JAB

Or maybe a person who realizes that business owners have to live and operate in the real world where losing five customers just to keep one open carrying customer will result in putting up a sign of a different type. One with GOING OUT OF BUSINESS printed on it. If a business posts a 'no carry' sign then I will avoid that business as much as possible. If a business doesn't want to post and isn't openly hostile to gun rights but prefers that I not open carry out of consideration for other customers then that works for me. For my part, I figure I need to be reasonable enough to not cause that non-posted business problems by scaring other customers away. Gun owners don't have to be Mr. Gun Activist everywhere they go. Sometimes it is okay to just compromise a little and be a guy who is carrying a concealed firearm, minding his own business and not causing a practical loss of rights by wanting to push their agenda.

Heh, the smell went away after a couple of days but for those first, few days it did smell pretty good.

I wouldn't be surprised if such an incident didn't change a hardcore PETA members mind one bit. As far as their claim that there is nothing to indicate that the 13th Amendment applies only to humans, one need look no further than the preamble of the Constitution - the first seven words, in fact. People = humans. It pisses me off to hear of a person truly abusing an animal and I often thing that harsher punishments for such behavior should be in place. That said, animals aren't people, they don't have Constitutional rights and some of them taste really, really good.

What you seem to not be understanding, within the context of this thread, is that getting a permit to legally carry in California is, apparently, danged near impossible. However, before passage of this law it was legal to OPENLY carry an UNLOADED handgun. For those who did not have the type of political connections/money necessary to get a permit to carry, their ONLY option was to OPENLY carry an UNLOADED firearm. Thanks to legislation that was pushed and signed by Governor Ronald Reagan back in the 1960s, the citizens of California had been stripped of the right to carry loaded firearms without a permit. Getting a California carry permit seems to be, as you might imagine, a whole lot harder than getting a carry permit in TN. Simply getting a permit and carrying concealed is not a viable option for most Californians. Therefore, in the context of this thread, your point is moot. There were some gun rights supporters who were OPENLY carrying UNLOADED firearms - in accordance with the law (and the only option most of them had for legal carry) - in order to show support for expanding gun rights, perhaps including making it a bit easier for an honest citizen to obtain a carry permit. Openly carrying their unloaded firearms in the woods where no one would see them would kind of defeat the purpose in that case - they needed to do so in populated areas in order for their message to be received. Now it seems that the nanny state of California has decided that even OPENLY carrying an UNLOADED firearm is too dangerous to remain an option for the non-spineless, non-jellyfish citizens of their state.

Thanks - from the pics you have posted, you obviously do great work on holsters so a positive comment from you means a lot. The snaps are 'heavy duty' snaps that I got at the leather store - they are actually a little difficult to unsnap. It does carry extremely comfortably but, as it doesn't hold as tightly to my side as some other holsters I have made, it creates a bit more of a 'bulge' under my cover garment. In fact, it 'bulges' more with the same cover garment (an unbuttoned, untucked denim shirt) than my CZ82 carried in the homemade belt slide holster I made for it. My wife still says that the 642 isn't as noticeable as I think, even with her knowing it is there. I kind of have an itch to make another, similar holster with a basket weave pattern stamped on it. If I do, I'll probably just go with a 'standard' belt loop on it. Might be a while, though, as I have it in mind to make a couple of leather items to give as Christmas gifts this year.

My 'wants' are usually pretty simple. My 'some day' handgun was a Super Blackhawk in .44 Magnum. I got one of those a few months ago. That doesn't mean there aren't still handguns out there that I'd 'like' to have or some that I might not even know I want unless I come across a 'deal', just that right now there isn't a handgun that is nagging me to get it 'one of these days'. Right now, my 'want it' gun would be a stainless and wood (probably a Rossi) lever action rifle/carbine chambered in either .38/.357 or .44. Of course, if I go with the .38/.357 then I will eventually 'need' a single action .357 handgun - maybe a Blackhawk - to go with it (I have a couple of double action .357 revolvers but that's just not the same.) Unfortunately, my gun budget is just about nil at the moment and probably will remain so for the foreseeable future.

I decided to make a belt holster for my 642. I like a holster that can be easily removed in case I have to go somewhere that carry isn't legal so I started out using a metal clip. I found I didn't like the clip so I made a leather 'belt loop' that fastens securely with snaps. Using an idea that I got from another thread on here, I decided to use coffee as a stain for the 'finish'. The front got more applications than the back, dried with a hairdryer between applications. I like how it makes the holster look like something that someone has used for years even though it is actually brand new. I am still nowhere near 'professional' in my holster making but I enjoy it and end up with holsters that are at least functional at a fraction of the cost of buying leather holsters.

Me, too. I think they purposefully wanted to show Jesus on the cross as a bit of irony. These folks are trying to stay away from people who died then returned to 'life' and now they are in a church and some of them are praying to/looking for comfort from a figure who died and returned to life.

Meh, I just keep in mind that these folks are, for the most part, city dwellers who have likely lived their lives as 'sheeple'. Without a Starbucks where they can get a mega-grande-mocha-double-latte or something they are completely lost. Rick is a pretty good leader and Shane will do what he has to do but I feel like, if not for the 'redneck' Daryl, they'd all be dead by now. To be truthful, it would seem less believable to me if they did make good choices more often. Honestly, the biggest thing that bothered me was Daryl's choice of a big chopper to ride through the zombie apocalypse. The dumb decisions the others make are pretty much in keeping with their characters but Daryl is all about stealth (the crossbow, the knife) and yet he chooses the loudest vehicle he can find - one that provides no shelter or protection - and then rides point?

And they should be reported and then, hopefully, found, arrested and punished for doing so. As I have said all along, the fact that they took a deer could possibly be justified (whether 'legal' or not.) The location they chose in which to do so, however, is a different matter entirely. The fact that they posed a risk of serious injury or death to the people in your neighborhood can not be justified.

No, they don't. No more than do the clouds in the sky. Obviously this is a difference in philosophy between us and the reason we will never agree on this issue. Comparing the issue of a person taking a game animal out of season due to a real need with noncompliance with a possible law prohibiting gun ownership is apropos. Simply because you have no good rebuttal does not mean the argument does not belong here. Both issues deal with natural rights (hunting to feed oneself or family is every bit as much a natural right as self defense.) Most here would not simply 'go along' with a law requiring they surrender all of their firearms. In so doing, they would be no less in violation of the apparently holy and vaunted 'law' as someone who takes a deer out of season to put food on the table. Both have to do with self preservation and natural rights. To condemn one while knowing that you would do the other is, frankly, more than a little hypocritical. If you wish to boil everything down to the point that the law should be followed unquestionably then you cannot pretend to hold the moral high ground while leaving an 'out' for a situation - such as a law requiring that you surrender any and all firearms - in which you would not follow the law. Legal and illegal do not, necessarily, equate with moral and immoral or ethical and unethical. Morals have to do with right or wrong. Laws sometimes run along moral lines, true, but many laws have nothing to do with 'right' or 'wrong' and simply determine 'legal' or 'illegal'. Those things are not, necessarily, the same and can even, sometimes, be in opposition. Yes because, again, wild animals do not belong to anyone - not the 'public', not the government and not Walmart. Those steaks, however, are the property of Walmart until and unless they are purchased, etc. The two situations are not the same, in the least.

Oh, I completely agree that the jackholes discussed in the OP were totally out of line (I think I said that in my first post but it probably got lost in my more 'controversial' comments.) Those guys were discharging a firearm near a public roadway and close to at least one residential area in a place where they most likely couldn't be sure of what lay beyond their target. In so doing, they were endangering the lives of others who posed no threat of harm to them and there is no right - natural or otherwise - to do that. I also agree that someone in a 'need game for survival' situation should be more discreet. Heck, I'd even go so far as to say that doing so on someone else's private land, without permission, is different in that it involves illegally trespassing. I also do not mean to imply that it would be justifiable to take, say, another person's domestic pig or cow, etc. because in so doing, you are taking something that belongs to someone else (unlike my view that wild animals belong to no one and no group of people, including 'the public' at large.) Also, I do not see shooting an endangered or threatened species as 'justifiable' when there are plenty of non-endangered, non-threatened animals that can provide food. I don't want to give the impression that I am saying that anyone should be able to shoot anything, any time, anywhere. Further, I am talking only about situations when a person is taking the animal for food. I have said that I believe that wild animals belong to nature and that it is a natural right to take what we need from nature to survive. I can no more see telling a hungry man that he can't take a deer than I can see telling that to a hungry bear, wolf or any other carnivore. However, I also feel it is our natural duty to respect that relationship by not wasting that which nature provides. Killing an animal just for the heck of it and not using the meat (as in wanton waste), to me, disrespects nature which to me, in this case, is a much more grievous act than violating 'game' laws. I am simply stating my personal belief that the need to eat to survive transcends 'poaching' laws. As you put it, "I'm starving and I have bullets, I'm going to go kill something and eat it." Thankfully, I am not in such a position but I do sympathize with those who may be - and I also believe that many more of us may have to rethink our positions on the matter if the economy continues to go downhill. As to laws vs. rights, etc. there is a quote from Thomas Jefferson that possibly does a better job than I explaining what I mean: "Of liberty I would say that, in the whole plenitude of its extent, it is unobstructed action according to our will. But rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law,' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual." --Thomas Jefferson to I. Tiffany, 1819.

The first season was more of a 'half season'. I'm not sure if AMC just didn't want to invest in a full season in case it didn't catch on or what. From what I have read, the second season is supposed to be a full season with the 'normal' number of episodes for a season. I'm pretty psyched for the new season to start. My wife, who generally doesn't like horror movies, has ended up being just about as hooked on this show as I am. She's keeps double-checking with me about when the new season starts. In fact, because of this show, I've gotten her to watch a couple of zombie movies (including the original 'Night of the Living Dead') with me.

In a lot of ways, what makes a good carry gun is a personal decision and opinion plays a large part. If you were to ask me (in my opinion) if a 1911 would make a good carry gun, I would say, "No." That is because I don't like the idea of having to disengage a safety nor would I be comfortable carrying around a cocked pistol, no matter how 'locked' it is. I got my first handgun when I was 18 - 32 years ago. I have kept a handgun of one type or another by my bed for most of that time and have had my HCP and carried whenever legal for a little over three years now. Still, I would not feel 'safe' carrying a 1911 or any other handgun cocked and locked. Then, again, I don't own a 1911 and have no real experience with them. Obviously, others disagree and are plenty happy carrying a 1911. Of course, were you to ask me (in my opinion) if a Glock or other, striker fired pistol would make a good carry gun, I would also say, "No." Again, I am not comfortable with the idea of carrying such a pistol due to many of the issues that Dolomite pointed out. Obviously, others disagree and are plenty happy carrying Glocks and other, striker fired pistols (including many LEAs.) Personally, in semiautos, I prefer carry guns that are either DAO or DA/SA. I feel that the long trigger pull with DAO pistols or the long initial trigger pull with DA/SA pistols is a strong enough safety feature not to need a manual safety and therefore not require an 'extra' step before putting the firearm to use in a self defense situation. Such pistols are designed to be able to carry with the hammer down and a round in the chamber so doing so doesn't concern me. Of course, another advantage to such pistols is that, because I sometimes carry a revolver instead of a semiauto (to be entirely truthful, I like revolvers better than semiautos just in general), the basic operation of DAO and DA/SA pistols is just about the same as a revolver (as in present weapon, acquire target, press trigger and repeat as necessary.) To my mind, those are just about the simplest and easiest to use setups for a carry handgun so, from that point of view, I can see that the 1911 platform could be considered more 'complicated' or 'advanced'. However, for someone whose experience and practice have been mostly/solely with a 1911, I can see that such may not be the case. I will say that I have shot a 1911 'style' S&W that was chambered in 9mm and was capable of DA/SA and I absolutely loved that gun. The only real drawback with it, compared with other DA/SA capable pistols, was that the ammo capacity was a good bit lower. There are those, however, who would probably tell you that DAO or DA/SA pistols don't make good carry guns. Some might say that the relatively long, stiff trigger pull of a DAO can throw your aim off. Others would say that a DA/SA setup isn't safe because of the difference in trigger pull between the first shot and subsequent shots which could cause a negligent discharge second shot.

Feeding oneself is self-preservation. Further, animals do not belong to the 'public'. They belong to nature and for millions of years, mankind has taken what they needed to survive from nature. The whole idea that wild animals 'belong' to anyone or any group, in the first place, is wrongheaded. Wild animals are not 'public property' the way a park or a public boat ramp is. I realize that regulations are needed to prevent overhunting/extinction of certain species. Also, as I said earlier, I purchase a hunting and fishing license and obey regulations. However, a hungry person occasionally taking an animal to feed themselves or their families is not wrong, to my mind, no matter how many 'regulations' that person violates in so doing.

Just to throw it out there, when the weather is cool enough to allow a fairly thick, unbuttoned shirt or jacket as a cover garment, I can pretty easlily carry my P95. With such a cover garment, it actually carries and 'casually conceals' pretty well in a leather belt-slide holster that holds it fairly high (as in the trigger guard is about even with my belt) and tight. I have smaller handguns (a P3AT and a S&W 642) that carry well in a pocket or small belt holster when a heavier cover garment isn't practical and a CZ (technically, vz) 82 that works well as sort of an in-between pistol - also carried in a belt slide holster - but haven't had any difficulty carrying my P95 during Winter or the cooler parts of Spring or Fall if I decide to do so. I don't see carrying it when a t-shirt and shorts are the order of the day but I don't see carrying anything much larger than the P3AT or 642 on those days, anyhow. I had a Kel Tec P11 (a compact 9mm) that I carried for a while. I also had a P95 that I didn't want to carry much as it was a gift and I'd hate to see it taken by the police if I ever had to use it in self defense. I came to realize, however, that because I could really only carry the P11 in an OWB holster with a cover garment (I can't do IWB), I could carry/conceal the P95 with more or less the same type of cover garment. As the P95 is much easier to shoot, holds more rounds in a flush-fit mag and can easily handle +P rounds without beating the shooter's hands up, I decided to trade the P11 for a second P95 to which I have no sentimental attachment. That is the one I use for carry, sometimes, and I don't regret trading the smaller 9mm one, little bit. So, depending on your carry style and how often you want to carry a larger gun/caliber, the P95 you already own and with which you are already familiar just might serve the purpose without needing to buy another handgun. That is unless you are just wanting another one.

I got mine at Farnsworth's in Vonore. I didn't notice any when I was in there this past weekend but I might have overlooked one. I don't recall ever noticing any local shop that stocked them 'regularly' - I think they are more infrequent items for most local shops. You might just call around and see who has one at what price. I have often seen them at reasonable prices in Shotgun News, etc. as well. Of course, folks with a Curio and Relic license can apparently order them (and other such firearms) directly. Those of us who do not have the C&R license have to have them sent to an FFL to be transferred. By the time you pay a transfer fee, TICS, etc. the price comes out to be more or less the same as you would have paid for one in a local stop to begin with. If you really want one and can't find one locally, that might be the way to go. For me, the only drawback to going that route is that I prefer to hold/examine a firearm before I buy it - which is the reason I don't buy firearms online or from magazines, etc. Again, though, if you really want one and can't find one locally that might be the route to go.

So if it becomes illegal to own any firearms, period, you will simply turn all of yours in and feel good about being in compliance with the law? As I said, I believe that some rights transcend laws. That doesn't mean I believe in wanton waste, taking animals on land that belongs to other people, blasting things indiscriminately or so on.

I recently got one. I haven't shot it a whole lot but I do like it. I traded a Phoenix .25 plus a few bucks for it and mine came with the holster, lanyard, cleaning rod and screwdriver. So far, I have only shot .32 Long through it but I did pick up three boxes of the Hotshot brand 'right' ammo at the 127 Corridor Sale a couple of months back for $12 a piece - just haven't gotten around to trying them out, yet. I will probably put a lot of .32 Long through it as time goes by. For me, it isn't so much the price difference between the .32 Long and Nagant ammo as it is the fact that I can pick up a box of .32 Long locally. I'm not crazy about ordering online, am not sure it would be worth it just for one box of ammo and don't foresee shooting it enough to justify keeping several boxes onhand when I have other (main) firearms for which I like/need to keep reserves. I could see picking up another box or two of Nagant ammo if I found it at a gun show for the right price. The only drawback I have heard about using .32 Long is that in some Nagant revolvers it can cause a pretty substantial lead build-up on the forcing cone.

Reality: the sound of me saying, "Oh sh*t...oh sh*t...oh sh*t...oh sh*t..." over and over as I try not to fumble a reload. Fantasy where I'm a meaner'n hell, icewater in my veins, cold-blooded zombie eradicator (not in a specific order): 1. Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner 2. Born with a Tail by The Supersuckers 3. South of Heaven by Slayer 4. N.F.L. by Anthrax 5. Die, Die, Die My Darling by The Misfits 6. Astrozombies by The Misfits 7. Refuse/Resist by Sepultura 8. The Trooper by Iron Maiden 9. Let the Good Times Roll by The Cars 10.Last Caress by The Misfits (I like their original better but the Metallica version is good, too.) 11. Am I Evil by Metallica (their cover of a Diamond Head song) 12. F*cking Hostile by Pantera 13. Surfin' Dead by The Cramps 14. Bikini Girls with Machine Guns by The Cramps 15. Stone Cold Crazy by Metallica (their cover of the Queen song) 16. Another One Bites the Dust by Queen 17. Swamp Song by Tool 18. In A Gadda Da Vida by Iron Butterfly (the Slayer cover would work, too) 19. Hair of the Dog by Nazareth 20. The End by The Doors 21. Don't Forget the Chaos by The Exploited 22. As One by The Dropkick Murphys 23. Du Hast by Rammstein 24. Hall of the Mountain King by Apocalyptica (their version of the piece written by Edvard Grieg) 25. I Want Out by Helloween 26. Keeper of the Seven Keys by Helloween 27. Raise What's Left of the Flag for Me by Flogging Molly 28. The Worst Day Since Yesterday by Flogging Molly and more, if I survived that long

Personally, although I have a hunting license (despite a repeated lack of success in getting any 'good' out of it) and hunt legally, I feel that hunting as a means to address a real need to feed oneself or one's family is a natural right and - just like self defense - transcends 'legal' or 'illegal'. That said, it sounds like these bozos were not on their own property nor were they in an area away from other people. It sounds, instead, like they were on property that was not theirs, in close proximity to a public roadway and to at least one residential neighborhood. This made them a very real threat to other people in the area and there is no right - natural or otherwise - to pose such a threat.

Funny how different everyone's skin, etc. can be. I've used a couple of Schick cartridge razors (but probably not the current generation as I haven't used one in a few years.) I've also used two or three different kinds of the Gillette cartridge razors such as the Mach 3, Fusion and so on. All of them were supposed to be built to give a closer shave with few nicks. When I used a cartridge razor, I would nick/cut myself multiple times nearly every time I shaved. With the safety razor, bleeding is a rare thing. When I do nick myself, it is usually because I have gone too long between changing blades. The safety razor I have, though, has a 'dial' around the top of the handle that is numbered one through nine. Turning that dial changes the amount of pressure on each side of the blade thereby changing the angle at which the blade meets the skin. It belonged to someone in a previous generation of my wife's family. Most other safety razors I have seen - even old ones - don't have that dial. Maybe being able to adjust the angle of the blade (which, I imagine, impacts the closeness of the shave) has something to do with me not getting a lot of nicks. Of course, I generally don't shave my entire face as I usually have some variation of a beard/facial hair. Mostly my shaving involves keeping my neck shaved and facial hair 'defined'. As such I generally don't shave every day.

I missed this week's episode but I saw last week's. It focused on the Smith and Wesson break top revolvers. One main issue they talked about was why the break-tops weren't the 'gun that won the west' even though many aspects of the design would seem to be superior to the Colt Single Action Army.

My food is at home. If I'm going to be facing zombies, I ain't doing it on an empty stomach. My guns are at home. If I am going to be facing zombies, I ain't choosing just one gun and a few rounds to do it. My bed is at home. If I am facing the likelihood of eventual death, I ain't spending my last, few days or weeks sleeping in the mud or under a lean-to made of branches. My meds are at home. Sure, I could take them with me but after I run out my time may not be long on this earth, anyhow - especially not while running around trying to avoid zombies. My booze is at home. I haven't drank more than a beer here and there for the past year or so due to some health issues I had last year but if the end is nigh, anyhow, I'm meeting it with a good buzz. My wife will be at home. Although we aren't very old, she has had nearly life-long issues with arthritis and joint pain in her knees, ankles and hips. She wouldn't be running very much for very long and I'm not leaving without her. Therefore, I am staying at home. Okay, I might be convinced to load up all of the above and go to my mom's house or load up the campers, some family members and a few vehicles then head for a good camping spot in the Tellico Mountains (as a very, very last resort) but that's about as far as I am going to run. Running around on foot, trying to survive for weeks or even months just on what I can carry in a BOB? No, thanks. I live in a rural area and I sure am not running to the city and certainly not to any government 'relief' areas if I can avoid it.

When I first saw the title, I thought the OP was going to talk about carrying a straight razor in his sock. I shave with an old safety razor that uses the double-edged blades. The blades are getting a little harder to find (although Walmart usually has them.) I also use a shaving mug with shaving soap and brush. I find that gives me a better shave with fewer nicks than shaving with any of the 35 blade super-mega cartridge shavers and canned shaving cream, shaving gel, etc. Bonus - it is cheaper, too. Much cheaper. I have a couple of straight razors and 'sort of' collect them. I think they are cool looking and some are danged near works of art (the blade in the OP, for instance, is beautiful.) I don't shave with them, though, as I prefer my throat in its current, unslit condition. I might as well run an electric sander across my neck as use an electric razor as the effect on my skin would be about the same.