It has been a pretty interesting trip for me out to the California coast; I (obviously) did all the touristy stuff, as well as introducing my wife to a lot of places that I have very fond memories of, having visted here a lot as I was growing up.
It’s also been kind of a bittersweet week for me, because while I’m reminded of the incredible beauty and grandeur of my former home state, I’m also depressed to know that unless there’s a tremendous change in the political climate out here that I’ll never be able to move back. That’s the thing for me, I can’t bring myself to live in a state like California, to support that state with my tax dollars – especially since I live in a free state.
On the bright side, I did have a positive encounter with California’s gun culture. The Harbor Gun Shop in Morro Bay is still there, still in the same place I remembered it was as a child, and still loaded with old bolt action rifles and bayonets, some great pistols, and all the rest of the goodies. I also drove by the Hogue range again, this time during a match – I could hear the faint “pop-pop-pop” of pistol fire, and it brought a smile to my face. California gun culture isn’t dead yet, despite the best efforts of the California politicians.
The real question is whether or not California can be saved – remember that this state is viewed as a model for gun controllers, and that it’s received an A rating from the Brady Campaign almost every year. Even with that, I think that Cali could turn around; a pro-individual rights ruling in Heller could help the few pro-gun activists in California get the ball rolling in the right direction. The other thing we can do is support companies who refuse to sell to Cali, like STI.
Maybe it will help, maybe it wouldn’t. I know though that it would bring me a lot of joy to see my home state turn the corner and state to make a comeback – maybe then I could actually seriously consider moving back.
