CGO NewsBlog

On this NewsBlog you will get reviews of firearms, commentary on acts of high integrity as well as blatant dishonesty and stupidity. Nothing in today's headlines is off limits. Links to some of the sight pages will be included on this page as the pages are created and published or when they are updated.

While you're here, check out the best concealed carry resource on the web.

Also, some of the short blogs below, will link to my full blog.

Nov 5, 2009, Worth Supporting

I don't put many endorsements of organizations up here, but one worthy of our support as Christians and Americans is Faith And Action, a Washington organization led by Rob Schenck. Rob has been leading the charge for Biblical morality in government for decades. The organization headquarters is located across the street from the U.S. Supreme Court, and walking distance from the state capital and the White House.

God has blessed Rob with favor in the nation's capital and he has had audience for years with Supreme Court justices, congressmen, senators, federal judges and others in positions of power in Washington. His current emphasis, "The Ten Commandments Project" is taking him into the offices of our highest elected officials to award the "Ten Commandments Leadership Award". Below is Rob with a delegation, including the pastor of my church, in the office of Arkansas congressman John Boozman.

Rob is a true "missionary to our nation's capital. Our church supports his ministry, and it would make a worthy support project for any fundamental, Bible believing church or organization. Rob spoke recently in our Sunday services and we were blown away with the absolutely remarkable way that God has opened the door for the success of Faith And Action. Some of you will find it particularly interesting that Rob was once sued personally by Bill Clinton. That sounds funny, but you will not find him to be combative, but prayerful, considerate, and determined to change the heart of Washington, one politician and judge at a time.

And considering the environment of Washington today, that's a David and Goliath task. But we all know who won in that story. Check out Faith and Action today. And if God should lead you to support it, you can be confident of investing in an organization of the highest integrity and effectiveness.

Nov 4, 2009, Taurus PT-709 Slim

I purchased a stainless steel Taurus 709 Slim a few weeks ago and was extremely pleased about this latest addition to my collection. As I am waiting

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Oct 26, 2009, The Girl Can Shoot

This is the way my daughter and I play. She turned 16 last Saturday and the pics below are from the day before on Friday when she was out of school for parent/teacher conferences. Jacquilyn stole our heart when she came to live with us when she was nine years old. Read more......

Oct 20, 2009, More School System Insanity......in an Insane State

New York is bad enough. Add school a school system's mindless, "zero tolerance" policy, and you have a witch's brew of stupidity. Stupidity that illustrates again, that policies that do not allow for human reason and good sense, end up looking like the mindless processes that they are.

Eagle Scout Matthew Whalen, a senior at Lansingburgh Senior High School, was suspended for 20 days because he had a knife. No, not a knife in his hand, his pocket, or his locker. He had a knife in a survival kit, locked in the trunk of his car. And because some snot nose little punk of a student who knew he had it reported it to school officials, Matthew was suspended....for 20 days. No consideration of this model student's conduct, no thought of what it would do to his record, no consideration that the stupid knife was locked in the trunk of his car. School officials, turned to mush by liability concerns, coupled with this being New York (dumber cousin of California), and a great student is mindlessly suspended for .....absolutely nothing.

A lawsuit may be pending if the young man's suspension is not dropped and his school record cleared. And that's exactly what needs to happen all across this country. Schools need to have the pants sued off of them until they begin to insert human reason back into their policies and begin to consider all discipline on an individual case by case basis.

Nowhere is the national melting of backbone and courage more evident than in our school systems where zero tolerance has replaced human reason and good sense.

Oct 16, 2009, Well Said

Oct 14, 2009, School System Insanity

Today there is sensitivity training in schools and work places. When I was growing up, sensitivity training was unknown. Today "tolerance" is taught for sexual deviancy. When I was growing up, if you did it, you kept it to yourself. Today, there are zero tolerance policies in schools that do not take into account a student's age, or the circumstances surrounding an act that falls outside the "tolerance" parameters.

So what has been the effect of all these "beneficial additions" to help our societal ills?

Well, when I was growing up, bullies were dispatched when a kid got enough and whipped the snot out of them. The end result many times was the kids becoming fast friends. But school shootings were unheard of. Kids routinely carried pocket knives to school and stabbings were rare.

Today's tolerance-no tolerance-sensitivity-lock down mentality has given us rashes of school shootings and other violence that just get worse as the years go on and more policies are implemented to control every activity and action of kids. Even lunch room talking is forbidden in many schools creating a military boot camp environment.

The latest poster child for this nonsense was little 6 year old Zachary Christie from Downes Elementary in Newark, Delaware. Christie was suspended to an alternate school for carrying a camping tool with folding knife, fork and spoon to lunch at school. The suspension time? 45 days. It's not enough for school officials to take the tool away from him and explain the rules. They have to suspend this dangerous 6 year old for 45 days. Now, their idiocy exposed, the school board is lifting the suspension. But if it wasn't stupid in the first place, it wouldn't have to be lifted.

Mindless policies of schools that no longer allow kids to be kids, no longer allow normal social interaction, and no longer use common sense to deal with kids individually are NOT about the welfare of kids. They are about the liability to schools.

It's a bit disconcerting that the people who are supposed to be smart enough to educate our kids, continue to pile on oppressive, mindless policies that stifle them and their normal social interaction.

And it's even more disturbing that they don't acknowledge that the results of those policies continue to make things worse.

Oct 14, 2009, Springfield Arms XD .40 caliber Service (4")

After recently purchasing a XD 40, I took it to the range yesterday for the first time and I was totally impressed with this pistol, that I've

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Oct 12, 2009, Concealed carry clothing

For years I have carried my Glock 23 when wearing casual clothing but have been forced to choose a different weapon (Bersa 380)when wearing dressier

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Oct 10, 2009, New Articles

Just letting new and regular readers know the sudden appearance of the last six articles is a result of me deleting the Gun Facts web site that I put up a few weeks ago. The articles have quite a bit of information and should be useful to some people.

The Gun Facts web site has been doing ok and growing in traffic steadily, but it became pretty clear quickly that maintaining another gun site is going to be virtually impossible.

This is all in my quest to make the Christian Gun Owner more interactive and still give me the time to answer all contacts and questions.

As it is now, I'm getting all the nice comments and appreciate them all, but I have not had time to personally acknowledge them. I have personally answered questions, but that has been all I've been able to do.

So, back to the drawing board. I'll get it worked out and hopefully will be able to communicate with all the CGO visitors who are greatly valued.

In the meantime join me on Facebook. Type in "Mark Rogers Fort Smith" in the search box and send a friend request to me. I've got a Christian Gun Owner group set up just for visitors to this web site.

Oct 10, 2009, Cleaning a GLOCK Pistol

Effectively cleaning a GLOCK pistol

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Oct 10, 2009, The .357 Magnum for Home Defense

Using the .357 magnum for home defense

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Oct 10, 2009, Carrying a J Frame Revolver

Effectively carrying a J Frame Revolver

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Oct 10, 2009, Carrying a GLOCK Pistol

Safely carrying a GLOCK Pistol

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Oct 10, 2009, Carrying A 1911 Pistol

Tips on carrying a 1911 pistol safely and effectively

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Oct 10, 2009, First Time Concealed Carry

Concealed carry tips for first timers

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Oct 5, 2009, Reading a little might help with ignorance

I get some interesting contacts through my form. Most are polite, affirmative and express enjoyment with the site. A few are intended to express hate toward Christians, guns, me....and just about everything. I put them on here sometime for fun, but mostly just ignore them.

But there is one kind that really does irritate me. It's when a Christian and shooter shows ignorance of me and this web site by looking at a few pictures, developing an "opinion" and writing to tell me what I'm doing wrong. Now don't get me wrong. I like constructive criticism based on a thorough reading through the web site, when it will improve what I do here. But it is nothing but a waste of time and space when somebody who should know better writes something stupid and particularly when they leave goofy names and fake email addresses on the form. That basically shows they don't have the guts to face the answer to the nonsense they wrote.

The kind of junk I'm talking about is as follows. This is from guy who gave his name as "Warren Warren" and wouldn't leave a valid address or email address. Obviously not very confident in what he wrote. Here it is: "As a christian and a shooter, I found the concept of your sight to be a good one. I wish there could be a little more professionalism. When your taking pictures of handguns. Don't do it with your finger on the trigger. It is the mark of an amateur. Your shooting stance article shows that you have never received quality combat training. I recommend that you read a couple of Ayoobs books. Good luck with the site."

Now if Mr. Warren Warren had even given the site a cursory reading, he would have seen that I don't claim to be "professional". In fact, I make it clear in the opposite direction. And if Mr. Warren Warren could absorb any actual reading other than looking at the pictures, he would have read that I took some pictures with my finger on the trigger to show how the gun fit my hand. And while I haven't taken any "quality combat training", my shooting for the web site is at paper targets, with a remote camera set up to take pictures of it. In other words I'm posing for the camera shooting at paper, not combat training. The static stances are proper, solid and declared to be general, not specific to combat. All this is perfectly clear on the site if you can read.

The CGO web site is written by me, to review firearms, give an assessment of how well they work, and to endorse second amendment rights. It is not a professional warrior site.

It is a site written for the vast majority of gun owners who enjoy shooting, and want to know how well a gun works before they invest in it. That doesn't require combat training. It just requires good sense.

Oct 4, 2009, FEG PA-63 Is My Carry Weapon

I really like this gun. I am new to CCP (about a year) but this has been my carry gun since I got my permit. I like this gun for many reasons. 1. It

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Sep 23, 2009, Join Me On Facebook

Some of the Christian Gun Owner readers have already joined me as friends on Facebook. Hook up with me on Facebook.

If you don't have a Facebook account, it's quick, painless, and free to sign up.

Sep 20, 2009, The Forgotten CCW Pistol, S&W 3913

The S&W 3913 is, in my opinion, one of the best options for concealed carry. My variation is the 3913NL. The NL is the same as the LadySmith, but

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Sep 14, 2009, Hunter Education Target System

An evaluation of the Hunter Education Target System.

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Sep 5, 2009, Let's all panic over H1N1

Well, the news media in it's feeding frenzy to sensationalize everything to it's advantage has given all of America the impression that H1N1 (Swine Flu) is something akin to an airborne version of AIDS that is going to wipe out a good portion of the American population before it runs it's course. Let's see what the Centers For Disease Control says about the monstrous "Swine Flu".

CDC: "Illness with the new H1N1 virus has ranged from mild to severe." (kinda like other strains of flu).

CDC: "....most people who have been sick have recovered without needing medical treatment..." (kinda like other flu).

CDC: "....hospitalizations and deaths from infection with this virus have occurred." (like other flu)

CDC: "In seasonal flu, certain people are at “high risk” of serious complications. This includes people 65 years and older, children younger than five years old, pregnant women, and people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions." (like other...oh you know).

CDC: "The symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue."

Now you can go read the rest of it without me putting any more here. It's flu, people. Wash your hands, don't let anybody cough in your face, and if you get it, it's likely you will be in the very large majority of people who get well without any treatment, because it is, after all.....the flu.

Turn off the tv if the news makes you panic.

Sep 5, 2009, Sig Sauer P220 review

A review of the Sig Sauer P220 .45 semi-auto pistol

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Sep 1, 2009, Thanks to regular and new visitors

The Christian Gun Owner web site has reached a new milestone. It now receives well over 50,000 unique visitors per month. A lot of people write to me and 98% of those contacts are positive and constructive.

A lot of people write astounded that there are people just like them who are believers and struggle with issues of gun ownership, use, and self defense. People who enjoy the shooting sports and believe that God's provision includes tools to defend ourselves against those who have no regard for human life and refuse to live by the rules of a decent and orderly society.

So, to all CGO visitors - Thank you. Without an audience and word of mouth references, the site would only be receiving a fraction of the visitors it does. Please continue to visit often and tell your friends.

Blessings to all.

Aug 30, 2009, Town Hall Meetings are a predictable debacle

Bands of raving protesters, buses full of dissenters being brought in, questions that politicians are not prepared for. These are all consequences that public figures must endure when Americans decide they are going to call to task the sorry politicians that believe they can manipulate a Town Hall meeting to make themselves look good.

One Town Hall meeting after another is falling to real people coming in to unprepared senators and congressmen to remind them who works for who. And it doesn't make any difference which side of the aisle the politicians are on. Both sides are being made to look stupid. Predictable and enjoyable.

None of these town hall meetings is being held without careful preparation. And when that preparation is disrupted, it leaves the political goof standing there with egg on his or her face when faced with an informed American blasting them with facts, figures, patriotism, or whatever they weren't ready for.

This is a good dose of reminding that no office or politician deserves "respect" if that respect is not earned. The office of the president is a position created to serve the people of the U.S. not the other way around. The notion that we have to "respect an office" is ludicrous and not in keeping with the intent of our Constitution.

By the time this is all over, there's no telling which party, if either will emerge victorious. What is clear is that Americans are beginning to smell blood in the water when it comes to the sorry political system that makes up a government that has arrogantly taken the position that the people of the U.S. are its subjects.

I've got a feeling we've just seen the tip of the iceberg. It's time to take America back. And the first step is to put all politicians back in their respective places or take their jobs away.

Aug 23, 2009, The Smith and Wesson Military and Police

Review of the Smith and Wesson Military and Police .40 S&W Caliber pistol

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Aug 22, 2009, Useful holster review from a reader

I love it when people get something related to guns that works for them and write to me in concise, useful terms about it. One such item is a Fist Holster. This post from Brian in Texas:

"Mark,

I thought you might be interested in a holster I just purchased for my Taurus PT140. It's a Fist #1 clip iwb made of Kydex. I know you're a leather man, but I really like the Kydex. I think its because I'm kind of a skinny guy, so the other holsters I've tried really make me look like I have some kind of growth underneath my shirt.

The Fist holster is not pretty, but looks very well made. I recieved the hoster within three weeks of my order date and paid only 34.99. The holster is extremely thin and light. It really holds the butt of the gun against the body better than my Uncle Mikes or Desantis. The best way to describe it is to say it just feels like I just stuck the gun in my belt with no holster. By the way, I typically like to carry in the 1:30 to 2:30 position. But, it also rides well at 3 to 4.

I'm now on the lookout for a good ankle holster for my LCR. I'm not an expert review writer, but I wanted to let you know what I've found to work for me. Thanks for you insightful blogs. I especially enjoyed the Man Up article.

Brian

Thanks, Brian, for a concise review of something that has worked for a real person. The value of the CGO web site is that it helps regular people like me sort through a bunch of useless information to find out what just plain works for real people. Anybody that can write a short, but informative review, I will be happy to post it here. It will be helpful to a lot of people

Aug 19, 2009, Not a good sign for Bersa

Last Saturday, the Right on Target Group went out to shoot at Brushy Hollow range in Waldron, Arkansas. And as is my custom, I took advantage of the situation to review a couple of guns. But one brand of handgun turned out to be a disappointing surprise.

A friend shooting with us had a Bersa .380 Thunder Duo-Tone and a Bersa Thunder Pro .45. Now my experience with my little Bersa .380 was excellent. The person who owns it now has shot hundreds more rounds through it. Utterly dependable. And Bersa has a generally very good reputation.

But these two guns that my friend had at our group shoot didn't indicate it. The .380 that he had shot only a hand full of times had the trigger spring or bar break (didn't do any examining after it went dead in the water) and the trigger went limp. Rack the slide, no trigger, out of commission quick. With the .45, also only shot a few times before, out of a few mags of factory ammo put through it, it failed to eject, subsequently jamming about a dozen times. Not a good day for Bersa. And while my experience with Bersa has been good, I don't hide bad days for any gun. So there it is. Two nearly new guns, just about useless in the same shooting session.

Bersa has just begun to get stature in the gun world over the last few years. That new found fame as well as a generally ramped up demand for guns over the last 8 months that results in an upturn in production, can result in serious quality control issues if managers are not diligent.

Hopefully our experience was a bizarre and unique event for Bersa. But the chances of that kind of performance in two nearly new guns is not likely to be coincidental.

I'll be keeping a close eye on Bersa in the days to come.

Aug 18, 2009, Making Life Simpler

I was recently watching a commercial that has become pretty familiar about "information overload" where a kid comes in and asks their parents a simple question and the parents begin, in a robotic fashion, to spew out all sorts of random and useless information that has nothing to do with their kid's original question. And it hit me. Read more......

Click for more info

Aug 15, 2009, Time to "man up" when wives say no to guns.

I'm gonna really skate on thin ice here and I realize I could be unintentionally or intentionally misunderstood for what I'm about to say, but I can't stand it any longer. I've had too many men write to me, seen them on forums and other places stating their wives "won't let them" carry a gun, keep a gun at home for protection, or even have a gun at all. Most all of the men writing to me are Christians which makes it even worse. Read more.......

Aug 7, 2009, Information overload almost sucks me under

I'm uncharacteristically linking to my non gun blog here, because I wrote a blog article on my experience with Google while trying to figure out modern fly fishing. The reason I'm linking to it from here is that if you will take the fly fishing gear out and replace it with guns, or anything else for that matter, many of you will probably see a very familiar experience unfolding. Hope you enjoy the article

Aug 7, 2009, Glock 19

My favorite is the GLOCK 19. Small enough to carry, big enough to fight with! I don't worry too much about capacity (although 15 + 1 is plenty) but

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Aug 6, 2009, A little clarity for Jim

Once in a while somebody like this finds my web site and feels they have to bait me with something like this from Jim in North Carolina:

"Just wondering what the connection is between christianity, symbols, jesus and people walking around with guns? Does it not seem scary to you that individuals that believe in fairy stories with winged angels, walking on water,using magic in changing wine into blood, raising dead people, devils with horns in "hell" with forks should be walking around with guns."

Now to Jim's credit, he didn't get nasty or use foul language so I'll be equally as polite in my response.

First, Jim, Biblical Christianity does not include magic, devils with horns and forks, fairy stories, or anybody turning wine into "blood" (it was water into wine). The connection between Christianity and Jesus is that there would be no Christianity without Jesus. There is no connection between Christianity and guns unless some guy who is a Christian and also an avid recreational sport shooter and self defense advocate builds a web site called "Christian Gun Owner". See? Simple.

Hope that clears it up for you.

Aug 4, 2009, Kimber Pro Carry II Review

A review of the Kimber Pro Carry II Stainless Steel 1911 Commander size pistol

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Jul 30, 2009, More and more bizarre - accomplishing nothing

Well, in any other time or place it would seem bizarre, but in modern America I guess you should expect it. Now beer brewers are up in arms because the president, Professor Gates, and officer Crowley are not drinking American beer for the White House "keg fest" held by the president. Read more...

Jul 30, 2009, Barack Obama coming down to human level

President Obama's approval ratings are dropping like a rock. What we have is a perfect example of how long the national love affair with starry eyed voters lasts when the reality of a president elected based on personal popularity has to implement successful policy.

Barack Obama was elected based on personal popularity, charisma, and promises that he could not keep. Now that he is governing, has led the charge to put America trillions more in debt to bail out failing banks, allow taxpayer money for pet projects, and car purchases, all while people keep losing their jobs.....those starry eyed voters are fickle.

The latest Gallup tracking poll show his approval ratings at 53%, well within the realm of a very "mortal" man and in jeopardy of slipping well below that level. If his ratings fall into the 40s, he will be statistically out of office, and will not be able to pass anything. Too bad it's not going to happen before the "health care bill" is passed. Even an anemic public package is going to cost billions more that America does not have.

This is a serious miscalculation (among the many others of this president). Trying to pass public health bills has been a loser for politicians every time it has been attempted. This president was depending on his personal popularity to pull it off, but now.....?

Obama's arrogance has been striking, and now he is becoming more defensive and combative as he progresses toward a bill destined to be both expensive and anemic. Not a good combination.

My prayer is that Americans will learn from this ridiculous administration, that voting on shallow surface qualities is a dangerous and destructive road to put our country on. Hopefully a national "awakening" of good sense will emerge from all of this and American will get back to experienced and intelligent leadership.

But.....we'll just have to wait and see. Our collective memory seems to be rather short.

Jul 27, 2009, Dumb and Dumber

Well, now President Obama, following up on his bizarre injection of himself into a local legal skirmish, has gone over the top of his first gaffe and has invited the two men involved in the issue to the White House for a beer. Nice.

The leader of the free world, drawing conclusions about things he knew nothing about, making ignorant statements about local issues that became national issues, and now asking two guys that started it all to America's house to have a beer. Exactly what does this president think he is doing?

President Obama has shown a striking lack of leadership skills in his first 7 months in the White House. His staff and appointees have made disgraceful remarks concerning America. He has now just about topped them all. We can only hope that time and experience will result in more maturity rather than the determined arrogance that is obviously a part of his character.

Jul 26, 2009, Here's the Real Senator Mark Pryor

I don't know why politicians think in the information age where everything is seen and recorded that they would be able to get away with anything by stealth.

For the local (Arkansas) readers of the Christian Gun Owner, if you voted for Mark Pryor for Senator, you may want to reconsider in the future if you care about your gun rights. Here is the real Mark Pryor.

Voting for a Democrat, you're asking for your gun rights to be threatened. This incident shows that Mark Pryor is simply out for his own advancement and has no regard for the well being or wishes of the people of Arkansas. He is a cowardly career grabber that is not to be trusted in the future.

If you want to protect your gun rights, don't vote for Liberals or Democrats in general. Even if their intentions and convictions are not in line with the party, they will fold in the face of pressure from their sorry party leaders.

Jul 25, 2009, Top example of ridiculous paranoia

I get a lot of submission on my "visitor submission" pages on the Christian Gun Owner web site. About 1 in 50 actually follow the instructions and get their article published. But that's another issue. The last submission that I got that should be an evaluation of a handgun contained instead one of the most ridiculous examples of paranoia I have seen in a while. Read more

Jul 24, 2009, What is certain: 1 out of 3 acted "stupidly"...the President

Well, Barack Obama's mouth has landed some much un-needed attention on his administration, when he said police officer Sgt. James Crowley "acted stupidly" when he arrested Harvard Law Professor, Henry Gates Jr. Now, there will no doubt be no end to the controversy surrounding this arrest. There will be every kind of race-baiting imaginable from every corner.

But one thing is absolutely certain concerning stupidity in this case. The President of the U.S. making that kind of comment about an arrest he was not present at. And he made it about a white officer arresting a black man which immediately made it a national race issue.

First, the President of the U.S. should never become involved in local issues, and second, his remarks, without knowing the details of the arrest or being present (which of course he wouldn't be) were ridiculous from any position.

Now President Obama has said he could have "calibrated" his comments more carefully....no, they were stupid. He said that he regretted that his comments had "ratcheted up" the debate...no they were just stupid. Then the worst comment trying to gloss the originals over - that he hoped that this would be "a teachable moment" for our nation. Because...you know...he called the arresting officer "stupid".Sorry, I don't need to be "taught" by stupid statements.

You see, those of us who speak or write without the constraints of political pressure put our words out there for better or worse and just live with them. If somebody thinks they're off the wall, we just have to live with the commentary. For instance, when I call the Brady twinks "idiots", and somebody tells me I'm a brain dead moron (which someone recently did) it would look pretty disingenuous if I said, "well, I guess I could have calibrated my statement better."

And here's the deal. The reason politicians continue to sink deeper and deeper into their own cesspool of hot water when they say something, is that they always say what they mean the first time. And people are not stupid enough (except for the folks at the Huffington Post) to believe they meant something else. Joe Biden has spent his whole political career saying things over several times to make up for the first time.

President Obama should use this as a "teachable moment" for himself and never get involved in local issues. And now, having stated that he still has certain beliefs about the arrest that he was not involved in, he should just say, "you know, I still have my opinions, but that was a really stupid thing to say."

Jul 22, 2009, Concealed Carry reciprocity map tool

This is worth mentioning to all U.S.C.C.A members. They now have a concealed carry reciprocity map on the site. Link to it from the left menu bar under "Resources". The Reciprocity Map link is at the bottom of the Resources menu.

You simply enter your state where you have a concealed carry permit and the tool instantly generates a U.S. map that tells you which states honor your permit.

Check it out.

Jul 14, 2009, Republicans beware - Sotomayor could cause more unraveling

Even though I am not a member of any political party, I regularly get letters (most asking for money) from the Republican party, both national and local. And at this point, if I were inclined to join a political party (which I'm not) if it was the Republican party, I wouldn't want anybody to know. Not because I'm ashamed of my conservative religious views, but because the Republican party is led by idiots. And whatever I am associated with, idiots would have to be the worst.

And considering the unraveling that the RP has been experiencing over the last few years, I'm holding my breath waiting on the Sonya Sotomayor confirmation hearings. This is just the kind of environment in which the mouths of the hot air filled bloviating politicians could further distance mainstream America from them.

Sotomayor deserves scrutiny. Focus on her judicial decisions, her comments on race and gender all deserve serious consideration in the hearings. Not because there is any chance in the universe that she won't be confirmed, but because those are the legitimate issues that Republicans can be seen as serious inquirers in.

But if they go off on any other course that involves her history or life experience, they will shoot another toe off of the foot that they continually shoot themselves in.

Sotomayer will be confirmed. No way to stop it. But Republicans should be sure they are seen as serious inquirers and not just more of the spoiled party that screams because they can't get their turn in the sand box.

Jul 14, 2009, Conservatism rules while Republicans keep crying "moderate"

All of us who are truly conservative know what the word "moderate' means. It means not having any conviction about anything with the tendency to be swayed by politicians who don't stand for anything. And left wing weenies who have for years accused Republicans of being "extremists" have now gotten their way with major Republican leaders calling on the party to become more moderate to "increase their base". Gag.

A recent national poll revealed that when people were asked if they considered themselves conservative, moderate, or liberal, a clear majority identified themselves as conservative. No surprise to me. And it should be a clear sign to the new breed of Republican twirps calling for the party to become more "moderate". My question is if that happens what's the difference? How do you draw a line between Democrats and Republicans?

What these incompetent leaders don't get is that the party does not need to "increase it's base". It needs to return to the principles of true conservatism. Why? Because most people, like me, are not a member of any party. We vote on principle and conviction. And with a Republican party now moving to "moderate" itself to "increase it's base", there is no reason for people who consider themselves conservatives to vote for a Republican candidate.

A truly, demonstrably conservative candidate can win the presidency back. But with the current ooze called the Republican party leadership, a return to true conservatism will require a battle within the party itself.

But the bottom line is that I will never join the Republican party. But I will vote for a conservative candidate. The Republican party would do well to wake up, read the poll and get a clue. Give us majority of conservatives something to work with.

The Republican party doesn't need more base. It needs clear, courageous principles that give people a reason to vote for their candidates.

Jul 4, 2009, Tired of hearing "the church" trashed....by Christians

I'm thankful that early on in my Christian life, I learned that my purpose in life is to serve God, not make a name for myself by doing the same thing every two bit fame chaser thinks they have to do to climb the "spiritual ladder"Read more........

Jul 4, 2009, Teaching Kids to Shoot

Teaching Kids to Shoot

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Jul 2, 2009, A little "lanquage" explanation

While most people that visit this site aren't exactly over sensitive, a little explanation of why I use the language I do to describe some people and organizations is in order. The reason is because I am a Christian and this is a Christian web site. And for the "you call yourself a Christian" crowd, an explanation is in order. And by the way, I'm not talking about foul language or cursing (none of that here). I'm talking about my raw, descriptive criticism of people's activities and lifestyles that I abhor.

Now, that is commonly called "hate speech" a blanket criticism from liberals applied to all conservatives (particularly Christians) who criticize somebody for something.....whatever...it's hate speech. But, I can live with that criticism because I know in my own mind, conscience, and heart, that I don't hate anybody. What I hate is the "normalizing" of freakish, immoral, bizarre behavior in America. And when people, whether the ones involved, or the ones defending the behavior go there, the gloves come off. Especially when the freakish behavior is normalized by "religious figures".....like the good "reverends" Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson.

My criticism of Michael Jackson will no doubt be considered utter blasphemy by his fans or by anyone who considers themselves morally superior because they are "tolerant" of people and activities that make Sodom and Gomorrah look like church camps.

But from a Biblical standpoint and from a standpoint of constitutional freedom to express verbal opposition to either people or activities, I and other Christians have a moral obligation to speak clearly and concisely about the dumbing down and moral degradation of America. And we have a Biblical obligation to speak out against "religious leaders" who speak out of both sides of their mouths, while contributing to that degradation.

So, call it what you will, I don't hate anybody. If you want to keep calling it "hate speech" that won't change anything. It's called truth. And sometimes truth stated plainly is both painful and angering. Get over it.

Jul 2, 2009, Frenzy over Michael Jackson's death

I thought the most bizarre reaction to a celebrity death was when Elvis Presley died. When the "king" was dead, it was as though all of America was crumbling around us, people wailing, wringing their hands, endless media speculation and on and on it went. Read more........

Jun 26, 2009, The reality of a civilian gun fight

We can't all spend a week at Front Sight Academy or take Force on Force training. In fact, most of us can't. But something almost all of us can do is practice basic firearms self defense at a range or some location where we can practice shooting.

Obviously, I read a lot of gun and self defense articles. I have cultivated numerous friends who are excellent shooters and some weapons experts. I also know a number of police officers from whom I glean some information.

A couple of current articles in U. S. Concealed Carry Association's web site give some great insight into the reality of how a gunfight can go down and how to maximize our range practice to enhance our ability to effectively defend ourselves with our handguns.

It's great to have a handgun that can fire sub one inch groups from a ransom rest at 25 yards. But what does that mean in practical terms if you find yourself in a life threatening encounter with somebody 10 feet away who has drawn their gun first?

It's great to be able to get in a good solid stance in front of your target, check your grip, line up your sights, and squeeze the trigger slowly, hitting the bullseye with that cool pistol you just bought. But what does that mean in practical terms when you have 3 seconds to defend your life with no time to line up sights and concentrate on trigger control?

Training to move, draw quickly from concealment, shoot from different positions and point shoot quickly doesn't require thousands of dollars and only requires your holster, gun, some ammo and a place that allows you to practice shooting like this.

Drawing from a concealed holster can be practiced at home and is probably at least half of what is necessary to effectively defend yourself in a fast, life threatening encounter.

You can do a lot to get to the point to where you do certain things automatically. If you carry a gun, make the most of your range time to practice dealing with the realities of a civilian gun fight.

Jun 25, 2009, Sig 232

My first foray into the Sig world was via my job as a Fire Marshal in a fairly large County Fire Department in Virginia. We carried S&W 686's

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Jun 17, 2009, Brady Bunch looks stupider than ever

The Brady Bunch is howling, pulling out their hair, and wailing in sackcloth and ashes. After all the crowing they did after the presidential election about how effective they were, and how Americans had voted for "common sense gun laws", nothing that they hoped for has materialized.

No assault weapons ban. Concealed carry in national parks becoming law. Obama basically turning his back on everything that his record indicated going into office. And one final insult added to injury of the Brady Bunch: A record number of guns and ammo purchased and placed in the hands of law abiding Americans because of the election of the Brady's great gun control hope, Barack Obama. The Bradys who thought they smelled blood in the water were really smelling Kool Aid.

Because the Brady Campaign had little or nothing to do with how the presidential election or congressional elections turned out. What determined that was the economy, and had nothing to do with guns.

The commentary on the home page of the Brady campaign says that the bill that went through congress that allows concealed carry in national parks says that: "....could allow people to carry loaded guns, including AK-47s, in national parks". This just shows that the Brady Bunch will say anything and tell any lie to push their anti-constitution agenda. To my knowledge the legislation had nothing to do with AK-47s, but concealed handguns and carrying them legally, only as state laws allow.

This is the nonsense that comes out of the lame duck Brady Campaign. Say anything, do anything to disarm and take away the constitutional rights of law abiding Americans.

Maybe the Bradys would be happier if they moved to Great Britain where they could take credit for the onerous gun control laws there. After all, honesty doesn't matter to them, and that would seem to be the only hope for relevance for the Brady Bunch.