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What Constitutes An Arsenal?

Recently the news classified two pistols, two rifles, and a few thousand rounds of ammunition as an arsenal which got me to thinking what constitutes an arsenal? One definition I found was simply a collection of weapons. I’m not sure if two handguns and two rifles is exactly a collection and it sure doesn’t sound like an arsenal to me. If simply collecting firearms and ammo creates and arsenal then I know a plethora of people with arsenals. For me the term brings to mind a huge stash of military weapons in an underground bunker, but when it becomes defined as a collection then as soon as someone has more than a couple of firearms it must become an arsenal by definition. I don’t particularly like the term utilized in that manner. If the guy down the street has a rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun should his group of firearms really be classified as an arsenal?

Concealed carry with children

I have to admit a class focused on safely concealing with a child in tow has never crossed my mind. I always focus on the firearm must be secured when children are present and didn’t give any consideration to a parent with a baby or toddler. There have been instances of children playing in a purse and causing a round to be fired. In one case injuring the mother and in another killing her. It is certainly something women should take into consideration and off body carry is certainly not something I would suggest for a woman with a child.

In Iowa a new class is being presented by a mother who is a firearms instructor on baby-carry with a concealed firearm. To me it sounds like an excellent idea. If a parent is going to have their child present and they are carrying they need to be prepared so everyone is safe and accidents are prevented.

1,000 Posts – just the beginning!

So today marks my 1,000th blog post since I started this crazy idea. I’ve not missed a day…yet…and I hope to keep the trend alive for another 1,000 days at least. If you are so inclined, please like the blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the profile photo. Thanks for reading the blog and feel free to share posts you like with others. Here’s to the next 1,000!

Cancer – Let’s Beat It!

I’ll apologize in advance because my post today is off-topic. I just couldn’t find anything else I wanted to talk about so today our topic is Cancer. You know someone who has either suffered from or died from cancer. I lost my grandfather in the early 1970s to cancer and the really sad thing is today he may have survived. That was a little too young to know him well, but I am told he was a kind, honest, and gentle man who was well-respected. All I remember is him lying in a hospital bed in their home and how he smelled. It was an odd aroma which I still distinctly remember, but have a difficult time describing.

Last year I lost my grandmother to undiagnosed metastasized breast cancer. The cancer had grown to the surface of the skin before it was realized and due to her advanced age there was no treatment, only making her comfortable until she passed.

Yesterday an old friend died from brain cancer. While I had not seen him since college, we had stayed in touch. He leaves behind two young boys and his wife who was also a friend in college. He went much quicker than anyone thought, he stopped treatment weeks ago when chemo was not able to retard the growth of the tumor, had stroke-like symptoms on one side of his body last week, was still able to close and squeeze your hand earlier this week, was very weak on Tuesday, and died on Wednesday.

I’m just about fed up with cancer. Everyone who reads my blog has an interest in something whether it is fermentation related or firearms related. Those hobbies and interests cost money. So here is my challenge to those who have stayed with me this far today, take some amount you would have spent on a hobby and donate it to a cancer charity. If you were going to spend $50 on a bottle of something special, take that $50 and really make it special by giving it to charity. Instead of buying $40 worth of ammo, give that money to charity. Take the money you were going to spend at the local watering hole and donate it to the cause. If you’ve read this far you might as well take that final step.

The only charity I am aware of where you can be sure 100% of your donation goes for research is Stand Up To Cancer so I suggest you use that charity if you don’t have one you prefer. I wear a Stand Up To Cancer wristband every single day and will continue to do so until we beat cancer. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be back on topic, but today I just couldn’t pull it off.

 

Unbiased Reviews

You may have noticed a new page at the top of the blog marked REVIEW DONATIONS. The blog does not accept advertising and any opinions are ours alone, but we thought it might be worthwhile to include a method for those who want us to evaluate their products to be able to submit them for review.

We will always divulge when the item has been donated and will always provide an honest opinion. So if you have something to be reviewed, a beverage, a book, equipment, gear, or even a firearm, let us know and we will make arrangements to receive the item and will let you know after it is reviewed. Reviews of donated items will likely be longer than the normal few paragraphs as a thank you to the firm who donated the item.

A Few Simple Rules

I’ve seen a couple of posts on various forums regarding unsafe conditions while cleaning firearms. Let’s briefly go over the gun safety rules:

• ALWAYS keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction
• ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire
• ALWAYS keep the firearm unloaded until ready to use

I know we have done this before, but let’s go over it again. The safe direction is going to be one AWAY from your body and in a direction in which no one would be harmed if the firearm was discharged. If you are on a second floor you may need to think about this. Straight down may not be a safe direction. Up is never truly a safe direction because a bullet which goes up will eventually come down and you may bring the ceiling down on your head. So if I have the firearm away from my body and in a safe direction if there was somehow a miracle discharge no person would be harmed.

Now I’ve mastered the safe direction let’s master keeping that finger off the trigger. It’s pretty simple, finger on the trigger only when necessary, finger off the trigger the rest of the time. If I have my finger off the trigger and the firearm in my hand it is not going to fire unless it has a major malfunction, but I already mastered the safe direction so no person was harmed by the miracle discharge.

Since I’ve completely understood a safe direction and my finger is off the trigger if I keep the firearm unloaded until I need to use or potentially use it the gun will not be able to fire a bullet because there are no cartridges in the gun. So if someone broke the first two rules the unloaded firearm would keep them from breaking a third.

Too many times people say, “I thought the gun was unloaded,” and the reality was it was still loaded with one in the chamber. You need to clear the firearm completely with the muzzle in a safe direction and your finger off the trigger. Guns do not go off spontaneously. The primer has to be struck on the cartridge and generally that means the trigger was contacted or if the firearm has a hammer it was struck or pulled back and released. Follow the rules, practice them over and over, and you will never have an accident.

2013 Black Friday Deals

Everyone who knows me knows I love a good deal. Some might actually call me cheap, but I prefer frugal. Typically I buy quality at the lowest possible price or the lowest price I can find. Recently the Black Friday Ads started popping up and maybe I’m just not digging deep enough, but the deals seem a little lackluster. There are a few gems here and there, but for the most part nothing which will make me get out of bed at some ridiculous hour to stand in line. If you spot something let me know, here is a list of a few of the stores with sporting goods who have published their deals.

• Bass Pro Shops

• Cabelas

• Dick’s Sporting Goods

• Gander Mountain

• Sportsman’s Warehouse

• WalMart

More will probably pop up in the next few days, here’s hoping there is something to get excited about!

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Not quite, but I like the way you think!

Some days I just don’t have a clue what I will post about and this morning was one of those days. That’s when I do a web search and scour around for something I find interesting. Well today I hit on something that is almost a brilliant idea.

Liberty Safe has announced the Safelert Monitoring System and I think it’s pretty cool. No matter what brand of safe you have the gadget will monitor door movement, safe movement, temperature changes, battery life, and humidity. That’s pretty cool when you think about it. Now what’s not cool is it requires monthly monitoring to the tune of $60 a year or $40 per year for a three-year contract. Yeah, I realize it is only pennies per day, but with a $200 price tag you would think the monitoring would be included for more than a month. Another downside is the unit requires a WiFi to operate, so if an enterprising crook cuts the power to the house then monitoring would stop. You would get an alert about the loss of WiFi, but not sure what good that would do.

Nevertheless it is a pretty cool idea and I like the direction this is heading.

Is It Safe?

I was in a Harbor Freight location recently and decided to take a gander at their display safe. Try as I might I could not get the safe opened and the mechanism appeared to be belly up. I checked the online reviews on the Harbor Freight site and I was surprised to find they are mostly positive. The negative surround the locking mechanism and how cheaply it is constructed and what to do when it fails.

I was contemplating a safe series of blog posts so seeing this is timely. If you are in the market, first decide why you need and want the safe. Is it to stop burglars or to keep the firearms away from family members. You need a much different safe to stop a determined thief than the one you would need to keep a three-year old from getting their hands on a firearm. There are all kinds of features, but the main one is fire proofing. I must say in my life I have never been in a house which caught fire and hope I never do. In that same time frame my parents home had a chimney fire, but if you do not use a fireplace burning wood the chances of that happening are slim to none. Unless you have a potential hazard in the home or live in an area prone to lightning strikes and wildfire I think the fire proofing may be overkill. The weight may be needed to keep the safe from being picked up and carted off, but that can easily be counteracted by bolting to the floor or to the wall. If you are out in the country a thief is liable to spend more time trying to crack the safe than in the city or a subdivision. Most theft crimes occur when you are not home and often in broad daylight. I believe I saw a report from Durham, NC which indicated prime time was about 3pm. So for thieves the lock on the front and the bolting to the floor or wall are probably the most important steps to consider.

One thing I did read in an article is if your home does catch fire and the safe is on a second or higher level most safes are not designed to withstand the drop. So you could have spent a tidy sum on a safe and installation only to have it open when it falls 20′ as the floor collapses during a fire. Just some food for thought if you decide a safe is a necessity in your home.