Gun Nuts Media

I remember 2004.

Win it all again!

GO SOX!

I have been a fan of zombie genre fiction for quite some time, I never can seem to get enough of zombie movies, good or bad. Perhaps it’s my juvenile side out for a stroll, or maybe I just like watching the ravenous undead soak up bullets until that part of the movie where someone realizes that it’s got to be headshots; at which juncture people who have never handled firearms before are suddenly marksmen to put Marines to shame. Honestly, I think we all have to suspend belief when someone makes a headshot on a running zombie at 20 yards with her 2 inch J-frame.

When it comes to Zombie Stuff, I generally consider Max Brooks’ books (The Zombie Survial Guide and World War Z) to be the best of the lot, even better in fact than Romero’s “____ of the Dead” films. If you haven’t read World War Z or TZSG, I would strongly encourage you to do so.

Of course, there’s another fun reason for all the zombie talk; aside from the amusing escapism that it provides. See, I have an interesting combination in my life, that being a large stockpile of weapons and ammunition and a largely liberal group of friends. As such, “zombies” have proven in the past to be a laughable explanation for the number of guns and ammo that I own. This has been especially useful during times when talking about the RKBA would not have been a socially wise choice. On the flip size, “zombies” have also proven a respectable entryway into discussion on the 2nd Amendment. Since my friends know that I joke about keeping the guns for the “eventual undead revolution”; and they (should) also know that I don’t actually believe in zombies it leaves them with the question of why do I actually own all these guns.

Obviously, the question of “why do I own all these guns” is simple for me to answer (hint: I like guns), people who have not been raised around firearms seem to feel like we should have to justify each and every gun I own. Which is actually the final reason that I like zombies, because using the “I own guns for zombies” reasoning allows me to mock those that feel like I should have reason. I provide a reason which everyone knows is imaginary, because quite frankly I don’t need a reason to own guns.

So remember guys; buy a gun for the zombies – piss off a liberal. I call that a win-win situation.

The first match of the ’07 E-Postal Match season is up at Mr. Completely’s place.

It’s pretty straightforward and looks pretty fun – I’ll definitely be in for it.

And go to jail. The landowner in the article is tired of his property being trespassed on, which is relatively reasonable. He approaches three fellows in a vehicle and asks them to stop, their reply is “Go back inside, old man”.

Unfortunately, before he approached the young men in the vehicle, Walter McPherson had drawn his concealed handgun, which according to the landowner he kept down by his side, however the chaps in the vehicle claim he was waving and pointing it at them.

Of course, Mr. McPherson, who will be 71 years old soon, was arrested.

While I disagree with the way he handled himself (should have kept that weapon holstered), I feel as though he was within in rights to act that way. It’s his property, and if he wants to walk around with a gun in his hand you shouldn’t be able to do anything about it. Additionally, I can’t fault him for being concerned about his safety when confronting a car full of belligerent young men.

While John Wayne would have simply kicked the hell out of the trespassers in question and been done with it, I think the best course of action would have been to leave your weapon in the holster, tell the trespasser to kindly “get the fuck off my property” and then call the cops yourself.

Or, you know, you could just watch the rights of property owners circle the drain.

Edit: I’ve written an email to Hamilton County Sheriff’s office to express my concern over their arrest in this situation, their website is here. If you do choose to write them, please I implore you to be courteous, polite and dignified.

I’ve directed a snail mail message to the Prosecutor’s Office as well on behalf of the defendant. Again, if you choose to write, courtesy and logic. Hamilton County Prosecutor’s web page.

Today’s Wisdom of the Duke might not contain any actual quotes from John Wayne; however I feel that the message contained within lines up precisely with the message that I try to communicate with this blog.

Today’s Wisdom of the Duke should probably be titled “Things I learned from my dad”; and as my father introduced me to John Wayne movies, it’s only fitting that this entry be placed under a Wisdom of the Duke. My father was easily my greatest role model when I was growing up, his influence on my life cannot be understated. After he met my then fiance, his words when I asked him about the future Mrs. Ahab were simply “you did well”. That was enough.

Things I learned from my dad

1. It’s okay to be scared. There’s nothing inherently wrong with fear, I was scared when I left for the Academy, I was scared when I was getting married, I’ve been scared a lot in my life. It’s what you do with that fear that defines you – if you allow your fear to dominate you and keep you from reaching for things that you want, that’s when you have really lost.
2. If you fail, don’t fail to learn. I discovered that sometimes despite my best efforts, I would not succeed at something. In those situations, failing to learn from your lack of success only compounds your failure. Not only did you not accomplish your goal, but you didn’t end up any smarter.
3. Your word is all you have. A lot of things can be taken from you; but your ability to inspire trust in others, to literally have your word be your bond is something that no one can take from you. However, it is very easy for you take that from yourself. Even in the worst of situations, your word, your integrity can not be taken from you by force.
4. Character is what you do when no one is looking. It doesn’t matter if you do the right thing when everyone is watching, what matters is when you do the right thing and you know that no one will ever see you.
5. Certain things are worth fighting and dying for. It’s up to you as an individual to decide what they are for you.
6. Finally, your family comes first. My dad never told me this explicitly, it was never verbalized to me. But I saw it every day. I’ve mentioned before that my father was an LA County Sheriff’s deputy, which means that you get to do all the dirty work and watch LAPD get all the glory. Not once in 17 years that I lived at home did I ever get the impression that his job was more important than his family. I have three brothers. My father would take a sick day on each of our birthdays every year, and just spend the day with us. We could go shooting, go the movies, play mini-golf; it didn’t matter because it was our day with him.

I learned a lot more than six lessons from my father. I learned how to love my wife by watching how he treated my mother, I learned how to throw a good jab, I learned that a .38 Special with snake shot cleans up rattlers. When you combined everything he consciously taught me with everything I learned from watching him, it added up to one thing: I learned how to be a man that my dad would be proud of. That was easily the most valuable lesson of all.