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I think that is a naive outlook. If someone has a solid support system that can watch your child(ren) for free, yes. When the average cost of daycare is $10 an hour, explain how you can afford to survive when almost all of your paycheck goes to cover it? Especially when you take into account that your benefits are based on your income, so as you work, your benefits decrease. A good work ethic and dedication have nothing to do with straight up not being able to afford it. A single woman who graduates high school with a crap education, gets a manufacturing job at $12 an hour, works 40 hours a week, pays $10 an hour for daycare can not afford to pay for it all, even with assistance. She then gets trapped on the teat, work and not survive, or accept the benefits and survive. College? Not even in the cards If she can't afford day care when she is working, how will she afford it when she doesn't have the hourly income. Take that same woman and give her a support system that she can trust that can watch her child(ren) while she is working, attending class and studying at no cost to her, and she has a much better chance of success. The funny part of this argument is that we then run into the common dead horse of today about the parent(s) not being their to raise the child. How could they? They are working 40 hours a week and taking classes to change their stars. The point is simple, the system is broken. Society has changed. Families do not stay together, it doesn't mean the devil is coming, it means that society has changed from the 50s. The same era that history shows wasn't all peaches and cream either. A man as close to me as a father was raised by a single mother, after his father walked out on seven kids, then went on to have several more. He never helped, was never there. The mother didn't work. She raised a garden and took care of her sons and daughter. This man grew up to be one of the finest men I know, and it took a lot to get him there. I am not saying that I agree with the route society has taken. My wife and I have been together for a long time, we became friends twenty years ago and next month we have our twelfth wedding anniversary. We have one daughter, because at that time in our life, one child is what we could afford. We both work, and we both are involved in our daughter's life. That might have been the norm, and it might be the norm among our circle of friends. But it wasn't how I was raised, and it isn't how my friends as a child were raised. It also isn't how my daughter's peers are being raised. Again, I can stand on a soap box on the corner and rant about it, but that isn't going to change the new norm. Just like this thread of normal discourse discussing Welfare Reform isn't going to cause the whole system to be revamped. I just think that too often we sit in our little world and judge others when we don't understand the struggles they may or may not be facing. I hear every day from folks about how hard it is for them to escape the drugs and poverty. But that is all they know, how they were raised. It is how I was raised, and I know, it was a struggle. It was pure hell. If it weren't for my wife, my daughter and several healthy communities I became a part of, I am not sure I would have made it.

I think it's more of an issue of they believe if the person isn't willing to talk in person, it's more likely to be a scam. People get scammed over email all of the time. Less so over the phone on something like this. I think your When I see "text only" response is the exact same response for many about dealing over email. Many prefer to simply have a call. I know I do. Easier to ask and answer questions quickly on a call vs email or text.

For someone who’s not particularly religious, that message will sure preach.

An unarmed populace has a far greater threat in its government than a lunatic with a gun.

I don't think it's a secret that I partake in the opium of the masses, my particular addiction being Christianity. It is from that perspective I share my story. God created us to do stuff and be active He commands us to do that stuff and those activities to the best of our abilities and with a cheerful heart. Sometimes that stuff and those activities aren't fun or easy. But as obedient servants we should still follow God's commands to be faithful with the opportunities we have. Professionally, you may not have the drive, desire, or passion to do your best, give your best or be your best. And that's where I was Monday. Got to go to work, don't want to. Got to see clients, don't want to. You get paid, get out the door and remember God's command, be faithful with your current opportunity. Choose not to do it, the job I'm paid for that is, how is that any different from stealing? As I'm driving to my first appointment, I hear a preacher on Joy620 on your AM dial, talking about, "when Satan comes to get you" When we're weary, worn out, torn down, at our weakest, the negative thoughts and idleness set in. From a Christian perspective, the doubt of God's promises. The whisper of doubt comes from the father of lies (had to use it, it's a nice turn of phrase) From a non-Christian viewpoint with no concern about a higher power, how much time have you lost with equivalent non productive thoughts? My lesson, show a deeper love for God through being more faithful with the stuff and activities I must do, despite what I may want to do. I also learned by being faithful with the stuff and activities, it reduces those times I could be idle and open to the whispers of Satan. For non-Christians, a lesson in do the right thing all the time and by being active, there ain't much time wasted nor extra time to get into trouble with non productive activities. Keep fighting the good fight, do unto others, and keep your eye on the prize!

Saw in another thread someone talking about a Dan Wesson. This is my pistol pack that I have owned since 1981. I thought I would pull it out of the safe and show it off. It is a model 15-2 in .357. I love this pistol. They are great guns and very accurate.

I went golfing once. I quickly realized it's more fun to shoot the balls with a .22

I remember growing up eating Government cheese, and big tubs of peanut butter. I was real fond of the navy beans in the white cans, and I had to be near starving to eat the green beans. I do not agree with the boxes of food. From a logistical standpoint it is a nightmare, delivery, dietary constraints, etc. What I do agree with is an approved food list just like WIC. Ground beef, milk, blocks of cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables, or canned. I do not agree with soft drinks, candy, junk food etc. It is too easy to (legitimately) spend all of your monthly allotment on Mountain Dew and Doritos at the first of the month. Then you and the children have nothing to eat my the middle of week two. I personally think that mandatory classes on money management (with provided day care,) and job training skills (again with day care) would go a lot farther. I understand that it is hard for folks to find jobs that fit. There are a lot of variables to it all. My wife hates her job. She is underappreciated and overworked. It pays well, but it is demeaning. She wants to leave it. However we have no family and the cost of child care for our daughter is outrageous. Her job allows her a shift that is opposite of mine. Meaning that outside of emergency circumstances, we don't have to put our daughter into daycare. My wife stays at a job she hates because of that. Now, lets take our tax bracket out of the equation, and one of the parents. Hell, let's add a child or two. Now, how is a parent supposed to work at a realistic rate of $15 an hour, pay rent, buy food, keep gas in a car, lights on in a house AND pay for childcare? Much less get an education to better themselves? It is easy to lay the blame on them for poor choices, or society for the new norms. That isn't helping. There needs to be a total revamp of the system. Subsidized child care, hell, that in itself would create jobs, would be a huge boon. With the amount of social programs out there now, training programs would go a long way to fixing what is broke. Accept the fact we are a consumer nation now and not a manufacturing nation. Train for service jobs. Until there is a total overhaul of the welfare and education systems, there will not be a change. College is not the answer for every child, regardless of the cost/ability to afford it. I have a rather high IQ, I did poorly in school because I didn't care. I was lied to and convinced that college was the answer. I carried a 3.75/4.0 GPA with perfect attendance. I was eligible for a $20k a year job upon graduation with well over $40k in debt. I was a lucky one. Right now we offer training programs with my company, two years, at $14+ an hour and $60k a year average upon completion. That means that realistically a 20 year old kid can be debt free, with a solid career, earning $60k a year. We have 500+ in our company. <10 under 25. Something needs to change.

YouTube. Robin Williams golf. Go find it if you don’t have delicate ears as the language is foul so I do not post it here. Glorious story of the history of the silly game.

Armor that is going to stop rifle threats is going to be heavy or expensive. And as far as the vest itself they can be cumbersome and unwieldy unless you actually train with them and practice putting them on. An armored vest would also attract attention in a school setting. I recently remember seeing a backpack that has soft armor built in and while that won't stop a rifle round I will say you can find backpacks with pouches for water bladders that will probably accept a hard armor plate. I bet you could drop a hard plate in the backpack and have a very effective bullet stopper without looking like a bullet stopper. Plenty of places could sew in a pouch to hold the plate if you wanted something that looked commonplace in a school. I've seen Hello Kitty backpacks big enough to stick a 10x12 plate inside. As far as why type of plate I would suggest a ceramic as they tend to be lighter but they are thicker. Steel is thinner but weighs more. They do have ultra lightweight plates capable of stopping rifle rounds but they are very expensive. They even have rifle plates that actually float. Some of the polycarbonate plates are nice as well. I have used all the different types and there are benefits to each but you must weigh those against the detractors. For me, personally, I use steel because they are thinner making getting into and out of vehicles easier. I am not going to be pounding the ground so weight is not a concern if it was I would choose ceramic or one of the newer types that weigh very little. Also, do not forget about "In Conjunction" plates. They are designed to have a soft body armor backer. The plate itself doesn't stop the bullet but causes the bullet to break up as it passes through the plate. The soft armor backing then catches the fragments. These are generally lighter and thinner than level 3 stand alone plates but they generally cannot soak up a lot of rounds either as the ones I have seen were ceramic. Any armor with the letter "A" behind it, Like "3A" or "2A", is generally a soft armor plate and will NOT stop rifle rounds no matter the rating. Armor with only a letter designation, "3" or "4", is a hard plate and is designed to stop rifle rounds, providing the classification is high enough. Both types will stop pistol rounds they are rated for but only hard armor plates will stop rifle rounds. You can also use lower rated rifle plates if pistol calibers are the more serious concern. 5.56 is a very, very hard caliber to defeat at close range. And you generally want a level 4 plate to handle point blank 5.56 rounds. Some level 3 plates are rated to stop 5.56 but those are generally not tested at point blank ranges.

Just go get one. Other’s experiences and even your own with possibly an older one really aren’t that relevant. My experience has been excellent to the point that others have asked if I’m going to bring it out to the range. I will say that now they’ve gotten rid of the billboard on the side they look exactly like a 1911 should.

Layered security at airports, check Layered security at government facilities, check Armed security for elected servants, check Private security for those who can afford it, check Personal security for those who exercise their 2A rights, check Key readers to enter hotel weight room to deter non guest access, check Schools, come on in? And yes, we have to paint the narrative of a troubled and mentally ill young man to maintain the focus on the evil of guns and how easy it is for the wrong people to obtain them. I do include MSM news sites in my daily research, it seems close to an anti-gun feeding frenzy out there...

Yeah... She made it ugly (or at least her lawyer did) and for life of me I couldn't understand why because she's the one who was having an affair and wanted out. But that's history and I'm super blessed with a good wife now (13 years and counting)! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I guess it depends on you beliefs. I would rather die on the spot or get the death penalty than spend the rest of my life in prison. My religious beliefs do not allow me to be a party to killing someone that doesn’t meet the requirements for the use of deadly force. So I couldn’t be on a jury where the death penalty was on the table; but I could kill a criminal where the use of deadly force was justified and go eat lunch. The taxpayers can have a bigger bill to defend someone in a death penalty case than the cost to keep them in prison until they die or another inmate kills them. Illinois did away with the death penalty when the Governor was faced with many (25 if I remember correctly) on death where it was proven that they could not have committed the murder. How many innocent people are we willing to execute to kill the ones that are guilty? But that’s just my opinion I don’t care one way or the other if the state executes them as long as I’m not involved.

Yep. It just takes that one great shot to keep you coming back. I don't get to play nearly as much as I'd like. It gets expensive and life gets in the way a lot. My kids show occasional interest so time will tell where that goes. What Hozzie said... get some basic instruction now. There's 100 different ways to do it, the hard part is finding the one that works for you. You'd be surprised how much you can learn with a pitching wedge in your backyard and a putter on the hallway rug. Drive for show, putt for dough. You can't make a birdie with a driver, but you can darn sure make a bogey.

Since when does a declining demand equate to increased value? seems to me they are just chasing the same profits in a declining market.

@robtattoo I have an extra set of irons that are just sitting in the closet. You are welcome to them if you want to use them before you buy a set.

That's why I golf at night...

If only they’d let us do that on those pretty golf courses.

I hope you still have that Colt Python! I was taught many many years ago practice practice practice , when you think you have it, practice some more. And with both of my grandad's that wasn't just for guns. LOL

If you seriously want to give it a go, spend a little money and get a lesson to start. It's way easier to start with good habits that will make you play better and make the overall experience much more enjoyable. You shouldn't need more than 2-3 lessons to get the basics down. Start with short irons, not a driver or fairway wood. Start with a PW or 7 iron and work your way up.

I'm not willing to trade in the liberty of an entire nation of people, today or ever, to try to prevent a particular type of heinous crime from occurring which is both statistically incredibly rare and not even remotely related to access to firearms. The assault weapon ban never went away and only got worse where I live, yet there are violent criminals committing violent acts all over the place. Many men on this board probably have similar experiences or can relate similar experiences my father had: As a kid in the 50's/60's he and all his friends owned guns they mail ordered from Sears and Roebuck catalog, worked at a gas station all alone at 14 that sold guns the same way they sold gas, to anyone with money, and learned to shoot from the school principal who was also the Scoutmaster. People weren't killing each other. We've torn our nation and our culture apart which in the end is the cause, not the guns. So we can shred the constitution, disarm the American people and become socialists on the brink of extinction like most of Europe or we can actually address the real issue which is the systematic attack and dismantling of the Home, the Church and the American Way of Life.

Access to firearms has never been more restricted that at the present time. AR15 has been on the civilian market for over 50 years and is one of the most popular firearms in history, probably millions to 10's of millions of them in the US. Obviously, something changed other than access to firearms; if there was a correlation then these incidents would be less likely now, not more. The AR came on the market in 1963, at a time when there were virtually no gun laws other than restrictions on machineguns, 5 years before the 1968 GCA. What has happened in the time period since then, lets reason together: We as a nation have practically destroyed the nuclear family, eviscerated and emasculated the role of the Church in society and replaced chivalry and self-sacrifice with victimhood and narcissism. We abort viable pregnancies due to inconvenience, and promote offing the elderly and ill if we deem their quality of life substandard. We allow our children to play video games that utilize the exact same psychological conditioning used to make our Vietnam Vets more efficient killers (and caused an explosion of PTSD casualties, you all know that more vets have killed themselves since the war than died in it). Instead of mothers and fathers raising their sons and daughters to be ladies and gentlemen, we tell the kids they might be homosexuals or misgendered, and instead of disciplining and training them we put them on Prozac and Ritalin and give them Facebook to experience the insecurities of puberty on a macro scale, all alone on powerful mind altering medications with no morals and no father to smack them and no mother to hug them. Short of a revival (and I do mean the Christian sort), I don't know what can turn this around, we've wasted a generation, maybe two now, and I'm staying armed and vigilant because the last thing that's gonna make anyone safer is taking away the ability to meet these threats head on. I'm sorry to say I don't see this getting better anytime soon, but will continue to pray about it, and do what I can to influence my children and other young people that I can in appositive way...

Mrs. 'lizard is a school teacher. I don't know why I never thought of it before now, but I'd like to talk with her about keeping armor in her room. Before I do that, I need to learn what's out there. She's small. just over 5' and maybe 100 lbs soaking wet. She'll shoot with me from time to time, but is by no means into tacticool. In other words, a camo'd out plate carrier covered in MOLLE strips ain't gonna fly. It would need to be simple to put on in a panic and light weight. She's not going to be able to struggle with a 40 lb. vest. I know light and good = expensive. It's OK....she's worth it. Given recent events, I don't think handgun-level defense is enough. Looking for something that can handle strikes from 7.62x39 and 5.56. Would that be Level III ? Finally, are there any dealers in middle TN that carry this stuff in stock? I might have a better chance of getting her to buy in to the idea if she can see it and try it on for fit. I'm pretty much a total n00b on armor so school me!

I have been saying those in need should be sent boxes of food instead of given free money. I believe it would benefit a lot of people while making it harder for those who cheat the system to continue to cheat the system. It would also ensure that those who are getting help would eat good food instead of junk food or food obviously too expensive for those getting assistance. For those who may not be aware, in Tennessee it is against the rules for a business to ask for ID to verify the user of an EBT card is the person who is issued that card. Any vendor that does as for ID can risk loosing the ability to take EBT, which is a LOT of money for some vendors. I have seen it first hand because my brother gets EBT benefits and then sells to pay for drugs. I talk to the cashiers all the time about it and they say they know the people getting issued is not the ones using it but they cannot do anything about it. Had one lady who would use her EBT card to buy packs of expensive tuna. She would brag about that fact they were for her cats and that she would continue to buy the tuna until cat food was covered by her EBT card. I see people using EBT cards to buy food that most people cannot afford to eat on a regular basis yet our tax dollars are used to pay for a lavish lifestyle for those who say they cannot afford to eat. If they would require businesses to verify the user is the one who was issued the card it would cut down on a significant amount of fraud. Hell, my ID is checked when I use MY credit card so why can't those who use my tax money be bothered to do the same. They cite privacy reasons and that it might embarrass those who are using EBT cards but if you are truly in need of EBT you would be grateful instead of embarrassed. https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-wants-replace-food-stamps-114015814.html

Wow! That looks great. Kind of a retro-futuristic style I'd expect to see on Firefly. 1

Very well said. And a much needed read for me at this point.

The logic of disallowing school staff from carrying is totally flawed, just like all anti gun arguments. If a teacher owns a gun and wants to carry in class to protect the children in the worst case imaginable, then prohibition on carry stops him or her from doing so because they are afraid of losing their job, criminal charges etc. But if the same teacher (or whomever) suddenly becomes hellbent on murder, then the possibility of losing a job or being charged with a misdemeanor is supposed to stop them? Ridiculous...

My wife got me this for VD. Seems there's s "whisky of the month" club like the beer of the month. The one I've tried so far was pretty good.

So as the husband of a school teacher who's had these talks, let me ask. What's her opinion on this? Let me just say....she's an adult. You have to trust her opinion.

I do not believe so, their manufacturing facility in in an industrial park and is fenced and gated.

You can claim whatever you like will show proof of ownership. I’m just responding to his question about real life circumstances. Everyone has to do whatever they are ready to take responsibility for. I’m not suggesting a BOS be required by law. My requirement helped a guy out; your millage may vary.

Yes, a member I sold a gun to in Franklin had his home burglarized and the gun I sold him was stolen. The DA had him come to court to testify that the gun they recovered from the suspect was his; which he did. After the trial the DA refused to give him the gun back without proof of where he bought it. Now… what the heck?? He is going to use this man’s testimony as evidence to convict someone of burglary, but that same testimony isn’t good enough to prove ownership for return of the gun? That dog don’t hunt. Had I not had a copy of that BOS to give him, and be willing to come forward as the seller; he would have been out a $1K handgun. It didn't help me; but it helped him. I also have a C&R, so I need proof of age. But no, I have not had a gun used in a crime come back to me. But if I do I will gladly tell them who I sold it to. I have no reason to try to hide that information.

You will suck at it but get addicted You can suck the whole round and then hit one good shot and you are ready to come back and play some more. It is the most frustrating fun game there is.

Bad idea! its a stressful environment, your blood pressure will defiantly rise... One thing that's great you can drink beer, cuss out load, throw things and its acceptable!! Drive out past the bowling alley towards the base, your can drive balls on the aedc golf coarse, last time I was there it was like $3 for a bucket of balls.

Well, If you ever make it up my way you can shoot my fake 50AE.

Great, looks like 100% to me. You will surely get better. Dry fire if you can, cheapest practice there is. Congratulations.

I'm all for some good food stamp reform, but this plan ain't it. Besides the already mentioned logistical challenges, perishable foods are the good kinds of food we should be expecting people on the programs to have, not the junk food (see rant below). People should use the food as a tool to teaching themselves to meal plan with their portions in the fridge, not just crack open the next can of high sodium chicken chunks as a means to shut up their whiny kid when they think they're hungry. In addition, I'm pretty much presupposing a restructuring like this will have crony capitalism, along with fraud, waste, and abuse all over it. My biggest question is who gets rich from the change...from there, my opinion will form over how noble a change this really is. I'm not sure when it changed either, but big companies were very much behind it. Walmart is probably at or near the top of the list of the lobbying. If food stamps are cut, their economic outlook is hit, as was foretasted in this investors report.. Add to that, all the big producers of junk foods have a financial interest in making sure their products can be bought by SNAP funds. Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and every other company that has products in the isles, not along the wall of the grocery store where the "real food" (for lack of a better term) is kept are going to lobby behind the scenes to keep the SNAP funds open to anything edible.

@FUJIMO this is how a pistol pak is supposed to look...

If a law fixes the problem, we already have the one that says murder is illegal. Doesn't seem to fix the problem.

Looks like Old Stone Fort is out your way. Should have a driving range for a little practice. Not much between you and Spring Hill or I’d meet up and show you a few things. YouTube will help a bunch too.

It is literally insane to believe a criminal who has no regard for the law will somehow comply with a new law if only it were enacted.

It's a budget gun. Doesn't mean they're bad, but I've seen some inconsistencies. I had one I gave up on and converted to a full time .22 with a Kimber conversion kit I had.

Last night. Roasted asparagus, steamed veggies, bacon wrapped jalapeños, steaks and miniature cheesecake. And yeah. Welcome to Wyoming. [emoji1]

Well we know what won’t work; a gun ban. There are just too many AR’s (and other guns they would try to ban) out there. A person that wanted to do this could get a gun. Especially someone that had the financial resources of the Vegas mass murderer. I watched Senator Bill Nelson from Florida call for gun control last night. He said he was a supporter of the 2nd amendment and a hunter, but that an AR is made for killing not for hunting. So apparently Senator Nelson thinks the 2nd amendment protects his right to hunt. That is pretty sad itself; but the fact that he is a lawmaker and doesn’t understand the United States Constitution makes it worse. Yes, the AR is a civilian version of the M16 that was engineered and designed as an assault rifle for killing people in combat. It is also a very effective weapon is engaging an active shooter in our children’s school or protecting your family from violent attacks (that law enforcement cannot protect them from). Some terrorists are using vehicles instead of guns or bombs. Some are using knives. Those work also. The core problem is family values, morals, religious beliefs, and no fear of legal prosecution. Many people seem to think our constitutional rights keep the Police from getting involved if no crime has been committed. I strongly disagree. Police involvement doesn’t mean the nut case won’t go off the rails and kill anyway. If they know they are going to die they don’t fear the Police or anyone else. But it may get someone involved that can make a difference. We recently had a post on here about a suspicious person. When I was a cop I would have ran the plate number and went to his house and had a talk. Would he have to talk to me? Of course not. But we would be way ahead of where we were, and on our way to being able to take some action. It didn’t surprise me that the kids knew this guy was a nut case, as I’ve said before, ask your kids who the nut jobs are in their school and they will tell you. What did concern me a little was the calmness these kids showed in telling what happened. When I was a cop (many years ago) kids would be very emotional after witnessing a violent act and had trouble talking about it. Our kids need help, but that’s a separate issue from mass murderers. Our schools and workplaces need the ability to engage and kill an active shooter. Not have to wait until he gets done killing people and takes his own life.

My Son just reported to his first duty station. The unit is getting ready for deployment, his first. It is a attack helicopter unit. I still worry about him all the time.

Semper Fi, res308. My SSgt son did 8 years, he's out and becoming a helicopter pilot. His faith is identical to yours. His nickname was Preach, and he was a true warrior for the Lord during his time. Your boy will be fine. God bless you and yours!

You and me both.

I wish I could find that bottle at retail again, alas odds are stacked against me

I love my Model 36 snubbie. I rarely carry either of my J Frames. Still have lots of affection. At one time, it was THE gun to conceal.