Creative Title

Actually, I just realized that I forgot to transfer the sources document to this computer. Sources will be added to this post tomorrow afternoon or so.

In North Carolina, people with CHLs are legally allowed to carry their weapons in restaurants, stores, office buildings, and many other places not strictly prohibited by law (Cooper and Aldridge). Although the percentage of people who carry concealed is rather low, most people have probably been in the same room as someone with a firearm and not known it on multiple occasions. Why should they be prohibited from doing so on a college campus, if they’re fully capable of behaving in a safe manner everywhere else? Some assert that guns would be a distraction from the learning environment in the university, but the point of allowing concealed carry is that no one will notice if someone happens to be carrying.

Another fear that propagates through society is that college campuses will gain a sort of a wild west atmosphere. If that were true to begin with, one would expect just about everywhere else in the country to already have acquired such a state. Yet it hasn’t. Those with CHLs remain as passive as—if not more than—the rest of society. Even if such a scenario were to happen, the infamous shooting at the O.K. Corral resulted in significantly fewer deaths than any school shooting within the past decade. Would it really be any worse than our current situation of helpless students facing a lone gunman?

Many people also argue that if school shooters are mentally unstable and exhibit symptoms of this for an extended period of time that getting them help earlier on would keep them from getting to the point where they feel the need to make such a dramatic exit from life. After all, if there are so many signs, why not go ahead and get the person treatment? This is a great idea, but not as practical in reality as it might seem. First of all, the person needs to either agree to or be forced by friends and family to get the needed therapy. Sometimes when a person has a mental disorder, they don’t know it or they don’t feel the need to be rid of it. If the person doesn’t go to anyone for treatment, then obviously, they can’t be treated. Even if they manage to receive therapy, especially drug therapy, they may not take the treatment. Unless they’re committed to an institution, no one has any way of making them take it. Another problem with this is that disorders are incredibly hard to diagnose, due to the difficulty of measuring anything in psychology. It’s impractical to institutionalize every college student who exhibits signs of depression or anxiety.

Few people think very much about allowing concealed carry on campuses, frankly because they have other things in their lives that have more immediate significance to them. One cannot fault them on that; it’s perfectly normal to care only about what’s around oneself. However, there are some who have been giving their own information throughout society for so long that the default opinion on guns is that they are dangerous objects that cannot possibly be used for any good purpose. Lately, more and more people believe that guns, while they can be extremely dangerous when handled irresponsibly, are simply tools which are often used to save lives rather than take them. If responsible adults have passed the government requirements to carry a concealed weapon in many other places and wish to protect themselves, students, and teachers where they spend a large majority of their time, why should they be restricted from doing so? After all, a university should be a place of learning, not bloodshed.

Works Cited

 Criminal Victimization in the United States – Police – Response Time to Victim. Bureau of Justice Statistics. 23 Apr 2008 <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/cvus/response_time_to_victim584.htm>

 John Lott’s Website. 21 Apr 2008 < http://johnrlott.tripod.com/apla2.html>

 Kleck, Gary, and Marc Gertz. “Armed Resistance to Crime: the Prevalence and Nature of Self-Defense with a Gun.” Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 86, (1995) 150-187.

 Lott, Jr. John R., Mustard, David B. “Crime, Deterrence, and Right-to-Carry Concealed Handguns.” Journal of Legal Studies 26 (1997): 1-68.

 Miller, A.E.J., et al. “Gender Differences in Strength and Muscle Fiber Characteristics.” European Journal of Applied Physiology 66 (1993): 254-262.

U.S. Supreme Court. South v. Maryland, 59 U.S. 18 How. 396 396, 1855.

Virginia Tech Review Panel. Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech: Report of the Review Panel. VA, 2007

A common assumption about those who wish to carry guns is that they are trying to be vigilantes and want to “take the law into their own hands.” Through speaking with multiple people who shoot regularly, one would soon find that many are not only very moral people, but also tend to be emotionally level. CHL holders have never attempted to hunt down criminals or get revenge, and many wouldn’t even have anyone against whom they wish to take vengeance. They go through the trouble of getting their permit because they realize that they cannot always rely on someone else to protect them should a life-threatening situation find them. Even in those situations, shooting is the very last resort. Only about 24% of people who have used a gun to defend their life have had to fire at all (Kleck and Gertz). This also helps quell the fear that allowing more guns in a given situation would always lead to “bullets flying everywhere.”

This very situation was demonstrated in 2002 at the Appalachian School of Law. The shooting could easily have escalated and most certainly would have resulted in more deaths, but at the first sound of gunfire, two students separately grabbed their personal firearms from where they each had them at the time, and, with two other students who tackled him, helped subdue the attacker without needing to cause anyone any harm.

The entire gun community is a highly diverse group of people. There are people of every race, religion, gender, socioeconomic background, and political philosophy within it. There is a stereotype of them all being either rural white men or inner-city gangsters. As with any stereotype, that’s not without basis. The large majority of gun owners do happen to be white men, though just about every gun owner would probably be insulted when compared to the very criminals against which they wish to protect themselves.

Naturally, many of the people who get a CHL are a part of this culture. Again, many happen to be white males simply due to the proportion within the community, but a wide variety of others also choose to go through the trouble to obtain one for a variety of reasons. There are women who realize how much weaker they are than men (Miller, A.E.J. et al.), parents who wish to protect their kids from kidnappers or pedophiles, good people who can’t afford to live in a great neighborhood, homosexuals who wish to avoid becoming a victim of a gay-bashing, the disabled and elderly who simply can’t fight back any other way, and many more.

More often than not, CHL holders often practice accuracy on paper targets, and many attend tactical shooting competitions by organizations such as the International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) and the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) in order to simulate possible real-life situations. Since they have made the decision to take their life into their own hands, they also realize how much they need to be able to do so efficiently. As a result, they are far from amateur, which is another unfounded assumption made by many without much experience amongst those within the firearm community.

Such training is necessary for scenarios such as home defense, a street ambush, or similar situations. While it remains useful on college campuses for the more likely attacks of robbery, rape, kidnapping, or murder, such practice is not even entirely necessary if a lone gunman were to open fire. In both the Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois shootings, there were reports of the attacker slowly or calmly reloading the firearms. It does not take incredibly quick reflexes to take the shooter down while his gun is empty and his attention is off of the students.

Another frequent misconception is that a person could “just snap” and that allowing regular people to carry in places that are currently prohibited is a risk for that reason. However, just about any psychologist will say that average people who fall within the boundaries of normal psychological makeup don’t decide to commit mass murder without signs for at least many months beforehand. It is true that there are crimes of passion, but there have been few, if any, incidents involving CHL holders, who submit to a mental and criminal background check in order to get their license. There have been no studies done on the subject, but many who do carry concealed weapons often notice themselves avoiding heated arguments and being more polite when they are carrying. One can only guess as to why it might be, but the usual conclusion is that they don’t want to get into a situation where they might have to defend their lives.

There are alternatives to guns, though none are successful as often as a firearm at stopping an attacker. Pepper spray is a very popular choice, especially with those who wish to avoid killing or causing extreme harm. However, there are instances when this wouldn’t be effective in fending off a criminal. For example, it’s possible to build up an immunity to the substance such that it can simply be shaken off like water. Even without the immunity, however, more determined assailants may not give up after being sprayed. Tasers are also commonly suggested, but they don’t work against multiple opponents, since they only have one shot. This also causes a large problem even with a lone attacker if one should miss.

Many people also carry flashlights, which are to be used to temporarily blind an opponent so that one can run away. While this is a clever idea that is perfect for those who are extremely unwilling to harm another, it’s not without its major fallback. It doesn’t take long to recover from a bright light, which doesn’t give the would-be victim a long time to get away from the danger. They’re also only effective at night and, while the majority of attacks do occur after dark, many encounters can still take place in broad daylight.

Lastly, there are many various martial arts that teach self-defense techniques for bringing down an opponent while causing minimal damage to oneself. While these are often very good techniques that could stop an attack entirely, one must be incredibly practiced in order to use them successfully. Not only that, but the attacker needs to be within arms reach for one to even be able to attempt a counter-attack. If the attacker is standing yards away with a gun, and all a person has is martial arts training, it’s highly unlikely that he or she will be able to reach the attacker before the trigger can be pulled. There are also many people who cannot learn martial arts due to age, disability, or time constraints. The elderly and those with disabilities also oftentimes can’t run away from the danger as fast as others, even if they were to use one of the previously-mentioned means of escape.

The following is my last paper for English last semester. The requirements were 10-12 pages on a topic of our choice, and frankly, I'm shocked that I had the metaphorical balls to choose gun rights for mine. However, I only managed 9 pages due to seeing someone the night before the night before it was due, when I was planning on starting it. Thus, it has been definitively proven that a guy you break up with a week later is not worth 10 points on a paper and skipping a class for the first time ever to get some sleep the next day (sorry, calculus). Nonetheless, it's 9 pages of an apparently "eloquent" argument (so much so that my teacher actually gave extra supporting information at one point) that I'm rather proud of having written, so it will be broken up and posted over the next three days. References will be included in part three.

The current social and political dogma in the world is that guns should only be used by government-sanctioned individuals such as the police and military. Most people don't question this logic, since they have never considered the possibility that it might not be entirely true. The majority of people wouldn't actively think about this topic, yet it is usually in the back of their minds as an accepted ideal. Nevertheless, there are millions of regular citizens who believe that it is a complete fallacy that the majority of the population cannot be trusted with defending their own lives by the most effective means available. There are many facts that show that allowing the general populace to carry arms is not only safe, but also necessary in many instances.

College campuses, particularly, have been a very important battleground for this issue. As school shootings grow in both frequency and number of casualties, the voices on both sides of the issue have grown stronger. Advocates for allowing weapons-concealed handguns in particular-on campuses believe that far fewer people would have died in these massacres had a student or teacher been armed and able to stop the gunman early on. Those against it claim that allowing guns would only create more incidents of violence in what would otherwise be a safe environment. Yet, while violent crime and mass shootings continue to persist amongst gun-free universities, there haven't been any incidents involving concealed handgun license (hereafter CHL) holders on any of the campuses in Utah, a state which requires its public universities to allow these people to carry.

A criminal, by definition, does not obey the laws put in place by government officials. Why would someone intent on something such as theft, murder, or rape be deterred by the fact that it's a felony or against a company's policy to carry a handgun into certain areas? History has proven that prohibiting an object or substance does little to hinder either its production or its consumption. It's well known that alcohol was still rampant in America during prohibition. Marijuana has been regulated since the 1930's, yet it is still a commonly used recreational drug today. Similarly, criminals in areas such as New York and Washington D.C. still manage to commit many crimes with guns, despite the outright bans in those cities.

There have been numerous studies that compare crime rates with gun control laws. A very popular study sometimes referenced by the pro-firearm community was performed by John Lott and David Mustard in 1997 (Lott and Mustard), and showed dramatic increases in crime in areas with stricter policies. Many efforts have been made to falsify the claims made in this article, and the results are now all but inconclusive. Due to this and other factors, much of the work done by Lott is not generally accepted within academia and is no longer the greatest source for this information.

Yet there have been other studies, one in particular, that have gained great credence amongst firearms supporters. Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz found, among many other things, that gun control had little or no effect on crime rates (Kleck and Gertz). While this doesn't further the argument that criminals avoid areas with liberal firearms laws, it does show that allowing the general public to be armed will not cause the escalation in violence that many unfoundedly believe will come to pass.

Some may argue that gun control legislation makes it easier for police to identify criminals amongst regular citizens. However, one would expect a criminal to conceal his weapon for just this reason. The argument may turn then to a situation where police arrive on a scene where two people have firearms, and are unsure of which might be a criminal. In order to answer this, however, one must assume that law enforcement will show up in time to see this. Since the average police response time can be anywhere from five minutes to an hour (Bureau of Justice Statistics), and most violent confrontations only last a few seconds, it's highly unlikely that this hypothetical situation would even occur in the first place. In the rare event that something like that may happen, the cop's reaction would depend highly upon the situation, though one might guess that the demeanor of a concealed license holder and that of a criminal in the midst of his offense would be vastly different.

Law enforcement response time is itself a major factor in how necessary it is to allow citizens to carry concealed firearms. A popular expression in the gun community is, "when seconds count, the police are only minutes away." There are simply not enough officers to be everywhere at once, or prevent virtually any instances of violence in society. In fact, there have been multiple court cases in the U.S. that have ruled that police have no duty to protect individual citizens (e.g., South v. Maryland, 1855). If it is not their responsibility, then whose is it? The average person can't afford a personal bodyguard, yet no one can expect to live their whole life without having to walk home at night or be alone at any point. If the average person is barred from carrying a firearm in less than safe situations such as these, what would he or she be able to do if faced with a criminal who, due to the criminal's characteristic disregard for the law, is carrying a weapon?

As everyone probably knows by now, as there seems to be an internet party starting that can even be heard, the SCOTUS voted for an individual right to bear arms today, just a few minutes ago. The result was 5-4, and I could just hear my mom talking on the phone about how the world got to where it was, where almost half of the Supreme Court votes against her right to defend herself. But hey, I agree.

Here is the 157-page opinion, which I am not reading right now. I'm incredibly hungry, so there is a need for breakfast and a big bowl of celebratory ice cream. Perhaps I'll get some no-bake cherry cheesecake at the grocery store today...

On THR, someone posted the following picture for the Brady campaign, which I found all too fitting:




Celebrate accordingly, everyone! Umm... most will probably just read the opinion, actually.

UPDATE: So I've been hearing some complaining about the decision on basically allowing "reasonable restrictions" on frirearms, many on THR, but many elsewhere as well. Truth be told, I'll care about that tomorrow, and celebrate the win today. First, this wasn't exactly surprising. Most of those who voted for the individual right probably wouldn't have done so had ownership been decidedly unrestricted. I do hate that every bill or ruling that makes a small good change has stupid baggage attached to it, but that's the way the world works now, apparently. I'll celebrate the small victories when we have them, bittersweet as they may be, and worry about the fact that every small step forward is accompanied by two steps back every other day of my life. Cheers!

Via the B.I.L.T.B. (who is in permanent denial that his blog is a blog), the SCOTUS decision on Heller is likely to be Thursday. You can expect me to have a post then, which will either be celebratory or "the world is doomed"-depressed. Word on the street (read: at the range) is, however, that things have been looking fairly good for us pro-gun people, if one is to judge by the arguments at the hearing.

I began a thinking post today, but can't really finish it tonight, so you can expect that in a few days. Probably after the Heller decision post.

Until then, I'm not sure whether I've posted this on here yet, but I give you Carry on my Wayward Son by Kansas. The video is just the lyrics, as I have some sort of grudge against recorded live performances and refuse to post them. I'll bet it's the audience.


Apparently, this was one of those annoyingly overplayed songs back in the 70's. Sort of like anything by Nickelback is now.

I took Narsil (my new gun, in case anyone forgot... I would link, but that was posted about two weeks into may, and therefore isn't eligible for linkage. I really need a new server, but I wouldn't know how I'd move all these posts there) to the range for the second time yesterday, and shot it for the third time. More importantly, though, I shot the first batch of reloaded 9mm ammo that my dad/I made. I'd link to something explaining what reloading is, but there doesn't seem to be anything but supply stores--not even a bloody Wikipedia! In case no one here knows, then, it's basically taking used casings, and putting in new primers, powder, and bullets. Cheaper than buying new ammo every time, and much more customizable.

So, there were three different loads that we had: 88 of the lowest amount of powder, 12 of the highest, and 50 that were right in the middle. My dad made the first two groups, and I did the medium amount--my first time reloading. Yeah, I was a little cautious of those rounds.

Also, they had Bin Laden targets this time. I was so happy! Needless to say, my mom and I both got one and tore them completely up. I was somewhat disappointed we didn't bring a shotgun, though. It was still too recognizable by the end.

The gun itself shot great. I'm not having the same limpwristing problems that I had before, which seems fairly odd (though I'm not complaining), and I no longer let go with my left hand the way I've done in the past and probably still do with the .45. It did have some chambering problems after a couple hours, but I'm not sure whether that's the gun, my shooting, or my shoddy reloading.

The first four magazines consisted of three filled with the lowest powder bullets, and one full of the highest powder. I shot one of the lowest-filled ones first, after which the slide didn't lock back. I then shot the one with the highest amount, and everything worked perfectly, and they didn't have too much more recoil than the lesser ones. I shot the other two mags, and neither locked back. I later learned that it's perfectly normal for that to happen--probably slows down the whole process or something.

Due to this pattern, I made sure that no magazines from that point on had a lowest powder load as the final bullet. I used the final three of the highest load for that position on the next three, and loaded the fourth one completely with medium loads. If I remember correctly, all four shot beautifully. The next group was filled completely with the lowest, save for a medium round on the end. Two out of them locked back when emptied. Yeah, "hmm..." is right.

I filled the next four--one mixed with the low and medium, and the rest completely filled with the medium. My mom stole two and emptied them, then proclaiming, "I want one!" I filled one back up with the last 6 rounds, and took the rest to finish off myself. I believe the one with 6 locked back, but the other two didn't. Therefore, we shall next try a load between the middle and highest ones. Yay, troubleshooting!

Hmm... I should have also kept note of which magazines weren't locking back, as I may be unjustly blaming the bullets. Oops. Next time, then... which will probably be within the week, since the IDPA match at which I'll be shooting Narsil is next saturday. I wish to avoid malfunctions, though it probably wouldn't affect my placement much at all.

On a slightly related note, I may be able to get a job at that range this summer (yes, I know, finally), which would be totally freakin' awesome.

We came back early today, because there was a front coming in on the flight up--not pretty--and there's supposed to be another one, or at least low-lying clouds, causing "cumulo-granite" in the mountains. Some notable things from the trip:

• Motion-sickness is the worst thing ever. I haven't gotten it in years, but--like I said--a front was coming through yesterday. Different temperatures of air masses=horrid turbulence.

• Small-town folk are so much better than anyone in Cary. Yay, natives! Boo, transplants!
  

• Tree > 9mm. I put 200 rounds into the bases of some trees chopped down by the old owner of the house and piled on top of each other, and my bullets made a slight dent each time. However, that is more damage than the tree did to the projectile. While picking up casings, I found one that had somewhat bounced off (as I soon noticed they all did). It was in pretty perfect shape, save for having been fired. Keep in mind, these are not hollowpoint, as we've heard of those having trouble in 9mm 1911's.

• Those problems that I had when I shot before? Yeah, they had nothing to do with the gun. I was limp-wristing the whole time. Yes, limp wrists! My arch enemy, and the reason I hate the XD so very, very much. So, I need to work on that a lot. I used the "your life depends on it" approach today, but in order to do so, my speed increased a lot while my accuracy decreased a hell of a lot. So, definitely going to work on that more.

• Without the internet, one gets a lot more reading done.
  

• The difference in air pressure here and at 9,000 ft. has a huge effect on a half-drunk water bottle. It's pretty neat to see.

Alright, the Benadryl that I took before the flight back to prevent a repeat of yesterday is starting to kick in. So, later! Review of something or another coming soon.

I meant to do this earlier today, but many things got in the way. I decided to wait until after I'd cleaned it to write the update, but while I was cleaning it, my order from Amazon of Return of the King and Heavy Metal (the latter for my mom, of course) arrived. Right after I finished cleaning, dinner was ready, and then my mom and I watched Return of the King after dinner (I haven't seen it in over two years! I'd forgotten exactly what happened), so I only just got time to write a post.

In a previous post, I mentioned that my dad got a gun to allow me to shoot until I'm legally allowed to own it. I took it to the range on Monday and put 100 rounds through it to begin breaking it in, as it is pretty much brand new. It shot fairly well--no real failures, and it didn't blow up in my face. It did, however, have a couple minor issues. First, it didn't fully go into battery for perhaps a little less than half the shots. I believe this to be a simple problem of too little oil, which the owner of the range had mentioned as we were looking at it during the match.

The other problem is a little more odd, though my dad says that breaking it in will fix it (which I find entirely plausible). Oftentimes, the slide didn't lock back. It never did at first, but began to do so often after the sixth magazine, which is why I believe that breaking it in will fix that. Besides, I'm not quite sure what other problems a new gun might have, and this one doesn't really seem to have anything else wrong with it. I've decided to name it Narsil, just to be the biggest dork I possibly can.

Today, I cleaned it. Everyone was out of the house, I set newspaper on the table, figured out how to take it all apart, and then realized that I hadn't a clue where the cleaning supplies were. I went back to my room, worked on my old novella (too far back for me to want to search for the link--'twas my grad. project way back in the day), and waited for my mom to come home so I could ask her. She came back shortly before my dad, and I sat down to finally clean my gun. I eventually learned to not ask either of them any questions, after my inquiry into whether or not it mattered which kit was used (it didn't, but they then went through each of their personal ways to clean--my dad just rubs off what he can, and my mom goes OCD on it with dental picks).

My lack of questioning didn't stop the further battle over how I should choose to clean my gun. Oh no! I was very nearly finished, and beginning to put the two-in-one oil and cleaner on for oil, when my dad came by and asked, "Are you going to oil it?" "Isn't this oil?" I replied. He said it wasn't, and then turned to my mom for confirmation, which she did not give, as she'd been using it for oil the whole time. Well, let's just say that I had no clue how important of an issue that was to the fate of the world. I used oil this time, and will try the one-step thing next and compare.

However, I have yet more news! I will be able to break it in quite a bit more this weekend, as we are going to the mountains where we have our very own shootin' hill. Well, that's rather bad news for whoever reads this, since it means no posts from Friday until Sunday afternoon or evening at the very least. I'll do what I can to post something tomorrow (though it promises to be a rather busy day. Inquiring about a job for which I'd applied, tang soo do, and the season finale of Supernatural (which I may or may not blog, since it is the season finale. Probably depends on whether or not something good is on after it like last week).

Last night, I shot my third IDPA match. As with last month, I was the last out of everyone who shot every stage. That's not to say I'm bad, of course--I'm actually a fairly accurate shooter. I'm just slow and careful, which is pretty much the way to start out with anything. Also, I was shooting a .45 caliber 1911, which has a fairly large recoil and therefore takes extra time for someone of my paticular stature to bring back and aim again at a target. Nevertheless, I had a great time shooting, and everyone there (since they're all getting to know me pretty well after a good friend of my parents' told them all about my work with concealed campus. I still don't know who the majority of them are, but it doesn't really matter that much at this point) gave me lots of "good job!"s after each of my turns.

That's not even the very best part, though. While all the men are impressed about my shooting a .45 so well, we had been keeping an eye out for a 1911 in 9mm since--I hate to say it--the .45 is a little big for me (especially due to the fact that I don't practice as much as I really should). It just so happens that there was a brand spankin' new 9mm 1911 on the shelf at the range. The downside: it was over $800 (that caliber in those is pretty rare). Obviously, my dad's not going to pay that much for something for me. However, he did decide to strike a deal with me: he'll get it if I pay for half. That makes for a very tough decision for me, since I have about $1300 in my savings account, which I use as rarely as possible since I'll need much more than that when my parents pretty much cut me off in 3 1/2 years (grad. school is going to be loads of fun after that, I can tell). However, I have a job and am working on getting another one over the summer so I can work my butt off and earn some money, and a 9mm will help my shooting a great deal, so I thought about it a good bit and decided to go for it (that reminds me, though. I need to send in an invoice and get the money I've been earning since March).

I now am indefinitely borrowing a 9mm 1911 from my dad (silly legality). It's very new, so I'll be taking it to the range tomorrow to break it in and make sure it shoots right and both my dad and I didn't just blow 400+ dollars. After that, I'll be learning how to clean it, which I suspect is significantly more complicated than the muzzle-loading rifle was. Really, though, I have the best father in the world.

But wait, there's more! Last night after watching Robin Hood: Men in Tights (love that movie) at my sister's place after the match, I finally finished reading The Silmarillion! I know, I know, took me long enough. I would have finished much sooner if the stupid internet didn't exist. I should really try to read more, since I do love it--it's just easier to be on the computer somehow. Anyways, I'll have a nice, long review for that up ASAP. Until then, I'll just leave you with a picture of my new baby (in the wonderful camera phone quality):

Well, I didn't post on saturday, but it seems that no one was reading anyways. It was a fairly eventful saturday, and I didn't have much of a chance to do so. In the morning, I went to the gun show with my sister and the B.I.L.T.B., which was completely awesome (though I'm far too poor to have actually bought anything).

After that, I went to a super special awesome (sorry to keep using that word) difficult tang soo do class. We were supposed to have another sa bom nim (technically an instructor above the rank of fourth dan, but the tae kwon do-eans call it Master. My sister got that rank last week--she's technically a friggin' Master), but his daughter had a baby, so he couldn't make it. Therefore, he came and taught a special class for us, which was the hardest exercise I've ever had, but that was really the best class ever. There weren't any water breaks, though, which made me somewhat concerned at first, but things were much better by the end somehow. So, the awesome class ended, and I went back home.

Well, at the IDPA match a few weeks ago, I'd seen some .50 caliber muzzle-loading black powder rifles. Being the insane history buff that I am (I sure hope so, at least, since that's my intended major), I really really wanted them. My dad said no, because they were about $300 each, and he himself had a muzzle-loading black powder rifle, though not .50 cal. (He believes it's .45, which is still neat). Well, the next day, I find said gun on my desk chair. I fiddled around with it a bit, and left it back on it. The next week, it's still there. I play with it some more, lifting it to my shoulder and whatnot. Still there the week after that, and finally this week. So friday night, I finally get up the courage to ask if he wants it back, to which he replies, "no, I gave it to you".

!!!!!!!!

I have a black powder muzzle-loading rifle! It is so awesome! Also, it shoots (I learned last night that it's actually a replica of an early-1800's rifle, but my dad built it, so y'all don't look down on it), which was the point of the whole last paragraph. After I got home from the ultimate tang soo do class and took a shower, my dad took me outside to try it out a bit. He doesn't have any bullets (mostly because he'd forgotten what caliber it was at first), but he got some substitute for black powder (since the actual stuff is at least hard to find, if not illegal. I'm not entirely sure yet) and some little primer cap things, and loaded it with a rolled up bit of newspaper so that it would actually shoot instead of the powder just rolling out of the barrel or something. It took quite a few tries, but it did fire and scare the dogs half to death. Dinner was after that, and then I got to shoot it again, this time at least trying to load it myself. I think I rolled the newspaper wrong, but oh well. Since it was dark this time, we got to see some flames, which is pretty sweet no matter what. The dogs were then frightened once more. After that, I got to clean it. Not the most fun I've ever had, but a surprisingly relaxing task.

So I now have an actual gun to add to my small-but-growing weapons collection. It is now alongside my sai, bow & arrows, bong (I kid you not, that's what it's called in my martial art--I'm pretty sure it is, at least), Knights Templar sword (got that one at a gun show a couple years back, and I love it so very much), and some sort of club thing that, IIRC, my great-great aunt got from Puerto Rico. Yeah, I know, I'm ashamed that I don't own any katana, but I'm working on that. Although, I haven't cleaned my room since I got home, so I don't have a permanent place for the new addition quite yet. It's currently on my Patriots pillow that I got for my birthday as a semi-gag gift from a NJ friend. After the game that they lost, he and I had a bit of a conversation during which it was determined that I'd be a patriots fan from now on. So, I found it a somewhat fitting place to put a black powder rifle, despite the fact that it's a couple decades off from The Revolution.

So, that's why I didn't post anything yesterday, but again, no one seemed to be looking anyways.

Alright, so, just in case that wasn't entertainment enough for y'all, here's whatever I find next on YouTube...

Okay, I looked for a tolerable video with Mambo Number Five, but obviously had some trouble, so I decided to then search for the What is Love? SNL skit, but to no avail. Therefore, y'all just get some guy love: