Yesterday we got a Google review from one of our guests (customers) stating how happy they were with HD’s work as a gunsmith.  This customer is one of our best and has brought may guns (some antique, some modern) in for gunsmithing and appraisal; they have also purchased a few guns through us as well!  It was so exciting, and satisfying, hearing that he is doing a great job and it made me think about his time in gunsmithing school and the his career in a field that dates back to over 800 years ago where it began in China.  The value of his education is coming to fruition as he continues to build his client base and with each firearm he fixes, he gains even more experience.
 
As with any other skill, the more time an individual practices, the better they become.  HD has been a gunsmith since 2004 when he graduated from Colorado School of Trades with an Associates of Applied Science degree in Gunsmithing.  Prior to his education, gunsmithing was just a hobby, as it is for many avid gun owners, but he knew there was more to it than the basics he was using and decided to turn his passion into a career.  When I see the quality gunsmithing work my husband does I have to ask myself: “Was it his education, his determination, or his raw talent as a craftsman that has made him so good?”  There are a lot of hobbyist gunsmiths out there, gunsmiths who learned their trade from correspondences courses, watching YouTube, or just taking guns apart and putting them back together again.  I am certain that these gunsmiths bring much to the table, and perhaps I am biased (ya’ think?) in saying that HD’s excellent work is second to none, but I wonder if the casual gun owner knows how valuable a good gunsmith is?
 
There is more to gunsmithing than just tearing guns down and putting them back together again, trouble shooting, and simple modifications.  Gunsmithing is one of the most incredible forms of artistic expression out there, the amount of skill that goes into creating the usable works of art like Holland & Holland, Fabbrica Armi d’Abbiatico e Salvinelli, and even Winchester bring to the market is nearly unfathomable.   Firearms that companies like this produce are exquisite and here are some examples of their artistry:

​The NRA states “Gunsmithing is a craft that has long been a part of American history and culture. Gunsmiths have been responsible for some of the most historic technological advancements in firearm history, their raw skills and artistry making them unique to the trade. “ (see: https://gunsmithing.nra.org/) , I really like those key words “raw skills” and “artistry” because those are the same talents I believe set my husband apart.  While HD does not currently do checkering or engraving (we are hoping that as the business grows he can continue his schooling to add these talents to his skill set), the custom work he does is its own form of art.   While he LOVES working on all types of firearms, his talents truly shine when doing custom rifles.  The picture below is an example of some of his custom work.  This .54 caliber Kentucky Long Rifle boasts a hand carved and finished (by HD) fiddle-back maple stock and a Green Mountain 42” octagonal custom plum browned barrel. 

​It hangs above our cash register and is a conversation piece for every guest who appreciates fine rifles and superior craftsmanship.  We have had to put a “not for sale” sign on the firearm just to make sure people understand it is an example of his work but that this particular firearm is NOT for sale.
 
There is such beauty that can be found in classic rifles, shotguns, revolvers, and handguns.  While the new “black guns” are fun to shoot, they lack the splendor of a beautifully crafted gun that boasts a superior finish and the gloss of a crafted stock or grips.  I am not saying that one is superior to the other, but I am saying that a good custom rifle or shotgun attracts a certain type of person; a person who values craftsmanship, quality, and a durability that has been proven for hundreds of years.  These guns are built to last, they are not mass-produced, many are one of a kind.  Now I am well aware that not everyone has access to a Holland & Holland firearm (we sure don’t), but many do have access to an educated gunsmith who can make certain that their traditional firearm is well cared for and will serve its purpose for decades to come.  These gunsmiths can upgrade stocks, re-blue barrels, and add value for future generations.  A word of warning: beware of an overeager gunsmith who is not experienced in which firearms are safe to smith and which are far better off left in their original condition.  Many a novice gun owner has taken a valuable firearm to an ignorant gunsmith, who while stripping the finishes, stripped the value right out of the gun.
 
When your truck needs an oil change, you can usually do that yourself, but there are some things that require an expert’s attention. The same goes with firearms; while there are many things an owner can do themselves, there are other repairs that should be done by a trained and insured gunsmith.  We can never forget that these tools, while often very pretty to look at, are meant to be deadly and a simple mistake on the part of a DYI’er attempting to repair their own firearm could lead to catastrophe.  We would love to be your gunsmith of choice, but if you can’t get to us (you can always ship your firearm to us) please find a reputable, educated, and insured gunsmith to service your firearms.  We care about your safety and want you to always be responsible when it comes to your guns.

I spent my high school years in the town of Evanston, Illinois attending Evanston Township High School.  My mother, because of work, moved me there from Kenosha, Wisconsin where I had friends and a strong social network, the first semester of my freshman year.  ETHS was a HUGE school compared to my little school in Kenosha. With a plethora of diversity one would think that I could find a crowd to fall in with.  At my previous school I had friends and kids I hung out with after school, but I would not have the same luck at Evanston. From the day I started to the day I graduated (one year early) I did not make one single friend.  I ate my lunch in the bathroom – because food was not allowed in the library – then moved to the library to finish out the period (all that time in the library explains why I was able to graduate early).  The simple fact of the matter was that I just did not fit in, not with any of the groups.  I was not wealthy like many of the students, nor was I impoverished like many others, I was terrible at sports, but (at the urging of my family) tried out for the volleyball team anyway and was not selected, at the time I was too shy to participate in anything like debate or theatre. Despite what many people (those “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” people, those “get out there and try harder to make friends” people) believed, I was trying so very hard to make friends. I was desperate to be accepted by someone, anyone – but there was NO ONE.  I was bullied for being fat (looking back I was only as size 12 and would love to be “fat” like that again), I was tortured in the hall as I went to my Latin class every day for three years by a group of Spanish speaking girls who would tug my hair and call me names in a language I didn’t speak, there were spit balls, feet protruding in the walkways between the desks so I would trip, and lewd noises anytime I had to give a class presentation.  Lonely and rejected I relegated myself to my room during the week, burying myself in my studies, and on the weekends I would beg my mother to drive me the two hours to White Pines Ranch (located in Oregon, Illinois) were my horse was and where I could go, be me, ride, and be totally free.

​You are probably asking “Why is she telling us this? What does this have to do with guns or the 2nd Amendment, or anything this blog is supposed to be about?”  I am telling you this because things could have gone differently for me, my life could have taken a dark turn towards either violence or self-inflicted pain. Luckily I had a mother who did all that she could to diminish my despair by driving me two hours each way on Friday nights and coming to pick me back up on Sunday afternoons.  Luckily I had a horse named Roper who seized my hopelessness and with his gentle spirit and turned it joy, love, and a purpose. Luckily I grew up in a time where there most popular video game was Super Mario Brothers and young men and women were not placing themselves into Mario or Luigi’s shoes and trying to pounce turtles or break bricks with their heads; it was a very different time than the first-person shooter games of today.  No, I am not about to call out first-person shooter games or claim that video games and violent movies are responsible for mass shootings, nor am I going to blame it on guns or the firearms industry in general, I am going to do something far more provocative than that, I am going to call out parents who are so completely disengaged as care-givers that they cannot see their children suffering and slipping into anguish, I am going to call out the school teachers and administrators who turn their backs when the quite kid, the nerd, the fat kid, or the poor kid are needlessly attacked by their peers, and I am going to call out all of the bullies out there who work so very hard at making sure those who are “less than” know just how worthless they are.

​Now as a trained sociologist (that is what my master’s degree is in) I could drone on for an entire book relating the theories of Durkheim, Marx, and Merton, that do indeed come into play, to the horrific acts of mass shootings, but maybe that is for another day.  What I really want to point out is that it is really a few of agents of socialization that truly determine a huge part of what makes a mass-shooter.  First let’s talk about the family.  As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, alienation all starts at home where two working career-focused parents spend more time with their jobs than with their children.  I am NOT saying working parents can’t be good parents, my mom was a single working mom and I turned out just fine, but when you have individuals who farm out the care and raising of their children to others beginning at a very young age and then allow those children to spend what little time they do have with them playing on the computer, cell phone, whatever, you end up with children who lack basic socialization and parents who are totally disengaged from the act of actually parenting.  Children are left alone for hours every day to entertain themselves in whatever way they can find.  Many find that entertainment in video games which allow them to leave their reality (which can sometimes be very harsh and lonely) and escape to a world where they are powerful, heroic, and respected – whether by the gun or by the sword – these young people find their pride and courage in a game console.

On to the education system – ugh – don’t even get me started!  The education system in this country is broken and teachers are getting worse with each batch.  Discipline has been taken out of the school and, in an attempt to thwart bullying; schools have only encouraged students to take to things like social media to bully their peers.  Teacher’s hands are tied when it comes to enforcing any type of social order in the classroom.  Every student is “empowered” to question authority and they openly debate their teachers and question disciplinary decisions.  At this point it is easier for teachers to just sit back and allow chaos to run amok less they be the victim of a classroom revolution or worse, and administrative reprimand.  Teachers who are brave enough to correct inappropriate behaviors are often disciplined themselves by administration after an angry parent comes and raises a stink about the “inappropriate way” their child was punished (usually something as simple as a trip to the principle or at worst in-school suspension).  Without the support of the administration the teachers don’t have a leg to stand on and bullies are allowed to continue their naughty behaviors and exclude many of their peers from engagement opportunities.  Many young people, especially young men, are then left out in the cold – angry and alienated they go home to an empty house and take out their frustration by being a hero – whether wizard or warrior – earning the respect they can’t get at school by force.

There are, of course, other things that come into play when a young person moves from social outlier to active shooter.  There are many other social, psychological, and ideological factors that are of consequence when a young mind turns to gun violence.  Many of these young men were seeking to end their pain and make others pay for the “injustices” they may have suffered at the hands and mouths of their peers.  They do so in a way that seems most effective and accessible to them – gun violence – because in their FANTASY life the respect comes from fear and the consequences for their outbursts are limited to an image on a screen.
 
Please know that I am NOT saying these young shooters are not culpable for their crimes!  I too was an outcast, ostracized and excluded, yet I never became a mass shooter or hurt anybody but myself.  In my mind, the people who commit these crimes are to be punished to the greatest extent of the law! But I do understand that these young people are being brought up in a world they believe is supposed to be fair, they feel entitled to justice and will bring it to reality through the fantasy in which they immerse themselves.  The point of this article was not make excuses for mass shooters or try to explain away the pain of the families of their victims with stories of the shooters own victimization, it was meant to show that gun violence can be avoided through attention and action.  We need to pay attention to our young people and the choices they are making. Just because it is common belief that teenagers hate their parents and want nothing to do with them, that does not give parent the permission to shirk their duties, if anything it should motivate parents to be respectfully intrusive and justly disciplinary. If we see something in a young person that seems to point towards violent behavior we need to take the necessary steps to redirect that behavior.  The video games are not to blame, the guns are not to blame, we must look to ourselves as parents, educators, and mentors and determine if we are truly working to make the lives of our young people positive, productive, and constructive.

​You are cozy in bed, it is late at night, you hear a noise in the living room and you jump from your bed as the noise approaches.  All of the sudden you see a man in black (ski mask and all) standing at your door with a gun.  What do you do?  Well, if you are a gun owner and the substitute for House Bill 1122 passes you will have to kindly ask the intruder: “Oh, hey Mr. Burglar, could you just wait here while I go get my gun out of the safe?” How well do you think that request would go over? 

Well, if the anti-gun legislators have their way that is exactly what will happen and chances are it won’t go over all that well and you will get robbed because you are left defenseless against an intruder in your own home.  The police won’t come to help you - the burglar won’t let you get to the phone, your neighbors won’t hear your screams – their lot is too far away, all you can do is pray that the criminal takes off with your goods and leaves you unharmed.  I don’t know about you, but I would like a little firepower to backup that prayer.

So if this Sub HB 1122 passes, I will be legally required to store my guns in my home in a way that the GOVERNMENT sees fit rather than how I see fit?  I won’t lie to you, we sleep with loaded guns on our night stands every single night, it is just something we do and have always done.  When we lay our heads on the our pillows, both HD and I know that we are safe an protected beyond the locks on the door (which, by the way, are not really there for our protection) and the two “guard” schnauzers sleeping next to the bed.  If those guns had to be locked up in a safe (even if it was a small safe inside the bedside table drawer) I would NOT feel safe.  The amount of time it takes to remove the gun from the safe could be the difference between walking out of the house on my own two feet and being wheeled out of the house in a body bag.
​​
If the federal government doesn’t like the way I store my guns I can be charged (and convicted) with a class C felony which can carry sentence terms of 10 to 40 years and monetary fines of $10,000 to $100,000 (per www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/what-is-a-class-c-felony.html). Why is the government so interested with what is going on in my house.  We are not harming anybody; nobody has been injured or died in our house by readily accessible firearms.  The claim is that children are being accidentally killed by loaded and accessible guns in the home.  I don’t argue with that, we see it in the news every once in a while, one child shoots another because they were playing war with daddy’s handgun.  The problem is NOT the gun, the problem is that daddy never taught little Johnny that a gun is not a toy, respect for the weapon was never established, instead, the weapon became a temptation, something shiny that goes bang little Johnny was told not to touch all the while he sees daddy playing with the toy.  I have seen the ad campaigns, some actually very funny, driving home the point:

It is my belief that if you bring up a child with guns as a tool (something like an electrical outlet or kitchen knife that when used with safety and intention are totally safe, but that when misused can be dangerous and even deadly), it diminishes the excitement and moderates the taboo. If children were educated about the firearms, and firearms safety, in their home at an early age (as my husband, his siblings, and all of his cousins were – and now all of their children are) there would be far more respect for the tool and far less curiosity and eagerness to play with it as a toy. It is really this simple: Guns are a tool, NOT a toy!

​It all comes down to this one action: taking responsibility for yourself and your children!  Don’t look to the government to keep your children safe, that is your job, you are their parent, if something were to happen to them because you failed to teach them safety and respect for firearms that is your fault! Why should I sit back and let your actions (or lack of action) make it more difficult for me to protect myself and my family?  When we look at the big picture of Sub HB 1122 that is really what it is all about.  Some think that by leaving a loaded gun in my home I am recklessly endangering others (especially children), but I keep my firearm with me and don’t leave it, or children, unsupervised in my home, so I disagree.  I think that if you have a gun, even if you lock it up most of the time, and yet fail to educate those in your home about its use and safety precautions – you are the one who is recklessly endangering others.

So I have a question for all of you, which is better and why?
More laws and regulations that strip law-abiding Americans of their 2nd Amendment Rights, leave them vulnerable, and invite big government inside our homes?
Or:
Educating all citizens in the use, handling, safety, and storage of firearms and then letting them decide how to incorporate the tool into their homes and if they wish to exercise their 2nd Amendment Rights?

Oh, Shoot Gun Shop/Cates Firearms & Manufacturing, LLC sells guns.  We sell guns in our store, we sell guns online, and guess what – we sell ammo and gun accessories too!  I thought when we went through the vetting process and were approved by the ATF (a Federal entity) that we set to go, we were legit, the government itself approved of our existence – and so it does, to a point.  The government is happy to take our money, tax our customers for their purchases, and enforce compliance – which are all totally fine with me, don’t get me wrong – so why in the world did the government (the Obama Administration and a ridiculous plan called “Operation Choke Point”) instruct federally insured banks to stop doing business with gun/ammo dealers who do any business online, going so far as to call us “Reputational Risks”.  In order to do online gun sales, you should have an FFL and that, in and of itself, means that you have been approved by the government to - wait for it – SELL GUNS!  So if we are approved by the government to sell guns and ammunition, why are we being undermined and blocked from doing business with government insured banks? 

​We have a bank; it is a good little bank, small with just a few branches.  We like it, it is just really small and there aren’t many mobile convenience options, because we live so far away from anything (75 miles from the closest Wal-Mart and the same distance to the closest branch of our bank) this makes it really challenging to do business!  We also have a big bank, a really big bank (not Wells Fargo) who shall remain nameless, my own mother was a Vice-President of a branch of this bank before she retired, and I have been doing business with for 21 years.  Since the first day I opened a checking account all of my accounts (checking, savings, mortgage, credit, and auto) have been through this bank.  They have EVERYTHING: mobile deposit, merchant services, online statements, and nine thousand other options that make everything super-easy and timely.  We went to our closest branch (over two and a half hours away) a couple of weeks ago to try and set-up an account for our business BAM – we were hit with sorry, we cannot open another account for you, according to our policies your type of business is too risky.  Too risky, what are we doing, selling copious amounts of Metamucil to seniors who already suffer with massive flatulence?  Now that’s risky, especially if you are downwind!

The simple fact of the matter is that we are NOT doing anything risky, if we were, the government would pull our FFL and we would no longer be able to do business.  Operation Choke Point, which is still plaguing firearms businesses today, shows just how far the Far Left is willing to go in order to put a stop to the legal sale of firearms in the US.  Sneaky and shady, this plan to force out reputable and responsible gun shop owners represents the worst of the worst when it comes to Obama’s anti-gun policies.  We now look to, and call upon, our current POTUS – Mr. Donald J. Trump – to put a stop to this attack on small businesses, the very same small businesses that employ decent American citizens, and which pump countless millions of dollars into our economy every year.  Recognize us as the valuable contributors we are to the US and its constituents.  Tell the big banks “go forth, the government supports these businesses, open your doors to their commerce!”

​So we have all seen it in the movies, or on television, a bad man (or woman) is looking to brutally murder a spouse, lover, traitor, terrorist, criminal, whatever and as they are ever-so-slowly sneaking towards their target the camera zooms in and there they are – looking all menacing, screwing a silencer (aka suppressor – they are the same thing) onto the barrel of their pistol.

Hitman: Agent 47 Image Courtesy of www.imfdb.or

And then pffft, there it is, they shot their target without a sound and escape without alerting anyone to their murderous actions.
 
If someone was use Hollywood to determine their feelings about silencers (or guns in general), which why wouldn’t they, I mean if it happens in the movies or on TV it must be real, I can understand why one might feel apprehensive about a wide availability of suppressors on the firearms market. 

But let me give all those fearful of silent weapons being brandished about by nefarious murderers a reassuring reality check: suppressors (silencers) are NOT silent!  You can still hear the shot!  Don’t let Hollywood special effects fool you, suppressors only suppress (duh) the noise, they do not eliminate it.  Check out this YouTube video:

Not only do we get to hear what the firearm sounds like suppressed, we get to hear what it sounded like prior to the suppressor being attached.  While there is a very clear and audible difference, the suppressed shots are in no way silent (or even anything near it).  Consider yourself educated and your concerns about silent weaponry addressed.  Just in case you wanted more information, Frank Miniter of the NRA-ILA wrote an excellent article today, 5 Things Everyone Needs to Know About Suppressors, that replaces even more myths with facts – it’s a quick read – take the time to educate yourself even further.
 
So why all the taxes (a $200 tax stamp is required) and long wait periods (four to nine months) for something that is meant to be used (with much success) simply to protect the operators hearing?  Well, that is the very question Congress is being asked to consider in the Hearing Protection Act of 2017 which was recently introduced in both the Senate and the House.  According to the NRA the “bill would remove suppressors from the provisions of the National Firearms Act (NFA), which requires buyers to pay a $200 tax and undergo an enhanced background check that can take up to nine months to complete. Suppressors would continue to be regulated like non-NFA firearms, which require a background check when sold by a licensed firearms dealer or across state lines.” See: https://www.nraila.org/articles/20170127/disinformation-campaign-on-the-hearing-protection-act-continues
 
At this point, I feel it would be totally pointless for me to add my two cents to the discussion as the facts about what suppressors do, and don’t do, speak for themselves.  What I will say is that, for someone like me who lives with a man who seems nearly deaf – despite wearing hearing protection when he shoots, the benefits of suppressors far outweigh whatever downside ill-advised 2nd Amendment cynics offer up.  Although I am certain my husband is happy to continue life not hearing (or maybe even pretending not to hear) most of what I say, I would like to live in a country that makes it easier to protect this most precious of senses, as I would like to be able to hear what others are saying to me and attaching a suppressor onto the end of a Colt 1911 as I practice shooting would help me do just that!
 
If you feel passionate about protecting your, or a loved one’s, hearing go to NRA website link below and inform your representatives that you support the Hearing Protection Act of 2017.  Changes that will make shooting and shooting sports safer is in your hands, what will you do with your voice?

Contact your reps today: https://act.nraila.org/takeaction.aspx?AlertID=1442&_ga=1.83046357.2529385.1484596145

​When I started thinking about what I wanted to share with you this week firearms advertising came to mind.  After being horrified by the sex sells ads in gun magazines, where big breasted women are scantily clad in crop-tops and shorty-shorts, I thought I would focus on the sexist image many companies use to sell their guns and shooting supplies.  As I began my research I came across an article in the Business Insider titled: Here’s How Guns are Advertised in America and decided that would be a great place to get some ideas…boy was I surprised to find a left wing article sarcastically attacking some truthful gun ads.  Now to be honest, and fair, some of their objections and observations were spot on, I, obviously, agree that there are some pretty sexist ads out there, but the article claims the industry uses fear to sell.  Let me make a bold statement here: the industry does not use fear to sell, it uses truth, and the truth can be frightening.  The Left seeks to remove all fear and doubt from our minds, making us soft targets for bad men and women who seek to do us harm, and reassure us that they (the government) are there to take care of us and our every need (but they’re NOT).
​
Here is one of the ads from the article and the sarcastic commentary by the author:

Is this not the truth?  If a young girl found herself in a situation where her physical person was threatened what would her father want her to have immediate access to? 

• A condom?  Why, so she can beg the rapist to put in on to protect her health while he destroys her life, emotions, and well-being?
• A cell phone? Why, so she can call the police and beg them to come and find her?  By the time they got there the rapist would have shattered any hopes of rescue the victim had.
• A firearm? Assuming the father has brought up his daughter to respect and know how to use firearms, is this not her best defense? The ad is not claiming she has to shoot the rapist, only that she has to use the firearm.  She may use it to scare him away; a gun pointed in a rapists face may do some good in deterring him from proceeding with his malevolent plans to strip this girl of her dignity and trust.  She may use it to fire a warning shot, putting the rapist on notice that the gun is loaded and alerting others in the area to issue of great need.  If the rapist still believes he can make her his next victim, she can use the gun to wound (not necessarily fatally) the rapist so that she can get away.

Now I know what some people will argue, she could use physical self-defense tactics to fend off her attacker, but they all require a level of bodily proximity that could allow him to overtake her.  No, truly, her best, most immediate defense is definitely a firearm.  If HD and I had a daughter I would want her to feel confident knowing she had the tools to defend herself from anyone who would seek to do her physical harm.
 
Let’s take a look at another:

​Let me start by saying that I am personally offended by the article author believing that I, as a woman, would allow myself to be targeted because why?  As a woman I am so naive and fearful of my own (imposed) helplessness that I would not look at this ad with a rational eye and come to an introspective conclusion about how I feel about it?  NO, don’t do the same thing you claim the ad is doing, that’s just bad form!
 
Anyway, back to the ad itself, I see a strong woman (who is neither inappropriately dressed nor posed in any questionable way) practicing (as she should) her firearms handling skills.  This skill DOES counteract victimhood! This is not an empty promise; it is a promise that gun manufacturers and organizations can make!  Women who gain training and confidence with the use of a firearm, and carry them in a responsible and intentional manner, are going to be less likely to be a victim of any type of crime (property, sexual, physical, etc).  I think the website Guns & Lace (a woman’s self-defense training LLC) says it best: “A woman who is aware, practiced, and proficient with a firearm is much less likely to be a victim herself or have her family fall victim to a predator than an untrained woman.”
 
It is crazy to me to think that Left-wing media would be so short-sighted when it comes to the firearms industry marketing to women.  Does the Left really feel that women shouldn’t carry a firearm or that a firearm shouldn’t make them feel safe?  No, the Left believes that NO ONE should carry a firearm unless they are employed by the government and the only way to feel safe is know your government is “there” to protect you.  Women, no one is there to protect you!  You must be ready to protect yourself, your family, and your rights!  Do not be so unsophisticated as to look to others for your protection; you are a woman, you are strong, you are capable, you have a voice - use it, you have a mind – employ it, you have power – exercise it!  Do not let yourself be led to believe gun companies and organizations are using fear to pull you in, they are not, they are using truth, let that truth motivate you to prepare yourself for whatever come!

​We are NOT rich, we work hard every month to make ends meet and keep our heads, both at home and in the business, above water; extra cash is hard to come by and I know most families are in the same boat.  In my last blog I mentioned that I would really like to participate in firearms safety and usage training.  Since that time I have been doing some research to locate a class in my area and have come to find that the cost of taking a class to learn firearms competency is high, in some cases astronomical.  Let me say right here and now: I value the skills of the instructors who teach these classes and what I am about to say is not meant to devalue the service they provide.  The cost to take a firearm (handgun) safety class in my area ranges from $100 to $500 per person. Now I am not sure about you, but I don’t have an extra several hundred dollars hanging around in my monthly budget.  I am lucky because my husband has already been through one and we have no children who, if we did, would also be expected to complete training at a very young age (that is for another blog), but right now several hundred dollars may as well be several thousand.  There are surely many families out there who would be all for their children learning about the proper use of, and care for, firearms but several hundred dollars per child creates a cost prohibitive situation where they may decide “Ah, what the heck, I’ll just teach little Johnny or Jane all I know about guns, that’ll be enough.”  In many cases, it will NOT be enough!
 
We live in a country that has granted us the right to keep and bear arms but then provides no formal training in how to do so.  The right to an education isn’t even in the Constitution yet federal, state, and local governments have bulky departments dedicated to the implementation of educational practices that serve to benefit our country by training up informed and active citizens (if you ask me we have fallen critically short of this goal in many cases).  In school we learn about our 1st Amendment Rights at length, as we should, but after the 1st Amendment, our training in the US Constitution and our rights and responsibility as citizens all but disappears save for a few mentions of it in American Government and US History classes. Upon whom does the burden of education in how to use a firearm fall?  So many agencies, both pro- and anti- gun rights, talk about our 2nd Amendment Right but it is rare to hear any of them speak of the work they are doing to provide affordable quality training to US citizens who wish to safely and deliberately exercise this right.
 
Why not allow schools, in partnership with agencies like the NRA, to offer students the opportunity to learn more about their rights as a citizen and the use of a firearm?  Some countries, such as Switzerland, implement required firearms training, why should we not do the same?  Could we not at least encourage schools to offer target shooting as a sport?  That would be a great start!  In an excellent article by David B. Kopel and Stephen D'Andrilli in American Rifleman titled "What America can Learn from Switzerland is that the Best way to Reduce Gun Misuse is to Promote Responsible Gun Ownership” (February, 1990), the authors share their view that “high schools and colleges wishing to offer target shooting as a sport should be allowed to do so. Unlike football or swimming, scholastic target shooting has never resulted in a fatality…” this would at least allow those earnest students who do want to learn about guns and shooting the opportunity to do so in a controlled environment with trained instructors where the outcome is positive healthy competition; shooting is an Olympic sport after all.
 
When we talk about the 1st Amendment we seem to understand that we cannot teach our youth they have a right (such as that of freedom of speech – or religion – or to peaceably assemble) without instructing them how to exercise that right in an appropriate, respectful, and intentional way.  Why then can we as a country not get it together, put on our common sense caps, and recognize that our 2nd Amendment Right to keep and bear arms requires federal, state, and local attention and educational support to create an environment of respect for the responsibility that comes along with our right to own and carry a gun?  If we offered free (or at least low-cost) firearms training to our people while they are young we would develop a population of citizens who were all capable of safe and reverent use of guns, leading to a more secure, more peaceful, America.

There is no doubt that, in this age of civic unrest (especially in large cities) in our country, we all want to feel that we can protect ourselves should the need arise.  While I look to, and trust in, the skills of our men in blue, I still am interested in preparing myself to face whatever may come at me as I go about my daily life.  Believe it or not, I do not currently carry a handgun outside the shop (What? My husband is a gunsmith and together we own a gun shop!).  Many times I have thought about carrying a weapon with me, but at this point I do not feel prepared to take on such a responsibility.
 
To carry a firearm with you in your day to day is a right we are granted by our constitution, but with that right comes a great deal of responsibility and accountability.  To carry a CONCEALED firearm bears even more weight.  Law makers in my home state of New Mexico understand that and have established requirements within the state Concealed Carry Law necessitating a certain level of preparedness and training for any individual (who has the legal right to bear arms) who wants to carry a concealed weapon.  According to Chapter 21, Article 19, Paragraph 7 of the New Mexico Concealed Handgun Carry Act of 2003:
 
The department shall prepare and publish minimum standards for approved firearms training courses that teach competency with handguns. A firearms training course shall include classroom instruction and range instruction and an actual demonstration by the applicant of his ability to safely use a handgun. An applicant shall not be licensed unless he demonstrates, at a minimum, his ability to use a handgun of .32 caliber…The firearms training course shall be not less than fifteen hours in length and shall provide instruction regarding:
          (1) knowledge of and safe handling of single- and double-action revolvers and semiautomatic handguns;
          (2) safe storage of handguns and child safety;
          (3) safe handgun shooting fundamentals;
          (4) live shooting of a handgun on a firing range;
          (5) identification of ways to develop and maintain handgun shooting skills;
          (6) federal, state and local criminal and civil laws pertaining to the purchase, ownership, transportation, use and possession                of handguns;
          (7) techniques for avoiding a criminal attack and how to control a violent confrontation;
          and
          (8) techniques for nonviolent dispute resolution.
 
These all seem like perfectly reasonable, rational, and realistic expectations/requirements for anyone who wishes to carry a concealed firearm (a deadly weapon). In my never to be humble opinion, I feel this level of training would be ideal groundwork for any person who wishes to use and/or carry any firearm whether concealed or not. But to one lawmaker (and some of his police department constituents) in my state the training requirements outlined above are too numerous and prohibitive and they would like to see the instruction/classroom requirements lifted from the law.
 
Republican State Senator Steve Neville of San Juan County (county seat: Aztec, largest town: Farmington) is looking to introduce a bill which would remove the barrier of training and grant the right to any person legally allowed to carry a gun to carry that gun concealed on their person. When I heard about this on a local news broadcast out of Albuquerque’s KRQE news station (watch news broadcast HERE) I said to HD (my husband, the gunsmith and gun shop owner) “I am not sure how I feel about that, I am not sure I want someone who has had absolutely NO training to be able to hide a gun in their jacket or purse and then, when they feel the need arises, draw their weapon and accidentally discharge it causing damage to property or persons completely unrelated to their interpretation of the ‘need’…I don’t feel comfortable carrying a concealed weapon, and won’t feel comfortable until I know I have been properly instructed to do so, but maybe I am wimpy, wimpy, wimpy?!”  His response was the simple agreement “No, you’re smart!” 
 
HD and I both believe in our 2nd Amendment Rights and (when we carry guns) carry our guns with the conviction that our possession of firearms is a right, a privilege, and a responsibility; but are all gun owners so principled?  We know all gun owners believe it is their right to “keep and bear arms”, and we wholeheartedly agree,  but do they also share our conviction that it is a responsibility, one which should not be taken lightly, and requires a certain level of cognizant consideration for the repercussions of misunderstanding, abusing, or corrupting the privilege?  While common sense should dictate that learning about guns, their use, maintenance, and safe-keeping is a necessary requirement for anyone who wants to own a gun, common sense is in short supply in this country lately and, until common sense is restored, we must continue to preserve some minimum requirements.  It is training that prevents the perversion of our right (and privilege) to carry firearms with us, in whatever manner is best suited for us, and striking the training requirement from the New Mexico Concealed Handgun Carry Act of 2003 may prove to be more destructive than constructive when it comes to producing a population of well-informed prudent gun owners and easing the fears of the left that we are too lax already.