Palin at NRA Convention: Obama wants to ban guns!!

As reported here, Sarah Palin spoke to the NRA Convention in Charlotte, NC yesterday.

"Don't doubt for a minute that, if they thought they could get away with it, they would ban guns and ban ammunition and gut the Second Amendment," said Palin, a lifelong NRA member who once had a baby shower at a local gun range in Alaska. "It's the job of all of us at the NRA and its allies to stop them in their tracks."

All NRA members realize the truth in this. If the Democrats cannot achieve this through direct legislation they will try to pack the Supreme Court with liberals to limit our rights. And if that is not successful they will try to tie us down by "norming" us to UN Treaties which will have the effect of law to take away Americans rights to bear arms. All Constitution loving Americans should join the NRA to protect all of our freedoms. Cost: $35/yr.

Police State in North Carolina......Literally

Paula May, Police Chief in King, N.C. has created a firestorm of protest after a State of Emergency was declared by the city council due to the bad winter storm weather of the last few days. What created the uproar was that the SOE also included a ban on the sale of alcohol and the lawful carrying of firearms in cars.

According to May, "Under North Carolina law, when a state of emergency is put into place that includes a ban on driving, the sale of alcohol and carrying of firearms in vehicles is also banned".

Didn't we deal with this issue after Hurricane Katrina when various local Louisiana authorities took it upon themselves to confiscate firearms being lawfully carried by Louisiana residents? Wasn't a Federal law passed that prevented authorities from doing this?

One protester sent an email to the city that said "This has to be the most ridiculous event of the century!!!!! This is the ultimate denial of liberties for the most asinine reason...bad weather!!!”

It sounds like the NRA needs to get involved and demand an investigation.

Should I get a gun? Part 4: How do I learn to shoot my gun?

In Part 3 of this series, we told you where you could purchase a gun.

Now, let's assume you have gone through the whole process outlined in the first three parts of the series and you now have a handgun for personal protection. Great! Now how do you learn to correctly and safely shoot it?

Certainly a knowledgable friend can help you tremendously with this issue. But even knowledgable friends are not trained instructors. Its not just enough to have the knowledge, you also need to know how to deliver it.

I would strongly urge each new shooter to take a National Rifle Association,NRA approved Basic Pistol Shooting Course. A course description can be found here. You can look in your local phone book or search the NRA site to find a shooting range which offers this course. For example, in Slidell, LA the FITS indoor shooting range offers such classes. Please note that in some states you have to take such a class in order to obtain a Concealed Weapons Permit (also called the Concealed Carry Weapons permit or CCW). This course will teach you about the gun, ammunition, about safety, about sighting a target and how to correctly shoot. It also includes time on the range so you can put classroom learning to practical use in a supervised environment.

After you have your gun and training there are two more things you should do: First, join the NRA! It costs $35/yr and will return you a wealth of information as well as helping to support your Second Ammendment Right to keep and bear arms for self-protection. Second, find a local range (indoor or outdoor as appropriate) and join that range. Shooting your gun is like playing golf; you'll remember the basics but practice keeps you sharp and helps you improve your skills. These skills should be automatic should the day ever come that you need to use your gun for self defense. Plus you will meet a lot of like-minded people.

Good luck and happy shooting!

Should I get a gun?

Off and on, I have people ask me "should I get a gun"? Assuming they don't want to be "dirty Harry", the question comes from folks who are concerned about personal protection.

This is a very complex question: so I am going to offer a four-part series of articles that I hope will help folks to answer that question for themselves and their particular situations. If you have any specific questions you would like to pose in private, leave a comment with your email address in it and I will send you a private response. I hope everyone will find this series to be helpful, whether you decide to purchase one or not.