East_TN_Patriot

But by creating hate crime legislation, you are placing the value of one person's life above another, which is a violation of the legal principles our nation was founded on. Our system is based on the idea of equal protection under the law and the idea of "protected classes" with regards to hate crime legislation is wrong. How should it be fair and legal that if I am murdered that my life isn't worth an enhanced penalty because I don't have sex with another man, don't practice a certain religion, or don't have a certain color skin?

What's a fair price for one? I would want it for a shooter and not a collectible.

You're missing my point, which is exactly that. The relationship status of someone is meaningless for government benefits, but it is important for the rest of society, especially regarding insurance benefits, property law, probate law, civil law, etc. The civil union would be no more of a legal designation than a divorce decree. It's just an official statement that two people have joined into a legally binding relationship as domestic partners.

Not bad for a heterosexual guy who used to be a homophobe, huh?

I respectfully disagree; I think that is exactly what some people are suggesting with the "lifestyle" argument. Why mention it otherwise? The only reason one would even introduce the idea is to make a point that if it's a "lifestyle" that means they choose that path and if they don't like the special benefits our society has given to heterosexual couples, then that's just tough. I'm not aware of any homosexuals who want "more rights" than anyone else. They just want to have access to the same benefits we have attached to heterosexual marriage. As long as our government provides special benefits to heterosexual couples by sanctioning a religious ceremony, then they have an obligation under the principles of law to extend those same benefits to other domestic partnerships. This is why I advocate two major changes in governmental policy: 1) The state should not sanction "marriage," but should issue civil union recognition to any couples who want it and provide equal benefits to all forms of civil unions. If the religious aspect of marriage is important to a couple, then they are free to head to the church and participate in that religious ceremony, which would provide zero additional benefits. In short, the state would not recognize religious "marriage" and would only recognize the civil union. 2) Eliminate the income tax and replace it with the Fair Tax, which will do away with all sorts of "special class" type benefits that are built into the tax code.

Although I don't generally agree with the "protected class" concept at all, I think they have a right to their lifestyle choice just like you do yours. Our democratic republic was intended to protect the rights of the minority from the tyranny of the majority. As long as any person is not causing harm to another person, then they have a right to live however they choose. When their lifestyle choices begin to directly negatively affect other people, then we deal with those specific actions.

I picked up a Liberty 23 gun safe on sale for $800. It's fire rated at 1200 degrees for 45 min. It has locking bolts on three sides of the door, which is a plus. I opted for the dial lock to save $130 and on the advice of my wife who says the keypad lock on their professional grade safe at her work has been replaced 3 times in the past couple of years. I am very pleased with it and find the dial lock no more of a burden than keying in the code (actually, I kind of enjoy it). Most sources (including insurance and government sources) say the typical house fire burns at 1100 - 1200 degrees for 30 minutes. This temperature is at the hottest part of the fire, but it is common for other parts of the structure to heat up well above 300 degrees, which will destroy your firearms if they are not protected. If you live in reasonably close proximity to a fire department, this minimal rating will probably be all you'd ever need. Is it the top-of-the-line in gun safes? No. Is it more than adequate for protecting a modest gun collection from your typical thief and house fire? Absolutely. Before people start the "residential security container" versus "a real safe" debate and bring up the "Security on Sale" video, let's be realistic. The YouTube video showing people breaking into a "residential security container" is a video made by safe manufacturers. I say "residential security container" because that is likely what you are actually considering buying and what most people include as "gun safes," but purists get really flamed over the technical differences. The safe they tear into the video is an entry level safe and the guys ripping into it are professional safe manufacturers who have the large steel prybars and the knowledge of how and where to pry for quick entry. Thanks to that stupid video, any dirtbag with a web connection now knows how to pry open a gun safe. All that said, notice that the first thing they do is flip the safe on its back. It's much harder to pry one open quickly unless you do that and use the weight of the safe itself to help with the prying process. Most of us put them against a wall in a closet or somewhat confined area and bolt them down rather than setting them in the middle of an open warehouse. Next, most typical residential burglars aren't smart enough to look up safe prying on the web. Most burglars don't have a couple of 60" steel prybars laying around, don't have the money to purchase them, and don't waste their time stealing them. Those burglars who do are not likely to be targeting the average homeowner and their modest gun collection. They are going to find a big-time collector or gun store. I was a cop for 10 years and worked numerous residential and business burglaries. Never have I seen or heard of a burglary where the thieves pried open a home-owner's "residential security container." On the rare instance where a business safe was cracked, it involved a small document safe and the burglars typically stole the whole safe, took it to another location, broke it open with torches and/or heavy tools, then dumped the safe in a wooded area somewhere. There are some cheaper metal gun cabinets out there, but they only provide minimal protection from curious kids and the least determined of thieves. They are clearly better than nothing at all, but if that's what your eyeballing, I'd highly suggest dropping a little more for at least one of the very entry-level fire rated safes.

I guess it was the multiple posts I see from folks asking where to find cheap ammo for them. I just made an assumption that it had become hard to get and expensive like most other ammo out there. I'm not trying to disparage the rifle at all or dig at anyone who owns one (or two, or three...). Just don't really know much about them and from some of the posts I've seen here, I was starting to think I was missing out on a budget rifle that is on par with an 03A3 or something like that. It was a "Holy crap! A $100 surplus rifle you can benchrest shoot with??? Why don't I have one?" kind of question behind the original post.

I kind of like that idea. Right now, they get scattered around the other forums, but this would keep them in one place.

OK... shooting requires four main skills: 1) Proper grip 2) Proper stance 3) Proper sight alignment 4) Proper trigger squeeze Until you develop each of these and practice them enough that they become second nature due to muscle memory, your shooting will not be as good as it could be. You want a nice sold grip with the pistol as deep in the pocket of the hand as possible. Use your off hand as a stabilizer by wrapping your fingers around the fingers of your shooting hand. Your shooting hand should be pushing the pistol into your off hand to make a solid platform. Next, you need to find a proper stance that is solid and helps you keep the pistol on the target. Most folks utilize some version of the Weaver stance. Then you must make sure that you have a proper sight picture with the sights aligned correctly on the target with the primary focus on the front sight. Finally, you must SQUEEZE the trigger. You pull through the action rather than snatching or jerking the trigger. The key to this is to practice it properly from the start; breaking old habits is very difficult. Start slow. Concentrate on your shooting, shot by shot. Speed will come later. If you do all of these properly and still have trouble, the likely candidates are having too much finger in the trigger and/or anticipating the shot and pushing the gun forward. Of all the people I've trained who had trouble, these were the culprits. You can use dummy rounds mixed in with your live ammo to see if you commit the pushing error. My advice is to find someone who is a firearms instructor to work with you and see what you are doing wrong. It's also a really good idea to practice with something like a .22 pistol because it's cheap, easy to shoot, and give you a chance to practice the fundamentals.

I have a newer safe with the cutout. That's part of the reason I just want to get the kit, so it will fill that big hole. Do you have them available? I'd be happy to pay shipping.

Don't feel bad man. I thought the same thing when I saw it. I was totally shocked with the idea of carrying around a Glock by the trigger guard with a shoestring around the neck. The belt loop does make more sense, but I just don't see the need for it myself.

WAIT!!! I GOT IT!!! Wow... this kit makes all the difference! Crisp trigger, plenty of adjustment for pre-travel and over-travel, no mag disconnect, and now the mags pop out of the gun when I hit the mag release. Can't wait to take this one to the range and give it a go!

Well, there has been cussing going on this evening and there will likely be more tomorrow. I got the accurizing kit and now I can't get the &^%^#$&* thing back together. When I get the mainspring housing back into the gun, the bolt won't travel to the rear. When I get the bolt to move to the rear, I can't get the $**)%*(*%& housing back into the grip. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Well, my Volsquartzen MKII Accurizer kit should be waiting for me when I get home today. My next post will likely be a vulgarity laced rant about the fun I've had trying to replace the parts.

Mostly it is to hook up the dehumidifier rod, but I may add some electric lights as well. Right now I have an extension cord run through the back, but I'd prefer to have the factory kit to properly fill the hole in the back of the safe.

I tried to do the same, but it said it would ship to the closest premier dealer, which is over 1 hr away from me. Maybe I need to try it again.

I also get the argument that the social climate won't change until OC becomes more common, but walking down the street with a rifle over your shoulder and a pistol on your hip just to make a point is hardly the way to win folks over. Extreme behavior NEVER serves your cause well.

Exactly. I just found the tone of a few posts on this thread to be a little over-the-top with the whole "you're an irresponsible person if you even remotely think about stopping for a beer or two while you have a CCW with you, and if you can't control yourself any better than that, you're probably a borderline alcoholic" stance that they took. Like I said, I get it. Don't drink and play with guns. I agree with that, but if I grab a beer with dinner, that hardly makes me irresponsible or dangerous. I used to arrest drunks for a living, so I know the difference.

Ah. Now THAT I like. If the Charger was in .22WMR, I'd be more impressed.

I was referring to how the SKS used to sell for $100 all day long, but now they are 3 times that. I wonder if the Nagant will be the same way in a few years. :-)

http://www.shotgunnews.com/cramer/ Can't say I disagree with him. I don't have a problem with OC per se, but in the current social climate, over-zealous folks who push the envelope just make it difficult for all gun owners.

Just looked at Widener's and saw this notice: NOTICE: Large price increases for all ammunition and components are coming in April and May 2011. Record high costs of primary metals such as lead and copper are cited as part of the reason. Man, I sure hope this isn't true...

OK. Like my post on the Ruger Charger the other day, I sometimes wonder if I am missing something on certain guns. This time it was a thread I read where someone wanted to start bench shooting with a Nagant. It thought "really???" It made me wonder if this was some little gem of a tack-driver that I was out of the loop on. It's one of those rifles I've tossed around the idea of picking up because they are so cheap, but just never have. I wonder if this will end up like the SKS; $100 now, $300 in a decade? Hmmm....

Typical example of liberal ignorance. The left loves to point fingers, but doesn't look in their own backyard. In an ironic way, Jim Crow, as wrong as it was, actually helped to integrate the South while in the northern urban areas, policies like "redlining" and "urban development" created the urban ghetto and a social condition that makes it harder for blacks and other low-income people to gather the resources needed to escape the pit of hell that they call home.