Texas HCL

Passed the written test - scored 244 out of 250 in the shooting portion. I'm now legal to pack heat!!

Big month coming up for me

Not that anyone probably cares, but July is going to be a big month for me. A trip in the early portion (won't say where now, but should have some good pictures and I've been promised "some type of interaction" with a MAJOR celebrity). I will say that the last time I was at this location (and it was at this time of year), I was at a party and was part of a conversation with (by then)ex-General Norman Schwartzcroft. He was an interesting guy - very soft spoken, very non-military looking. While I was part of the conversation, everyone wanted to talk about the Gulf War. All he wanted to talk about was bears and wolves. Not killing them, but capturing and relocating them.

In the middle part of the month, I will be attempting to get my Texas Concealed Handgun license. My father has been on me for a few years now, wondering why I haven't gotten it. He has one and does carry almost all the time. I don't plan on carrying, except when making long car trips. I can't even remember the last time I actually fired a handgun, so it has been suggested that I go to a range at least one time before. Aim wise I don't think I need to, but since I'll be using a semi-automatic for the test and have never fired one before, it's probably a good idea.

And finally, at the end of the month, I will be taking a basic motorcycle riding class. I've been wanting to do this for a many years and since I'm still in the midst of my mid-life crisis, now is the time. The successful completion of this will waive the riding portion of DPS motorcycle license test.The goal here is to get my motorcycle license so that when C and I are at our place in Wisconsin, I can ride up there. I'm not planning on getting one of those huge touring bikes, just something to tool around with (going to the post office, going into town, going to a lake/river, etc.). No long trips, no sidecars, nothing like that. And absolutely never riding down here in DFW.

My Dad's S&W .357 Magnum Model 19-3

Pic here.

I took it to the range on Friday with a friend for the first time and it jammed. I've never had a revolver jam before and I was heartbroken. I must have done something wrong and thought I'd bent part of the revolver.

Turns out it wasn't bent but I'd used a brand of ammunition that is known as "dirty." That means that the formula of the gunpowder leaves a lot of residue in the gun after firing.

I asked a guy at the office today who knows a lot more than I about such things. "Oh yeah," he said, "that cheap stuff is made in Serbia and will jam anything." I bought the ammunition just after Dad died well before I really got into this hobby.

I'm still not sure I haven't broken the gun but I checked and my colleague was right about the country of origin. At least I'm feeling better about it not being me.

The other thing I learned after shooting the .357? Don't even think about getting a .44 Magnum (to go with my Marlin .44 Magnum cowboy action rifle); it would break my wrist.

More Grass Roots

I posted a couple of weeks ago about an issue that has since been alleviated on gun/bullet brass resales. Finally heard from my congressman. His was the only non-robo reply. He informed me that:

Upon recent review, the Defense Logistics Agency determined that small cartridge cases could be appropriately placed in a category of government property allowing for their release for sale.

I have no idea what to think. My two senators graced me with only robo-replies and my congressman emails with an actual answer two weeks after the issue has been resolved.

A foray into grass roots politics

I heard about an issue on Sunday afternoon in connection with my hobby that concerned me a bit in connection with a Dept. of Defense policy change announced last week that would have increased the cost of my hobby by a great deal.

The purpose of the post is not to address the policy issues behind the DoD change but to relate what happened. (Jonah Goldberg posted about it briefly on The Corner Monday.)

I immediately emailed my congressman and two senators. From the representative, I got an immediate robo-reply saying he'd look into it. From one of my senators I got a robo-reply on Monday that was vaguely related to the issue to which I'd alerted her. I never did hear back from the second senator.

From an email I received today from the source who originally alerted me to the issue:

Emails, faxes, and calls went to the offices of every Senator and Representative on The Hill. Senators Tester and Baucus of Montana (both Democrats) contacted the Department of Defense on Tuesday, and within an hour, they had a reply that this new, ill-considered, policy had been rescinded.

I don't know how much effect we actually had but the timing seems to so indicate. [Update: I should add that there are many policy reasons, including very green reasons, why this would have been a bad idea. And, that it apppears the policy change was initially proposed under the Bush administration under some crazy Homeland Security logic.]

Obama's Justice defending Bush Gun Policy

From the WaPo:

The Obama administration is legally defending a last-minute rule enacted by President George W. Bush that allows concealed firearms in national parks, even as it is internally reviewing whether the measure meets environmental muster.

In a response Friday to a lawsuit by gun-control and environmental groups, the Justice Department sought to block a preliminary injunction of the controversial rule. The regulation, which took effect Jan. 9, allows visitors [emph. mine] to bring concealed, loaded guns into national parks and wildlife refuges; for more than two decades they were allowed in such areas only if they were unloaded or stored and dismantled.

That is a bit misleading. It should say “visitors with concealed carry permits legally issued by the state in which the park is located”.