Guns

If you've watched the news or read a newspaper lately, the word "Guns" should scare you to death. They're everywhere, guns in our schools, guns on our streets, no one is safe. It seems that, with the proliferation of firearms in this world, death waits around every corner. My goodness, all you have to do is read the numbers. 20 million people, dead in Russia. 6 million dead, in Germany. 5 million dead, in China. 1 million dead, in Cambodia. When will it end?

Oh, wait,,, my mistake. Those dead were all living in countries with dictatorial governments and strict gun laws that made it impossible for an individual to possess a firearm. OOPS, my bad. Apparently they were all killed by their governments for daring to disagree with it. It seems that since their respective governments had made guns illegal, they had absolutely no way to defend themselves against that government. The Result; wholesale slaughter.

Look, banning guns isn't the answer. In fact, it's not even a realistic possibility. The answer would be to, a.) Enforce the laws that we already have on the books. They really are a LOT more restrictive and punitive than you might think. And b.) Safe and responsible gun ownership. Face it, if you choose to excersise your 2nd Amendment RIGHT, to keep and bear arms, then it is your RESPONSIBILITY to do so in a safe and reasonable manner. Trust me on this, if you kee[ a gun in your haouse, and you have kids over the age of 2, they know EXACTLY where it is. So, lock it up. Keep the keys to the lock on you, not lying around. Or better yet, keep the weapon on your person. You'll always know where it is, that way. No chance of your toddler grabbing it and accidently killing themselves with it, and best of all, if something occurs, and you need it, you already have it.

Lastly, and then I'll get off of my soapbox, I promise, if you choose to be resposible for your own safety(New Orleans, after Katrina, proved you can't rely on anyone else for it), get some training. Check out this link
alt="Front Sight - World's Premiere Training for Self Defense and Personal Safety"
width="300" height="250" border="0" title="Front Sight" /> They're the best available. But, if you choose not to use this facility, choose another one, just choose one and get trained. The information gleened from it is worth the time and expense, all by itself. You'll feel better about having the knowledge and skills to take care of yourself. Check them out for yourself, you'll see. http://www.frontsight.com/

Outdoor Living

Fellow Campers,
I just spent a wonderful weekend with friends and family in the beautiful woods of southern Oregon. For myself, adventure gear was kept to a minimum, for me any way. I had a tent, sleeping bag, gas stove and lantern, oh yeah, and a queen size air mattress. Look, I said it was minimal for me, ok? This Mini Vacation was made possible through the wonders of on-line shopping, for the most part. The majority of my outdoor gear is aquired in this way. For some time sensitive and specific items, Wal-Mart fills the void. Face it, their prices and selection are tough to beat, and their Ozark Trail brand is of a good, solid quality, at a reasonable price. Now, for the record, even some of the Wal-Mart items were purchased online(they have a good website, too). Even the spot we picked to camp was decided through online means. Google Maps and Google Earth, gotta love 'em.

Ok, so anyway, we made our trip "Old School Primitive", dry camping. No running water(If you don't count the creek), no "facilities". You know, CAMPING. NOw some of you may have noticed that I have not said word one, about hiking. There's a very good reason for that. My idea of a good hike is to walk from my tent, to my ATV, then ride the rest of the way. Lazy, I know, but a lotta fun, and my one concession to the modern world on this trip. We rode for miles on those rutted out BLM trails, it was beautiful. My riding partner and tent mate for this trip, Otis, a 5 year old Basset Hound, thoroughly enjoyed his "Daddy Time" and all those new smells(not to mention the trees).

The food was great, and the fellowship, even better. Nothing like living in the great outdoors, even if it's only for the weekend. If you ever get the chance, take it. It's worth it. And as for the location, well, southern Oregon has a LOT to offer. Only a few yards of the beaten path, I would venture a guess that you'd be steeping on ground that has not seen human traffic in a very long time. The numbers and variety of wildlife in the area is spectacular. From deer to wild turkeys, elk, black bears, and even the occasional cougar.

For those of you who want to know more, from novices who aren't sure what to take or how to set up camp, to the more seasoned campers, who want to hone their skills, I found a great website with all kinds of information for you. It's at http://djbinternationalllc.com/ It's worth a look around.

Well, that's all for now. Talk to you after my next adventure into the great outdoors. Bye All.