Got a brick handy?

It's not a window.

This story sent my blood pressure right into the stratosphere.

You have the right to say anything you want. The government can't stop you. The big dude wearing a leather jacket? The one with a tattoo that says "Guns don't kill people, I do"? That guy doesn't care about your first amendment right - except that it's probably even odds he swore an oath to defend that right and has seen blood spilled for it.

You want to say stuff about his brothers- and sons-in-arms? Expect to answer up.

If I can find contact information, I'll be dropping a few bucks in the mail to Mr. Snyder, along with a note of thanks - thanks for his son, who he raised the right way, and thanks for taking a stand against these hate-mongering bigots.

Edit 3:40pm: Uncle also posted this up, but he found the link to make a donation online. (It also has an address for snailmail donations.) Even a few bucks helps.

I fibbed

I said the next major gun purchase in the 'Cool house was going to be a new safe. I was mistaken.

Someone put one of my "I been wanting one o' dem!" guns on a forum classified. For a very attractive price.

It took some haggling (and pleading, and begging, and puppy dog eyes) but MrsZ acquiesced.

Hopefully in a week or two I'll have some pictures.

Any guesses what it is?

Marlin is dead, long live Marlin

The Gun Shots blog is reporting, "[W]hile the North Haven, Connecticut, plant is going to be shut down, they will continue to produce Marlin guns in the future."

Apparently looking for a new base of operations, and probably trimming some dead weight here and there. This is mostly-good news. Certainly not good for the 250+ employees who are still making Made In America guns there, although they will be allowed to re-apply for their jobs if they want to.

I am happy that they will be continuing to produce their guns, but I will be somewhat leery of the first few runs from the new plant, wherever that may be. Those will be the ones most likely to have issues, as minor bugs get worked out and new employees get up to speed on manufacturing. I'm still going to be looking for a .45-70 lever gun, though. For anyone who's shot a slug shotgun, many of these really are in the same ballpark as a stout 20ga slug - entirely manageable recoil, just stiff.

Currently investigating a possible trade deal with a fellow for a single-action wheelie. Nothing definite, but we're in the right ballpark.

Aside from that potential trade, I think the next major gun purchase in the 'Cool house will be a safe. Oh, don't worry, the guns are locked up already, but a fire safe is in order. When one runs down his inventory sheet and the sum at the bottom of the "value" column would buy a decent used car, it's a strong hint that upgraded security is a good idea.

That brings up a pet peeve of mine... people who won't blink at spending well north of a grand on a rifle or handgun or scope (!) will bitch endlessly about spending a thousand dollars on a large fire-water safe to protect that investment.

There's a few options for securing guns, and NONE of them are trigger/action locks. A trigger or action lock, or a decorative cabinet, only protects a gun from curious fingers.

The first step, for many of us, is the generic lightweight sheet-steel cabinet. Stack-On is one of the major makers for this type of cabinet, and for someone who only has a couple inexpensive guns in a low-risk area, they're a fine option. I know of some owners who will put one out as a "decoy" with a couple beater guns that may or may not work, in the hopes of distracting a burglar from the real meat. It can be bolted to the floor and/or wall fairly easily, but a few minutes with a crowbar will still get a motivated burglar in.

Step two is a real "safe". It probably weighs more than you do (maybe two or three times as much) and is probably fire rated. Someone in the industry will tell you it's a "residential security container", but the truth of the matter is it's going to deter all but the most determined thief. Again, make sure it's bolted to the floor (and properly supported underneath!).

The last option, which most of us can't afford but wish we could, is a vault. An honest-to-god walk-in vault. If you're building a house, this is absolutely the way to go. A vault door is a several-thousand-dollar investment, and the reinforced slab walls to put it in aren't cheap, but the only way someone is going get to your collection is with a demolition saw or dynamite - and a fair bit of time.

So, where to put this new safe? Clearly, the easiest way to keep your guns protected is to keep them from being found. There's a million ways to do this. I've seen safes put behind false walls or cabinets, tucked into the back of a closet, put in a garage with a few big wires and a "DANGER - HIGH VOLTAGE" sign... Anything to distract or mislead! A decoy safe/cabinet in an obvious place isn't a bad idea either. If none of these things are an option, the only thing to do is make sure it's well-secured. Bolted down into something solid, if at all possible.

Keep the weight of a safe in mind when you're placing it. Empty, it may weight 500lb. Full, it will likely be 700-800lb or more. Most floors can handle that kind of load on a temporary basis (e.g., a bathtub or jacuzzi), but long-term stress can lead to bowing of joists. If you're putting it on the first floor, a cellar jack or two underneath it will keep the floor well-supported. Better yet, put it on a piece of floor that has no basement - right over dirt and slab.

So, gunnies... what do you have for safes? Pros/cons?

Aside: This entry is worth a read.
"News flash. I am not a Democrat.

Nor am I a Republican.

I am me. A single entity with a brain- a brain that allows ME to chose what I believe in."

Sad news

It's making the rounds today that Marlin Firearms will be closing in 2011.

This is truly sad news. Despite all the efforts of 2009's Gun Salesman of the Year, some companies just couldn't make it: CavArms (although that is arguably their own damn fault), AnvilArms (too big too soon, it sounds), and now Marlin. Last year's black rifle and handgun rush, of course, didn't do a whole lot for Marlin's bottom line, as they are traditionally a "Fudd" gunmaker...

I grabbed myself a 795 last week and would recommend it to anyone looking for an inexpensive rimfire range toy or a less-expensive alternative to the 10/22 for an Appleseed Liberty Training Rifle. Mine is light and comfortable, and the sights only need a tiny bit of drift to be dead-on. With a $25 mail-in-rebate, you're looking at a hair over a c-note out the door. A steal, I assure you.

The next trick is to figure out how to get the stainless guide gun .45-70 that I want; and sooner rather than later.

Post box, soap box, rocks, ballot box... rocks?

Jay wrote a post yesterday outlining why he's against the string of vandalism cropping up at Democrat offices around the country. He makes a good argument, as always. Many of the commenters argue against him, myself included.

For posterity and my own reference, here is my own reply:

I'm very much of two minds on this issue. I want to be the bigger man... hell, the gentleman.

"We tried reasoned discourse repeatedly, and it failed. We voted with our wallets, our phones, our computers, our pens and paper, and yes, we voted with our ballots ... and it failed. We tried everything a reasonable man could try - and it failed. We surrendered our rights, piecemeal and with a war of words alone - and WE failed."

Makes a hell of an epitaph when the birth announcement starts with, "When in the course of human events...," don't you think?

I know - and agree - that the break-ees will Godwin the ever-loving-fuck out of this and scream "Kristallnacht! FASCISTS!" ... because the party line is that of an underdog, nevermind that it is their own legislation, incognizance, and outright ignorance that has led things to this precipice. Nevermind that it was the reigning party that committed the crimes of Kristallnacht. How many people know their history well enough to know that? They'll hear a german word, and "fascists", and make the leap all on their own - as long as Idol is on that night.

I agree with Roberta's description of the person making noise, though. A self-described threeper, but instead of leading from the front, standing in the background yelling loudly.

Jay, I will readily admit it: I am terrified of the road we are on. We have more information available to us, much faster, than anyone in human history. We have witnessed the destruction of nearly every form of government known to man, many within the last century. The system we have (had) worked well - until it outgrew itself. Now someone is trying to figure out how to go back to where we were, based on the actions of men two hundred and fifty years ago.

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - Gen. Geo. Santayana

I cannot sign my entries "III". Perhaps "X" is more appropriate. While I won't be out there throwing rocks, I cannot condemn and may well turn a blind eye to those who do.

"[W]ith a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor." - July 4, 1776

I find these words echoing in my mind and in my heart on a continuous basis. What debt do we owe our forebears, and what gift can we give our posterity?

"X"

I opened my email late last evening, and finally received a response to my email to Sen. Gillibrand (D-NY) from a couple weeks ago. As expected, it's a form-letter response. Here it is, in part:

Thank you for writing to me about the current state of our healthcare system. I appreciate your point of view and share many of your concerns. I believe that it is vital that we act now to bring forth health care reform solutions that will lower costs for those currently covered by private insurance, strengthen Medicare for seniors and allow every American to access quality and affordable health care.

Our healthcare system is currently badly broken. Over the last ten years, health care premium increases have far outpaced earned wages and forty-seven million Americans, including three million New Yorkers, are currently uninsured and an additional 25 million are underinsured. With our current economic situation, many Americans are losing their insurance coverage when they are laid off from their jobs. Even people who thought they were adequately covered with the health insurance they purchased later learn that they are not when facing a catastrophic diagnosis. This is unacceptable. No family should be one health care emergency away from bankruptcy. Congress must act to provide stability in the health insurance industry.

(It continues with some addition platitudes about affordable coverage, choice, etc etc.)

It looked, somehow ... familiar. I scrolled down my inbox a bit, and found this bit, which came from the office of Sen. Schumer (D-NY):

Thank you for contacting me and expressing your opposition to health care reform in its current form.

Our country is facing a crisis in health care. The cost of health insurance is skyrocketing, and too many New York families are caught in the middle. Like you, I believe it is absolutely unacceptable that more than forty-six million Americans do not have health care coverage. Both the health of our citizens and the health of our nation are at stake, and we must act soon.

I strongly support the creation of new “Exchanges” through health care reform, in which insurance companies could sell affordable health insurance to individuals and small businesses. In these Exchanges, a not-for-profit health insurance company, which would compete on a level playing field with existing private health insurance plans, would help to lower premiums and exert downward pressure on the premiums of existing insurance plans. Adding competition to insurance markets will help consumers by providing New Yorkers and all Americans one more choice as they search for affordable and comprehensive health insurance.

(Additional platitudes removed.)

Similar? Party line? COMPLETELY ignoring the original email which I sent? (I don't have my original text handy, but it was, in short: NO F'ING GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE. With bigger and more polite words.)

If they cannot understand why We The People are utterly fed up...

Well, elections are coming. Use them wisely. Find a candidate who will actually listen to you, whose beliefs align with yours. Work for their campaign. Donate to their campaign. Vote them in. If they take their oath and suddenly stop listening, they can start looking for a new job in two or six years.

I'll say it again: I cannot sign my entries "III" in good conscience. Not yet. But I can't blame those who do.