I’m Done For a While

Moving has made me very tired.  It seems there is always something to do now.  I’ve barely had any free time the past week and I’m sure some of you have noticed my posting has almost stopped completely.  I think its time for a vacation or something.

I’m going to take a week, two weeks, maybe even a month or so off from the blog.  Besides, I’m sure after my previous post I’ll lose a good many subscribers (though I really hope that isn’t the case).  Maybe I can use that time to catch up on reading some other peoples’ blogs.  I have several hundred emails in my inbox that link to new posts all across the internet.

But I’ll still be checking my email and replying to comments, so if you need me or would like to get in touch, don’t hesitate to send me a message.  Thanks to all of you who have supported me this far.  I’ll be back in the near future, I promise.

What Am I?

I’ve been called a liberal several times on this blog and it finally hit a nerve somewhere inside me.  I’m not a right wing extremist, offended by being called such a name, but I’ve also never considered myself a liberal at all.  So I decided to do a post proclaiming my opinions on the big issues that our country has to deal with all the time.

Maybe my readers can label me so I know which arguments I’m “supposed” to fight for . . . you know, since we all think exactly like one group or the other.

Guns:  I’m sure this is a no-brainer.  I support the right to own firearms.  Period.  This right should never be infringed.

Government Control:  I’m in favor of less government control and regulation.  We’re the land of the free, but we’re not really free to make decisions anymore; the government makes them for us.

Abortion:  I support a woman’s right to choose.  I think every woman has the right to an abortion provided by a professional medical staff.  I don’t think it should be paid for by taxpayers or any government aid, and I don’t think it should be allowed after significant development has taken place.

Immigration:  I support stronger border control.  I am not opposed to immigrants flocking to our great nation, I just think they need to do it the right way.

Gay Marriage:  I see no problem with allowing homosexuals get married.  Regardless of your stance on whether or not being gay is a choice, I think they should be allowed to marry.

Healthcare:  I don’t think we need a government funded healthcare system.  Not only does that strain the country with more financial burdens, requiring that everyone be insured is just one more way the government is removing our freedom to choose for ourselves.

Military:  I support our military and our troops.  I always have.  I don’t always agree with decisions made by those sitting behind the desks, but our troops are fighting, and some dying, in support of this great nation.

Foreign Policy:  We don’t need to police the world.  I think we need to become less involved in the United Nations and stop letting their policies influence ours at home.  That said, we need to maintain a strong nation both militarily and diplomatically to ensure we remain a top contender in world power.  Being a top contender allows us to receive far better trade deals and helps ensure a strong economy.

I also feel like we should stop sending so much money overseas.  I like that my country is so kind-hearted that we want to help everyone, but we have people in need of help right here in our own country.  Lets take care of our own first and foremost.

Stem Cell Research:  I feel strongly that this is the area of science that will lead to cures for many diseases which are currently incurable.  Stem cell research (not all of it is embryonic) has great potential in the medical field and should be fully explored.

Religion:  I do not practice any form of religion, though I do not consider myself “atheist”.  I don’t worship God or any other supreme being, but I don’t chastise those who do.  I am close to people who are very religious and I always honor their time of prayer and silence the same way they do.  I am also not against the idea that there may very well be a god or gods, I just choose not to worship any.

Welfare:  I support drug testing for anyone on welfare or financial aid.  I get tested at my job where I work for my money.  Those on welfare don’t have to go through such restrictions and are able to receive money without working.  I’m also against people having more children just so they can receive more financial aid (yes, it happens a lot).  That is not fair to anyone, especially the children.

Drugs:  I think Marijuana should be legalized and taxed.  It impairs users no more than alcohol; alcohol is legal in every state.  In addition, legalizing it would reduce the extra strain on our justice system and could provide much needed revenue.  I think smoking should not be regulated on private properties.  Businesses and individuals should be allowed to choose whether or not people can smoke on their property.  *As a side note here, I do not participate in any of these activities and actually despise them, but I still think others should be allowed to do them without irrational restrictions.

**************************************************

I consider myself an individual, capable of forming my own opinions.  However, as a citizen of the United States Political Machine, I’ve been trained to think of myself only as red or blue.  Left or right.  Conservative or Liberal.  Democrat or Republican.  We can’t have our own thoughts and ideas unless we stick to some variation of what our party believes.

So, what am I?  You tell me.

**  This post is not intended to incite a debate or anger, though I know it will.  I will listen to everyone’s comments but I do not intend to respond.  These are my beliefs and I don’t feel like trying to defend against attacks from internet trolls.  I accept that we all have different opinions and I understand they are just that, opinions.  And I hope that you, the reader, understand that this is a blog.  I am in no way a professional anything and I do not claim to be.  I just want everyone to understand you don’t have to define yourself as a member of one party or the other.  Be yourself and support ideas you believe in and not just those your party supports.  **

Ammo Scarcity Driving More People Online

Considering there are over 129,000 licensed firearms dealers in the United States, its no wonder some people have never had to buy ammo online.  At one time ammo could even be found on shelves at some of the local convenience stores.  Times have changed though and that is no longer the case.

With all the gun violence and firearm legislation circulating through the media over the past few months, this is a subject that has been beaten to death, revived, and beaten several more times.  But I think in one way or another this may have actually been a good thing for gun owners as a whole.

Not only did an increase in national attention draw gun owners out into the open where they had to stand and fight, it also made us realize that we might have to make other plans to deal with unforeseen ammo shortages.  Most of the people I know in my area who shoot a lot used to go to the store and buy ammo just a day or two before they intended to use it.  You can’t really do that now though because you can’t predict whether or not anything will be on the shelves when you get there.

The only place that gives you access to ammo from everywhere all in one place is the internet.  I ran a poll for the past two weeks that asked people whether or not they’ve bought ammo online.  If they had bought ammo online, I asked if they had been buying for a long time or if they only recently started.

39 people voted.  Of those 39, only 8 indicated that they do not buy ammo online at all.  16 of those who did buy ammo online said they had been for a while, but 15 chose the option “I started buying online in just the past few months”.  To me (looking at my small survey and talking to people around me) this shows that the amount of people buying online has almost doubled in just the past few months.

Is this a good thing?  Maybe.  But it could also be a bad thing.  With the ever increasing popularity of online shopping, many small businesses have suffered tremendously.  Every customer who buys online is a customer who could’ve possibly bought local.  At the same time however, online retailers are probably feeling some pretty positive effects, and for the past few months, have been the only ones with ammo.

“So what’s the point of this post” you ask.  While I think being able to buy online is a great luxury, we don’t want to become a nation of people afraid to go shopping in actual stores.  We also don’t want to cause our local businesses and communities to suffer.  So keep it in balance.  Support all parts of the firearms industry, not just one.  If one of America’s largest industries stays strong and healthy it’ll be that much harder to take down.

New Website – The Gun Feed

Over at Gunmart Blog, they’ve always been good to me.  From pretty early on they started linking to posts of mine in their Daily Firearms News updates.  I think they played a huge part in getting my search rank up to where it is now.  In fact, they’ve referred 953 (as of this post) views to my blog since I started, making them second only to Google Search.

When I heard that they had launched a new website specifically for their “Daily Firearm News” I had to spread the word.  The website is called The Gun Feed.  Over on the new website they will be providing links to firearm news, articles, videos, reviews, and more, from every part of the web.

Go give it a look.  I’m sure you’ll find something over there worth reading or watching.

Pistol Ammo Update

Every caliber of ammunition over on my Ammo Availability page is now up to date.  It took a long time and I apologize for that, but hopefully it was worth the wait.

As I was changing the in-stock numbers I noticed that almost everything had improved.  9mm ammo in particular saw a huge increase in availability from last month.  Several websites had more than doubled their previous inventory.  Not only that but 50 Action Express is now available on at least 3 websites for a combined 8 options.  That’s significantly better that previous updates.

On another note, I want to thank all of my subscribers for their continued support.  Even while I’ve been away from the blog, moving into our apartment, I’ve continued to gain followers.  I’m up to 80 now and that’s pretty cool to me.  I never thought anything I said or wrote was worth listening to or reading, but you’ve all proven me wrong.

I know my posts aren’t always that interesting and sometimes I don’t post at all, but knowing that people like to read what I have to say motivates me to keep going and improving.  Its been a fun 7 months and I’m looking forward to many more to come.  Thanks.

Ammo Update

Hello once again!  As promised I’ve updated the rifle calibers (.223/5.56, 7mm Rem Mag, 7.62×39, 7.62×54, and 22lr) over on my Ammo Availability page to show a current list of what’s available around the web.  I was surprised to see that almost every website had an increase in stock levels.  The only caliber that has yet to see much of an increase is 22lr.

On a related note I’m moving into the apartment tomorrow; If all goes well with unpacking and furniture moving I should have the pistol calibers updated as well.  Of course that is dependent on Comcast showing up to hook up my TV and internet service . . .

To celebrate, lets all sit back and watch some of Russia’s most historic people battle it out in another Epic Rap Battle of History!

The Bayonet – More Than Just a Weapon

I, like many of you, have gun parts and accessories in every part of my life.  Today I found an unexpected use for the SKS bayonet that I’ve had laying in my car’s back seat for weeks.

I was running errands, trying to gather things we need for the apartment this weekend and I stopped at Best Buy (where I picked up our cable modem).  In the spot beside me was a young JMU student who was trying to squeeze her arm in the small opening left in her window.  I knew right away that she had locked her keys in the van because I’ve been around a lot of people who do that.

Being the kind, people loving person that I am, I watched her struggle for 3 or 4 minutes; then I offered to help her.  She gladly accepted and I began looking for things we could use to unlock the door.  The only thing I had available that I thought might work was the bayonet.  I offered it to her and she didn’t even question what it was.

Using the bayonet she reached inside and maneuvered it so that she could flip the little lock tab.  Once it clicked I pulled on the handle and opened the door.  Viola, it was open.  Of course the alarm started going off and people started looking, but once she got the keys from the bag in the back seat into the switch, the alarm stopped.

So there you have it.  When someone asks what you need a bayonet for, tell them its in case someone locks their keys in their car.  If that answer doesn’t satisfy them, just remind them that melee weapons are the way to go when the zombies roll up on us.

We Got It!

Well its official, we’re renters.  We signed the lease yesterday and I go pick up the keys on Friday.  My fiance and I were accepted for the apartment we had been hoping for so needless to say we’re very excited.

Over the past day and a half I’ve been running around like crazy trying to get organized and make sure all our utilities will be up and running by the weekend.  I’ve also been calling in support from my friends to help me move some furniture.  Hopefully the transition goes fairly smooth.

Since the apartment hunt is coming to an end I’ll be back to blogging on a regular basis now.  My first priority for the blog is updating the Ammo Availability page so that it shows a current list of what’s in stock everywhere.  Beyond that I’ll be back to posting as often as possible.

Hopefully, by having my own place and extra privacy, I’ll be able to do a few of the videos and product reviews that I’ve been promising for months now.  I’ve got the ideas and equipment and now I’ll have the space and time to do it.  But I can’t promise they’ll come right away since it’ll still be a while before I’m fully moved in.

Anyway, just wanted to update everyone on what’s going on so nobody thought I fell of the edge of the earth.  Thanks for not abandoning me in my absence.