A New Gun Show This Weekend

Well, new to me anyway.

This Sunday I will be working a table at the Texas Gun and Guitar Show in Hillsboro. From all accounts, this is a pretty nice show. Heck, they even put on a Saturday Night Party and Jam

I will be there on Sunday helping to increase the membership of the Texas State Rifle Association and the NRA. I think I'll bring along the Gun Blog .45 and maybe my AR (A Mixmaster Dissipator) to attract folks to the table and get them interested in joining.

Click here for directions. Hope to see you there.

Taking Shape for Life - an Update

It has been three weeks since I last updated you on my weigh loss progress. At that time I weighed 204.5 pounds. I now weigh 193! An 11 pound loss over three weeks this far into a weight loss program is just plain awesome. That is pretty much the only way I can describe it.

I have lost 80 pounds since Memorial Day, that is Memorial Day of this year. I am very happy with my progress and excited about this weight loss. V's kinda excited about the new me also.

I am just 3 pounds shy of my goal weight of 190 lbs. At my goal weight I will have a healthy Body Mass Index for the first time since my time in the Navy. I will no longer be counted amongst the obese or overweight of America.

If you are interested in losing weight, in achieving the same success as I have achieved, shoot me an email (address is in the profile) or head on over here.

Yes, this is for real. And yes, you can do this.

It Has Been A While...

...since I was over at the Blackhawk! web site. Since I've lost all this weight, I have a few things that I need to replace. One is a duty belt that can now go around me and one of my grand kids. My Instructors Gun Belt is also too large as are my old 5.11 pants, shorts and various concealment shirts. It is time to start on my new wardrobe.

Blackhawk! is doing something super cool now that will save me some big money as I replace my now too small other brand pants. They have a Trade Up Program where you can trade in your non-Blackhawk! pants for a 50% credit on a new pair of Blackhawk! pants and shorts. I may have seen this promotion before, but now it hits home. I can save some money (this makes V extra happy)!

Another cool thing I found on the Blackhawk! site is the Serpa Quick Disconnect System. This video with Chuck Buis demonstrates the system:

I still think Chuck has the best possible name for someone in this industry. Oh by the way, Hey Chuck! If you end up reading this, V wants to know when you guys are going to make a Serpa for her Hi Power?

Blackhawk! has a lot of cool stuff, more than ever. If you haven't been to the web site in a bit, now is as good a time as any to head on over.

The Texas State Rifle Association Has...

...a new Executive Director.

Texas State Rifle Association Names new Executive Director

AUSTIN - The Texas State Rifle Association has officially relocated from Addison to Austin. As the state affiliate of the NRA celebrates its 90th anniversary, forty thousand registered members from across the state have two major developments to follow. Not only has our headquarters traveled south on I-35 from the metroplex to the Capital of Texas, but a new Executive Director has also been named to take the association forward.

So who is this new Executive Director of the Texas State Rifle Association? Mr. Charles Cotton. Charles is a civil trial attorney who has been working with the TSRA on legislative matters since 1985. He is the Vice Chair of the TSRA Legislative Committee, proprietor of a very active Texas CHL related gun board, and NRA Board Member. I am acquainted with Charles having met him at Friends of NRA and TSRA Foundation banquets, legislative committee meetings in Austin, and over drinks with James Dark at the NRA Annual Meetings in Louisville.

Charles is a very strong supporter of our Rights to Keep and Bear Arms. His knowledge of the legislative process here in Texas and the relationships he has developed with gun owners and legislators alike will make for a strong foundation supporting him through his tenure as Executive Director. The TSRA made an excellent choice for this leadership position.

Right now the Texas State Rifle Association is 40,000 members strong. It should be triple that by the next legislative session. If you are a Texas Gun Owner, you really should be a member of the Texas State Rifle Association.

Republicans in the 12th Congressional District...

...of Texas have a chance to make a change during this next primary season. Representative Kay Granger has some competition this go around, and her competition looks promising. Sam Finley is throwing his hat into the ring and seems to be working hard to get the 12th district Republican vote.


If you have been disappointed in some of Kay Granger's recent votes, and would like to see a different Republican representing your district, it is worth your while to give Same Finley a good hard look.


Sam will be formally announcing his candidacy during a town hall style meeting tomorrow evening (Sept. 2) at the "Ol" South Pancake House on University Ave in Fort Worth. The meeting starts at 6:30PM. Sam will also be speaking at the 912 Project Common Sense March and Rally in Fort Worth on Saturday, September 12.

Day at the Gun Show

It is a beautiful, cool, North Texas late Summer day. I had to make a decision this morning, do yard work or head out to the Original Fort Worth Gun Show. Heading out to the gun show won.

It seems that the attendance surge brought on my the Obama election and the Eric Holder confirmation has settled down a bit. I arrived a little after 10:00 and there was not much in the way of a line to get in. I was at the show for over three hours and the crowd did build up, but not near the mass of people who were at the shows earlier in the year.

It looked like business was brisk, lots of firearms being sold at the larger dealer tables and the gun safe vendors appeared to be keeping pretty busy.

I had the opportunity to meet up with the NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC) for Texas Congressional District 12 (Kay Granger's district) and spent a good while talking guns and politics with him. If you are in District 12, and you want to help elect pro 2A candidates, let me know and I will get you his contact information.

Speaking of Kay Granger, it seems she may have a bit of a fight ahead of her during the next primary season. Sam Finley is throwing his hat in the race as a Republican Candidate for the 12th Congressional District. I spent some time talking with the folks at his table at the show and with his campaign manager. I had to leave before Sam got there, but there is another opportunity to meet him that I will talk about in another post.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Steve Moses of the Bluff Dale Firearms Academy had set up a table at the show. V and I trained with Steve a couple years ago with another couple and I have to say that Steve did an outstanding job of working with us. It is good to see them getting some exposure.

I did pick up a couple of items from the show, and AR-15 parts kit (can never have too many spare parts) and a D-Fender Extractor Enhancer for an AR-15. I have had a couple extraction issues of late and if this fixes them, it is well worth the price. I've been wanting a Center of Mass Car Safe for a good while now, and there was a vendor at the show who had them at what looked like a good price, so I brought one of those home with me also. Something I did not buy was ammo. Some of these folks are still way to proud of their ammo. I saw 100 round Winchester White Box marked at $60.00, other tables had it as low as $45.00 and everywhere in between. There is ammo in stock, but the prices on pistol ammo is still ridiculous. Rifle ammo was a bit better, but still inflated.

I went to the show looking for a Magnum Research Micro Desert Eagle. I need something that I can slip into a pair of gym shorts and just wanted to check out the Magnum Research entry in the .380 market. No luck this time. There was a Sig P232 that felt pretty good in the hand for such a small firearm.

All in all a good day at the gun show. Tim and Michelle have done a great job of building this gun show into an even well worth attending. One of the better shows in North Texas. Seeing as how we have a gun show near every weekend, that is saying a lot.

Taking Shape for Life - Week 13

Let me start out this update by first saying "Thank You" to all the folks who have been encouraging me and leaving such supportive comments in my weight loss update posts. I do appreciate your kindness and support.

A few of you have commented that you are using some of the same principles that I am to lose weight, just doing it without the convenience of prepackaged grab and go meals. Once out of the weight loss phase of my program, I will also be making each of my smaller meals for the day. A book that I have found to be very helpful is Dr. A's Habits of Health (The Path to Permanent Weight Control and Optimal Health). Doctor Anderson is the co-founder of Take Shape for Life, and his book can also be found on the Take Shape for Life website. Dr. Anderson's book supports both the 5 & 1 Plan that I am using for my weight loss program, and a do-it-yourself plan for weight loss. This book goes much further than that even, this book gives you to tools to achieve a long lifetime of ultimate health. Check it out.

Now for the results of Monday's weigh in.....

On Monday morning I weighed 208.5 pounds, made it to under 210 in 13 weeks. I have lost 64 1/2 pounds in 13 weeks, very near a 5 pound/week average. I know I am starting to sound like a bloody late night infomercial, but this program really works. My success is not some isolated incident. I mentioned previously that I am so impressed with my success that I have decided to join with the company to help others have the same success as I have. I am now coaching a small group of folks who want to lose weight and get healthy. One couple that I am helping has already lost 35 pounds between them in the first two weeks. That is way cool, and yeah, that gets me pumped up. I really enjoy helping people.

I am getting near my goal of 190 pounds. When I started 13 weeks ago, I was not so sure that I would be able to do this. A healthy weight seemed out of reach. Now I am almost there. It is getting close to time for me to order my new Milt Sparks belt, I have been wanting one of these for a very long time.

Vacation in California

Vicki and I are visiting my parents in Southern California. The weather this weekend is outstanding! It was 66°F this morning when we had our first cup of coffee on the back patio.

My folks live in Oceanside and we will be spending most of our time in Laguna Beach. Yesterday we attended the Members Appreciation Day at the Festival of the Arts. Today we will be going to the Sawdust Festival and the Art a Fair. Tomorrow will be spent revisiting some of our favorite artist's at these shows and in the art galleries of Laguna Beach. Tomorrow night we will be at the Pageant of the Masters. Wednesday we may charter a half day fishing trip off the coast, fun fun.

I enjoy this yearly visit with my parents, the art, the beach cities, and the great food (no worries, all the food is and will be on plan). I don't enjoy the fact that goblins have more rights than free citizens in the Peoples Republic. I guess that is what "Civil Disobedience" was invented for.

Taking Shape for Life - Week 11

Last Monday completed another week of my program to develop a fit, lean and healthy body. I lost another 5 1/2 pounds last week. To me, that is pretty amazing. Over the course of 11 weeks I have lost a total of 57 1/2 pounds.

I started blogging about my journey as a means to hold myself accountable. I figured that if I started slacking, you all would keep me in line and motivated. Now I blog about it because I am so excited about how well I am doing, and because it has not taken a whole heck of a lot of effort to get here. What is really cool is the fact that my success is not atypical, people everywhere are enjoying the same success that I am.

Eleven weeks ago I couldn't walk up a long flight of stairs without panting for breath by the time I got to the top. Last Monday I ran up those same stairs, twice, just for the heck of it.

This attempted take over of our health care system by the .gov highlights one very important issue. We need to become responsible for our own long term health. I am going to do everything within my power to stay as far away from a .gov run health care system as possible. Building a healthier, leaner body will go a long way towards achieving that goal.

The program is a simple one, not always easy, but simple. Pretty much has to be for me to be successful on it. As I have mentioned before, I am so impressed with my success, and with this program, that I decided that I wanted to help others see the same results that I am. If you are at all interested in losing weight and gaining a healthier body, head on over here to see if this program might be the right one for you too.

Need More Proof...

...that gun free zones just don't work?

Try this on for size.

Obese Inmate Hides Gun from Texas Officers

A nearly 600-pound man was able to hide a weapon for more than a day while he was in custody, police told KPRC Local 2 Wednesday.

"Obviously the system broke down," former Harris County Detention Major Mark Kellar said. "The procedures didn't work as they were designed to work."

Houston police said George Vera, 25, was arrested Aug. 2 and taken to the city jail. He spent a day there before being transferred to the Harris County Jail. After being there for 14 hours, going through intake procedures, he was taken to the showers, the final step before going to his cell. There, Vera told police he had a 9mm handgun on him, along with 2 clips.

So this inmate had a pistol, and two magazines inside a jail cell. He then carried them on prisoner transport between jails, and was only found out because he "...told police" he had them?

To my way of thinking, the inside of a jail cell is pretty much the most secure "gun free zone" there is, yet still the goblins get guns into those zones.

This is not an isolated incident. Inmates With Guns and Inmate Found With Gun are earlier posts of incidents where goblins had guns in lockup, once in a maximum security unit of the Mississippi State Penitentiary.

Those who restrict our rights by creating so called "gun free zones" know these facts and understand that some silly sign will not provide any measure of safety to the good folks who are unfortunate enough to be caught in one of these zones when a goblin goes on a rampage.

So if our safety is not their goal, what is?

Taking Shape for Life - Week 10

Yes I changed the title of this weekly post a bit. Calling this program a diet is a bit of a misnomer. I am taking charge of my body, and my health. I am getting fit.

For those of you who have been following along, I have just completed the tenth week of my plan to take back my body. Ten weeks ago I weighed 273 pounds, was wearing tight XXL shirts, and size 44 jeans. Ten short weeks ago I could not climb up the flight and a half of stairs to get on any of the roofs of the buildings I am responsible for at work without getting a little winded. Ten weeks ago I was severely obese.

Last week I lost another 3 pounds for a total of 52 pounds in 10 weeks. Yeah, I'm kinda proud of that achievement.

For all you folks like me who enjoy charts, here is a quick chart of my weight loss journey so far.


A nice steady downward trend. I'll tell you what... V is very happy with my somewhat leaner, stronger and more energetic body. My doctors are also very happy with my success so far. Resting heart rate, cholesterol and blood pressure are all well within healthy norms and I am feeling great.

This site has a couple of good videos that explain the program in some detail, and more great testimonials. This site has even more information.

If you have any questions about my progress so far, how I am accomplishing it, or even my future goals, go ahead and send me an email. The address is in my profile.

Quote of the Day

From my friend Fits:

Ya see, its like this: Obama took 6 months to decide on what dog to get the kids, okay...

And wants Congress to pass universal healthcare in 6 weeks.

Why do I get the feeling that somethings wrong with this picture...

Need Some Phone Help

I know squat about the new smart phones. I know the IPhone has some cool aps that I would use (shot timer, ballistics to name a couple), but I don't know if these type of aps can be run on other phones.

It is well past time I upgraded my cell phone. I need easy email access and an easy to use keyboard. I need a phone that is, you know, a quality phone. Imaging and MP3 capabilities are nice options that I would use, but are not my primary focus.

Under my plan, I can upgrade to one of these phones without breaking the bank.

An iPhone 3G - 16GB Refurb)

A Samsung Impression (Refurb)

A Nokia Surge

A Motorola Karma QA1

And a BlackBerry Pearl 8110

The internal memory and the screen size of the iPhone are large pluses. The Surge has a very nice display and the BlackBerry is a BlackBerry.

Any of you have a good recommendation for me on this one? Right now I am leaning towards the iPhone, but I have not made up my mind yet.

This Sunday I...

...will be manning a table at the Texas Scooter Times Summer Swap Meet in Dallas. My friend Phil and I will be looking to sign up new members for the Texas State Rifle Association.

This looks to be a real good time.

If you happen to end up there, look me up.

An Important Message for Texas Voters

From my friend Ken. Ken is one of the organizers for the Dallas Tea Party Group and the Director of the North Texas Gun Owners.

From Ken:

I'm going to ask you, right now, to mark the date MARCH 2, 2010 on your calendar. If you don't recognize the date, don't sweat it. Unfortunately, March 2, 2010 will come and go without much notice from the substantial majority of Texans.

It won't, however, go unnoticed owing to a lack of importance. QUITE THE CONTRARY. March 2, 2010 is an election day, when the outcome of most of our federal and state races will be determined.

Now, you may be forgiven for thinking, as most do, that most outcomes are decided in NOVEMBER, but you would be wrong. In MOST races, the voting taking place in November is merely a FORMAL RATIFICATION of the results of the primary election in March.

In other words, MOST races are essentially decided once the primary election is finished. This is particularly true in legislative races, which involve districts SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED to ensure that one party or the other will ALWAYS win a particular district. The substantial majority of races are not competitive in the November election, because they are not INTENDED to be. It's called "gerrymandering", and it's designed into our political system at every level. As politicians will tell you, "it's not a bug--it's a feature!"

In MOST races, the ONLY realistic way to affect the outcome of the GENERAL election in NOVEMBER is to affect the outcome of the PRIMARY election in MARCH. In most cases, by the time you get to November, THE GAME IS ALREADY UP.

The CRITICAL point is this: whatever change you may hope to get done in the next election cycle, you must go from March 2, 2010 and work backwards to TODAY. Yes, there will still be PLENTY of work to do after March 2, but the number of possible outcomes will be substantially diminished at that point. In each race in which the citizens fail to get a GOOD candidate on the ballot, they will be faced, ONCE AGAIN, with a choice between CRUMMY and AWFUL.

Let's not let that happen.

Let's go get 'em.

- K

We have some very critical primary elections coming up this go around. From high profile races like the Texas Governor race and the battle for Kay Bailey Hutchison's Senate seat to quite a few Texas House and Senate seats. This is our opportunity to let those who obstructed the passage of the Parking Lots and Campus Carry Bills know just exactly how we feel about their poor judgement.

Medifast Diet - Week 9

Well I did it, this week I passed the first real milestone on my weight loss journey. I am no longer officially "Obese". I am now just an Overweight American. And you know what? For the moment that feels pretty darn good.

In my ninth week I lost 4.5 pounds. My total weight loss over the past 9 weeks is 49 pounds! I have grand children that weigh less than that.

I mentioned earlier about some issues that I had concealing a 1911 as I was losing weight, the shirts just seemed to cling to the grip of my Kimber. I pretty much resolved that issue this weekend. I purchased some clothes that actually fit and moved the carry position of my pistol back along the belt a bit and all is good once again.

It is probably time I traded off some of my gear that no longer fits. I'll have to take some pictures so if you are interested you can see what I have to trade.

If you are at all interested in learning more about what I am doing to lose this weight, head on over here. There are two videos there that will be worth your time to watch.

I've lost near 50 pounds in 9 weeks. How cool is that?

I Knew That...

...the propane tank exchanges that are popping up at gas stations, grocery stores and just about everywhere else were more expensive than getting a tank filled by a propane supplier, but I didn't realise just how much more expensive.

We started exchanging tanks for the convenience. Turning in a tank or two while at the hardware or grocery store just meant one less trip to the propane fill station. It was not long before I noticed that our 20 lb. tanks were being labeled as 17.5 lb. tanks. A bit irritating but the price of fuel was going up and this kept the exchange price the same (basically $20 to $22 depending on where you went). Last month V exchanged a couple of tanks and came home with 15 lb tanks. I was pissed. I went back to Lowe's to find that they were only filling tanks to 15 pounds now.

That was it for me. No more tank exchanges, no matter the convenience.

Yesterday I went to Godfrey Propane to fill a 20 lb tank and my backup 13 lb tank. Guess what, they filled the 20 lb tank to 20 pounds for $15.00. That is 5 more pounds of gas for $5.00 less than at Lowe's. Lowe's propane = $1.33/pound. Godfrey's Propane = $.75/pound, and you will get a full tank at Godfrey's.

Exchanging propane tanks = one bad idea for you, one great idea for the folks who came up with the idea.

Governor Perry, Senator Hutchison, and EBR's

The 2010 Governor's race here in Texas is already heating up. Our Senior Senator, Kay Bailey Hutchison, has decided to challenge Governor Rick Perry in the Republican Primaries next year.

This is exciting. Two very popular politicians running for the same position should make for some good politics.

Reader Jay from Houston sent a link to an AR15.com thread with images of Governor Perry at LaRue Tactical. Like Mark LaRue says, "Bet our Texas Governor can out shoot y'all's Governor".

Here is Governor Perry being spotted by Todd Hodnett as he shoots 1/2 MOA groups.

Here is a close up of Governor Perry's form on the bench.

Seems our Governor likes to shoot EBR's. The fact that he can shoot sub MOA groups shows that his range time includes more than just photo ops.

What does Kay Bailey think about EBR's and EBR owners?

The following video was clipped from a presentation at the Heritage Foundation concerning an individual right to keep and bear arms. Even though Senator Hutchison joined with fifty-four other senators, 250 representatives, and Vice President Cheney to submit an amicus brief in favor of Heller in the SCOTUS DC v Heller case, she still supports an Assault Weapons Ban.

This one statement shows just how far off the mark she is with her definition of an individuals right to keep and bear arms. I have comments on this issue previously, and have contacted her office concerning these remarks. I know for a fact that at least one member of her staff is reading this blog and knows of our concerns over this issue. The Senator's response so far has been less than adequate.

There will be more to come comparing and contrasting the records of both these politicians concerning our right to keep and bear arms.

Sorry about the quality of the video. I somehow got the sound track a couple seconds off track from the image. I'll continue to tinker with it and see if I can get it right.

Girls and Guns, The Playmate Edition

Playboy Cyber Girl of the Year, Sharae Spears, hits the gun range with the head of Playboy security.

I had been called a straight shooter before, but until this year it had a different meaning. In March I shot a gun for the first time, and it has since become one of my favorite hobbies...

It looks like they did a good job with her on the safety fundamentals. There was one brief finger on the trigger issue early on, but all in all she was very safe.

I would have thought that the head of security for an organization as large and diverse as Playboy would be a much better shot. I guess that is why management manages and the boots on the ground take care of taking care of business.

For more on this shoot, and Sharae Spears, head on over here (first link is safe for work, after that you are on your own).

Our Weekend Project

Last weekend I found this garden bench at an estate sale for $8.00.


A couple cans of spray paint, new wood and stain turned it into a nice addition to our back yard furniture.