What a week! It's always nice to come home and get back into the normal routine (especially if you happen to be over 50!). Traveling is fun, but the older you get, the tougher it is on your body.
Thought for the day - Stay fit and exercise while you're young so you don't regret being out of shape when you get older!!
It was a really busy week in the shop. I guess people missed us, 'cause poor Roger barely got a chance to sit and play solitaire on the computer. We bought a lot of very nice guns this week, so check the website.
We are working on the upcoming NWTF banquet that will take place in La Grande on March 10th. This banquet gives away more guns than any other chapter in the state - so don't forget to get your tickets before they're gone. You can call Roger or come by the shop - 541-562-5274, but do it SOON! We have sold out the last few years.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Last Day in Vegas!
Okay, this wasn't really a gun day. Since we only had one day left in Vegas, we decided to go back to the "Old Vegas" downtown. They call this area "The Freemont Experience". This is where all the old casinos are - the ones you see on CSI. Freemont is home to such icons as The Fitzgerald, the 4 Queens, The Golden Nugget, Binion's and many more. On the strip, you pay $15.00 for a cup of coffee and breakfast sandwich. On Freemont, you can get a real breakfast for $5.00. They give you free drinks as long as you sit in front of the penny slots. On the strip, a half-liter bottle of water costs $3.50. On Freement, they're 2/$1.00. Need I say more? If I didn't have to pay $7.00 per day to take the bus to the Shot Show, I would stay on Freemont Street whenever I'm in Vegas, and visit the strip.
You might be wondering about the canopy that covers Freemont Street. Well, that is a whole attraction on its own. Every night at 6:00PM and every hour after that, a spectacular light show plays on the canopy, which is actually a base for millions of LED lights. All the casino outdoor lights go out, the music cranks up and the show begins:
It's an amazing experience for anyone who has not seen it!
ATF Town Hall on Straw Man Purchases
Shot Show - Straw Man Purchases
Day 3 was our goof-off day in Vegas. We started out by attending a town hall meeting with the ATF to learn about "Straw Man Purchases". This is the part of the gun control act that prohibits any person from purchasing a gun on the behalf of another person. There are several different elements to an actual straw man purchase. First, the person who wants the gun may be prohibited from buying the weapon himself, or may want to avoid having his name attached to the gun. In an extreme case, the actual buyer is paying people $200 for every gun they can buy and deliver to a gun runner. The Straw Purchaser is given the money to buy the gun and fill out the paperwork to pass the background check. This is how prohibited felons and gun runners are getting armed. I always thought that the supply of guns for illegal purposes would come largely from private sales, since they are not regulated, but it seems that up to 70% of the guns found at a recent drug cartel training camp came from gun stores in the US - Arizona, California and Texas.
The second element in a straw purchase is the person who fills out the paperwork (The Straw Man), and the fact that he is lying on a federal document - since he is not the intended owner of the gun. The first question on the form 4473 is: Are you the actual buyer of the firearm listed on this form? A person who buys a gun for someone else who may be prohibited from owning one (or just doesn't want anyone to know he is the owner) can get up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The person selling the gun to the straw purchaser can get the same sentence. Believe it or not, it happens right here in little old Union on a regular basis. A guy comes in to buy a gun and gets denied on the background check. The next day his girlfriend comes in and wants to buy the same gun. Now, I know this girlfriend just wants to make her significant other happy. He is probably never going to rob a liquor store with it, and he is probably never going to cause any problems. BUT, he has just put his girlfriend in danger of spending the next 10 years in jail and she probably doesn't have any idea.
This law has good intentions. People need to think before they conspire to put guns into the hands of someone who can't have them. I believe in our Second Amendment Rights so strongly that I was willing to get a Federal Firearms License, knowing that my life and my actions would be subject to inspection by the ATF at any time. Every time someone puts a gun into the hands of a felon, every time a gun owner breaks a game law, and every time some gun owner is caught brandishing a gun at someone out of anger, it gives the gun haters a little more ammunition in their holy war to take away our weapons and our shooting sports. We all have to promote responsible gun ownership if we want to prevail over the leftist media and the uneducated politicians.
AND - to all those girlfriends and brothers and best friends out there contemplating helping someone out by buying a gun that he or she is not allowed to own - DON'T! Your loved one risks a felon in possession of a firearm conviction and you will risk 10 years in prison and a lifetime ban of owning any guns yourself. Law enforcement is deadly serious about this issue and they will not cut you any slack if you are caught trying to buy a gun for someone else. Most people have no idea how bad this issue really is. If you want to help someone, help him or her work on getting their guns rights restored. It takes a lot of paperwork, but it involves less time in jail and it won't cost you $250,000.
P.S. It is NOT a straw purchase if you buy a gun as a gift. You are the person buying the gun and it is intended to remain yours until you gift it to the other person. Just be sure that you don't gift it to a prohibited person, or you could still be in trouble. You can always bring the recipient to the store and let him or her pick out the gun and fill out the paperwork. What's more fun than picking out your own gift?
Day 3 was our goof-off day in Vegas. We started out by attending a town hall meeting with the ATF to learn about "Straw Man Purchases". This is the part of the gun control act that prohibits any person from purchasing a gun on the behalf of another person. There are several different elements to an actual straw man purchase. First, the person who wants the gun may be prohibited from buying the weapon himself, or may want to avoid having his name attached to the gun. In an extreme case, the actual buyer is paying people $200 for every gun they can buy and deliver to a gun runner. The Straw Purchaser is given the money to buy the gun and fill out the paperwork to pass the background check. This is how prohibited felons and gun runners are getting armed. I always thought that the supply of guns for illegal purposes would come largely from private sales, since they are not regulated, but it seems that up to 70% of the guns found at a recent drug cartel training camp came from gun stores in the US - Arizona, California and Texas.
The second element in a straw purchase is the person who fills out the paperwork (The Straw Man), and the fact that he is lying on a federal document - since he is not the intended owner of the gun. The first question on the form 4473 is: Are you the actual buyer of the firearm listed on this form? A person who buys a gun for someone else who may be prohibited from owning one (or just doesn't want anyone to know he is the owner) can get up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The person selling the gun to the straw purchaser can get the same sentence. Believe it or not, it happens right here in little old Union on a regular basis. A guy comes in to buy a gun and gets denied on the background check. The next day his girlfriend comes in and wants to buy the same gun. Now, I know this girlfriend just wants to make her significant other happy. He is probably never going to rob a liquor store with it, and he is probably never going to cause any problems. BUT, he has just put his girlfriend in danger of spending the next 10 years in jail and she probably doesn't have any idea.
This law has good intentions. People need to think before they conspire to put guns into the hands of someone who can't have them. I believe in our Second Amendment Rights so strongly that I was willing to get a Federal Firearms License, knowing that my life and my actions would be subject to inspection by the ATF at any time. Every time someone puts a gun into the hands of a felon, every time a gun owner breaks a game law, and every time some gun owner is caught brandishing a gun at someone out of anger, it gives the gun haters a little more ammunition in their holy war to take away our weapons and our shooting sports. We all have to promote responsible gun ownership if we want to prevail over the leftist media and the uneducated politicians.
AND - to all those girlfriends and brothers and best friends out there contemplating helping someone out by buying a gun that he or she is not allowed to own - DON'T! Your loved one risks a felon in possession of a firearm conviction and you will risk 10 years in prison and a lifetime ban of owning any guns yourself. Law enforcement is deadly serious about this issue and they will not cut you any slack if you are caught trying to buy a gun for someone else. Most people have no idea how bad this issue really is. If you want to help someone, help him or her work on getting their guns rights restored. It takes a lot of paperwork, but it involves less time in jail and it won't cost you $250,000.
P.S. It is NOT a straw purchase if you buy a gun as a gift. You are the person buying the gun and it is intended to remain yours until you gift it to the other person. Just be sure that you don't gift it to a prohibited person, or you could still be in trouble. You can always bring the recipient to the store and let him or her pick out the gun and fill out the paperwork. What's more fun than picking out your own gift?
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
SHOT SHOW - Day 2!!!
Here we are at the second official day of Shot Show. My feet hurt and I think Roger may never put his shoes back on, It was worth every step, though. There was so much cool stuff to see. We will have products to research and think about bringing into the store for the rest of the year!
We saw the new FLIR personal model. I think night vision is a thing of the past for us hunters. You don't have to worry about burning it up in the daylight. You can set it to look for the warmest source in your target area - ergo - the biggest animal in the forest. It's going to be affordable at about $2500, so save up your allowance. Coyote hunting, checking on the herd at night or looking for a lost calf just got easier at night.
Roger was happy to get to touch a Smith & Wesson 1911E. He's had one on order for about a year and was convinced that Smith had stopped making them. Just like all the other gun manufacturers, the rep told us that they were "making them as fast as they can and they are shipping out lots of them every day". Right.
We saw the new FLIR personal model. I think night vision is a thing of the past for us hunters. You don't have to worry about burning it up in the daylight. You can set it to look for the warmest source in your target area - ergo - the biggest animal in the forest. It's going to be affordable at about $2500, so save up your allowance. Coyote hunting, checking on the herd at night or looking for a lost calf just got easier at night.
Roger was happy to get to touch a Smith & Wesson 1911E. He's had one on order for about a year and was convinced that Smith had stopped making them. Just like all the other gun manufacturers, the rep told us that they were "making them as fast as they can and they are shipping out lots of them every day". Right.
S&W 1911E
NEW - Smith & Wesson M&P 15
Smith & Wesson wall
We looked at some of the new earmuffs. This new technology blocks sounds over 30db and amplifies sounds under 30db. If you have ever shot a gun without hearing protection, you have damaged your hearing. These earmuffs will let you keep your muffs (or earplugs) in place while you hunt and not only allow you to hear the ambient sounds, but will amplify them for you! We are definately bringing this important technology into our store.
We wandered over to the Thompson Center booth and - Holy Cow! We found the best discovery of the day! Thompson just came out with the best new rifle - EVER! It's called Dimensions. It comes with a 4-shot clip and it's a bolt action rifle built with the high quality standards you would expect from Thompson. The stock is adjustable. You can change the pull from 12.5 to 13.5. This is a gun that will grow with your young shooter. Now, here's the exciting part - You buy one rifle any caliber and you can chage out the barrel and bolt to any of 9 other calibers, from .204 Ruger to 300 Win Mag! It comes with the tools to change out the barrels, and you can't do it wrong. Oh, and the best part - They are going to be introduced at less than $600!!!! You had better believe that we ran straight back to Art and ordered one!
Dimensions - Thompson Center
There's lots more! I have new information and new products to write about for WEEKS! For now, my internet access is about to run out, so I'll quit boring everyone with my vacation pictures. Get this - every $49.95 motel room in Oregon includes free internet - but in Vegas, they expect you to pay $14 a day extra to pick up your emails. I guess the mob really does still run the place.
So, for Ruby and Michaela, Grampa says that he is eating lots of fancy deserts at the buffet - nanner nanner!
We will be back in the store on Saturday - in case you are experiencing gun withdrawl.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Day 1 of Shot Show!
After a long day in the classroom yesterday - Shot Show University - we got up bright and early this morning to see what's new and exciting in our industry. As you might expect, the strip is pretty quiet at 8:00AM - guess everyone is more active at night here.
Looking up the strip at 8:00AM
Looks like the gamblers turned in too! As you can tell by all the pink, this is the Flamingo.
We had a pretty un-crowded walk to the Venetian and found out where all the people who were awake at that hour of the morning were hanging out. There were 60,000 people milling around in there!
If you've never been to the Venetian, it is absolutely gorgeous! AND it's enormous. The Venetian, the Palazzo and the Sands are all together to create miles and miles of walking.
Early in the day we were able to catch up to our favorite gun supplier - Art from Davidson'S. He was happy to help us order some of the cool handguns we had been looking at. Walther has a new P22 with in integrated laser. They won't be shipping till February, but when they do, Art will have us hooked up to receive some of them. Our focus this year is self defense weapons for women, so we looked at some really good options. KelTec reccommended the .32 semi auto. Sure enough, the pistol fits my fairly petite hand very well and the slide is easy to operate. Good call by the KelTec rep! We took a look at the new P380 from Walther and it was great! It's a nice substantial pistol while letting us female-types pull the slide with hardly any more effort than the P22. Walther did a great job with this one. Unlike the tiny LCP, this weapon is going to have enough weight to make the recoil of the .380 a whole lot less of a problem for feminine hand and wrist. It's like the gun manufacturers are starting to figure out that we like to shoot guns too! We took a look at the Colt Mustang .380. It's a bit lighter than the P380, but, Hey! It's a Colt. Personally, I'm a Walther's fan, but the Mustang is likely to be a good investment for those who like Colts.
So many guns - so little cash!
Roger & Art
We were also able to check out the new AR scope from Nikon, the P22. It's a 2-7X32 scope designed for .22 AR semi auto's. You can actually go on the internet to get a template to show you how to set the scope OR you can download an app for your phone and take the information with you to the range. Nikon is putting these out at a phenominal intoductory price AND they will include a turret to change your scope for .223. You can COUNT on the Spoiled Mule to be bringing these into stock!
There were several celebrities at the Shot Show today - including La Grande's own Steve West! We never caught up to him, but he was starring in videos at booths all over the place. What a great ambassador for our sport! We saw Jim Zumbo several times and we saw the people from Sons of Guns -the TV show! One of the guys from Top Shot was at the Otis booth and of course, my favorite marine, R. Lee Emery was signing pictures. Joe Montagna was supposed to be there somewhere, but fortune did not shine on me and I did not get to see the Criminal Minds star. Dang it!
R. Lee Emery - The Gunny!
After looking at the mountain of new stuff that will hit the market this year, we have retired to our room at the Flamingo to read flyers, look at catalogues and figure out how to hit the ground running tomorrow. I hear that Bill's has a prime rib for $15.00! Guess we can wander down there and see what we can do to get some dinner. Stay tuned - two more days of Shot Show left!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
SHOT SHOW! YAY!
It's that time of year! Here we are in Vegas to look at all the new products and innovations for all of us who love guns and shooting sports! Woo Hoo! Stick with me on the blog to see what is new and cool!
We left Boise this morning where it was very cold and getting ready to snow. By noon PST, it was shirt-sleeve weather right here in Las Vegas. We promised Ruby and Michaela that we would chronicle our annual pilgrimage so be prepared for all sorts of pictures of our adventures in Sin City!
We left Boise this morning where it was very cold and getting ready to snow. By noon PST, it was shirt-sleeve weather right here in Las Vegas. We promised Ruby and Michaela that we would chronicle our annual pilgrimage so be prepared for all sorts of pictures of our adventures in Sin City!
Vegas from the air
OK - you all know who this is getting all excited to be in Vegas to attend the 2012 Shot Show. We chose the Flamingo this year so we can forget about the shuttles and just walk to the show this year - whick is at the Venetian. This is an older hotel, but Hey! It was started by Bugsy Seagal and it's a cornerstone of Vegas. AND..not only do they have beautifuls girls decked out in pink flamingo costumes, but they also host Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville!!!!! Dude!
So, who out there knew that the Flaminigo had a habitat enclosure full of flamingos, fish and ducks? There is a water slide here! Of course, it's closed at the moment - 'cause it's like winter.
I couldn't get a picture of the black swans, but the black necked swan let me take his picture.
How cool is it that they not only have coy in their ponds,but also albino channel cats?
Is this a perfect example of Vegas technology,or what? This is 100% indoors, yet it looks like an outdoor mall! Never underestimate the illusion in Vegas! These guys took a desert and turned it into the most popular money-making spot on EARTH!
Stay tuned! tomorrow we attend Shot Show University and I'll be updating this blog!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)