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November 11th, 2008
4,734,991 Americans served in uniform during World War I. They fought on land and sea, in the first true global conflict. By the end of WWI over 15,000,000 soldiers and civilians worldwide had died in that conflict, including 120,000 Americans (as many from disease as from wounds). A thousand U.S. Soldiers died every DAY in the 3-week Meuse-Argonne offensive.
Frank Buckles — The Last Doughboy
Now, 90 years since the end of WWI, there is only one American WWI veteran who survives. 107-year-old Army veteran Frank Buckles is our last living link with the “Doughboys” who fought in Europe. His story is a profile in patriotism (and youthful exuberance). When only 16 years old, he tried to enlist in the U.S. Marines. They turned him down, so he joined the Army, lying about his age. He served in Britain and France as an ambulance driver, then helped escort German prisoners home to Germany after the surrender.
 
Following WWI, Buckles wanted to see the world, so he took work with a steamship company. That job placed him in the Philippines when the Japanese invaded. He was captured and interred in a prison camp for three years before being liberated. Below is a CNN feature on Frank Buckles. As all other American WWI vets have passed away, Buckles was honored as the last U.S. Soldier to fight in the “Great War”. To learn more about Frank Buckles and his experiences in WWI, CLICK HERE for a USAToday Feature Story. (Highly recommended–worth reading.)
CLICK HERE to view more video interviews with Frank Buckles and veterans of five other wars.
November 9th, 2008
 In the wake of Barack Obama’s election as the next U.S. President, gun vendors around the nation are reporting a significant rise in firearm sales. Customers are flocking to stores to purchase guns they expect to be banned once Obama assumes office. One shop owner noted that, since the new President will enjoy a Democratic-party majority in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, there will be nothing to prevent the passage of a new assault weapons ban and strict new controls on handguns.
As reported on ABC’s Nightline, gun sales have risen dramatically. The FBI reports that background checks are up 15% compared to the same period last year — and that was before Tuesday’s election results. Texas retailer Cheaper Than Dirt (CTD) has sold $100,000 of guns and ammo every day since the election. One CTD customer explained: “Everyone’s here for the same reason — buy it now or you won’t have a chance in the future.” CTD owner Dewayne Irwin says “I’m flabbergasted”, but he adds that he could be selling twice as many guns if he could get the inventory: “We’re buying [for resale] anything… pretty much anything that will take a magazine and is a rifle.” Click on the image above to watch the Nightline Special Report on gun sales.
The news is the same across the country — gun sales are up, way up. The Denver Post reports that a “crush of business” has hit gun shops and the state’s computerized background system was “jammed with waits” due to the spike in gun sales. In North Carolina, the Raleigh/Durham News-Observer reports that distributors are running out of semi-automatic rifles and prices are rising. Reporter Jay Price says that gunshops have the Democrats to thank for the buying frenzy: “Barack Obama said he would improve the economy. Turns out he already has, at least in one retail niche: gun sales. Starting in the days before the election, gun shops across the state have been mobbed by buyers who fear that Obama and a larger Democratic majority in Congress will restrict firearm sales. Many were stocking up on things such as assault rifles, high-capacity magazines and handguns that they think would be the most likely targets of new laws, though practically everything related to shooting has been selling more quickly.”
Are people smart to purchase controversial firearms now, or are they over-reacting to the Democractic election victories with “panic buying”? Some political observers say that there are much more important issues facing the Obama administration, notably the economy and Iraq, so passing new gun laws will NOT be a priority for the new President. Also, it is argued, the recent ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in D.C. v. Heller upholding the Second Amendment should dissuade Congress from moving aggressively to ban guns. On the other hand, some analysts suggest that quick passage of a new Federal gun ban is likely because it can be accomplished so easily. A gun ban is “showpiece” legislation that could be pushed through Congress quickly to demonstrate that Obama is acting decisively out of the gate. By contrast the bigger issues are much more complex and there are no quick, easy (or inexpensive) solutions. While he struggles with the economy and the Iraq war, Obama can show his supporters that he is “accomplishing change” right away by banning so-called “assault rifles”. He’s got the votes in Congress and a gun ban won’t add to the deficit or require new taxes.
November 7th, 2008
IMPORTANT UPDATE April 2009– READ THIS FIRST!!!
BRUNO’s is SOLD OUT of the Federal 205M PRIMERS at this time. Also, when these primers were last in stock the price was $46.95 per thousand. It is not known when 205M Primers will be back in stock. So please do NOT call requesting these primers at 2008 special sale prices.
Date: 11/7/2008 — For quite some time, Federal 205M (match) small rifle primers have been very hard to get. Some major suppliers are still out of stock. But fear not… Amy at Bruno’s informed us that Bruno’s recently received a HUGE shipment of 500,000 Fed 205M primers. This shipment was so big that Bruno’s shelves are overflowing so they’ve cut prices. The old price was $36.95 per 1000 primers. The new Special SALE price for the Fed 205Ms is $29.95 per thousand… for a limited time only. Call Amy Bruno at 1-800-455-0350 to order, or visit BrunoShooters.com.
 Bruno’s also received an “over-abundance” of 8-lb jugs of Hodgdon H335 powder, so it has been marked down on “Special Sale” as well. Bruno’s is now selling the H335 eight-pounders for $117.95 marked down from $122.54.
Hodgdon’s H335 is a good powder for use in the .222 Rem, .223 Rem and .204 Ruger cartridges. It is an accurate, easy-metering spherical (ball) powder that is very similar to Olin’s military WC844, used to load 5.56 military ammo. Prairie dog shooters should find this a very good powder choice.
November 5th, 2008
The votes have been tallied… Barack Obama will be the 44th President. The Democratic Party will control both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, but it appears the Democrats did not achieve a 60% “supermajority” in the Senate. It was a decisive Electoral College victory, with previously solid “Red States” such as Ohio and Virginia going blue. Obama also won the popular vote, 52% vs. 46% percent for McCain.
What can we learn from the results? There are some surprises. First, male voters split evenly 49% for McCain, 49% for Obama. Women and young people decided this election. Here are some interesting facts:
1. The Democrats did a good job of stirring interest in the election. The total number of voters (including absentees) tallied 136,000,000, or roughly 64% of the electorate. That would make this the highest turnout since 1960, and possibly since 1908. What did it take to achieve this? A huge war-chest. It is estimated that the Obama campaign spent as much as $650,000,000 overall — an unprecedented number.
2. While minorities (both African-American and Latino) voted overwhelmingly for Obama, that didn’t cost the Republicans the election. McCain lost because of women and under-age-30 voters. As during the Clinton years, there was a significant “gender gap” — 55% of women favored the Democratic ticket. Seventy (70%) percent of unmarried women supported Obama, a margin of more than 2-to-1. Among married women, 53% voted for Obama vs. 45% for McCain. As in past elections, there is evidence that a significant percentage of women voted for the candidate they found most attractive (regardless of his politics).
3. The “age gap” was even more dramatic. Obama captured the overwhelming majority of under-30 voters. According to msnbc.com: “Young voters preferred Obama over John McCain by 68% to 30% — the highest share of the youth vote obtained by any candidate since exit polls began reporting results by age in 1976.” Obama’s election team successfully galvanized the young voters, who turned out in record numbers. Report on Youth Vote.
4. Among all voters, the economy was a key issue. Exit polls showed that fully 90% of voters felt the economy was “not in good shape”. 80% of voters polled believed that their family would be harmed financially in the next year because of the economic downturn. These concerns caused independents to vote for Obama, and caused many Republicans to cross party lines, particularly in the Northeast.
5. McCain got swamped in the Electoral College system, though the aggregate popular vote was closer than you might expect: 52.33% for Obama vs. 46.38% for McCain. This will again lead many to question the merits of the Electoral College system, particularly as it works with “all or nothing” states such as California. Every one of California’s 55 electoral votes went to Obama yet 3.7 million Californians voted for McCain.
Message for Republicans and Gun Owners
It’s not widely known, but Bill Clinton lost both his Presidential elections among male voters. He was victorious only because of a significant “gender gap”, with women voters favoring him significantly over his opponents. Barack Obama also benefitted from a “gender gap”, but Obama’s popularity with women, particularly unmarried women, was even more significant. Both Obama and Clinton were perceived as handsome and charismatic. Studies have shown that unmarried women look to male Presidential candidates as surrogate “providers”. Obama did a superb job of appealing to this segment of the electorate. In the future, if Republicans want to win, they must not underestimate the importance of women voters. That did explain, in part, McCain’s selection of Alaska Governor Palin, but among many women voters, that choice back-fired. The Democrats understood that unmarried women don’t necessarily want a female candidate. What many women really want is a charismatic male candidate — a matinee idol/protector figure.
The Republican party will also have to examine its “youth strategy”, which failed miserably in this election. Some pundits predicted that the youth vote would fizzle, because the Gen-Xers were lazy and apathetic. Well, this election proved those cynics wrong. If the Republican party intends to get “back on track”, it must provide a candidate and platform that better appeal to young voters.
As for gun rights advocates, the message is quite clear. We must organize, fight harder, and expand the base. One central theme of this website has been to attract new shooters, particularly women and young people. The results of the 2008 election demonstrate that it is more important than ever to draw females and young people into the shooting sports.
The numbers from the election show that gun rights supporters should re-double their efforts to reach across party lines, to appeal to those who may potentially be allies in the Second Amendment fight, but who, for a myriad of reasons, do not fit into traditional “red state” or Republican constituencies. In essence, the challenge is to provide compelling reasons for women, youth, and others (whatever their party affiliation) to involve themselves in the shooting sports and to support Second Amendment rights. The more that Second Amendments rights are seen, by Americans of all ideologies, as an important cornerstone of a free society (as distinct from a partisan issue), the more secure those rights will be.
November 4th, 2008
Today is the day. Across the nation citizens will vote to determine the next President of the United States. And the Presidential race is not the only important election. Numerous key seats in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are up for grabs. Make no mistake about it… this is a very important election. Its outcome will have a significant effect on our domestic and foreign policies for years to come.
 Whatever your political affiliation you owe it to yourself, and to your country, to exercise your right to vote. Sportsmen and gun owners can influence this election, particularly in key “swing states” such as Pennsylvania, Florida, and Ohio. If we, as gun owners, don’t get to the polling places and cast our ballots, we can expect greater challenges to our rights in the months and years ahead.
This is a critical election. Remember that in the D.C. v. Heller case, four out of the nine Supreme Court justices were essentially willing to read the Second Amendment out of the Constitution. Yes, by one vote (5 to 4), we “won” the Heller case, but it is sobering to think the decision was that close. Keep that in mind as you determine who to vote for. The President appoints Justices to the Supreme Court. It is expected that at least two current high court Justices will retire within the next four years. Keep that in mind when you vote today. “Consider,” says Steve Sanetti, President of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, “that the next president could nominate as many as three Supreme Court justices, will appoint the next director of the ATF and will either support or resist U.N. gun-control efforts. Make no mistake, this is not the time for gun owners to take a back seat.”
 Also remember that some of the worst gun regulations have started at the municipal and state levels. You must, therefore, pay close attention to state and local elections. Successful efforts to safeguard gun rights begin at the local level. In states like California and New York, we’ve seen that state politicians are more than willing to enact bad laws that violate the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. So… if you want to keep your Second Amendment rights, be sure to exercise another Constitutional right and VOTE!
Finding Your Polling Place
If you’re not sure about the location of your designated polling place, visit GoVote.org. That non-partisan website will identify your polling place, complete with a street map. Just type in your zip code or street address, and the right location will appear.
November 4th, 2008
The National Shooting Sports Foundation provides this report:
“Across the country, the media continues to localize a story that first ran in The Washington Post, with NSSF input, about a trend of increasing firearm sales driven in part by the fear that, if elected, Barack Obama, working with a Democrat-controlled Congress, could pass legislation that would limit Americans’ right to own certain types of firearms, particularly semi-automatic rifles. A story from the Naples (FL) News confirmed an increase of concealed carry permits, while a story out of Las Cruces, NM, focused on increased sales of tactical rifles. Meanwhile, on the hunting side, the Associated Press ran a story Saturday on the strength of hunting-related sales despite high gas prices and economic instability. “Hunters may not get the latest product, but they’re still getting the things they need and getting out there. Our sales are holding up good,” said Larry Whiteley of Bass Pro Shops.” (Story from NSSF).
Commentary
 Are American gunowners over-reacting to the possibility of a Democrat in the White House? Maybe not…. If the Democratic Party captures the Presidency, while attaining majorities in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, many observers predict Congress will quickly enact new legislation restricting the ownership and use of certain classes of semi-automatic firearms, and imposing much tighter controls on handguns.
There is no reason to believe Barack Obama would not endorse such legislation. For a running mate, Obama chose Joe Biden, one of the original authors of federal legislation restricting semi-automatic rifles. As quoted in the Chicago Tribune, Presidential candidate Barack Obama supports an “assault weapon” ban: “I believe we need to renew — not roll back — this common sense gun law.” In 2007, Obama stated that the government needs to permanently reinstate an assault weapons ban, according to Fox News. In addition, Obama has unequivocally stated in an NPR interview that he would support Federal legislation to ban concealed carry laws nationwide.
November 3rd, 2008
The McMillan Group has teamed up with Packages from Home (PFH), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting our troops and their needs. The goal is to make the holidays a little brighter for America’s deployed troops serving overseas. McMillan has pledged to send a $100.00 gift certificate to all those who donate to Packages from Home. McMillan will be accepting donations (either goods or money) on behalf of Packages from Home.
Here’s the deal: If you make ANY contribution to PFH, large or small, cash or goods, during November and December, you will receive a $100 McMillan gift certificate along with a receipt for tax purposes. The certificate can be used towards a McMillan gunstock or other McMillan product. This way you can save on gun gear while helping our soldiers serving far from home. We salute McMillan’s efforts to assist Packages from Home in supporting our troops deployed overseas. For a list of recommended items to donate, visit the Packages from Home website.
November 3rd, 2008
With the Presidential election slated for tomorrow, it has never been more important for gun owners to band together and work as a group. The NRA may not be perfect, but it remains the most powerful organization working to protect the rights of gun-owners.
If you haven’t joined the NRA yet, now is the time to do so. And Sightron has made it even easier. If you buy a Sightron scope, Sightron will pay for your NRA membership. Consumers who purchase any Sightron scope (excluding S1 models) before the end of 2008 will receive a free one-year NRA membership. Current NRA members will receive a one-year renewal with purchase. “With 2008 being a critical election year, all of us here at Sightron are concerned about attacks against our right to bear arms. We want to ensure that future generations have the same rights we have enjoyed”, said Sightron’s President, Scott Helmer.
To qualify for the FREE NRA membership, a $25.00 value, just purchase a Sightron SIIISS, SII Big Sky or SII Series riflescope before December 31st, 2008. (The impressive, new Sightron SIII 8-32×56, shown above, also qualifies.) Purchaser must submit Sightron Coupon with original sales receipt by March 31st, 2009.
CLICK HERE for More Info and SIGHTRON COUPON
November 2nd, 2008
As your Editor writes this I’m listening to Van Morrison on my own personal, FREE web radio station. That’s right, log on to Pandora.com and you can set up your own personalized music streaming web radio station. What’s unique is that YOU tell Pandora what kind of music you want. You can simply select a genre (music style), or do what I did — select particular artists and cuts for starters. Pandora reviews the songs/artists you chose and, using song-matching software, Pandora adds compatible music cuts from its archive of millions of songs. If something comes up you don’t like, just click a “thumbs down” button and Pandora will remove that cut from your station.
Pandora delivers all tunes, all the time. There are no “commercial breaks” in the audio. All you hear are songs and artists you like. At any time you can augment your playlist with new artists or songs. What’s really cool is when Pandora finds a new piece of “matching” music that you’ve never heard before, or when it automatically finds one of your old favorites. For example, I indicated an interest in Jazz piano, and Pandora delivered some nice Oscar Peterson cuts.
 What’s the catch? Well, to create a personalized “station” you need to give Pandora an email address. But that’s it… there’s no fee, no credit card number to input. After spending a few minutes to configure your personal channel, you get great tunes for free. You can even set up multiple “stations”, for example, one for C&W, one for Jazz, one for Classical. You can also find new music by searching the playlists of other Pandora users.
Well, I’m almost done here and Pandora just cranked out “Gimme Some Lovin'” by the Spencer Davis Group (Stevie Winwood’s first band). Yeah baby. My toes are tappin’ as my fingers are typin’….
November 1st, 2008
 Tune in to your radio this Sunday guys. Dan Cooper will be the topic du jour on Tom Gresham’s radio show. If the show is not broadcast in your area, you can stream audio over the internet by visiting www.guntalk.com.
Gresham’s Gun Talk is the #1 firearms-related radio show in the world. Every week, Tom brings together interesting figures in the shooting community. But this week is extra special. Tom and his lead-off guest David Codrea will discuss the controversy involving Dan Cooper. When it was revealed, earlier this week, that Dan Cooper made donations to the Democratic Party, many gun owners expressed concern, and some vowed not to purchase Cooper Rifles. In the heat of the controversy, Dan Cooper resigned his position at Cooper Firearms, but Dan’s politics remain a hot issue. Along with the Cooper controversy, Codrea, Guns magazine columnist and author of a popular web blog, will discuss the the election, and the power of the web for the gun rights movement.
Gresham will also interview Bill Dermody, a marketing exec with Savage Arms. Just this week, it was Bill who provided AccurateShooter.com with an exclusive “sneak preview” of new dual-port rifles in Savage’s 2009 line-up. On Gun Talk, Bill will discuss the Savage product line and general shooting issues. “Bill is a regular on Gun Talk,” Tom Gresham said. “He loves to chat with callers, whether it’s about Savage, or just shooting, hunting and guns in general.”
Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk is carried on 64 radio stations across the country, streamed on the internet, and broadcast on XM Satellite Radio. The nationally-syndicated live radio show will be broadcast Sunday, November 2, starting at 2:00pm Eastern Time.
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