In celebration of Veteran's Day

I hope everyone who reads this post took time out of their day to thank a Veteran for their service to our great country. Our nation is so wonderful and prosperous due to our fighting forces and the men and women who serve our country.

In celebration of the day, Kathy and I went with her father and brother out to East County to participate in our second amendment right to own and use firearms. It was a clear, crisp, yet warmer morning, and we wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to do something fun. We made a whole morning of it by going to to breakfast to help the local economy, then headed to the shooting range. I had not been to the chosen range before, but enjoyed the facility and the rules they had as standard operating procedure. The location was the Project 2000 Shooting Range.

People often make fun of those of us who live in East County, San Diego, as many of us camp and do many outdoor activities including rifle and pistol sports, as well as hunting. I often note on liberal blogs a story about the occasional idiot who was misusing a firearm and caused a horrible accident. They are always presented as the typical gun owner, and how more gun control laws are needed (I will elaborate more on this at the end). However, upon first arriving, I confirmed yet again that the people who live out here and participate in firearm sports are some of the greatest Americans.

The facility and our experience:

The first thing I noted was the absence of foreign vehicles. Indeed of the 15 cars parked in the lot, there was one Toyota Prius. EVERY other car was American-made. Upon entering, we were greeted by two friendly female counter workers who immediately handed us a safety manual to review, followed by a test which had to be answered perfectly. Once we completed this task, we were informed of the reasonable prices and options for shooting.

I also noted that the shooting range was set in a location between a construction yard and a dump site for the grinding of concrete and base. It was an excellent use of the space and was away from homes and other businesses.

I noted that behind the counter, a large array of supplies were available for purchase and most were American manufacturers. Of the foreign manufactured items, most were related to the rental weapons, which included American firearms and some foreign options. The shop was clean and well-maintained.

The indoor shooting area was clean and well-maintained. The cease fire rules and other maintenance and rules pertaining to use of firearms were strictly adhered to by all shooters. They had a cease fire every hour for target retrieval on the long range course and also shell clean up and a smaller cease fire, I believe every half hour. I conversed with three other men who were shooting during the breaks, and all were very friendly. I also noted a few father/son pairs, and a few women were there to shoot as well. Everyone properly kept their actions open during the cease fire and their weapons were unloaded. No one crossed the barrier except when allowed to retrieve their targets and there was routine cleaning of the discarded shells.

Our firearms consisted of a .22 Ruger pistol, two black powder replica pistols which shot lead balls and a Mossberg shotgun with 8 gauge rounds. We all had the opportunity to shoot the black powder, which was very fun, and a favorite of Jim's. After we went through a few boxes of ammunition and a few black powder pistol reloads, we packed up and secured a booth for the shotgun. During our wait, we went out and watched three people shoot clay pigeon's. The staff were all adorned in safety vests and helped keep score and to release the pigeon's. It was very professional.

There was a well-maintained restroom, plenty of shade and seating, and safety was priority #1. I did not witness one person mishandling their firearm.

In sum, it was nothing like I usually see gun owners and gun enthusiasts portrayed on many liberal blogs. It was a friendly and good experience, and I fully plan on going back very soon.

After we left:

As we were leaving, I noticed something that I think the others in my vehicle missed. There was a car parked on the road across the street, and a guy was obviously protesting the site and/or gun owners. Two signs were posted: "Support stricter gun laws" (is "stricter" a word?) and "Protect Americans, take away all guns!" What made me laugh was his assumption that taking guns away from responsible owners somehow saves more lives, but what really made me chuckle was the large bumper sticker on his car "Buy American and Americans work". Truly a good idea, except his car was a Nissan and the little canopy and chair set he was using was made in China. I know this because I was looking at the exact same set in a catalog a few weeks ago. I doubt his imitation birkenstock sandals were made in America, as I have a pair just like them, and they are made in Indonesia. I doubt many of his clothes were American made as well.

Gun control:

I have weighed on this in the past, yet I feel it is appropriate to make brief mention of some of the debate here, then perhaps weigh in more someday. Gun control is a good thing, and I believe almost all gun owners practice safety first and adhere to gun regulations. The problem I often see with regards to the need for more strict gun control is that measures to ensure the person purchasing is not a criminal are not more thoroughly implemented, but not necessarily by the location where the firearm is being purchased. The government does not have an adequate database and background check, and that needs to be improved. I am fine with waiting periods and mild limits on the type of weapons purchased, but only a few limits. Americans as consumers have the right to purchase items for their own use.

I also believe that limiting gun ownership only gives criminals an advantage because they will not obey gun laws anyway and will seek out firearms which are stolen or smuggled in from another state or country. I remember a blog I read where someone proudly indicated that they have over 20 weapons, including collectibles, and some semi-automatic rifles. The outrage was obvious. Questions were asked, such as Why so many? Why semi-automatic? And of course comments on his intelligence, education and how stupid he was and how it was so unnecessary.

It may very well seem like excess to someone, and that is their opinion and they have a right to it. But do you see the gun owner telling these people that they cannot own certain vehicles, or they have too many of something?

There is more to this topic and perhaps if interest is noted I will comment on it more. These are just some thoughts I decided to put down.