How politics affects my everyday life....
Actually, also how I'm trying to rationalize between farcebook, which seems to have become my primary "tidbit catcher", and here, where I've posted rarely in the last couple years.
Or is it that I simply am not making the time to sit and let my thoughts meander out my fingers? Dunno.
So, I've been a bit of ranty-mcpants on FB the last two weeks, copying links as the Illinois legislature goes through one of their periodic attempts to ban and confiscate any firearm less than a century old. This round has me very nervous, because they're reaching for everything. This time it includes about half the guns I own, and some that I use regularly for hunting and trap.
It being January, I sat down to set up the reloading press tonight and start poking primers, powder and lead into empty hulls. The two of us go through about 5,000 rounds a summer, so getting going with this is kinda important. Yes, I could buy those as factory loads, but this way I get exactly the load I like.
I'm also loading some very 'soft' loads with the intent of using them to help with a couple of "beginning shooter" types of events.
Usually, once I get the press set correctly, which is a finicky and time consuming process, I can just start pulling the lever and spitting out loads. But this year my mind kept going to a mental conversation about how certain politicians and individuals who are, effectively horrified that firearms exist in the first place, would completely blow a gasket watching me work with primers, powder, shot, and with my son watching me!
And yet, these may be the same people who think nothing of driving down the road with a cell phone in one ear and no hands-free earpiece, and their kids in the back. Or driving like a flaming maniac. Or any one of several unsafe things that an awful lot of people do.
Relative comfort level of what's safe and what isn't. I was taught to give grave respect to firearms, and I think there are lot of people who were not taught to have respect, to only be scared of things. And weren't taught to respect things that should be accorded respect.
Reloading can be an interesting meditative method!
Or is it that I simply am not making the time to sit and let my thoughts meander out my fingers? Dunno.
So, I've been a bit of ranty-mcpants on FB the last two weeks, copying links as the Illinois legislature goes through one of their periodic attempts to ban and confiscate any firearm less than a century old. This round has me very nervous, because they're reaching for everything. This time it includes about half the guns I own, and some that I use regularly for hunting and trap.
It being January, I sat down to set up the reloading press tonight and start poking primers, powder and lead into empty hulls. The two of us go through about 5,000 rounds a summer, so getting going with this is kinda important. Yes, I could buy those as factory loads, but this way I get exactly the load I like.
I'm also loading some very 'soft' loads with the intent of using them to help with a couple of "beginning shooter" types of events.
Usually, once I get the press set correctly, which is a finicky and time consuming process, I can just start pulling the lever and spitting out loads. But this year my mind kept going to a mental conversation about how certain politicians and individuals who are, effectively horrified that firearms exist in the first place, would completely blow a gasket watching me work with primers, powder, shot, and with my son watching me!
And yet, these may be the same people who think nothing of driving down the road with a cell phone in one ear and no hands-free earpiece, and their kids in the back. Or driving like a flaming maniac. Or any one of several unsafe things that an awful lot of people do.
Relative comfort level of what's safe and what isn't. I was taught to give grave respect to firearms, and I think there are lot of people who were not taught to have respect, to only be scared of things. And weren't taught to respect things that should be accorded respect.
Reloading can be an interesting meditative method!