Priority Number 1: Safety

Considering these are posts about being an armed citizen we better talk about safety. I'm going to go to the very basics for new comers to the world of guns. The rule I feel is the most important to follow is this, treat every firearm as if it is a loaded weapon. It is surprising how often people can come across guns just laying about in the open. I wish I was making this up.

Talking with the public information officer at my university one time he told me of a story on how custodial found a firearm after an event while cleaning it up. Now you would think I would be upset at the individual that left the firearm behind and I am, but the worker that picked the gun up decided to pull the trigger. A shot went off and lucky went into the roof of the arena.

One more example, while living in Juneau and being member of a firearm discussion page there was not one, but two times people left firearms at the gun range. Nobody accidentally shot anybody with them thank goodness but you still need to be able to realize that you can't just pick a random gun up without treating it with the respect it deserves.

Check out stories of kids and adults that have accidentally shot someone because they thought the gun wasn't loaded. It all comes down to respecting your tools. That's all a firearm is, a tool that smashes things at high speeds. You don't just point a nail gun around at everyone on the job site for very long without getting reprimanded or let go if you cause an accident. The same goes with firearms, but the end result could be more permanent.

Appleseed is  a great program that I encourage others to check out. Take this lesson to heart america and let us teach others how to be safe and respectful around firearms, because that is the only way to lower needless accidents with firearms.

To refresh yourself on other gun safety rules follow this link: http://www.nssf.org/safety/basics/
Check out project appleseed: https://appleseedinfo.org/

Be safe America!

Common Sense

Today is a great day to talk using common sense with our guns. Just because we have certain rights doesn’t mean we need to push these rights into other peoples’ face. I want to use a metaphor, just because it is your right to drive on a highway marked at 50 mph, if it is unsafe driving conditions such as snow, rain, or darkness you should hopefully have the sense to go a safer speed. What I’m referring to here is individuals that feel the need to carry their AR-15 into Starbuck’s because it is their God given right. I understand that, but in the debate of trying to win over people that are on the fence this does not help the situation.

I’m not referring to peaceful rallies or even someone that is out in public land that has run ins with individuals that aren’t armed. These are people that want to push the limits of their rights by putting people into a suspicious nature. As armed American we are learned to assess people in our immediate area. Not judge people, but threat assess. If I’m enjoying a pleasant little meal or snack and an armed person walks in even in a non-threating manner I’m going to be a little on edge.

This not only puts citizens in an uneasy state, but it also puts law enforcement in an awkward situation. There are those that are personally trying to do this to catch officers in awkward situations. With everything going on with these brave men and women every day we don’t need to put added stress on them. I digress though, back to me personally having to watch someone flaunting their rights by putting other people on edge.

This makes me uncomfortable as well if I have friends or family around I would be even more on edge. Being around firearms my whole wouldn’t make me nervous, it’s not the gun itself that puts me on edge, it’s the fact I don’t know what the mindset of the man with the gun is. I could assume that he is an law abiding American just flexing his muscles of liberty, but I’ve heard a saying or two about assuming things.

This all comes down to common sense again. Referencing the metaphor, just because we have the right and means to do something, doesn’t mean we should. This is part about being a Responsibly Armed American, knowing when to defend your rights and when you don’t need your rights defended. AS well to help bring more people into a great American tradition and pastime that can bring heritage to families.

Be safe America!

Fresh Start

This is the beginning of a new week. This is when you have the chance to start over fresh and focus on those parts of your life that you think need improvement. Take a look at yourself and wonder what is it this week that I want to be better at then I was last week. I want to take look at goal setting and why that is important to being armed, but also for anyone.

"My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose – somehow we always win out.” Ronald Reagan. 

This thought from Ronald Reagan sums up what the purpose of goal setting is for. If you have no goals in life you will drift aimlessly, never quite reaching the potential that you want, but not putting the effort in to reach for what you can achieve.

You will not become perfect overnight, in a week, or even years from now. What we want in this life is to strive for perfection in all categories in life. To become the perfect husband or wife, the perfect employee or employer, the best shot in the world, or the best physical shape. Now these definitions can change depending on what you see as perfection, but no matter what it requires setting goals.

By writing down your goals and the steps needed to acquire these goals is over half the battle. It gives you a map to be able to follow. Now for the men reading this we need to follow this map and reference it frequently. We can't just look at it once and then think that we know the way until the end goal. Take time reference your map, make corrections to your path if you have drifted.

You need to record your progress consistently. I'm going to use weight loss for this part of goal setting. If you simply are following your plan you might be making progress, but you aren't sure how well it is working until you record the results that you are making. "When performance is measured, performance improves..." Now to extend this thought even more, "When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates" Thomas S. Monson.

Goals work better when you are working with a partner. In marriage this could be your spouse, for physical goals it could be a lifting buddy, when shooting a spotter. What makes these people so important is they add a level accountability. When it is just you and you give up you are only giving up on yourself, but now you have someone that is counting on you and supporting you and are there to help you. These partners help increase the effectiveness of our goals and might have similar goals to achieve them.

So this week as someone that could be called upon to defend yourself, loved ones, or even strangers from the dangers of this world find an aspect in your life and make steps to become better in that area of your life. Like an investment, little consistent steps are better than random big contributions.

Here is a free website to help you goal set: http://www.goalsettingbasics.com/free-goal-setting-worksheets.html

How to Zero in your Firearm

Since Saturday is a day that is more likely to see people out at the range this would be a good time to explain something to do on the range instead of mindlessly shooting paper and other objects into Swiss cheese. Here is a concept that anyone new to firearms should learn and those that have been around a while should always check now and then. If your firearm is zeroed in.

What does zeroing in mean? This is process where you systematically adjust your sights to hit the dead center of the target at range that you have specified. For handguns that could b 7 yards all the way out to 40, 50, or beyond. Rifles basic zeroing is at 100 yards with marksmen sighting theirs to 500+yards. Let's look at the process then talk about what you can do to extend your range.

Step 1: Find targets that have a grid or line pattern running through them. The reason for this will make sense, but it is easier to make adjusts by blocks or "clicks" then it is by you missed the bulls-eye by about 2 or 3 inches to the upper left hand side kind of. Here is a website that I found free printable targets on, http://www.targets.ws/sight-in-targets.htm or just google: sighting in targets.

Step 2: Always aim at the same spot on the target. Even if your first shot you can tell is low and left just keep aiming right at the same little mark on the bulls-eye. This is where the adage from The Patriot comes in, "aim small, miss small." Take your time, aim at the bottom part of the line of the bulls-eye try to put your sights right on that line every time and it will make your life easier.

Step 3: Fire three rounds. This is where the fun begins. You are going to want to take your time to aim then fire three rounds at the line we talked about. simply exhale slowly as you squeeze the trigger back and let the bullets fly. This is best done with some type of bench rest, but remember in a hunting or survival situation, you might not have those to rely on.

Step 4: Check your target and make adjustments. So you have fired your three rounds and they hit two boxes right and three boxes up on your grid. So aren't that far from the bulls-eye. You can now go back and look at your sights. Most sights should have a way to adjust them for wind-age (left to right) and elevation (up and down) Same with scopes. Read your manual to find what each click means. I believe most rifle scopes are 4 clicks are 1" for every 100 yards or so. so make the necessary adjustments.

Step 5: Repeat 2-4. Continue this process until your shots are consistently hitting in or right below the bulls-eye. Once in a while you might have what is called a flier. This will be a bullet that as you pulled the trigger something was just off and you pulled or pushed your shot so it will be an outlier. That is why we do 3 shots instead of 2 to accommodate for those fliers.

Now you can zero your firearm in for a set distance. Lets use my hunting rifle for example. It is set to 200 yards, but if my target is closer or farther I know no how to make adjustments. If I'm hunting an Elk that is 100 yards away I'm going to have to aim lower and if the elk is moving across a meadow I'm going to need to "lead" the target. Aiming in front of the elk to where it will be by the time the bullet gets there. You can make these adjustments in field by practicing on the range. Just zero your rifle in at a distance then set up targets closer and farther away than that distance and shoot away.

That is a basic explanation on how to zero in or sight in your firearm. If you have someone that is new to firearms that is going to go try one out today. Send this to them if you think it will help and try yourself and let me know what I could add or improve on.

Thanks an stay safe America!

Firearm Friday

On Fridays I want to feature a different gun. Discuss its basics and uses and experiences with it. Today's gun is the Browning BPS 12 gauge shotgun. This is a gun that I have owned and have never thought that I needed a better shotgun. Browning says it right on their site with "somethings never go out of style" It comes in both a 26" and 28", I like the extra reach on the 28", but the 26" is easier to move to hit targets in trap competitions.

This gun was given to me the summer I graduated high school and I have loved owning and shooting this firearm. I remember times when we would gather on my uncle's back porch with 7 or 8 of us cousins, uncles, or friends shooting clay pigeons from trick shoots to competitions to see who could last the longest. That first summer I remember having that good bruise from shooting it so much, you know the one that is sore, but you felt like you earned and it makes it even better. 

The BPS has been my reliable friend to just be able to go out and blast some targets out of the sky or can be used for bird hunting very easy. It comes with a polymer recoil pad that actually makes this 12 gauge easy to handle even for beginners. I recommend this gun for anyone wanting a solid 12 gauge, but wants to spend a little more as well it is ambidextrous with a bottom ejection port and top tang safety. This work of art runs about $700 MSRP and that is a little over double for a cheap shotgun, but it is money well spent.

If you would like a firearm to featured just shoot me message or leave a comment. Unfortunately I like to have fired a gun that I will feature so please ask for firearms I have never shot so I have an excuse to go shoot it.

Thanks and stay safe America!

Training Day

Today we are going to talk about not the way we train, but why we train. Training transfers to how we carry ourselves in everyday life. This can go from situational awareness to how to shoot your firearm to daily carry practices. Training these skills are just as important as having an exercise routine. If you only workout once a year it does not help you become a stronger healthier person. The same goes with shooting and carrying your firearm. You can't just pull your rifle out of the safe wipe the dust off and think you will be the best marksmen in the world. 

Training needs to become something that is a mindset that you use in your routine in life. By practicing little things each day it will help you become what the goal of this is, A Responsibly Armed American. While we think that there are others that might be more qualified to handle situations that arise and there probably are. They might not be around and it all comes down to you and the amount of training that you have and are able to use effectively.

This brings me to the purpose of this post. Not only should we need to try make ourselves better personally, but we need to help others achieve a similar or even higher status. What is the point of obtaining knowledge if you keep it to yourself. Through helping others learn the same skills it will help deepen your own understanding of the principles behind whichever skill in particular you are trying to learn. In essence we would be making a society that could protect it self more effectively without need of relying on responding emergency personnel. Now not everyone can be a law officer, EMT, or firefighter all at the same time, but learning basic skills in each area can help these people out.

Imagine for a bit the ability of an EMT or equivalent trying to help people on the street that have been injured and you having the skill set necessary that they could call on you to rise up and help your fellow man. That is a major reason people carry firearms, is it not? To protect their loved ones from danger when it happens. Mark 12:31 says, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" So why not learn other skills that will help your fellow man besides just how to carry and use a firearm, which is important.