunner for the 2016 nomination, building himself up as the new Democratic poster boy. But instead of the public rallying to his side, his popularity numbers have taken a nosedive and the largest protests ever recorded in Albany formed against his prized legislation. 

Seeing the writing on the wall, it’s now apparently time to distance himself from this steaming pile.

Governor John Hickenlooper, who billed himself as a moderate, rammed this "stinking pile" down the throat of Coloradans. As in New York, the Colorado bills were all drafted by the Bloomberg organization, backed by full-time Bloomberg lobbyists in Colorado, and supported by flown-in Bloomberg experts. Part of the spin crafted by the Bloomberg lobbyists was that numbers don't count, that the hundreds of thousands of Colorado residents opposing these laws didn't amount to, as my old friend Charlie Daniels once noted on a different issue, a nickel's worth of warm piss.

Hickenlooper even said as much, as did every lock-step Democrat.

Wolverines Redux!

So what do you think now, Hick? You're out there all by yourself...the governor who screwed his state. You can smile and "aw shucks" all you want, but you drank the Kool-Aid, brother, because you wanted that B-Ho appointment, you wanted to be a big man like your hero Andrew Cuomo. The national "movement" for gun control is starting to fizzle out. Your signing statement is trying to walk back your support of these laws. The Colorado Sheriffs, whom you refused to talk to, are suing your lame butt and the majority of people in Colorado can't say your name without spitting.

All by yourself, buddy...looking forward to 2014!

Jim Carey Sucks Balls

Can we just blot this SOB out of our collective consciousness? He hasn't done anything of consequence since In Living Color and as near as I can tell he has the intelligence of a glass of lukewarm water.

The Comancheros Are Taking This Land...Duh

I was shocked, shocked I tell you, to discover that my Sweetie didn't know all the lyrics to the theme song/"music inspired by" of John Wayne's The Comancheros (as sung by Claude King in 1961). You do, right? Of course you do, at least the balls to the wall last verse:

I'll cover every inch of the ground where I stand 

I'd die before I'd run 

 I'm not afraid of any living man and here I'll make my stand 

With a gun I'll make my stand...

I mention this not only because I'm sitting around watching The Comancheros for the umpteenth time on the western channel this AM...BTW, it's chocked full of quotable quips..."It's time we both quit, Crow. You don't like losing to me and I don't like winning from you"...but the song lyrics reveal how far we've come as a nation since 1961.

Imagine those lyrics applied to, say, Tom Hanks or even Sean Penn as opposed to John Wayne!  What a strange bifurcated social culture we live in, where Hollywood churns out paeans to an ever-shrinking audience extolling the joys of socialism, the glorification of cowardice and a moral relativism that would make Caligula blush, while the real audience stays home and practices killing people with ever more realistic video games. "Sad little kings of sad little hills..." No wonder broken boys sit in their mom's basement crafting spreadsheets and dark fantasies to help in the killing of children.

So, anyway, I underslept this morning and woke up thinking about "The New Rules of the Road," an expansion or maybe a complete rewrite security notes I put together for TRAIL SAFE. The first five were actually waiting in my head when I woke up, so I sprinted to the iPad to write them down:

1. Be armed 
2. Stay armed 
3. Don't just look...see 
4. Be grey 
5. Think OPSEC

I always try to listen to the junk rattling around in my head...yes, I hear the voices in my head I swear to God I  think that they're snoring they think that I'm boring, etc. I'm going to be expanding on this for the newly back-in-production "The New Survival Guns" book.  I went to bed thinking about how all of us need to live now in the All-New America! with flypaper laws, civilian drones, citizen informers, 24/7 surveillance, militarized police, TSA checkpoints, and the fact that HUFFPO is seeking people who have had sex with aliens.

There's an interesting article in the WSJ on the 'conundrum" about gun polling:

Press clippings over the last 25 years show reported counts of gun owners fluctuating from 44 million up to 192 million, with dozens of different figures cited, some in the same year, and some — such as the 192 million figure — the result of confusing estimates of guns in American households with counts of gun owners, some of whom own more than one gun. The polling discrepancies have baffled pollsters.

LOL! Let me help clear up your baffled state...we hate you sorry, lying SOBs with a screaming passion! We understand that, as the Miranda card reads, everything we say can and will be used against us in the court of public opinion. Speaking as a student of statistical analysis and mass communications in my ill-fated college career, I understand that every poll is solely designed as a political weapon, and pollsters don't tell us in whose hands they place that weapon. Would any of us really answer a "poll" commissioned by Mayor Against Illegal Guns whom we know to be our utterly ruthless, utterly unconcerned with truth blood enemies? Since we don't know who's holding the cat's paw, my suggestion would be to NEVER ANSWER a poll...ever...no matter what. Hang up the phone Throw away the letter. If you insist on answering a written poll, ALWAYS LIE...poison the data well!

Okay...I'm being a hypocrite about polls...I did answer one, where I told the pollster that, yes, unequivocally, I would be willing to stay home from work to watch a television series in which a 18-wheeler morphed into a talking, crime-fighting dinosaur. That's the truth...sadly...

Still snowing and only 10 degrees, explaining perhaps why I'm not out shooting a 3-GUN match as we'd planned. Later we're going to do a long snowshoe and let Alf the Wonder Beagle break trail, which she loves to do. Of course, like the rest of us, she can't break as much trail as she used to.

Four Minute Dinner...

...okay, just a short recipe. Since it's Friday my Sweetie and I whipped up a 4-minute dinner...well, 4 minute cooking time. Yellowfin tuna, rubbed on one side with a spice mix of 1 1/2 New Mexico red dried chili and 2 teaspoons of black peppercorns ground together (a Bobby Flay trick), then sautéed in 1/4 cup of olive oil in a cast iron skillet (high heat, 1 minute on the rubbed side; lower heat to medium and flip the tuna, 3 minutes); veggie = bok choy stir-fried with large chunks of onion, with toasted sesame oil added at the last minute; homemade French bread toasted with garlic (okay...you gotta make the bread the day before). A selection of beer from Oscar Blues microbrewery.

I've got a couple of cool gun bags I want to talk about on the podcast next week. One is the totally cool Trojan Horse long gun case from Comp-Tac, which is just about perfect for carting one of the dread "assault rifles" around without everyone screaming, running, hiding, pulling out their hair. sacrificing their children on the alter of Marduk and falling stricken to the ground.

Hey, it really really looks like a sports bag! I'll definitely be using this for car trips with the DoubleStar C3 and as many freakin' 30-round magazines as I can carry! I'm also trying out Blue Force Gear's Hive satchel:

Of course, I look nowhere as cool as Chris Costa, but hey, who does? Well, maybe Joelle Carter, who plays Ava on JUSTIFIED:

She could carry just about any bag she wanted and look like, well, Ava. But I digress. I'm going to try it on the snowy trail this weekend with Alf the Wonder Beagle. The Taurus Judge ought to fit just about perfect, and I'll add weight to the pack to push me a little. I just got my Ruger LC9 from Galloway Precision...man, this is a SLICK trigger! I can't wait to shoot it! I also got one of the new Blade-Tech appendix holsters for the little gun. I think I'm going to send my SR9c to Galloway.

I'm hoping my TAVOR SAR is in the mail, so to speak...that bullpup would work perfect in the Comp-Tac sports bag. Maybe I'll order another dozen E-LANDER standard capacity magazines for it in happy, joyous anticipation.

Long, snowy weekend ahead...hoping I can get to the range next week and maybe get some rounds through the new FNH TSR at 200 yards. If you insist, I'll give you the recipe for my catfish wirth Cajun mustard in a clay pot. Or not.

A Promise Kept

As per my testimony to the Colorado Legislature, effective today (21 March 2013) all filming sessions for SHOOTING GALLERY, THE BEST DEFENSE, RAPID FIRE, GUN STORIES and special projects for DOWN RANGE Television have been rescheduled and moved out of Colorado.

BTW, I am NOT Outdoor Channel; I am an independent producer for Outdoor Channel (and my views do not necessarily reflect the views of OC...you know the drill). When things go viral, they don't necessarily go verbatim.

mb

COLORADO CLUSTERF%$K!

Minutes after signing the most draconian antigun laws in Colorado history, Governor John "No, Really, I'm A Moderate!" Hickenlooper and his band of tame chimpanzees issued a "signing statement" alleging that at least the magazine capacity ban didn't really mean what the magazine capacity ban law said. Here's an example:

In considering the language of HB13-1224, we have consulted with the Office of the Attorney General and we concur with its advice that the large-capacity magazine ban should be construed narrowly to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Second Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment. We have signed HB13-1224 into law based on the understanding that it will be interpreted and applied narrowly and consistently with these important constitutional provisions.

Read the whole tortured exercise here.

In short. these clowns took Michael Bloomberg at his word that the boilerplate laws were reasonable, Constitutional and good for what ails ya! What they didn't do is either read the laws they introduced — and after 5 days at the state capitol talking to the people who introduced these laws, I'm not entirely convinced they could read them, certainly not without moving their lips. I have NEVER met a less impressive group of individuals in my life! They also made the decision — well, they actually just followed Bloomberg's 4 full-time paid lobbyists' script — and ignored any criticism of the Bloomberg boilerplate because, you know, Michael Bloomberg wouldn't lie, would he?

Now they're walking it back all over the place, because the laws are disasters, designed solely to punish innocent citizens for "technical" infractions. They are also starting to realize that these laws are not going to pass Constitutional muster. Here's our "caring" Governor:

“I was ambivalent on this to a degree,” Hickenlooper said, noting the inconvenience for law-abiding gun owners. “But in the end, these high-capacity magazines turn killers into killing machines. I think the potential for damage seems to outweigh the inconvenience.”

Here's the "inconvenience" the Governor is talking about — arrest for possession of a magazine with a capacity of greater than 15 rounds or a magazine that can be readily converted to such, confiscation of your vehicle (if the magazines were found in a vehicle or any other reason the police can think of), the magazines and your firearms, a trip to jail where you'll be booked, fingerprinted and thrown into a cell until you can reach your criminal attorney, who will charge you a "standard" retainer of $10,000 and arrange your bail. Eventually, you'll go before a judge, who will ask your attorney for a plea — innocent — and do you have a defense? You will say yes, I owned the magazine prior to 1 July 2013, and the judge will say, "No harm; no foul; you're free to go."

Of course, you've got to pay your attorney, and because your car, guns and magazines were "seized for cause," that is, the property was confiscated because you in fact broke a law, you will probably get your car back, but Denver and surrounding municipalities have a policy that NO guns "seized for cause" will be returned.

That's the minor "inconvenience" that the Governor says is definitely worth inflicting on law-abiding Colorado citizens for a law that will, according to B-Ho's own Justice Department says will have NO EFFECT WHATSOEVER on crime.

That John Hickenlooper, what a guy! I so look forward to voting against him!

Done Deal

So Governor Hickenlooper signed all the gun laws on his desk, citing "widespread support." Right. This whole process has been a quilt of lies. Obviously, we look toward both the legal challenges in the courts and the elections in 2014.

The biggest question — or rather, statements that hide a question — I've received to day is, "Well, nobody's going to enforce these ridiculous laws!" With the unstated..."are they?" There is a great saying...things go on until they don't. Here's what I think...these laws won't be enforced until they are. Consider this letter that went out to New York law enforcement in the last couple of days from the New York Department of Criminal Justice Services (courtesy SHALL NOT BE QUESTIONED):

At a time when all of us are finding ourselves doing more with less, a reminder about a resource available from New York State that can assist you in your efforts to solve cases, prevent crime and better serve and protect your communities. 

The state has established a toll-free tip line – 1-855-GUNSNYS (1-855- 486-7697) to encourage residents to report illegal firearm possession. The tip line also allows for information to be submitted via text – individuals can text GUNTIP and their message to CRIMES (274637). While the state will provide the administrative support and fund the rewards, the investigation and validity of the tip will be up to each local department.  

To spread the word about this free resource, New York State is planning a comprehensive campaign, including public service announcements that will air on television and radio stations across Upstate.  

The tip line can provide your agencies with another avenue for receiving intelligence about crimes being committed in your jurisdictions. This initiative is designed for communities where no tip lines are in place and is not meant to replace existing gun tip lines.  

Here’s how the tip line operates:  

The New York State Police staff the tip line 24 hours a day. Upon receiving a call, troopers will solicit as much information as possible regarding a firearm tip, while allowing the individual to remain anonymous. The caller will be informed that this program is not the traditional gun buyback program but rather is focused on identifying individuals who are carrying an illegal firearm.  

The State Police will in turn contact the appropriate police agency with the lead to initiate an investigation. Staff from the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) will follow up with that agency to determine the validity of the lead. Once the investigation is completed, the police agency would convey to DCJS the outcome of the investigation.  

If the information leads to an arrest for the illegal possession of a firearm, the “tipster” will be awarded $500. DCJS staff will handle all of the financial transactions.  

State Police staff will explain the program in its entirety upon notifying an agency that a lead has been generated for their jurisdiction. If you have any questions in the interim, please contact DCJS Deputy Commissioner Tony Perez in the Office of Public Safety at 518-485-7610. 

Janine Kava
Director of Public Information
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services

Sounds so happy and upbeat, doesn't it? We all have to do more with less, so let's pay citizens to inform on other citizens! And make sure it can all be done anonymously...hey, what could possibly go wrong with that plan? After all, it has worked so well before...this from The History Place:

...each Gestapo agent operated at the center of a large web of spies and informants. The problem for the average citizen was that no one ever knew for sure just who those informants were. It could be anyone, your milkman, the old lady across the street, a quiet co-worker, even a schoolboy. As a result, fear ruled the day. Most people realized the necessity of self-censorship and generally kept their mouths shut politically, unless they had something positive to say.

If you haven't read Matthew Bracken's novel ENEMIES FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC, now might be a good time.

The Great Ammo Drought of 2013

My good pal Mark Keefe tackles the great ammo drought on his AMERICAN RIFLEMAN blog this AM:

 All the major ammunition companies have increased capacity and production over last year’s levels, which was a banner year. If the ammunition makers are producing more ammunition than ever before—regardless of government contracts—why is there no ammo on the shelf? Simply put, other people are buying it before you do. This is basic supply and demand. When demand is high and supply low, prices increase.

As you know, I believe we've stumbled into a REALLY REALLY perfect storm, which includes the drastic increase in domestic demand, the continuing war in the Middle East (and the depletion of our military reserve of ammo), worldwide tensions (major offshore ammo suppliers are pouring their ammo into military contracts), the final depletion of the great Cold War (and WW2) surplus ammo stashes in Europe, China and India competing for such commodities as copper and lead and generally bad juju. I suspect what we're seeing here is a "readjustment" of the domestic ammo market, which is a nice way of saying that while supply may stabilize (12-18 months from now), the "new normal" of higher pricing is here to stay.

Paul Erhardt in today's SHOOTING WIRE talks about "panic" and "hoarding" in his own inimitable style on ways to cope with the ammo crisis:

No. 6 - Panic. That's right. Nothing ever really gets done until you panic and waiting until the DHS armored vehicles start rolling down the street to start is too late. Panic now! And No. 7 - Hoard. Two words: Stock Pile. Maybe that's one, but whatever, you get the point. When Gideon blows that horn I want to be standing on top of a mountain of ammo, ready to take on all comers.

LOL! Having had a good laugh, I have to say that I actually don't agree with the current vituperation being heaped on "hoarders" and "speculators." Remember, I'm a "small L" libertarian at heart and I absolutely believe in capitalism. "Hoarders" are people who were smarter than you, or who saw the writing on the wall when you didn't, and were willing to commit their funds to protecting themselves and their families. In short, a hoarder puts his or her money where his or her mouth is.

Wouldn't it be better if everyone had 100 rounds of .22 as opposed to the current situation? "Jeder nach seinen Fähigkeiten, jedem nach seinen Bedürfnissen!" LOL! Karl Marx's great dictum on equality of results — "From each according to his ability; to each according to his need," if your German's a little rusty — always assumed a world of abundance...there's plenty for everybody, so let's spread it around. Sort of like America in the Old Days, or at least the way we remember the old days.

But unfortunately the Age of Abundance has followed the Age of the Dinosaurs into extinction. We now live in an age of constraints and have to adjust our lives accordingly. I remember in the last drought (or, more correctly, the beginning of this drought) there was a post on one of the gun forums from someone who shot a match twice a month, On the way to the match, he would stop at Wally-World and buy just enough ammo to shoot the match. One Saturday morning, there was no ammo on the shelves of his Wally-World. On the forum he was ripping into the damned hoarders and the damned speculators...except that in my readings of the U.S. Constitution, the Bible and Das Kapital, I could not find one single reference to, "You have the [inalienable/God-given/provided by the All-Seeing State] to pick up just-in-time ammo on the way to your Saturday match."

On the DOWN RANGE Radio podcasts before the current shoe fell, I have been begging people to stock up when the prices dropped...because in an age of constraints, there is always going to be another crisis! I got letters from people who said, frankly, that they didn't want to spend their money on ammo or components. That is a perfectly legitimate decision, but as with any decision one has to live with the consequences.

Regarding those damn speculators, let's talk about risks. A speculator in any field places a bet, absolutely no different than you or I walking into the Stop-And-Rob and buying a $20 lottery ticket. Sometimes the speculator wins the bet — prices rise and the speculator is able to sell goods for a profit — and sometimes the speculator loses the bet, and all his or her money. Speculation is an inherent part of capitalism...another word for speculation is "investment." I invest in a product in anticipation of making a profit somewhere down the line. The market will decide winners and losers!

Heck, reminds me of an Ayn Rand quote: "Run for your life from any man who tells you money is evil. That sentence is a leper's bell of an approaching looter."

BTW, here's Julie Golob's tips on surviving the Great Ammo Drought:

Let's Talk About Doggies

Okay, I was "intemperate" in yesterday's post about bad doggies because I was pissed off, and for that I apologize (and I have removed said intemperate comment on my part). But since there is an issue here, I thought I'd talk about it in a new post rather than just in the comments.

You know, we've lived in the high country for more than a decade, and the only time I've had a lot of problems with unleashed aggressive dogs is over the last 6 months...some of it I think is new people moving up here and part of the local "mythology" is that now the dogs should have the "freedom to roam." Most of those free-roaming dogs will eventually end up in some other free-roaming animal's stomach, joining all those outdoor kitties who "deserved" some "free" time outdoors.

One of the big issues in this area are "rescue dogs." Quite admirably, this is a huge area for rescue dogs. Unfortunately, part of the problem is that there are people who get rescue dogs not out of altruistic reasons but because they are cheap, or simply out of ignorance, overlooking the fact that often rescue dogs often require a greater degree care, discipline and training. A few years back a neighbor rescued a huge German shepherd who hated cars, of all things. Early on, it slipped its lead and literally crashed into the side of my (moving) Honda Element, snarling and trying to bite the rear view mirror. Luckily, neither the dog nor the car were hurt, and the owner spent a huge amount of time over the next year or so gentling the big dog and making it a fine companion.

Alf the Wonder Beagle, bravely recovering from her assault and dreaming of bacon...

We are responsible pet owners. Granted, Alf is a beagle, originally trained as a show dog...as such, she may be the least aggressive animal I have ever seen. And yet she is always on lead, because she is our responsibility. I agree there are lots of off-lead dog up here, but they are overwhelmingly working dogs, and they represent zero problem...and are truly under "voice control." What voice control means is that the dog responds to the owner's command immediately...and the most important command is, "STOP!"

A large dog is a deadly weapon and clearly defined as such in the law. I say that as a person who has owned and raised malamutes, huskies and chows and spent vast amounts of time socializing and gentling those big, intelligent dogs. I also UNDERSTAND the kind of damage a big, or even a medium-sized dog can do. My chows were taught "STOP!" from the time they were puppies, with the specific purpose of being able to command them to break off an attack. Most people have no idea how fast a dog attack can happen and how amazingly violent it can be.

I was once walking my big male chow, Truffles, on lead when an alley cat I didn't see launched itself off a 5-foot stack of shipping crates straight at the dog's face. Before I could even respond in any way, I swear the chow simply "levitated," snatched the cat out of the air, snapped the cat's neck, then dropped it and kept right on walking as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

I once made the incredibly stupid mistake of stepping into a dogfight to break it up and ended up with the aggressor dog completely biting through my left hand. And it wouldn't turn loose, shaking and tearing. I was lucky enough to get a hold on the dog's neck and throat and choke it down until it broke off the attack, but it was a close thing. Amazingly, the bite didn't tear anything irreparable, but the hand took a long time to heal, and it scared the heck out of me about dog attacks.

Normally, we carry dog spray, but yesterday was a "walk of opportunity" in a public place; Alf was with us, the sun came out and the wind stopped for about 10 minutes, so we decided to give her a nice walk. Accordingly, yesterday I ordered additional spray cans of "enhanced" pepper spray for animals to carry in the vehicles so we'll have it when we do one of the spontaneous walks.

Most of our dog walks are on trails in the back country...that means if the dog is injured, as Alf was last year, it's a much longer transit to medical care. Even more importantly, if the person is injured, that delay can be fatal. A big dog (and by that I mean 50 pounds or heavier) can bring a person to the ground very quickly...ask Marshal Halloway, who was a military dog trainer. A huge part of the problem for us is that my Sweetie or I are going to move to protect Alf. That generally means scooping her up, which creates several additional problems — to grab her one of us has to put our hands and face into the middle of a dog attack...we then have a squirming, enraged or panic-stricken (and in the case of last year's attack, bloody) beagle in hand. If the other dog continues the attack, as it did last year, you're now off balance and can be brought to the ground, where you can quite literally be savaged.

The several attacks that have happened on the trail are even more dangerous because the aggressor dogs are already in motion, running full-tilt. If the dog decides to launch itself, you have virtually no time to react. It helps to "know" dogs...a growl, for instance, isn't an attack. In fact, my chows and my malamute went dead-silent when they were "serious." Growls and barks were warnings. In general, when we're approached by a strange dog off-lead in the back country, we watch Alf. Through scent and canine "body language," a dog will already know the "intentions" of an approaching dog. If the dog looks like Cujo, but Alf is bounding around like a puppy wanting to play, we're pretty sure it's A-okay. But if Alf darts behind our back, drops her tail or even urinates in fear, that's a whole different story...she's clearly gotten a message we need to pay attention to.

Obviously, laws regarding dangerous dogs vary from state to state and location to location. As a self-defense instructor, I'm going to come down on the same standards I would apply to an attacking human...am I or someone in my care "in the gravest extreme," that is, at risk for potentially massive or life-threatening injury? And size matters...a large aggressive dog, especially if I'm miles up a trail in the middle of nowhere, has the potential to do massive and fatal damage to me. A savage Pomeranian, not so much. I consider multiple off-lead dogs to be a proportionally much greater threat than a single dog, because I have seen a "pack response" — a single aggressive member of the pack triggers an aggressive response in all members of the pack.

Interestingly enough, in much of the West any dog "running, worrying or injuring" livestock can be killed, and the dog's owner is liable for all damages done by that dog (§ 35-43-126. Dog worrying stock). Colorado also has extensive "dangerous dogs" statutes.

Nobody wants to kill or injure someone's pet, however flawed that pet is. But here's the cold, hard fact...the second-to-the-last thing in the world I want to do is kill a dog, because I understand it's the owner's, not the dog's, failure. The last thing I want to is frantically try to get my Sweetie to a doctor before she bleeds out because I was too slow to respond to a clear threat.

A Recipe, and a Truly Irritating Experience

My friend Dom Worsham had this suggestion for the next MB television show:

A new cable television show is coming this fall, Bane Essentials. Hosted by Michael Bane, author, producer, television host, outdoorsman, competitor and shooter. Each week Michael Bane will cover the essentials in food, wine, movie reviews, shooting sports, firearms and more.  

Whether it is rack-of-lamb from a four star restaurant or cock-pot white fish, Bane Essentials covers it all, from re-loading big bore ammunition to selecting that perfect compensator, to discussions of why the Second Amendment does matter. Watch for this exciting new show this fall on a cable network near you...

LOL! That'd be a fun show to do. Tonight I tinkered together a recipe for all the leftover frozen white fish I had in the freezer. Using the clay cazuela, I spread about a teaspoon of really good olive oil on the bottom of the cazuela. Then I added a large can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, Anaheim peppers sliced very thin, sliced portobello mushrooms, half a jar of drained capers and about 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic. Cover with foil, place in a cool oven and set the temp at 350...cook for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, rub the fish with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and Spanish smoked paprika. Wipe off the excess. Take the cazuela out of the oven after 30 minutes and add the fish...cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, depending on the fish. Salt and pepper to taste. BTW, the tomato sauce would be drop dead over pasta! Maybe add some grated Romano.

I served it with a green salad and classic Maria's heart of gold margaritas (Corazon Reposada tequila, Cointreau orange liquer and fresh-squeezed lemon juice).

Sorry, no pictures!

So now that I've done food, a quickie rant...

Today Alf the Wonder Beagle was attacked for the the 3rd time in 6 months, this time a huge German Shepherd — OFF LEASH, OF COURSE — with a muzzle on. It tried to knock down Alf, and you could hear it's jaws snapping as it tried to claw off the muzzle and bite my leg. I once saw a malamute claw off a muzzle.

I AM FRIGGIN' FED UP WITH THESE JACKASSES!

Starting tomorrow, the Standard Dog-Walking Gun is a Taurus Judge loaded with loaded with 3 Winchester PDX-1s and 2 .45 Colt Corbon DPXs.

Rumbling to a Start...

...this Monday AM, getting ready to mentally change gears from Cowboy to 3-Gun for a match this coming weekend. I also plan to shoot an indoor IDPA-style match this week.

Be sure to email Governor John Hickenlooper one more time today. I know it probably doesn't matter — especially since my little cherubs and seraphim tell me that B-ho has promised the former beer magnate a place in his administration, and maybe a dacha on a lake somewhere, if Hickenlooper is willing to sell out the people of Colorado. I sent 3 separate emails this weekend, with one emphasizing the "unintended consequences" of the magazine ban bill, which with it "can readily be converted to greater than 15 rounds" language would, in effect, ban all magazines in Colorado. Be sure to watch the embedded video on my friend John Richardson's NO LAWYERS ONLY GUNS AND MONEY blog...your blood pressure will soar!

I also have to pick up guns from my friend Alan at Machinegun Tours before he just gives up and puts them on his shelves, where they'll no doubt sell quick like bunny.

With SHOOTING GALLERY officially renewed for our record-breaking (I think) 14th season, this week we'll be doing a "rough cut" of shows we plan to film over the season. I know we'll be filming the first IDPA Back-up Gun Nationals in November and at least one international trip. I'm in a quandary on the Ruger Rimfire Worlds in Colorado in July...essentially, I helped bring this world championship to Colorado, and at this late date we're locked into some contractual issues that don't allow us to move the match out of state.

The quandary is do I pull my filming from the event, knowing that a lot of the event sponsors are friends of mine who came on board because we announced publicly back in November we'd be doing a full-court-press on filming the Worlds, or do I fulfill my commitments, film it in Colorado and use that filming as an opportunity to urge people NOT to come to the state. Sigh...not a decision I ever thought I'd have to make.

I suspect this will be the last major match in Colorado, at least until the 2014 elections. I spoke with one of the big sanctioning bodies over the weekend, and they're rethinking a major match in western Colorado in the fall. I suggested Whittington or one of the big ranges in either Kansas or Utah.

Actually Shot a Gun Today!

My Sweetie and I shot a cowboy match today...man, first time I've shot a match since November! I was sloppy as all get out and managed only 17th out of 55 shooters. All in all, I'm pretty happy with it. My Sweetie was right behind me and won high woman. Makes me want to buckle down and practice. Today I was shooting the Slick McClade/Jason Robinson .357 Blackhawks out of the new (and beautiful) Tombstone leather. It'll take me a few more matches to dial in both the pistols and the leather. Also — and this will crack you up – on the way out of the house at the crack of dawn this morning, I grabbed a couple of boxes of 12 gauge...instead of the wussy-pussy Winchester Feather Lites I usually shoot, I picked up the Heavy Target loads I use for sporting clays. LOL! My Browning was unhappy! The recoil was enough to reset the lightened safety every shot.

We have a 3-Gun match next week, so if the weather holds I'll be working out with the AR and the shotgun. Right now my VersaMax is being overhauled with a 9-round tube, which I need to have in place before the damned Colorado laws go into effect on 1 July. If I don't get the VersaMax back in time, I'll go with the back-up Mossberg 930. The pistol will be the usual Ruger SR9 9mm. As you know I'm committed to a Rock Island 9mm for the regular season, but right now the gun is at Jim Anglin's Sailor's Pistols being overhauled. He built my excellent Para LDA 9mm USPSA Limited/IDPA ESP pistol a few years back.

The weirdest thing happened when my Sweetie and I stopped at the wonderful Oskar Blues microbrewery in Lyons, CO, for dinner before we went home. As we were leaving, someone recognized me and just wanted to shake my hand and thank me for what I've been doing in Colorado...then another person...and another person...I teared up. In the last few days I have received hundreds of communications, mostly emails...all positive...so many I can even begin to answer them. I am honored and humbled. I am only a small part of a much larger fight, a fight every one of us is deeply involved in. If we all stand together, I don;t believe we can be beaten, much less destroyed as a culture. I've said this before...the gun culture is the DNA of America. We carry the dreams of the Founders, and we cannot and will not fail.

Again, my profound and humble thanks.

Stand and fight!

Last Dance!

Urge Governor Hickenlooper to veto the mag ban!

Driving Another Nail...

...in Colorado's coffin.

I was running around today doing a lot of stuff for the upcoming seasons, including refiguring budgets to include no more filming for the 4 shows in Colorado. The range stuff, for instance, will go to the Whittington Center in NM; more specific filming with go either to Rockcastle in KY or GUNSITE in AZ.

I was talking to a top movie prop house this morning about some machine guns we'll be needing for GUN STORIES, and he wanted to know all about Colorado's new laws. After hearing me, he asked whether he could convey my conclusions to a top Hollywood filmmaker who is putting together a big-budget film. That filmmaker was torn between New Mexico and Colorado. Bazinga, John Hickenlooper! Another few million gone baby gone. And every day in every way, it's going to get worse.

I'm looking forward to meetings at the NRA Convention in Houston. Oh, and I will be in Hollywood a bunch next month...

Alf the Wonder Beagle in Full Snow

You'd never know she was 11 years old...she crams her head into the snow like she's tracking badgers. Miserable outside, to be sure.

I've been listening off and on to the Colorado Senate, where the Republicans are quite literally doing (borrowing a phrase from Dave Kopel) doing the last stand at the Alamo. Good on them! There are a couple of data points I'd like to bring forward...several of the Republican Senators absolutely said they planned to violate the Colorado Ban and just head up to the uber-Cabela's in the Free State of Nebraska whenever they need mags with a capacity of greater than 15, which is probably about what 75% of the people in Colorado will do.

As reported on The Truth About Guns, on the MSNBC (a.k.a. Pravda) Rachel Maddow show today Colorado Senate President (Democrat) John Morse said:

...that his approach to constituents who are trying to contact him about current gun control legislation, and the advice he’s giving his fellow senators, is to ignore them. That, rather than have a conversation and debate your opinion with the people who you represent, you should ignore them and “do what [you] need to do.”

Think about that... Remember what John Hickenlooper said Friday, as I reported yesterday.  Okay, you think we're crap you can wipe off the bottom of your shoes. Given that, I've grown a bit tired of Democrats whining about how we don't love them. We're hostile, we're unruly, and my favorite, we're not professional. Gosh, here's a hint — people who are in the process of being raped seldom have warm and fuzzy feelings about their rapists.

Sunday in the High Country...

...and back to the mundane tasks of wielding the ole snow shovel and clearing the long driveway here at the Secret Hidden Bunker. Might do some dry-firing this afternoon, clean a parrot cage, pull the lever on the Dillon, you know, just stuff.

I came across this on the Western Rifle Shooters Association blog:

I have to say, George Orwell was a man ahead of his time. While I was cooking last night — red beans and rice with salmon sausage, if you must know — I was thinking about a meme I started on the Internet...that antigunners don't hate guns, they hate people with guns...and that would be us. After months of politics, I can categorically say that at least in Colorado, those words could not be more true. In some ways it's hard to parse that with the mainstream of America. But the last decade of relentless divisiveness has, I believe, taken us to a brink where none of want to be. It'd be fair to say we all live in a state of willful blindness, not seeing those things we don't want to see.

Michael Bloomberg has crafted a brilliant narrative — that we simply don't matter. The NRA is funded by some shadowy group of Gigantic Firearms Companies rather than millions of concerned individuals;  anyone who supports firearms rights is at best ignorant and at worst a domestic-terrorist-in-waiting; that the progressive wave of future is, as George Orwell noted, toward control.

But I believe we do matter. I believe in Samuel Adams' "...irate, tireless minority keen to set brushfires in people's minds." What a wonderful phrase... "set brushfires in people's minds." We've gotten complacent from our years of one victory after the other, but I feel that is changing. We're gearing up for the long march, for the fight of our lives. And I believe we will win for the simple fact that we understand relentless. Once during a radio interview I was asked by the host whether I always voted "guns." I said yes, I did, and she responded, "Well, I vote for gun control." I said I understood, but the difference between her and me was that in the next few months, other issues would rise up to capture her attention, and she'd find herself voting for schools or for community centers or for more taxes or against global warning. I, on the other hand, will still vote "guns" — every, single time.

So my message in Colorado will be 2014 is coming. I believe that as a culture we are the last great libertarian — small "L" — hope, the repository of the DNA of America. And we are irate and tireless, but I don't think we're a minority, not any more. So let's get back to work on those brushfires!

And meanwhile, I'll get to work on all that white stuff outside...

Colorado Falls

"So this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause."

— Padme Amidala

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

Beautiful New Cowboy Rig!

I realize that over the last couple of months I've been much less a gun blogger than a political blogger, and rest assured I've hated every minute of it. Fighting these bastards sort of sucks out your soul; not a lot of fun to get up in the morning knowing you're going to spend your day talking to people for whom the words "honor," "truth" and "Constitution" are punch lines in jokes.

So imagine my happy surprise when a box from Tombstone Leather Products came in the mail! You know I'm a big, big fan of Nick Asadi's leatherwork—he made my first cowboy rig. Nick is Iranian and, as he says, his "family" has been involved in leather work since, roughly, the birth of Christ. A little over a year ago at a match, I ran into Nick and got to talking about a new holster set-up...I've thought about changing categories in Cowboy Action Shooting. As in all the shooting sports, cowboy has a Byzantine selection of categories you can shoot in. I generally shoot in an age-based division. There are, however, costume-based divisions, including one called "B-Western," which —duh!—requires one to dress in the style of the old B-movie westerns.

For those of you who've met me at SHOT or the NRA Convention, you know that's not a big reach for me...I dress like that far too much of the time. Probably comes from being in the same state with Rockmount Ranch Wear, makers of the uber-cowboy shirt. There are holster-specific requirements for the B-Western division as well, and, heck, it should look B-Western-Y! I gave Nick pretty much carte blanche to tinker together a new holster right that would qualify for B-Western and meet my admittedly overwrought standards for "flashy."

He exceeded my every expectation! They're "buscadero" style holsters...the holster is attached by a loop directly to the belt. These were definitely the most common B-Western holster (check out the classic Alfonso's of Hollywood or Legends in Leather gunleather), supposedly because the holsters didn't slide about on the belt, making it better for filming. Interestingly enough, the holster dates back to the late 1800s to, not surprisingly, the Texas Rangers, who basically did more to drive holster design than any other group because, hey, they pretty much shot people for a living. Having the holster fixed on the belt kept it from sliding around while riding a horse.

C'mon, everybody needs a break from kydex now and then! Perfect fit, perfect "hang," drop-dead gorgeous leatherwork.

Thank you, Nick!

BTW, this holster rig is set up for my .357 Ruger Blackhawks as modified by Jason Robinson, "Slick McClade," the cowboy gunsmith and World Champion in B-Western...yes, he has cooler shirts than me!

As you can see, the Blackhawks have short (4-inch) full octagonal barrels with a full brass sight blade. The barrels make the guns a tiny bit nose-heavy, which I like for fast shooting. The brass sight really pops in the sunlight, and if the targets are all white (or yellow), I can black the sight. They balance amazingly well and are now my favorite Blackhawk configuration (and yes, I do have a few). The original action jobs on the guns, BTW, were done by Bill Laughridge at Cylinder & Slide years and years ago.

Seems weird to be writing about guns and holsters! LOL!

The fight, as always, goes on...

Vote Day!

Today the Colorado Senate votes on Michael Bloomberg's antigun agenda.

Governor Hickenlooper did an interview a couple of days ago where he explained that we don't count, that the thousands and thousands of Colorado residents who have turned out at every sham "public hearing," at townhall meetings across the state, who have flooded legislature with visits, phone calls, letters and message — one legislator told me the messaging was running as high as 1000-1 against gun control — matter less than the four full-time lobbyists paid by Bloomberg and the Bloomberg touring blood dancers.

We'll see...if not today, in 2014.

Stand With Rand!

Amen, brother! Amen!

I stand with Rand Paul.

I would walk across broken glass to vote for this man.

One More Senator to Contact...

Senator John Kefalas is from Ft. Collins, and as a property owner in Larimer County, where Ft. Collins is located, I can STONE COLD GUARANTEE you that Senator Kefalas' constituents want no part of these laws. Secondly, I have talked a good bit to Larimer County elected Sheriff Justin Smith, and he is 100% against the laws...in fact, his testimony on the unenforceability of these laws was snubbed by the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday. Ft. Collins and Larimer County are also hotbeds of shooting competitions.

Please contact Senator Kefalis and RESPECTFULLY urge him to stand with his constituents, with the people of Colorado, and NOT with the Mayor of New York City!


Phone: 303-866-4841
E-mail: john.kefalas.senate@state.co.us

Colorado—WE KEEP FIGHTING!

Right through the full vote of the Legislature and right into the 2014 elections, where we will hand the Bloomberg shills their  heads!

These four Senators hold the key to stopping one of more of these horrific bills, and I understand they are swamped with contacts...but we need more!

Contact them, but DO SO WITH COURTESY AND HONOR! I have spent the last 2 business states at the State House, and I have not been treated with either courtesy or honor. Pissed me off, and that's the last thing we want to do with our legislators.

These are RMGO email links that include a message. I encourage you to write your own, but keep it short and keep it courteous. Senator Todd actually took the time to go to a range and shoot, even though she expressed a fear of guns. However she votes in the end, she stood up...and so should we!

• Senator Angela Giron -SD03- (303)866-4878
  Email Facebook Twitter
• Senator Jeanne Nicholson -SD16- (303)866-4873
  Email Facebook Twitter
• Senator Cheri Jahn -SD20- (303)866-4856 
  Email Facebook Twitter
• Senator Nancy Todd -SD28- (303)866-3342
  Email Facebook Twitter

First Run on New Clay Pot

It's Fresh Cod Roasted on a Bed of Potatoes and Olives, from the MEDITERRANEAN CLAY POT COOKBOOK (page 65), by Paula Wolfert. Wonderful! And the suitably cured cazuela was super to cook in. I promise, sooner or later I will get back to guns! Was on the phone today with Tom Yost planning out our joint video on "Training With a .22," which we'll be filming later this month for Panteao. I'm also going to spend some time in the near future with Daniel Defense...while I'm in Georgia I'm going to grovel for a .300 Blackout upper...I thought I had one all locked up at my pal Alan's LGS, but it got sold out from under me...sigh. I have a .300 SBR upper, but I'm waiting for paper to clear on that one.

I also have a Wilson Combat .458 Socom upper that I am really looking forward to working with, assuming I can find either the ammo or enough brass to tinker some together.

Did I mention I bought a new hat in New Orleans? A Grenadier "Henry Jones" from Goorbin. My head was cold, and this looked like a great knockaround hat. Sooner or later I will track down and capture a Herbert Johnson "Poet," damn it!

Cafe Du Monde...sigh

And, yes Jimmy Buffett fans, coffee is strong at the Cafe Du Monde, and the "donuts," a.k.a. beignets, are too hot to touch, and just like a fool when those sweet goodies cooled, I ate 'til I ate 'way too much!

But it's back to the War. First, a little house-cleaning.

RE: the Internet rumor that we're headed to an outdoor media apocalypse, yesterday afternoon I spoke to the CEO of OUTDOOR CHANNEL and Jim Shepherd spoke with my old friend Jeff Paro, top guy at InterMedia. It is just that, an Internet rumor. Note that it was promulgated by an unnamed ex-employee...cops would call that a "clue." Simple truth, we're always under hellish budget pressure...can we make 'em faster and cheaper? That's television these days, and we all live with it.

I spent yesterday at the Colorado Legislature. We had what may be a productive meeting with the Governor's legal rep. We're talking hard economic numbers and presenting legal opinions on these laws unintended consequences. Am I optimistic about next week? Honestly, no. But I will be at the Legislature all day Monday testifying against the magazine restriction ordnance and anything else I can testify against.

And you all need to keep the emails and phone calls coming! I've pasted the NRA Alert at the bottom of this post. I can tell you we ARE having an effect!

PLEASE, be brief and courteous in your contact with this people! Yesterday they were successful in shifting the narrative to the "hostile" communications being received by Democratic lawmakers. Interestingly enough, the worst so-called "threat" received by Rep. Fields, who is Bloomberg's cat's paw in these bills, was quite appropriately turned over to the Feds, who yesterday rules that the comments fell under the First Amendment. In short, the Democrats seem surprised that the majority of Colorado citizens hates them for this. I said on Fox News last night that these people will pay in spades in the 2014 elections.

RE: Gun Trusts...here's the post from the NFA Gun Trust blog. My trust attorney, Doug Turner, and I decided on a Revocable Trust not to protect the guns and accessories such as magazines from confiscation, but to clarify ownership in the face of the horribly drafted Bloomberg legislation being considered for Colorado. Under the proposed Colorado law, your grandfathered standard capacity magazine can NEVER leave your possession. Let's say you're at the range shooting with your kids, and you drop a Ruger 25 round 10/22 magazine on the ground. You son picks it up to hand it to you...THAT WILL BE A CRIME FOR BOTH YOU AND YOUR SON UNDER THE NEW LAWS. That is worse that California statutes!

Should you create a Firearm Trust that includes all the members of your family as trustees, all the members of the trust have equal access to the firearms and accessories. KEEP IN MIND THAT I DO NOT GIVE LEGAL ADVICE! Frankly, none of us can say whether the Trust is enough to protect us...it'll be up to the courts to make the final decisions.

RE: Hunting boycott...is picking up steam. If these laws take effect and you plan to hunt Colorado, DON'T! These laws are designed from the ground up to make hunters and shooters into criminals, and you will be risking your guns, your money, your lifelong gun rights and ultimately your freedom by hunting or shooting in Colorado. DO NOT spend your money here if these laws pass!

More as we put this together...

RE: Things Coloradans need to do right now...first, talk to your personal attorney about your exposure to these laws...we are all at risk here. Secondly, buy standard capacity magazines! As many as you think you'll need for the rest of your life. I believe the magazine capacity bill would go into effect 1 July if it is passed, so you'll have a window to stock up.

Even if you don't have an AR, but you think that at some point in the future you might want one, buy the mags...think a minimum of 10. I strongly urge you to buy through the MagPul "Boulder Airlift" program or the One Source Tactical "Colorado Special." AR mags are coming back into the market; CDNN is listing Israeli steel 30-rounders for $19.99, and they're pretty good magazines.

Don't forget pistol magazines for those guns with a standard capacity of greater than 15 (standard Glock 9mm G17 magazines are as scarce as hen's teeth, but a few are out there...don't expect Glock magazines to loosen up anytime soon...my cherubs and seraphim tell me the backorder situation on Glock mags is...historic). Think about guns you may want to own in the future...an example would be one of the flawless STI competition pistols...consider buying magazines or magazine tubes for that gun you may want to purchase.

Remember shotgun magazine tubes...the Colorado law caps shotgun capacity at 8 rounds. If you're a 3-Gun shooter, you want as much magazine capacity as you can get. The law is so poorly written, BTW, that it bans 90% of all pump and semiauto shotguns because they can be "readily converted" to accept more than 8 rounds...supposedly there will be an amendment on this, but God only knows at this point. As David Kopel noted, these laws were written by people who know exactly nothing about firearms — that would be Michael Bloomberg's shills in New York — and the unintended consequences are huge.

If you're a prepper, and you know who you are, concentrate on making sure your primary systems are covered! That is, your rifle-pisol-shotgun basic self-defense module. If you're not in Colorado or any one of the other states in the Occupied Zone, thank your lucky stars and START PREPARING NOW! The War will be coming to you, too.

That's all I can think of for now. I'm shopping for 10/22 25-rounders from Ruger or the steel-lipped Butler Creek versions. I also go caught out on my Sweetie's FNH FNP 9mm...the gun was never that popular and, as is typical with FNH, the magazines don't interchange with their other 9mm pistols (at least I don't think they do).

Meanwhile, read this article in the Business Insider, Americans Don't Want Gun Control Enough:

If new gun laws aren't passed this year, then they likely won't be passed at all. Past history indicates that the current tide of opinion in favor of gun control will ebb over the course of the year. After Columbine, the only event in recent history with a comparable increase in favor of gun control, the high-water mark dropped after a year.  

The reasons are twofold. First, the movement in favor of gun control has been driven mostly by media coverage. The media has yet to abandon stories about gun control, but time and a business imperative will eventually take their toll. Newer and more compelling news stories will fill the headlines, and most people will follow where the news coverage leads. 

STAND AND FIGHT!

This weekend I'm conditioning a Spanish cazuela clay pot for cooking and spending some time on the Internet in the probably vain hope of finding a box of .458 Socom ammo...

--------------------------------------------------------

Please note: The times of these committee hearings have recently changed and both will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Monday

Please attend these important committee hearings, and testify in opposition to the following bills:House Bill 1224 – Bans magazines with a capacity greater than fifteen rounds. (Passed by a 34-31 vote in the House)House Bill 1226 – Repeals current law allowing individuals with a concealed carry permit to carry a firearm for self-defense on a college or university campus. (Passed by a 34-31 vote in the House)House Bill 1228 – Imposes a “gun tax” for a background check when purchasing a firearm. (Passed by a 33-32 vote in the House)House Bill 1229 – Criminalizes the private transfer of a firearm. (Passed by a 36-29 vote in the House)Senate Bill 196 – Holds gun manufacturers of certain semi-automatic rifles liable for crimes committed with their firearms. This is a direct violation of the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.

If you are unable to testify in person, please contact your state Senator and respectfully urge him or her to vote NO on these bills. For help identifying your state Senator and their contact information, please click here..

Details for testifying on Monday, March 4:

• At 10:30, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear the following bills in the Old Supreme Court Chamber (Room 220) of the state Capitol:

HB 1224 and SB 196

• Also at 10:30, the Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee will hear the following bills in Senate Committee Room 356 on the third floor of the state Capitol:

HB 1229, HB 1228, and HB 1226

• Please make plans to arrive at the state Capitol in Denver no later than 9:45 a.m.

• Once you arrive, please make your way to the respective committee rooms so you can sign up to testify in opposition to these measures. You will be assigned a number indicating the order you will be able to testify. This will allow all interested parties the opportunity to testify before both committees.

• Please note, you will be limited to three minutes of testimony in each committee to address all of the bills.

Please also contact members of both committees in opposition to these measures:

Senate Judiciary Committee:

Senator Lucia Guzman (Chair)
303-866-4862
Lucia.guzman.senate@state.co.us

Senator Jessie Ulibarri (Vice Chair)
303-866-4857
Jessie.ulibarri.senate@state.co.us

Senator Irene Aguilar
303-866-4852
irene.aguilar.senate@state.co.us

Senator Steve King
303-866-3077
Steve.king.senate@state.co.us

Senator Kevin Lundberg
303-866-4853
Kevin@kevinlundberg.com

Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee:

Senator Angela Giron (Chair)
303-866-4878
Angela.giron.senate@state.co.us

Senator Matt Jones (Vice-Chair)
303-866-5291
senatormattjones@gmail.com

Senator Ted Harvey
303-866-4881
ted.harvey.senate@state.co.us

Senator Evie Hudak
303-866-4840
senatorhudak@gmail.com

Senator Larry Crowder
303-866-4875
larry.crowder.senate@state.co.us