I am late getting this written.

Still playing catch-up from a much needed weekend off….

Spent the weekend with friends in Indy. Midwest Chick keeping an eye on accompanying me,we were picked up by K and T on their way down and arrived in the late evening at the hotel.

1500 gunshow on Saturday. As it was raining, and we expected massive crowds again, we took our time, having a leisurely breakfast before arriving….only to find that there was no line to get in and nearly empty aisles (OK, not empty, but compared to the last few 1500’s, this was a pleasant change.) 

Spent most of the time at the show in a fruitless search looking for a Beretta Tomcat…in stainless.

No luck.

Settled for a matte finish alloy framed one in .32 ACP. Only very slightly used. Very slightly. Original box and paperwork. More than I wanted to spend, but less that I was willing to settle for…After a bit of haggling, we exchanged rapidly declining in value Federal Reserve Notes for said firearm. I think it’ll shoot well once I get some oil on it. The Sahara is not as dry as this poor firearm. We’ll have to see how well it survives being carried by me…(I can rust blued steel in minutes if I have sweaty hands in the summer, so we shall see)

Ordered an IWB holster for it from Stoner Holsters (they were out, but will make me one with a forward cant for small-of-back carry and ship it for no extra charge). I’ll probably get a pocket holster as well.

Then I spent a bunch of time trying to find ammo for it for less than an arm and a leg. Found some, but it went dearly. (If I shoot this thing much, I’ll have to buy some dies and a mold in .32ACP. I can reload for about 1/8 what I paid for the ammo I bought.)

Having spent all I could spend on those items, I had barely enough left to have my knife sharpened to extreme sharpness. That didn’t stop me from enjoying all of the other things to see at the show….I did spend a fair amount of time drooling over the really old double rifles and the replica 50-120 Sharps….or the ’12 (last century) Rigby in .416 Rigby. I wish I could find a way to justify to myself the purchase of one of these old classics….The workmanship is still outstanding even by today’s modern standards. Perhaps when I win the lottery… I shoulda taken pictures, but I was too lazy and besides, my hands shake when I get to hold those wonderful firearms.

We toured the rest of the show, saying hi to old friends we hadn’t seen since we were vendors there.

After that, it was time to return to the hotel and clean up for a trip downtown to Fogo de Chao.
and have dinner with Brigid and her Partner in Grime

I ate….I ate beef and pork and chicken… I ate some more, then I decided to eat a bit after that. Then some more. Then a bit of the side dishes. Then some bread…..Then I had some more meat. Green means go, red means stop. I showed very little of the red side of the card for nearly an hour. It is hard not to overdo it when people are bringing you roasted meat on a skewer. I must admit that I am weak, I nearly always said “Yes” when they pressed me asked me if I wanted more. As Christ is my witness, I really tried to be moderate….Really tried. People stared anyway.

Good food, good drinks, good friends. I perhaps was lacking in the conversational department (Mom always said “don’t talk with your mouth full”)…but I grunted in agreement anyway….

Seriously….Great food eaten in the company of good friends. Is this not one of the best ways to spend time?

Then after a tour the nightlife (and wildlife) of downtown Indy, we allowed our designated driver to take us home.

Sunday was shopping for the ladies and wenching some mild exploring for the men until it was time to meet Roberta and Tam and a whole bunch of others at the Broadripple Brewpub at the blogmeet for more food and beers and conversation and friendship. Said hi to The Jack, Old Grouch, and a whole host of others…

Sadly, K and T had to get home (like a three hour drive for them, and since we had ridden down with them and our cats were likely starving…) we had to leave, but not after seeing Roberta’s wonderfully strange modern old bike.

A wonderful weekend.

Sadly though, One pays for taking a Friday afternoon and a weekend off when one returns to work.

Maybe I’ll catch up by Wednesday…..or not.

Unintended consequences

So this makes the third time that someone has heard that I will be going down to the Indy 1500 gunshow.

and the third time that someone has asked me to buy them a gun if I saw it down there.

And the third time that I have pointed out that doing so would be a “straw purchase” under ATF rules.

No one wants to break the rules. No one wants to run afoul of the law. All are decent law abiding gun owners. 2 of the three are Concealed Carry license holders.  They just can’t go, and can’t find what they are looking for here.

But no one thought it through. If I did what they asked, then I’d be breaking the law. I could likely do so without getting caught, but still. I’d hate to be wrong about that.

I could, I suppose, take the firearm(s) in question to an FFL and “sell” them to the final recipent.

But still.

Stupid rules, but rules nonetheless. Follow ’em or pay the consequences.

I didn’t buy anyone any guns. 

More fear of gun shaped objects

Anyone involved in this debacle obviously has no sense…..more importantly, they have not the judgement that is necessary to allow them to care for and educate anyone’s children.

How is it that these people are allowed to continue as educators in any capacity?

So a quarter sized gun causes hysteria? At least is was gun shaped and not a poptart….

Seriously though. Fired. Each and every one involved in this.

Another example of why

We NEED the Second Amendment:

Police in Sweden chose to focus on the people trying to patrol their streets, protecting their homes…., instead of taking action to stop the rioters from continuing their violence and destruction.

A large group of police officers rounded up and dispersed a group of vigilantes trying to fend off rioters.

Police choose NOT to confront the rioters, letting them rampage and destroy neighborhoods. They prevent citizens from defending their homes and property. 

Try that here? Never happen where I live. 


If the police will not maintain order, then the citizens will….at least where they live. 

What do you think the future for our country holds? Remember the Rodney King riots?  
Will you be able to defend your home and neighborhood, if and when? Do you really think that these riots won’t happen here someday soon? (might be muslims, might be the inner city “entitlement class”…might be those who get upset when the welfare stops…..) 

Will you be able to determine thatyour home is defended? Will you be able to tell the police that if they won’t do their job, then you and your neighbors will? Will you be able to enforce that? 



I will. And the police won’t be able to stop me either.

3 day weekend:

When You Go Home
Tell Them Of Us
And Say
“For Your Tomorrow,
We Gave Our Today”

Memorial Day
(image via Wikipedia)

 
Memorial day. A day to remember the fallen….Those who fell in the defense of our country, our Constitution, and our freedom.

Set on the last Monday in May, for many (most) people, this is a weekend with an extra day off, with maybe an auto race thrown in. It should be more. It should be a sacred day, a solemn day….A day of thanks.

For many, it is a day to do work in the yard, work on the house, and then grill out, maybe with friends. Hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill….maybe baked beans and potato salad and chips. A few beers and some conversation with the neighbors or guests….

But take a moment, remember the reason for the day. If you have family members who gave the ultimate sacrifice, take a moment to remember them. If their grave is nearby, you might take a few minutes and tidy that gravesite up just a bit…maybe a flag placed there. If you don’t, or if you have the time, maybe find a grave that is no longer taken care of and spend a few minutes.

But remember the reason. Remember those who fell in the service of your country:

Remember the Soldier who died in the civil war, a lead ball puncturing him and the slow death on a battlefield….

Remember the Doughboy in WWI who died at the bottom a a muddy trench, cold and wet, a german bullet in his chest.

Think of the man who fell assaulting a sandy beach in WWII, his blood staining the black volcanic sands. Or the man who died after parachuting into France for Operation Overloard, or who died on Gold beach…..Or the boys who perished when their shot up bomber couldn’t struggle to stay in the air anymore over the English Channel and fell into the sea despite everything they did to fly home….

The men who froze to death at the Chosin Reservoir in Korea.

The boys who died in a jungle for a war they didn’t understand in Vietnam….

The soldier who bled to death when his leg was blown off by an IED in Fallujah.

The Seal who died in the mountains of Afghanistan saving his buddies.

And really, you should remember the man or woman who died because they could not adjust to life anymore due to PTSD. Even if they died after the end of their enlistment.  They too gave all….

Remember them. They died serving their country….and serving you. They defended your way of life. Defended the country which gave you what you have today. Freedom.

If you forget them, you do them a disservice. you devalue their sacrifice…You devalue the gifts that they gave you.

You devalue yourself.

If all this weekend is to you is a three day weekend, and extra day off, then you are not deserving of the gifts they sacrificed to give you.

Remember. 

Enjoy what they gave you.

I will.