RobertNashville

Welcome to TGO! I live in the "Boro" and am former military myself (USN '73-'81). There is a TON of good info here that you'll find helpful...firearms are both useful for self-defense but also a heck of a lot of fun and you'll find plenty of info on both here. When the weather gets better we'll definitely need to get you out to a range and let you do some plinking; I know I and many others here will be happy to let you shoot any of or weapons. I guess I was about the same age as you when I got my first BB gun...my uncle (who was only 7 years older than I) used to shoot birds sometimes as well but we only shot the ones that were a problem for our 1 acre garden (we never shot any of the song birds or birds like Robins, Cardinals, etc). I guess I got my first real gun when I was about 10...it was a 410 single shot shot gun! Did some rabbit hunting with it...graduated to a single shot Savage 12 ga a couple of years later and used it for both rabbit and pheasant hunting (although I have to say, neither the rabbit nor pheasant populations of southern Ohio had much to fear from me!). Take care..stay warm...Merry Christmas!

I'd love to but I'm out of town over the holiday.

Like much in life, it often takes experiencing something for yourself to truly understand when someone else is going through the same thing...I lost my cat back in 2006; she was 21. A few months after she died I adopted an HIV positive Main Coon from the local shelter - at first I wasn't sure they were going to let me adopt him but I knew I wanted to give him a good home for as long as he makes it...he is still healthy although every year he makes it is on borrowed time. He and my 6 year old basset are almost inseparable and I don't want to fact the day I lose either of them. My condolences for the loss of your friend.

I would say that the officer definetly exceeded his authority. I'm not an attorney nor have a stayed at a Holiday Inn Express recently but to the best of my knowledge, no LEO in the State of Tennessee has the authority to simply take a person's license; that is only for the State to do AFTER there has been some due process involved (there may be an exception for DUI but I'm not sure). That said, the office probably would have the authority to have the car impounded and towed and the driver issued a ticked to boot so the "taking the license", even if illegal, might be considered a bit of a favor compared to what the officer could have done. Now, when it comes to other states...it's a different story. In Illinois they do (or at least they did when I lived there) take your license when they issue a traffic ticket and you get your license back when you pay the fine (the ticket proves you have a valid license until you have your actual license back).

There have been times in my life when I only had one handgun so "choice" was not an issue! These days, I carry a Kimber 1911 .45 ACP (Pro CDP 2) as my EDC weapon with a Ruger LCR as my backup and those weapons are either on me or within easy reach whenever I'm home and awake. However, while I generally take my two carry guns to the bedroom when I settle down for the night, in my nightstand and always in my nightstand is an HK45 with a Surefire tactical light on rail and that's the handgun I'm going to use if I'm reaching for a handgun in the middle of the night. However, none of those handguns would be a first choice - they are simply a backup to my SCAR light and my 12GA.

I can't help but wonder what sort of "remedial training" one needs to be able to spot a handgun in a piece of luggage? I mean, a gun pretty much looks like a gun every time you look at one doesn't it???

Obviously, your fiance doesn't really like your company much because once you start playing this thing you won't be spending much time with her! I play for at least an hour every night...I think only crack cocaine is more addictive and even crack might fail to compare!

Okay guys...I didn't mean to step on anybody's toes here...I try to read whole threads before I step in but sometimes I don't and sometimes I simply miss something...it happens when you become an old fart (or so I'm told, anyway).

Do yourself a favor; before you carry a weapon, get and read "In The Gravest Extreme" by Massad Ayoob" (ISBN-10: 0936279001 /ISBN-13: 978-0936279008). Don't concentrate on the "legal" stuff because much of it is outdated (nor specific to Tennessee) but as a general discussion of the responsibility you take on by carrying a firearm you would be hard pressed to find anything better.

OMG...when did my ex move to Tennessee?????

Actually, while I can't put my hands on proof at the moment, I believe it's true that people HAVE been killed by blanks...I think it's happened on stage/filming for movies before but I'll have to check into that more!

Personally, I think carrying either one in the chamber or not is fine but whichever method is chosen, I'd advise that you always do it the same way so that if you have to face down a bad guy you don't have to remember whether you need to rack the slide or not. That said, I think it's better to and I ALWAYS carry one in the chamber and a fully loaded magazine.

For everyone's information (and enjoyment) Threat Levels Rise Around the World! At this time of heightened security in Europe it's important to review how our allies handle terrorist threats. The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats, and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved". Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross". The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940, when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance". The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada. The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards". They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years. The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide". The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender". The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability. Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing". Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides". The Germans have increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs". They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose". Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels. The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy. Americans meanwhile, and as usual, are carrying out pre-emptive strikes on all of their enemies "just in case". Canada doesn't have any alert levels. New Zealand has raised its security levels - from "baaa" to "BAAAA". Due to continuing defense cutbacks, New Zealand has only one more level of escalation, which is "I hope Australia will come and rescue us". Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries" to "She'll be alright, mate". Three more escalation levels remain: "Crikey!", "I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend" and "The barbie is canceled". So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level. Above was done with all due respect to our allies, friends and neighbors Original source unknown; just thought it was funny!

I own a few "high-end" 1911's and a couple of less expensive ones as well as a couple of Glocks, a Ruger and an HK45 and others. I love shooting my high-end 1911s...I also love shooting my less expensive ones! But, whether they are "worth" the extra $$$ compared to a basic 1911; only you, the guy laying down the $bills can answer that. For most of my life, I've had only less expensive 1911s; but I've moved onto more expensive ones because I could and because I appreciate the real, albeit sometimes subtle, differences in quality. That doesn't mean the less expensive weren't good firearms or wouldn't do the job but there are differences that, for me, make the extra expense worth it. It's the same with vehicles...most people can get by with much less (and less expensive) vehicles than they usually go out and buy but they still will often buy the more expensive (more luxury/technology/etc.) if they can afford it (oftentimes even if they can't afford it!). But, the little, basic ecno-box will generally get them where they need to go just as well as a Lexus sedan (just not as comfortably).

Very true...there is not much else in the world more personal or more important the knowing what the best soft-drink on the planet is...it's sad you've made the wrong choice but at least we are free to disagree.

\Amen to that...I would have never guess how truly evil and vindictive my ex-wife could be until we divorced...she actually had the gull to sue me based on my future earnings at a time when she was earning 30% more than I was and I wasn't even half-way through my undergrad work (going to school full-time at night). She tried to convince the judge that she was supporting my schooling (apparently completely forgetting that my VA benefits were paying the bill for my degrees). I can still get angry when I think of all that s**t and that happened over 20 years ago.

If both parties can agree, life it a LOT better. I think most people, even if they are both eager to get out of a bad marriage still have the emotional stuff to deal with but when there are financial issues and children, etc. it can take a lot out of you. Unfortunately, many people simply can't agree on a fair split on their own. The really sad thing is that at the end of the day, I'd say that both sides lose when they end up in divorce court and often times, the one who wouldn't agree voluntarily to a fair split often doesn't get anything better through suing than if they had settled (it just makes lawyers money!).

Perhaps I don't have good taste...or perhaps I've just never learned to appreciate sweetened and carbonated cough syrup.

Dr. Pepper is only ever ok when you can't find cough syrup but not much else!

Count me in!

People here argue about caliber??? I thought everyone knew that 45 ACP was the only caliber worth shooting and obviously it should be shot with a custom built 1911.

If you really want (as it sounds like) an RI Tactical Compact you might want to take a look at this ad: http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/firearms-classifieds/49839-rock-island-tactical-model-1911-a.html

I sent my recommendation by PM. As I noted above, I don't have personal experience with the attorney but I trust my friend and if she is happy with her I'd say she is probably doing a pretty good job. In any case, I hope things work out for you...I went through a divorce (long time ago) and it was NOT a fun time of my life.

I can't say I've noticed that but then again, I don't get out much. In any case, I try to be optimistic when I can so my feeling is that at least I have a better idea of what businesses support my choice to go armed for protection and therefore, which businesses I'll spend my money in.

Speaking of reloading manuals, is there any one or two in particular someone could recommend?