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What do you envision when you hear or read the term gun nut? There is nothing wrong with being mildly obsessed with your hobby or sport, but there is nothing wrong with NOT being a gun nut either. I hope the word gun nut hasn’t scared off any new potential gun owners. You can own a gun. You can own two guns. Heck, you can own five guns and still not consider yourself a gun nut. Don’t get me wrong, I think we need to support our gun nutty sisters and brothers. And gun nuts, this goes for you too. If you know a gun owner whose passion is rock climbing don’t fault them for putting that passion first.
On the night of Wednesday, May 15, 2013, an EF-4 tornado ripped through the North Texas town of Granbury, killing six people and injuring many more. That same night, I was driving home from running errands 72 miles away in Dallas. As I was entering downtown Dallas, my riding partner exclaimed, “Look at that weird car! What is that?” I glanced over to see a car pulling off the highway that appeared to be the Tornado Intercept Vehicle from Discovery Channel’s television show Storm Chasers. Being fully aware these professional guys know more about tornados and severe weather than I do, should I have pulled over as well or kept driving? What are you supposed to do when on the road and a tornado is approaching? Can you outrun a tornado?
Can you pack a 72-hour bug out survival kit in such a small area? You sure can. Working with a small space means you eliminate heavy and unnecessary items. When you gotta get outta Dodge quickly food, water and shelter are your main priorities. These three essentials, plus a few extras all fit in a .50 caliber ammo can. Why an ammo can? Ammo cans take up little space, can be stored virtually anywhere and are stackable. I have seen ammo cans used as center consoles in vehicles and as alternative to saddlebags on motorcycles. An ammo can, be it metal or plastic can withstand temperature extremes and have water-resistant O-ring and gasket seals. So storing them in basements, attics, crawl spaces, and even buried underground means the gear inside stays dry. Metal military surplus ammo cans are durable, while new plastic ammo cans are untraceable to metal detectors—in case you want to cache your gear.
Even though I’m a very independent woman, I’m not afraid to admit there are things that I just don’t do when single. Camping was one of them until my best friend in college and I decided we needed to float the Guadalupe River. This trip required an overnight stay in a campground. In a tent. Without electricity. She grew up participating in Camp Fire and had all the skills needed for us to not only have a fun, but also a successful and safe camping trip. Since then, I have not let anything stop me from spending a few nights out on the lake camping with the girls. With a few basic skills and equipment, you can too!
Throughout history, people have returned to the barter system when money has become scarce or lost its value. During the Great Depression and a long recession during the 1980s, Americans returned to a system in which people traded goods and services without the exchange of currency. Many Americans are losing faith in the American dollar and believe economic collapse is inevitable. Only time will tell if that will happen, but David A. Stockman, former Republican Congressman and President Ronald Reagan’s budget director has said, “The future is bleak.” If our paper money becomes meaningless do you know how and what to barter?
As temperatures heat up, we usually find ourselves more active and getting out more. We start spending more time outside enjoying the sun and hopefully go to the gun range more frequently. If you shoot at an outdoor range, you will want to pack a few extra items in your range bag to prevent sun damage, dehydration and itchy bug bites. To prevent painful sunburn and the long-term effects of the sun’s damaging rays, wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen of at least 15 SPF. Take a few bottles of water with you and take breaks to drink some before you feel thirsty.
There is one thing us women know how to do with certainty—and that is how to shop! However, if you are anything like me, shopping for an item you don’t know much about like cars or electronics (in my case) can be daunting and exhausting. I’m skeptical of salespeople and mechanics pulling the wool over my eyes, selling me something I don’t need or over priced. If you are new to the gun world, you might not know exactly where to start when shopping for a gun. To make things a little easier, let us look at shopping for guns like we would shop for clothes or shoes—by occasion, size, price, and looks. To narrow down your choices, first figure out the primary reason you want to purchase a gun. Decide how much you can spend on the gun of your choice. Having a budget will narrow down your choices further.
Though great for preventing floodwaters from damaging your home, these made in Indonesia these MIL-SPEC sandbags constructed of heavy gauge polyethylene plastic have many more uses. Each package includes 25 OD green bags that have double stitching at the bottom and the top. Each bag has a hole punched through the top of the bag with a 27-inch long plastic string. They are much larger than what the picture shows. Laid out flat and unfilled they are 26 inches long and 15 inches wide. They hold 40 pounds of sand when filled. Don’t forget to pack a shovel, duct tape and a knife in your bug out kit!
I haven’t dated anyone who hated guns and I don’t recommend that you do either. However, sometimes stuff happens. Maybe you got into guns later in life or you happened to fall head over heals for a guy or a gal where your shooting or hunting hobby just never came up (I’m not exactly sure how that happens, though). Regardless, you think it is about time you introduce guns to your loved one or guide your significant other learn to love guns as much as you do. Number one: do not expect to convert a gun hater to a gun lover. To avoid heartache and frustration, make it your goal to only take the fear of guns out of them and educate them about your sport.
When I first started shooting handguns, I had issues correctly gripping my handgun. A proper grip will help absorb recoil, provides shots that are more accurate and is safe. Your instinctive grip might be unsafe, especially on a semi-automatic pistol. Every time you pull the trigger to shoot a semi-auto, the slide moves back. If your thumbs are in the way, there is a possibility of the slide hitting them. You can solve many accuracy problems by correcting your grip.
