CGO NewsBlog

Mar 11, The DARE

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:55:54 GMT

A new book out that is stirring hearts and minds is so good and so challenging that I decided I needed to promote it here. The book is The DARE written by Josh Mayo. Josh is the Youth and Young Adult Director at our church. He took a youth group of around 150 a few years ago and has built it into a regional powerhouse of over 500 students and young adults. This youth ministry is now having significant national influence through the "Genesis" conference which in it's third year in 2010 attracted around 1500 teenagers and youth pastors from across the country. Josh has traveled extensively nationally and internationally and is in constant demand as a speaker to both youth, adults and ministers. His book takes you on a journey challenging you to become a "passionate, authentic, impacting follower of Christ". The book is not for the faint of heart or those riding the fence of Christianity and the world. People from teens to the elderly are raving about the "life changing" quality of this book. You can get the book and check out Josh's other books and his web site at joshmayo.com. The site is a flash web site, so you may have to update your flash player if you have an older one, but it's worth it. Also the book is available at Amazon.com. Regular visitors to this web site know I only promote a very few things that I know to be very valuable to readers. And this book is one that will be a personal challenge to you, and a life changing Sunday School or Small Group study in your church.

Mar 11, Maybe There's Hope for Illinois

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:09:35 GMT

A friend that I met through this web site a couple of years ago, Gordon from the Chicago, Illinois area has done the nearly unthinkable in Illinois. After two years of endless legalities and work, he has started a small group in his church. A recreational shooting group!! In one of the most firearms prohibitive areas in the nation, he has opened up right in the mouth of the lion. Here is a note I received from him a couple of days ago:
"Hi Mark, Thought I would update you on the formation our shooting small group at my church. After the long process of obtaining Illinois FOID cards and taking non shooters to the range individually to acclimate them to the safety aspects, we had our first group event on Saturday, Feb 27. We had 17 people show up! Many more are interested. I'm really excited about this and so is our Pastor. It seems to be a big hit here even in non gun friendly Illinois. I'll call soon to talk to you on the phone because I have many stories I want to relate to you about the event and how to procede from here. Thanks again for you inspiration, encouragement, and help in getting this going!! " This should be significant encouragement for all the people who write to me despairing of the difficulties of starting this type group in their localities. If he can do it there, you can do it anywhere. It's all about determination. Looking forward to hearing future reports as Gordon proceeds with his group.

Mar 3, What We've Learned from the Obama Administration

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:39:45 GMT

-We've learned that spending a Trillion dollars does not make unemployment better.
-We've learned that bailing out banks does not improve the behavior of the people who run them.
_We've learned that an ACORN is not something that falls from a tree.
-We've learned that Eric Holder is an idiot.
-We've learned that if the President sticks his nose in a local issue and makes himself look bad, he can just have all involved parties over to the White House for a beer and everything will be ok.
-We've learned that the public health care reform issue is still a political career killer.
-We've learned that career politicians (which is most of them) including the president, are afraid of gun owners.
-We've learned that Glenn Beck can get an administration "czar" fired.
-We've learned that "change you can believe in" is not necessarily a good thing.
-We've learned that "yes we can" is only good when it applies to something that is not stupid.
-We've learned that even starry eyed, goofy people who voted for Obama can quickly become disenchanted (this would include Colin Powell).
It's been a truly educational year.

Mar 2, Defining the Gun Control Issue

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:04:50 GMT

This past Saturday, February 27th, in Sequoyah County in Oklahoma, just across the state line from my home, two men broke into the home of Devin Jeremiah. They beat him badly and stole various items including guns and cash. As the assailants fled the house in a car driven by one of the suspect's wife, the victim managed to retrieve a .22 rifle and fired several times into the car. Unknown to Jeremiah, the daughter of the driver, one year old Elaine Keene was in the car and was struck by one of the bullets. Keene later died at Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas after being life flighted there from Sparks Hospital in Fort Smith. The local gun forums are aflame with talk of the "innocence" of Jeremiah and the "murder" the others should be charged with. But here's the problem. Jeremiah shot into a car with fleeing suspects. He did not shoot at people who were directly threatening him any longer. It went from what could have been a case of self defense to a case of retaliation. And that retaliation resulted in the tragic death of a baby. Now my take on this may not ingratiate me with my own crowd, but Jeremiah should be prosecuted for manslaughter for the death of the girl. The mother and the two robbers should be tried for murder. Aside from all that, this is exactly what defines the whole gun control issue with anti gun organizations. This story will be at the forefront of their attempt to disarm law abiding citizens. As rare as an incident like this is, anti gunners will shamelessly use it as a defining issue. What we all better remember is when we have a gun in our hand and the decision comes down to whether or not to use it, we better be darn sure that the target in front of us is one that is immediately threatening us or someone in our immediate proximity, and we better be sure of our target lest we kill a child like Jeremiah did in his retaliatory action. Was he a victim? Yes. Did he have a right to self defense? Yes. Did he have a right to shoot into a car full of fleeing suspects without any further threat to him? No. He killed a child doing so. When you holster that gun every day, or put that gun in a corner of your house to defend your home, keep in mind that it is not discriminatory. It will kill whatever it's human operator points it at. And it won't make any difference whether the person shot is a perpetrator or a victim. It's up to you how it's used and what the aftermath results in. And it's up to you whether it ends up evaluated as heroic action or tragic consequence to be used as an issue against all of us.

Feb 27, Glock 17 Gen4

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:30:26 GMT

I have been a fan of Glock for many years, and own many different calibers of them. I also want to mention that I am a Certified Glock Armorer. I purchased

Feb 27, Taurus PT101

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:30:12 GMT

It has been many many years since I have owned a Taurus handgun. I remember back then how a couple of friends and other shooters would look down their

Feb 27, Metro Arms - Firestorm 1911 Goverment

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:00:06 GMT

My experience extends back to the mid 70's when I started into law enforcement. I have owned and fired nearly every make and model of standard law enforcement

Feb 5, Irony Rules in Washington

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:57:18 GMT

The funniest thing I have ever seen coming out of Washington in a long time is going on now. Not funny as in "ha-ha" funny, but odd, bizarre and ironic. We know Barack Obama's senate record on gun control. We know that ideologically, he hates guns and hates the notion of civilians owning guns, and his record indicates that across the board ..... in the senate and state legislature. But ...... now get this. The Brady Campaign Against Gun Violence has given President Obama an "F" rating in four areas they grade politicians in based on their stance on gun control. An F for one of the most demonstrably liberal senators on earth, for his stance on gun control as president. Both houses of congress taken by Dems in mid term elections and while the Brady Bunch jump with joy, congressional Dems immediately started putting out disclaimers about messing with peoples' Second Amendment rights. What all this shows us is that virtually all politicians' conviction and ideology ends at the point where their jobs are threatened. Only a few isolated Washington politicians are left screaming "gun control". And the Brady Campaign hates it. But they should have seen it coming and held off on the crowing after the elections. They are now left looking like beggars with their hats in their hands reduced to taking up profound projects like petitioning Starbucks to prohibit guns in their stores. This shows the impact and influence gun owners have on American politics. But let's not be stupid in any more elections and elect known liberal anti gun politicians on the hopes they are scared of us. Keep it up and some day we'll be wondering what happened to our rights. If gun owners do not vote for politicians with known pro gun records, it is certain that the fear factor will eventually run out, and we'll end up being the ones with our hats in hand whining about our rights being taken away.

Feb 1, On to 100,000

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:29:39 GMT

In January 82,395 unique visitors viewed pages 205,224 times on the Christian Gun Owner web site. Once again thanks to all the fine people who refer and link to the CGO site. On to 100,000 visitors per month.

Jan 29, Fundamental Military Entry Issues

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:08:43 GMT

In an all volunteer U.S. military in which eight army soldiers killed themselves in the first eight days of the year, a predictable knee jerk reaction has occurred. Today, even in the military, where "sensitivity" is insisted on, General Peter Chiarelli told military commanders to remind GIs that they are "valued". The military is an organization where men and women volunteer to fight, and are taught necessarily to kill and how to stay alive and win wars. They enter understanding that they will fight to win and to stay alive in battle. Those who end up taking their own lives will not be fixed by reminding them of their value. So, anything wrong with reminding soldiers of their value? Absolutely not. Great for morale and it is the truth. They are greatly valued by the military and all of America. But the issue here is suicide in the military which is on a statistical rise. Now, to deal with this, the Marine Corps last year ordered all sergeants and corporals to learn how to talk to Marines about their "personal problems". Great. So now, drill sergeants assigned with the task of teaching their recruits to kill, survive and win wars, have orders to become personal counselors. For anybody reading this who has been in the military and been in battle probably sees where this is going. The military has been the military for a long time. Sensitivity training has not helped but now there is what is described as an alarming rate of suicide among its ranks. The solution: more "sensitive sergeants". There may be a fundamental problem on the front end with the mental or emotional stability testing of individuals. I don't know. But what I am certain of, is that everything that has been imposed on the military to make it a "kinder, gentler" organization has not served to make it or our troops stronger or more stable. Let the military be the military. Make sure volunteers understand they are going in to fight to win, and not to an organization that is going to help them get in touch with their feelings. And don't make sergeants assigned with training troops to survive under the worst of conditions become their personal counselors. Give them permission to send unstable troops out the door to a psychologist or psychiatrist or professional counselor or whatever. And let them do their jobs with those that are ready to serve, fight and live.

Jan 15, Talk Of Ted Nugent

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:54:05 GMT

It's a little disconcerting knowing that NRA board member Ted Nugent is being discussed among members as a possible future president of the largest gun rights organization on earth. Not that Nugent is not a passionate advocate for second amendment rights. It's just that he's not somebody that American gun owners should be clamoring to have as their spokesperson. Nugent is passionate about what he believes. He is highly intelligent, articulate, and when he decides to come back to earth, makes an eloquent advocate for our rights. But, the "other" Ted Nugent is foul mouthed, vulgar, and outlandish in his frequent diatribes both on and off stage. And his frequent references to God are meaningless in the light of that other side of Nugent which continues to do nothing of value to advance his various causes, and everything to unnecessarily offend....just about everybody. Ted Nugent has a lot of influence and a lot to offer his country, and the NRA in the future. But for that offering to have meaning, he would do well to stop satisfying his desire to "go off" on everything and everybody in a manner consistent with a street thug rather than an intelligent, passionate, God loving patriot. For Nugent to be an effective nation wide spokesman for......anything, he would do well to tame the foul mouthed, self serving explosions and put some time between that side of the Nuge and someone who is fit to be president of the NRA. And that before the board considers placing him in a position of headship with the organization. Because as it is now, I don't want Nugent as a spokesman for me whether it's for God or guns.

Jan 14, Forming a recreational shooting group at your church

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:01:27 GMT

A systematic plan for forming a family recreational shooting group at your church

Jan 10, NIche Firearms for New Gun Owners

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:04:26 GMT

With guns being what they are today and the varieties of common bullets and loads available, I find myself somewhat perplexed when people tell me they are looking for their first handgun and tell me they're trying to decide between a semi auto that shoots .357 Sig, or a revolver that shoots .327 magnums. Read more.

Dec 22, Internet Ooze

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:02:34 GMT

When you have a web site called "Christian Gun Owner" you can expect that a form of life I have come to know as "internet ooze" will eventually splat down on your web property. If you have any form of contact where someone can address you personally, you will encounter internet ooze. Read more

Dec 21, Big Junior's Best Pistol

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:40:35 GMT

I will have to strongly agree with some of the previous authors on the GLOCK 22 for one of my favorite CCW firearms. I do love to shoot the G22 since

Dec 17, Bersa Thunder .380 Handgun Review

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:14:26 GMT

Bersa has one of the best values in a handgun, the Thunder .380

Dec 5, IM4JC - A Unique and Timely Organization

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:52:31 GMT

I just opened up my cool new T-Shirt from 1M4JC which stands for Be one of 1 Million 4 Jesus Christ. This is a picture of the front of the shirt: My unique number is 6436.
This is an organization that is selling T-shirts numbered from 1 to 1,000,000, each with the same design so anyone wearing them will instantly recognize the other. But each t-shirt is individually and uniquely numbered going from one to a million with the number embroidered into the lower part of the right sleeve. 30 of the profits from the sale of the t-shirts will go to Christian missions which is a good enough reason to order a t-shirt. The t-shirts are the product that is uniquely numbered but they have business-casual shirts, tech shirts, sports shirts, and fleece-outerwear hoodies and garments. 30 of the sale of all of these garments goes to Christian missions. So check out a unique, timely and yes...cool organization, 1M4JC and get whatever kind of garment that you need to identify you as one of 1 million 4 Jesus Christ.

Dec 3, Smith and Wesson 500 Magnum Revolver Review

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:38:05 GMT

Smith and Wesson 500 Magnum Revolver Review

Dec 3, GLOCK 23 Review

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:25:42 GMT

A review of the GLOCK 23 .40 S&W

Dec 2, In Somebody Else's Shoes

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:05:23 GMT

The tragedy of the four Washington police officers that were shot to death by Maurice Clemmons shook me to the core. Not because of just the shooting. Read more.......

Dec 1, Shameless Promotion by.........Me

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:50:03 GMT

I guess that's what this is, but the reality is, a great gift idea for that handgun owner on your Christmas list is a subscription to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association; the web site and service that I regularly refer to as the "best concealed carry resource on the web." Now I admittedly have an affiliate account with U.S.C.C.A. but I have also been a customer of them for the last two and a half years. And those of you who are familiar with this web site know that I link to very few sites of any kind. The ones I do link to and am an affiliate of are organizations that I absolutely know from personal experience to deliver great value and service. I am only an affiliate because that is available and I would recommend those organizations whether they had any affiliate program or not. The U.S.C.C.A. provides tons of insightful and expert advice, gun reviews, self defense training, concealed carry instruction, real life stories of armed self defense and much more. And it delivers it at a price that makes it one of the best values available. So, I can tell you from my personal experience of two and a half years that a gift subscription to the USCCA would make a great gift for any handgun owner. That's my shameless promotion and here's one more shameless opportunity for you to link to the best concealed carry resource on the web.

Dec 1, Christian Gun Owner "Blasts" Into a New Milestone

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:35:07 GMT

Time to say thank you once again to the regular visitors who refer the CGO web site to their friends and family. While the site gets a good deal of organic traffic from search engine, nothing says more than the traffic produced by word of mouth. This was the only kind of traffic I had a couple of years ago, and it's still the most important kind to me personally. So once again, thank you for continuing to spread the word and for the 65,940 unique visitors that came to the CGO site in November.

Nov 18, Why Christians Need Weapons

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:03:52 GMT

One night in October 2008, 26 year old Anne Pressly slept alone, peacefully in her own home in Little Rock, Arkansas. Pressly was a local news anchor, a Christian from a Christian family, and this night what we all talk about on my web site, through this blog and other places gave us a harrowing look at why we should be prepared for what this world may bring our way. Read more

Nov 5, Worth Supporting

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:48:16 GMT

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.

Oct 26, The Girl Can Shoot

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:18:50 GMT

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, More School System Insanity......in an Insane State

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:32:29 GMT

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, Well Said

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:04:59 GMT

Oct 14, School System Insanity

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:10:45 GMT

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 10, New Articles

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:41:53 GMT

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, Cleaning a GLOCK Pistol

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:59:14 GMT

Effectively cleaning a GLOCK pistol

Oct 10, The .357 Magnum for Home Defense

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:54:50 GMT

Using the .357 magnum for home defense

Oct 10, Carrying a J Frame Revolver

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:51:50 GMT

Effectively carrying a J Frame Revolver

Oct 10, Carrying a GLOCK Pistol

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:46:41 GMT

Safely carrying a GLOCK Pistol

Oct 10, Carrying A 1911 Pistol

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:30:54 GMT

Tips on carrying a 1911 pistol safely and effectively

Oct 10, First Time Concealed Carry

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:25:39 GMT

Concealed carry tips for first timers

Oct 5, Reading a little might help with ignorance

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:09:59 GMT

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.

Sep 23, Join Me On Facebook

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:03:44 GMT

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 14, Hunter Education Target System

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:10:18 GMT

An evaluation of the Hunter Education Target System.

Sep 5, Let's all panic over H1N1

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:01:19 GMT

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, Sig Sauer P220 review

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:48:23 GMT

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

Sep 1, Thanks to regular and new visitors

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:29:12 GMT

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, Town Hall Meetings are a predictable debacle

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:22:30 GMT

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, The Smith and Wesson Military and Police

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:46:41 GMT

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

Aug 22, Useful holster review from a reader

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:34:23 GMT

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, Not a good sign for Bersa

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:54:02 GMT

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, Making Life Simpler

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:19:43 GMT

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......

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

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:28:27 GMT

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, Information overload almost sucks me under

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:06:51 GMT

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 6, A little clarity for Jim

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:04:47 GMT

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, Kimber Pro Carry II Review

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:49:04 GMT

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