Monday Adulting

Yep, that about sums it up.

Saturday Cleaning

I spent the morning standing at the workbench cleaning the guns we shot the past few weeks. There are worse ways to spend a rainy Saturday morning I suppose. (There are better ways too, like shooting them.) I had planned to clean just one. Then I grabbed another. Then another... Before you know it I was wrist deep in dirty cleaning patches and the aroma of solvent filled the air. It's quite satisfying actually.

Now they are clean, which only means they need to be made dirty again. The smell of Hoppe's #9 will linger on my hands all day. That's okay, it has been rated as one of the top 15 manly smells.

Really, who needs one of these when you have the real thing?

Five O'Clock Friday: ATF At Work

Fortunately that doesn't look like the lake where my guns fell overboard.

H/T Miguel at Gun Free Zone.

Another Range Outing

My son and I got out for another fun visit to the range this week. As I was gathering the gear, I was undecided which gun I wanted to shoot this trip. To solve that dilemma, I simply brought several! And we shot them all.

I started out shooting the S&W Shield, which I hadn't shot in a while. I used the short seven round magazines — no pinky extension — since that fits the IDPA BUG requirements. There are several opportunities to shoot BUG matches in the coming months, and I wanted to get in a bit of a "refresher." Except for shooting a tad high due to the different (from the SIG) sight picture, that went well.

Both of us spent the rest of our time switching around between the three SIG Sauer pistols. It took me a few shots to get used to the DA/SA trigger of the P226 after shooting the striker fired P320s so much lately.

It was quite an enjoyable hour. Even the temperature and humidity were at a very pleasant level, Mother Nature apparently having forgotten it's July. I am sure she'll self correct soon enough!

Batman: One Line At A Time

A bit of mid-week humor to pass the time.

Memories.

Bonus Range Time

It's like putting on a pair of pants and finding money I didn't realize I had! While at the indoor range this week I discovered I had not unloaded all the magazines from the weekend's match. So instead of the planned 150, I got to shoot an extra 30 rounds! It really is the little things that make life fun.

This trip I started out running the Julie Golob 50 drill. After that, the remaining 100 130 rounds were devoted to working on sight alignment and trigger control on some splatter targets at 7 yards. I have mixed feelings regarding the definition of success with those drills. On one hand, I kept all the shots in the 5" circle. On the other hand, the holes were generally in the lower left quadrant of said 5" circle.

Near the end of my time I realized I was sweating almost as much as I would be if I was at the outside range as there is no air conditioning at the indoor facility. Perhaps I should stick with the outdoor range. Therein lies a conflict — shooting on the move is forbidden at either venue. However, indoors I am permitted to fire strings of more than 2 rounds. On the other hand, outdoors I can hang two targets and shoot both, but I'm limited to one round on each per string of fire. But I can draw from the holster.

Sigh, there's got to be a better way...

Cavalier IDPA Match

"It's not the heat, it's the humidity."

Actually, it's the heat too. July's IDPA match at Cavalier featured both heat and humidity, in addition to four really fun stages. A brief rain shower right when shooting started only added to the oppressive typical Virginia summer weather. Fortunately the rain was brief, and we never had to shoot at bagged targets.

Stage 1 featured an old friend I call "Earl." This time our hapless victim was on a table where he was receiving CPR. There were three targets to be engaged strong hand only, all while our weak hand remained on Earl's chest. For the second string of the stage, we moved forward to face an array of four reduced area targets which were also fronted by two non-threats. A fifth threat target was placed to the right. All five targets required two body and one head shot each.

Moving to the second stage we found a complex set up of walls, barrels, a table, falling steel, and six paper targets. For the unusual start position we placed one magazine on each of three barrels and our unloaded gun on the table. The start position was in yet another place on the stage. At the start we ran to the barrels, grabbing any magazines we wished, and continued on to retrieve and load our gun. After engaging three targets, we retreated back to the start position to engage the two steel targets. From there we crossed the stage, grabbing ammo as needed, and maneuvered through a turning hallway to shoot the remaining three targets. I thought this was an extremely fun stage, offering plenty of options for the shooter. It was also my best stage of the match, with just one point down.

Stage 3 started with our hands on a chainsaw. There were three targets to be engaged while backing up. Finishing those targets we moved to the next position of cover to shoot two steel plates. The plates were deviously placed in front of a non-threat target. Moving to the final shooting position, we found three more paper targets waiting. 

This turned out to be a disappointing stage for me. I've dealt with quite successfully with steel plates in front of non-threats in the past, and these plates were close in. Yet, I struggled to hit them. I found myself closing my weak eye, both from the sting of sweat, and out of frustration. Shooting with one eye closed actually seems to degrade my accuracy. It's an old habit, left from the Rx shooting glasses days, that I've worked to break but which sneaks in from time to time. 

The final stage once again offered us the, um, opportunity to run. Our magazines and gun were placed on each of four barrels. We started the stage on the opposite side of the course, holding a swinging non-threat in the down position. At the start we released the swinger, and ran to retrieve gun and ammo. The shooter then had a myriad of choices on how to complete the stage. There was a wall at the barrels that hid four threat targets, at most three of which could be engaged from one end of the wall. Moving to the other end of the wall allowed the remaining target(s) to be hit. Also from the center of the stage, a target behind the still swinging non-threat was visible. To finish, a steel popper and another paper target were engaged from the last shooting position. Due to the overlap of cover positions, there was an interesting array of crossing fault lines in the center of the stage. Given the options available, it was important to have a plan, and stick with it.

The stages at this month's match were probably some of the most complex I've shot, at least at local monthly matches. They were also simply put, a whole lot of fun. It certainly disproves some critics who claim there are no options when shooting IDPA. Despite the fun, I did not finish well on this day. Between a lack of speed and some inaccurate shooting, I ended up 20th of 31Overall and 12th of 17 in SSP. However, as I've noted, it was a whole lot of fun! Now it's back to the practice range to prepare for the next match adventure that awaits.

More pics from the match here.

Five O'Clock Friday: Marriage Humor

Tom finally decided to tie the knot with his longtime girlfriend. 

One evening, after the honeymoon, he was welding some stuff in the garage just for fun. 

His new wife was standing there at the bench watching him.

After a long period of silence she finally spoke, "Honey, I've just been thinking, now that we are married maybe it's time you quit spending all your time out here in the shop. You probably should just consider selling all your welders along with your gun collection and that stupid vintage Harley."

Tom got a horrified look on his face.

"She said, "Darling, what's wrong?"

He replied, "There for a minute you were starting to sound like my ex-wife."

"Ex-wife!" she screamed, "YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU WERE MARRIED BEFORE!"

Tom replied: "I wasn't."

I can laugh because I am blessed that Colleen not only supports, but very much encourages my hobbies.

H/T to Irons in the Fire for the humor.

He Just "Went Bananas"

I've often said if you can't be trusted with a gun, you probably can't be trusted on the street without supervision. Here's an example of why. Jorge Jove of Hialeah, Florida decided he didn't like the AT&T trucks parked on the public street. His reaction was a bit over the top.

Jove was arrested and later let out on bond. If you ask me his reaction indicates more than a little instability. I'm all for "innocent until proven guilty" but perhaps some time should be taken to make sure he won't snap again. What if the victims had been kids he didn't want riding bicycles on the street when he "went bananas"? Stupid people doing stupid things wth guns just pisses me off. The snowflakes and anti-gunners waste no time in lumping all gun owners with this guy.

See "Man accused of shooting at AT&T trucks told police he went 'bananas,' report says" for more on this bizarre story.

Negligent Discharges

In the approximately nine years I've been playing gun games, I've seen a few DQ's for safety reasons. (The percentage of DQs to shooters is actually quite minuscule.) These are typically 180° violations, or negligent discharges when reloading or moving. In the interest of full disclosure, my own DQ was for a dropped gun. There's a reason for the strict safety rules in USPSA and IDPA and a reason all gun handling happens under the watchful eye of a safety officer. Thanks to those strict rules, the sports have an excellent safety record. Even experienced competitors make mistakes, and when it happens, it's only right that they are done for the day. It hurts, but if your brain isn't fully engaged, it could hurt even more more.

What brings this to mind? Recently, for the second time in about two years I witnessed a negligent discharge, up close. Neither was during a sanctioned match. The first time was when I arrived at the range as an acquaintance was leaving. He knew I was fan of SIG Sauer guns, and wanted to show me a SIG he had with him. We stood at the back of his pickup truck, he uncased the gun and went through his clearing routine; rack the slide, then drop the mag and pull the trigger. The round went right into the bed of his truck. Fortunately, I was very aware of his muzzle and had positioned myself to his side. This man is a very experienced shooter and retired federal law enforcement. 

The most recent occurrence was at another shooting club. I was standing at my car going through the gear I was going to need for shooting that day. Suddenly I heard what sounded like a gun shot, though the sound was somewhat muted. There was a bit of commotion two vehicles over, where I saw two men looking through the cab of their truck. I later heard bits of a conversation regarding "lowering the hammer on a 1911." 

Both of these events occurred at a gun club, but away from the firing line. Both events occurred at the gun owner's vehicle. Both shooters were showing the gun to someone or (apparently) otherwise distracted by another person. I've often remarked that one of the reasons I dislike "gun free zones" and gun shows is that people are fiddling with guns in their cars. There are times when I need to remove a firearm from my belt while in a vehicle. I strive to be attentive and undistracted when I find myself doing that.

Firearms are tools. In fact, they are relatively simple tools. And those four rules work pretty well. 

Some Range Time

Despite being able to shoot in matches the past couple weeks, the foibles of life have prevented any actual range trips for practice. Finally after work Tuesday, my son and I took advantage of the moderate (i.e., below 95°) weather to hit the range before dinner. The shaded pistol bay was pleasant enough, even though we could hear thunder far off in the distance.

We did all of our shooting this trip from the 10 yard line. I wanted to focus on tighter shots, so much of my time was spent on head shots. I was mostly pleased with the results. A lot of those shots were taken in controlled pairs at the top of the IDPA target, or in body/head combinations.

I also expended a lot of my ammo on strong hand and weak hand only shooting. I have to say I impressed even myself with the strong hand only portion of that. 80% or more of those shots were in the -0 zone, and the rest barely out. However I was less satisfied with the weak hand shooting. About half of the hits were high right of the -0, and even a few crept into the -3 shoulder zone. I will definitely be putting in more time on that skill.

Since more than two shots in a string, as well as any movement, is now banned at the range, these trigger control focused drills help make the best use of my time, and ammo supply. It's also the area where I think I need the most work. On future trips I hope to extend the one hand shooting out to 15 yards. If I can get good hits at 15 yards, the common 7 and 10 yard shots should come easy. (Wistfully stated.)

It was good time spent with my son. We are fortunate that our work schedules pretty much coincide, so we are able to get to the range together fairy frequently. We'll enjoy that until he heads back to school later this summer.

VCDL Petition For National Reciprocity

Today's alert from VCDL has an important action item for gun owners and 2nd Amendment supporters nationwide.

I just created a White House petition asking the President to urge Congress to pass H.R. 38 as soon as possible and get the bill on his desk!

THIS IS TIME SENSITIVE AND WE NEED TO SPREAD THE WORD FAR AND WIDE ACROSS THE NATION!

The petition requires 100,000 signature BY AUGUST 17TH to be considered by the President. Please sign and forward to any and all gun groups you know - from gun clubs, gun organizations, chat groups, friends, family, coworkers, and fellow church members!

We can do this, but we need all the help we can get from gun owners across the nation.

Here is the link to the petition:

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/national-reciprocity-nations-17-million-concealed-handgun-permit-holders

August 17 is not that far off. Please give your support to this petition. Sign today and share.

Christiansburg Action Pistol Match

We were visiting in Blacksburg this weekend, which happened to be the same weekend of Christiansburg Izaak Walton League's monthly Action Pistol Match. Since I would be missing the monthly IDPA match at Rivanna, I decided to check out the Christiansburg match.

The Christiansburg Action Pistol matches use IDPA targets and scoring, and in general, follow IDPA rules. However the matches aren't official IDPA matches, so there are some liberties taken to add some interesting challenges.

The first stage shot by the squad that I was on was a classic IDPA stage. There were two partial targets on either side of some barrels to be shot while stationary. Then while moving forward towards cover, two more partial targets were engaged. The final four targets were engaged from cover. It was a fun stage, though I didn't shoot it as well as I would have liked, or frankly, expected. Well, maybe the morning kinks are worked out.

The second stage was an all steel stage. A variety of steel was set up; a Texas Star, square plates, animal targets, a swinging hostage target, and a very, very small steel IDPA target  — 17 in all. All steel was shot while stationary. It's been a number of years since I shot a Texas Star, so that was fun. Hitting the steel "hostage" would be a hit on a non-threat adding to the challenge of the small red swinger. I didn't hit the non-threat, but used all 31 one of my rounds, and left the tiniest target standing.

Arrow marks the little guy

The stage "Sucker Punch" offered another unique shooting challenge. The scenario was that you've been hit in the eye and knocked to the ground, losing the use of your strong-side eye. We had to use a bit of paper towel behind our glasses to block our vision in the eye, forcing us to aim with the weak side eye. The six open targets were engaged while laying on the ground on our strong side. This certainly was new challenge for me, but I was pleasantly surprised to do pretty well.

Next up was a standards stage with three targets with non-threats in between. The stage consisted of three six shot strings. The first shot freestyle from about 15 yards, followed by strong and weak hand strings shot while backing up, starting at about 7 yards.

A stage labeled "What a Drag" had us again shooting strong hand only, this time while dragging a "body." Three targets were engaged strong hand only, while dragging the body to behind cover. At that position there were three more targets to shoot after dropping the dummy. We then moved to another wall where we hit a stomp plate which activated a drop turner, before hitting the last stationary target. Interestingly, this was my best stage of the match, placing 3rd of 19 in SSP.

Our last challenge, "Who's You Daddy?" had us shooting from a seated position. We faced six targets arranged in stacked pairs. There was a target stand directly in front of us that we knocked over at the start. Once we were seated with that target blocking our view, one of the six targets was randomly marked as a non-threat by hanging a man's tie on the target.

This was a very enjoyable and challenging match in a beautiful mountain setting. The other shooters I met were exceptionally friendly too. I didn't shoot as well as I had hoped, but had a great time nonetheless. My finish was 19th of 55 overall and 4th out of 19 in SSP. I'll be sure to check the club calendar whenever I'm visiting Blacksburg to see if I can make future matches.

A few more pictures from the match are here.

Tempted to Play Hookie

Each morning as I leave for work, I pass by my stack of "range stuff" in the garage. It makes me wish I was going to the range, instead of the office.

One of these days, I'm going to be "too sick" to work.

Gun People Are Good People

I often remark that one of my favorite aspects of the shooting sports is the joy of hanging out with like-minded folks. A common trait seen among this crowd is an unabashed love of our country. I witnessed a moving example of this patriotism last weekend at the Fairfax IDPA Match.

Every match at the club kicks off with the playing of our National Anthem. On Saturday as we stood respectfully as a musical rendition of the Star Spangled Banner played, the PA system suddenly gave out. Without missing a beat, seventy-five shooters spontaneously picked up where the music stopped and finished the song a cappella.

It took my breath away.

Parachutes, Fire Extinguishers, Guns

It's almost a cliche regarding safety equipment that if you don't have it when you need it, you likely won't need it again. I recently ran across this quote from Tom Givens that sums it up quite succinctly.

"You don’t choose when you’ll need your gun; someone else does. And they will typically only inform you at the last moment."

Carry your gun.

See the review of training we took from Tom Givens here.

Fairfax IDPA Match

This weekend's IDPA match at the Fairfax Rod & Gun club had four stages offering some interesting and enjoyable shooting challenges. It was also quite a pleasant day weather wise, especially considering we're in the middle of July.

The first stage our squad shot started with us facing a non-threat target, with two very close targets to our right. We turned to shoot the two close targets from retention, before engaging two more distant targets while backing up. To finish the course of fire there were four more targets shot from cover, two of which were head shot only targets. It was fast but fun stage. A lot of folks had never shot from retention prior to this, so they had a new experience here. I finished -0 on the stage.

The next stage was a standards stage with three strings — shot freestyle, strong hand only, and weak hand only. Shots were limited to one per target each string, and fired on the move at six reduced scoring zone targets. I do try to practice one hand shooting regularly, and feel fairly confident while standing still, but I have no opportunity to do it while moving, unless it's in match. I know I had a couple misses, and a bunch of -1 shots, giving me a big 15 down for the stage.

As we were making our way to our third stage, we could hear ringing steel coming from the bay. Then I caught a glance of a swinging target and knew what was up next. We started this stage behind a barricade holding a "cell phone" in front of our face. Dropping the phone, we engaged a fallen popper to activate a swinging target, which we shot while on the move across the bay towards cover. From cover we shot 4 paper targets and another falling popper. It was another -0 stage for me.

The last stage of the match consisted of just three targets, set between 25 and 35 yards. There was a lone non-threat place about center view down range as well. This was going to be the toughest challenge of the day. I've done very little long range shooting of late, and have been less than satisfied with the results. However, I had fortuitously worked on 20 yards shots during the range trip on Friday, and the success that day did help boost my confidence here.

This stage was on a mostly shaded bay, and there was a cloud cover at the time. Though I never thought I'd say it, I lamented not having the bright sun in the afternoon at a match. To my eyes the targets were quit faint in the distance.

Way. Out. There.

Four hits were required on each target. My shooting plan for the stage included a few extra shots on each increasingly distant target; 5 shots, 6 shots, reload, 7 shots. While shooting, it seemed to me that the front of the pistol was dancing all over the place in relation to the target, though I did feel confident in my sight alignment. With great anticipation I walked down range to hear the scores called out. "Down 0. Down 1. Down 2. Non-threat clean." To say I was pleased with the -3 was an understatement.

In general I was happy with how I shot. I need to work more on strong hand and weak hand shooting, but otherwise it was a good day. Overall I ended up 10th out of 75 shooters, and 3rd of 9 in SSP Sharpshooter. Not bad for a guy "that old."

This match is becoming more popular and the club is working to accommodate an increasing number of shooters, though the large crowd makes for a long day. The four stage match took five hours to complete, but it was a most enjoyable way to spend time. Shooting well always raises the fun level up a notch or two, and this month's match was especially fun I thought.

Being That Old

I was having a conversation with someone I just met the other day. The discussion turned to age and its affect on eyesight. The (younger person) asked me how old I was, and I told him. His eyes got big and he remarked, "Wow, I didn't think you were THAT old."

I smiled and thanked him for the compliment. Then it hit me, I've reached the point of being "that old."

Starting The Weekend With Smoke & Noise

Friday afternoon my son and I took a chance on finding an opening at the range after work. To our delight, not only was the weather relatively pleasant, there was an free bay. He was shooting the SIG P226, a gun he's grown quite fond of, while I wanted to get a few rounds down range with the P320 before shooting a match on Saturday morning.

Most of our time was spent at the 10 yard line, shooting "controlled pairs" at the body and head zones. (In the latest update to the range rules, multiple shots, up to two, are permitted.) It was also good to shoot from a holster after so many indoor range sessions.

We also spent a bit of time at the 20 yard line. I was quite happy with those strings, hitting 18 of 20 in the -0 zone. Moving closer we both got in some one-handed shooting, both weak and strong. 

It was a quick and relaxed outing, each of us shooting just 100 rounds. After the quick session, we were both more than ready to enjoy the delicious dinner Colleen had prepared, which I fear we may have devoured at a less than relaxed pace.

Strangeways Brewing Fredericksburg

Last Monday when heading out for an early dinner, Colleen, "Checkered Flag," and I decided to check out Strangeways Brewing. The brewery's new Fredericksburg location has only been open for a couple weeks, and we'd been looking forward to visiting.

We were immediately impressed by how big the place was. In comparison, the Richmond location is relatively small, but the open warehouse setting in Fredericksburg has copious seating. There's also an outdoor seating area, with its own taps. We opted for a table inside.

There were over thirty beers being poured, so our decision making was bit tough. Actually, it wasn't that bad, we just grabbed a flight order mat and started listing beers to try in 5.5 ounce tasters. After eight picks we decided we had a good start.

It was easy to see that our early dinner plans were going to be delayed, but we were already hungry. We grabbed a few packages of chips and nuts from the display cooler to tide us over. Strangeways offers a selection of snacks, cured meats, cheeses and salsas to go along with your beer. Food truck scheduling is also in the works I am told.

The beers we selected, in order:

Sour Cherry Cobbler
Albino Monkey White Ale
Unpretentious IPA
The Homecoming Belgian Farmhouse Saison
The Hinterlander Wild Barleywine
Hawaii Five-O Coconut Porter
Gelati Celesti Chocolate Decadence Ice Cream Stout
Ape Armageddon Imperial Stout (Rye Whiskey Barrel, Brandy Barrel, Bourbon Barrel aged)

We took our time working through the tasting flight. The beers were all very enjoyable, though we all had our own opinions and favorites. The Cherry Cobbler Berliner Weisse was particularly enjoyed by my companions. I was alone in favoring the Unpretentious IPA. The Hinterlander Wild Barleywine gets its unique flavor from the addition of Brett and aging in oak barrels. I found it very tasty, although the Brett funk was a bit odd in the finish. Gelati Celesti Chocolate Decadence Ice Cream Stout evoked a few "oohs" and "ahs." Ape Armageddon Imperial Stout is a bold beer with a strong aroma and flavor, having been aged in Rye, Brandy, and Bourbon barrels. At 11% ABV it's one I'd return to linger over, perhaps with some smoked meat and cheese.

After our flight, it was time for a conversation about food. Since we were making the serendipitous outing into an event, we decided to try out a local Italian restaurant, Orofino, that has been getting great reviews. We managed to make a reservation online, but this also meant we had a bit more time to kill. To pass the time, we ordered one more round, all sticking with some lower ABV offerings; Sour Cherry Cobbler for Checkered Flag, Albino Monkey White Ale for Colleen, and I went for the Homecoming Belgian Farmhouse Saison.

Eventually we headed out to enjoy an absolutely amazing dinner, which is a story for another day. I obviously didn't get to try all the beers I wanted at Strangeways. With 96 draft lines, and 36 or more beers on tap, that's probably that's a desire that will likely remain unfulfilled. I am however, looking forward to working towards it.

Happy Independence Day

A truly American holiday made possible by a well-armed citizenry.

There's plenty of room on the calendar for another holiday. Pray we won't need it. 

Saturday at Red Dragon Brewery

Late Saturday afternoon we decided to stop by Red Dragon Brewery in Fredericksburg to try out some of their new beers. Red Dragon is constantly updating their taps with new releases, and we haven't visited in a while, so there was plenty to try.

Red Dragon serves no food, nor can they invite food trucks due to archaic and prohibitive Fredericksburg City regulations. We brought along some chips and guacamole to munch on while we enjoyed the beverages.

I was most interested in the small batch New England IPAs they were offering. The New England IPA seems to be the latest trend in craft beer of late. It's essentially a hazy IPA, with a creamy mouthfeel and tropical fruit flavors and aromas. The mimosa of the beer world perhaps? Some craft beer fans have labeled the style "an abomination," but if it tastes good, who am I to pass it by?

Red Dragon's New England IPA is In the Drink, and in addition to the core beer they were pouring two small batch versions this weekend. I started with the version made with the addition of "Idaho 7" hops. The beer had a full mouthfeel with flavors of pine and fruit. It had an interesting bitterness that might be described as "dank" but pleasant.

In The Drink w/ Idaho 7, Bard's Love 

Next I tried the version made with "Vic Secret" hops. The one had a much "juicier" flavor, with even more citrus notes. The same rich think mouthfeel was present. The two varieties were similar but at the same time noticeably different. Both were quite enjoyable, though I would have to pick the Vic Secret variety as my favorite of the two.

While I was "testing" the New England IPAs, Colleen enjoyed a Bard's Love hefeweizen. This beer has a prominent banana and clove aroma and the flavor to match, along with a rich wheat background. It was interesting to see the hefeweizen being to more clear beer of the two.

We were enjoying ourselves, and had no other plans, so we opted to stay for another round. I was also very interested in the Rose of Sharon Welsh Ale being served on cask. Colleen chose that one for herself, so for variety I selected the Here Be Dragons Gose. The Welsh Ale, or Bitter Ale, had sweet caramel and toffee notes. It quite good and I stole more than a couple sips from Colleen's glass. The Gose had a moderately intense tartness along with a refreshing tropical fruit flavor. I savored the refreshing drink for some time.

It was a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon. We enjoyed some excellent beers while we chatted and people watched. I get Untappd updates from the brewery frequently, and am often frustrated that scheduling prevents me from visiting as often as I'd like. Already, I'm being tempted by upcoming beer release events that have been posted. We are definitely looking forward to our next visit to enjoy even more new offerings.

Hey! Catbird!

Sitting on the porch enjoying of coffee and listening to the sounds of the woods. It's quite peaceful. And then a very energetic Catbird lands nearby. It's somewhat annoying, but at the same time I'm impressed by his repertoire, not to mention volume.

Guns in Bars: Seven Years

Seven years ago today I walked into a restaurant that served alcohol, while carrying a concealed weapon — and nothing happened.

On July 1, 2010 a Virginia law went into effect allowing persons with concealed handgun permits to keep their guns on their body while dining in an establishment where alcohol was served, as long as they weren't drinking. Prior to this date, guns were only permitted if they were carried openly. (The logic behind that still eludes me to this day.)

Despite the predictions of the gun grabbers and other anti-freedom activists, the past seven years have not brought mayhem and bloodshed. In fact, the first year there was a noted reduction in gun crimes in restaurants.

All in all, carrying while dining while other people enjoy a beer is a non-event. If anything it reduces the number of folks fiddling with their guns in their cars before they head in to eat.

The next step towards freedom is the removal of requiring permission from the State to exercise my rights.