Are you ready for the Super Bowl?  Are you ready to see Obama's anti-gun campaign thrown in your face while watching it?  Yep, someone iat the NFL caved and we will now get to see resident children of Newtown sing during the televised event.  Now we would never think of doing that with children of our veterans who dies on Iraq or Afghanistan but since this will support the campaign from our Narcisist in Chief, we will get to see the left continue to stand on the graves of those who were murdered in an effort to strip our rights.  Kind of gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling, doesn't it?



My SEO work has paid off and our company is now #4 on Google when searching "Kansas City Senior Portraits"!  Our website traffic is up considerably and we are poised for a great 2013.  Our local high school contacted us about doing senior banners for the athletes and I submitted our quote to them yesterday.  We also will be unveiling some new "signature edits" that we will be offering our clients.  Stay tuned for some sample images.

This Saturday, my fireworks group will hold a meeting and a small shoot in Belton.  My right hand man in the club will be moving soon and we're going to send him off with some pyro fun.  We're going to do a small show as well as blow some stuff up and one member is bringing his black powder cannon to shoot.  We even have some exploding targets to shoot with our guns.  We like BOOM!

A couple friends and I took advantage of the Spring like weather yesterday and did some shooting.  I needed to sight in my Ruger 10/22 ITAC after installing a Simmons 4x32 scope and I also wanted to try my new Ruger SR1911 .45 ACP.  I was able to get the 10/22 dialed in before I started to experience failure to feed issues with the magazine.  After repeated attempts to get the cartridges to load, I gave up and will be contacting Ruger for a replacement or repair.

I really like the feel of the SR1911.  After running a couple magazines through it, I was putting together some pretty tight groups.  It has less snap than my Springfield Armory XD-40 and I just like the feel of the large frame with the 5" barrel.  My friend showed me how to field strip it and give it a good cleaning afterward.  I highly recommend this gun!

Since I'm considering a Glock 17 or 19 for my next purchase, I had bought a box of 9mm to run through my friends Glock 17.  The 18 round magazines are a nice feature and the full size grip felt good in my hand.  The 9mm doesn't have near the snap of a .40 or .45 and I found it very easy to shoot.  The Glock 19 is the same weapon as the 17 but is a bit shorter in barrel length making it a nice conceal carry gun.  I think since I have several full size handguns, I will go with the 19 so I have a compact to carry if desired.

 

Another weekend has come and gone and we're getting closer to baseball season.  I'm anxious to go to Nashville and see the team play a few games.  JD told us he threw to hitters on Saturday and did really well.  Hopefully that carries over into scrimmages and the season.

After shooting my friends Wilson Combat 1911 awhile back, I knew I needed to get a 1911 of my own.  My trouble was I wasn't sure which one to get.  As much as I'd like to own a top of the line Ed Brown Custom Kimber or a Wilson Combat model, I just couldn't get myself to spend $3000 on handgun.  Torn between a couple models, I opted for....both!  Pictured is my Smith & Wesson 1911 E-series and my Ruger SR1911.  I'm thinking a double shoulder holster for dual carry? 

I'm now looking for a Glock 17 Gen 4 or a Glock 19 Gen 4.  Both are 9mm handguns.  The 17 is a full size and the 19 is a compact.  I tend to like full size guns as they fit my hand better but it would also be nice to have a compact for when I have to tuck my short in.  That's much harder to do when carrying a full size weapon.

It was both moving and classy to see Redbird Nation  salute Stan Musial and his family this past weekend with an impromptu serenade of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" as the family laid a wreath at Stan's bronze statue outside Busch Stadium.  I love how the family responds at the end.  RIP Stan.  

We need to "brainwash" people about guns.  Here is your U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, some time ago with a very clear agenda.  Click the play button in center of screen.  Very short video but important to watch.

After two miserable months with a Samsung Galaxy III, I went and got a new iPhone 5 yesterday.  The Galaxy would not get any reception in my office at work and I was not happy with the interface at all.  Jodi, Justin and I all have iPhones now plus we have the iPad 3 and Apple TV.   I think I'll switch to Mac computers next.

We are only three weeks away from the start of college baseball season and we are soooo ready.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate on opening weekend in Nashville.  JD says they have their first full team practices starting this weekend.  He's been throwing and doing some bullpens for the last week or so and will face live hitters this weekend for the first time since last fall.  The coaches will be making their final assessments on who will be the starters. 

Let's have some more fun with pictures, shall we?

After doing some additional shopping this weekend, we were able to finish off our loft furnishings.  We are really happy with the look and I can lay down and watch TV again!  In total, we bought a sofa, two loveseats, a coffee table, two lamps and an area rug.  As always, you can click on any picture I post for a larger view. 

Yesterday was Gun Appreciation Day.  After going to Nebraska Furniture Mart to purchase a coffee table for our loft, Jodi and I went to Cabelas and I bought a rifle case, electronic ear muffs and some targets.  After dropping her off at home, I went to a friends house and we shot our AR-15's and handguns.  I'm pretty impressed with the accuracy of my AR, at 100 yards, I was grouping shots very well with my red dot sight without a magnifier.  A scope would probably be better but this carbine is set up more for close quarters combat than long distances.  I ran about 50 rounds through my XD-40 and was happy with my accuracy.  I'm getting better at touching the previous hole when I do my circle drills.  

 

Fun with Pictures
You may need to click on pics to make them larger to read.

And finally, proof of the indoctrination and brainwashing of our children by our liberal schools.

From today's gun control announcement:

I previously wrote about the "key words" the left is using to make their case to ban guns.  Here is a quote from Obama: "Part of the challenge we confront is that even the slightest hint of some sensible, responsible legislation in this area fans this notion that somehow, 'Here it comes, everybody's guns are going to be taken away."  Obama said this on Monday.  Again, their strategy is to make it seem you are not sensible or are irresponsible if you don't agree with them. 

Today, he will surround himself with children, human shields if you will, and make his announcement on what he wants to do.  This administration makes everything a dog and pony show when it comes to these types of things.  Remember the Obamacare announcement as he surrounded himself with supposedly doctors in white lab coats? 

I'm all for keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill.  Improving background checks is a good thing.  Creating tougher penalties is a good thing.  Getting the mentally ill off the street is a good thing.  These things will help.  Banning "assault" weapons and high capacity magazines will not.

If you are a gun owner, you should have already joined the NRA and written your legislators to express to them that your vote depends on them protecting the 2nd Amendment rights of the citizens.  I have heard back from Roy Blunt and Sam Graves stating that they will uphold the 2nd Amendment.  Although I haven't heard back from her, I have seen Claire's canned response she sent to a friend and you can guess which side she leans toward. 

Please take 5 minutes to watch this video.  Most can probably recall the event that she describes in her testimony. 

We are being led to believe that if we don't raise the debt ceiling that we are welching on our debt.  Something people need to understand is that they are being bamboozled on this issue by Obama and his minions.  There is a big difference between spending and debt.  Yes, we have debts and we are obligated to pay them and should.  Spending is not a debt.  Just because we agreed to spend in years past does not mean we have to continue to spend.  For example, if you had planned a Hawaii vacation for later this year but due to less earnings (revenue), you really can't afford to go there.  Instead, you choose to go to Florida because it requires you to spend less.  The government can and should do the same thing.  Instead, rather than cut spending, they want to keep raising the debt limit to continue to spend, not pay our debt as they lead you to believe.

It wasn't that long ago when Obama, as a Senator from Illinois, voted against raising the debt ceiling, saying it was irresponsible and unpatriotic to do so.  Don't believe it?  Watch this.

 Note: Obama has added $6 TRILLION to the deficit in his first four years and it's projects to be over $10 TRILLION by 2016. 

So what has changed since then?  Because he is now President and wants to keep spending?  I think this is the ultimate in hypocrisy.  I want to know why he keeps wanting to raise taxes and will not address spending cuts!  He is on record saying that spending is not a problem.  Are there people who really believe that?  Apparently there are and they are the good sheep.  Baaaaaaaaaaaaa!

I'm getting pretty tired of the one sided media reporting on the issue of guns.  It's just like the Presidential election so I really am not surprised.  Everyone wants to know why we need "assault weapons".  They don't even know what an actual assault weapon is.  An AR-15 is not an assault weapon.  A true assault weapon is fully automatic or has burst capability.  The AR-15's sold in America today are only semi-automatic.  I think the following image shows a good reason to own an AR-15.

I went to the gun show this weekend and it was pretty packed, as expected.  Items that people fear will be banned were priced extraordinarily high.  I walked around for 45 minutes and left.  I've been able to procure everything I want so far in person at a retail store or on the internet.  On Friday, I found 1680 rounds of 5.56 62 gr M855 penetrator ammo at a very good price and it will arrive by the 21st. 

I also ordered two stripped lower receivers but it was on a preorder and I have no idea as to when they will ship.  I will use the lowers to custom build a couple AR's in the future.  They might also make good trade bait toward an AK-47.  AK's are much cheaper to shoot and you can run steel case ammo on them.  I wouldn't shoot steel case ammo in my AR's.

January 19th has been designated "GUN APPRECIATION DAY".  Naturally the Libs are all upset about it.  They don't like the fact that is is taking place on the weekend before the MLK holiday.  They also don't like the fact that it's the weekend of Obama's inauguration.  Well, since it's not being held on the holiday or inauguration, I see no problem with it and plan to participate.  I'm hoping there is a large gathering somewhere in the city where I can go to participate. Otherwise, I will patronize my local gun shops and may even stand out by the roadway with a sign in support of the 2nd Amendment. 

In other news, Jodi and I are anxious to get our new furniture for the loft.  It is scheduled to be delivered Thursday.  The leather futon for her office will also be arriving that day and will fit perfectly in an area reserved for it. 

In talking with JD, apparently it was a pretty tough first week back when it comes to physical conditioning with the team.  His body is pretty sore and he was ready for the weekend to recover some.  He said Jason Isringhausen is working out with the team getting his arm in shape in hopes to being picked up by a team this spring.  He is a free agent after spending lat year with the Angels. 

Kyle was back to work on the Blanchette Bridge project after a couple weeks off.  Originally he was just working the demolition part of the project but now has been called back for some of the construction phase. It's a tough time of year to be working outside but we bought him some warm clothing for Christmas to help keep him warm. 

Apparently our Christmas card was a huge hit with many and I know Jodi enjoyed creating it. I thought I'd throw up the original, uncropped image so everyone could see why I was "so short".

“First they knocked and took our guns; they never knocked after that." -- anonymous Holocaust survivor

If you haven't noticed the strategy of the left in their attempt to ban and take away our weapons, I'll clue you in.  As always, if you don't agree with them, you are out of touch or a radical.  They are using words such as "reasonable" and "common sense" to promote their agenda.  They say, "We should be able to use common sense and come up with reasonable laws in regard to guns.  So, if you don't agree with them and their agenda, they can call you "unreasonable" and attach words such as "radical" and "unbalanced" to those who want to only protect their rights under the 2nd Amendment.

Biden is even talking about Obama sidestepping Congress and taking action via Executive Order.  They have Eric Holder involved, the guy that gave so called "assault weapons" to the drug cartels, used in the murder of hundreds of Mexicans and a Border Patrol agent.  Isn't it strange that the guy that did that is now wanting to help take away the same type of weapons from American citizens?

How can anyone in their right mind say that banning these items will increase the safety of the citizens?  There was a guy on the radio yesterday that said.  "I have a right not to own a gun and feel safe in this country".  No you don't!  I don't have a right to own a gun and feel safe in this country.  Don't you love how these people make up rights whenever they feel like it?  Where in the Constitution does it say you have that right?  Don't make up these imaginary rights to impose upon mine!  There were 25% more people killed with hammers in 2011 than with all types of rifles combined.  When does the hammer ban begin?

We cannot prevent every tragedy, unfortunately.  The nut jobs that want to hurt and kill people will find a way.  We live in what is suppose to be a free society and the only way it will stay free is if the people can protect themselves against the threat of tyranny.  That threat is far greater than some mentally ill person shooting you with an "assault weapon". 

I've been on the hunt trying to find AR-15's and ammo at normal retail prices, not willing to pay the panic buying pricing that so many are.  My ultimate goal is to locate a Colt 6920 at retail price but I came up just short last week by a couple hours.  Hopefully my persistence will pay off in the end.  I did however score a new AR on Friday.  I happened to call Cabelas in the afternoon and they had received small shipment.  I didn't have much hope of getting one by the time I drove out there but took the chance. I picked up Jodi and we made the 30 minute trek.  When we got there, we took a number and we were #35 and they were on 99.  It wasn't looking good.  Two hours later, they were on #17.  We had struck up a conversation with a couple young guys who were wanting to get a handgun.  They had been waiting three hours and when they found out that once they got to select their gun, it would be another 1 1/2 to two hours to get the background check and checkout, they decided to leave and handed me their number.  That was serious luck because as we go to our new number of 21, I was able to get the very last AR-15.

I was tempted to get an AR-10 and that's what I had originally drove out to get but it's quite a bit more expensive to shoot a .308 than a .223.  I also learned that the AR-15 came with four 30 round mags so that made it an easier decision as .308 mags are extremely difficult to come by and I've seen them going for $100.  If all my orders come in, I will have about forty five 30 round mags, yes, those evil high capacity magazines they want to ban.

While there, I also picked up a Ruger 10/22 Tactical rifle.  I was surprised to them selling for double what I paid on gunbroker.com.  I almost bought three of them but decided to hold off.  I was going to buy Jodi a Ruger 380 LCP since it was on sale but they were sold out.  I hope to find her one this weekend at the gun show.

I admit that I have BGD (Black Gun Disease).  Here's a couple photos to prove it.

We start a new year with legislation that puts us $4 TRILLION more in debt.  A great start and supposedly this is a win for the Democrats?  Let's see, this was basically about extending the Bush tax cuts, something the Democrats were so against when they were enacted.  Apparently they have changed their tune and think they are great and had to be extended for 98% of Americans.  Well, they were only extended for 99% of Americans since they went after those making $400/$450,000 a year instead of those making $200/$250,000 a year.  They called for a balanced approach yet for every $41 in increased tax revenue, they only cut $1 in spending.  Yep, that's balanced!  Some days I don't want to get out of bed in the morning because of all the stupidity I must face.

Senator Diane Frankenstein of (surprise!) California will be introducing anti-gun legislation with a myriad of proposals to strip the rights of law abiding gun owners.  She'll basically throw everything against a wall to see what sticks.  Her proposal would ban the sale, transfer, importation or manufacturing of:

• 120 specifically-named firearms
• Certain other semiautomatic rifles, handguns, shotguns that can accept a detachable magazine and have one miltary characteristic
• semiautomatic rifles and handguns with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds

Although weapons possessed on the date of enactment will be grandfathered in, her proposal would require people like me to register each weapon under the National Firearms Act which would include:

• background check of each owner or transferee 
• type and serial number of the firearm
•  positive identification, including photograph and fingerprint
•  certification from local law enforcement of identity and possession would not violate State or  local law

Interestingly enough, it currently costs $200 to register a current NFA item.  Any surprise there will be a cost to this?  Imagine the cost of registering a dozen guns!
So I ask you dear reader, what in the above will stop another theater or school shooting?  Naturally, you won't be able to point to any thing that will.  This is simply the left wing liberals using a tragedy to strip law abiding citizens of their rights, the goal of a certain party.  The government wants our guns, plain and simple, but they know they cannot take them away so they want to limit what we can own.  The largest army in the world today is comprised of the collective of America's gun owners.  Believe me, this administration knows that.
Do you find it a wee bit scary that half this country looks to our government as their great protector and believe that government knows what is best for us?  Some say we don't need ANY guns at all because we have a governement and army to protect us and that the 2nd Amendment was only written because we didn't have a standing army and it provided for militias.   Now that is scary!
You may feel this is all insignificant and you may even feel this is the right thing to do.  You are certainly entitled to your own opinion as I am mine.  However, looking at history, those without guns have been the ones who have been enslaved as well as the victims of genocide.  Ask those people who did not have the ability to defend themselves against a tyrannical government if that was a good thing or not.  If we are to defend ourselves against tyranny, we must have weapons that give us the capability to do so.  If we all had muskets these days, we would already have lost many of our rights, I assure you.