MacGyver

I replaced two flickering two-bulb fixtures in my garage with two four-bulb fixtures that were on sale when I went to get parts. My garage is now roughly as bright as a paint booth. I love it.

I've always wanted a Honda four-stroke. In little engines - think 2, 5, and 10 hp, they're the bee's knees. That said, I've got a saltwater series Yamaha F115 on my center console, and it has been a strong engine for 10 years, doing everything I've ever asked of it. I spend a lot of time in saltwater. So, my maintenance is probably overkill for someone who only sees freshwater. But, change your oil, change the gear lube at recommended intervals, and don't neglect your water pump. Do those things well and you'll likely be happy with any of the major manufacturers. I've come to like the fact that on my Yamaha, I can do all of the prime maintenance myself.

I did it in my garage with T-8 bulbs. Totally worth it.

If you've ever stripped a phillips head screw when driving it with a normal drill - an impact driver would have likely changed that outcome. For those who don't know, there's a difference between a hammer drill and an impact driver. With a hammer drill, the force is applied inline with the bit. Think of drilling concrete if you had a way to tap the back of the bit with a hammer to help it bite. With an impact driver - the force is in the direction of rotation. So, think of turning a tough screw - and being able to tap that screw around the axis. For stuff that might be sitting out in the weather - or might be a bit corroded - or might be going into wet wood - an impact driver will change your life.

I will also add that while I’ve got a bunch of 20V stuff, Dewalt’s little 12v impact driver may be the single most used tool around our place. I’ve got two bigger ones, but for the size and power, I almost always reach for the little one.

The Dewalt 60v FlexVolt yard tools have made my life measurably better. Both the blower and weed eater are great. I wish we had skipped NiCads and would’ve had lithium ion batteries years ago.

Marshall was a joy of a person.

I'm going to offer a few thoughts for perspective. Have you ever been somewhere where you just felt like you didn't belong? Maybe there was nothing obvious. Likely nothing was said. But, you just felt like you didn't fit in. Many of us have never had that experience - or would need to really stretch our thinking to do it. Looking for a church is a perhaps a good analogy. If you've ever left home and felt compelled to find a church in a new town - it can be daunting. I recently had a family member move to Murfreesboro. For a couple of years they tried probably a dozen churches. They were at one of the bigger ones for about 6 months because their kids went to school with a lot of the kids at that church. They really put in the work, but still ended up leaving. When I was talking to my family member about it, she said, "there are some really great people there - but after 6 months I've got people still introducing themselves like I'm a visitor multiple times - and I don't really know that we're wealthy enough to afford to be able to go to church here." There's a lot in that statement that breaks my heart - but there's a lot of truth, too. There's nothing obviously wrong with that church - they're serving a lot of people - but maybe there's more that they could be doing. -- When it comes to the 2A community - maybe more than one thing can be true at the same time. I'm going to explore that a little bit in this post. 1. The NRA as it exists today is doing just fine - Its membership is as large as it's ever been. It raises more money than it ever has. It has a string of legislative and judicial wins at the local, state, and federal level. As an organization, it is feared by it's opponents, and may be the most effective lobbying group that's ever been. When many of us go to the conventions - we see a floor packed with guns and gear. We hear people speak that are talking about things that we care about. It's probably the furthest thing from most of our minds that most everyone there looks like us. And, that's fine on the surface. The NRA is doing great. Why change something that is doing fine? If people don't feel welcome, that's their problem, not mine. I'm welcoming and affirming and tired of people telling me that I'm the problem. All of the above can be true, and this likely is pretty accurate for most of us. But, something else can be true, too. 2. The NRA as it exists today isn't going to be enough to see us through the fight that is coming - The conditions on the ground are changing. I'm convinced that we're going to see gun regulation be a more dominant force in our political arena in the next few years than it's ever been. Opponents are mobilized, growing, and increasingly well funded. The NRA (as a proxy for all of us) is not ready for this coming fight. We need as many allies as we can get - and what's worked so far - being a culture that's predominantly included white, middle class, generally "conservative" males - isn't going to get us where we need to go. We're going to need a bigger team. -- I think a lot of us read stuff about diversity and inclusion - and we're made to feel like we're somehow the problem. We're tired of being made out to be the problem. I'd love to redirect our focus a bit. We all view things through a lens of our experience. We can't change that. But, occasionally something comes along to put a scratch on that lens and make us think. Let's go back to that church hunting analogy a bit. Many of you who've gone through this process would likely echo feeling something like this. My family member did wind up at a church where they're happy and engaged. When talking to her about it, she mentioned that the first Sunday that they were there people went out of their way to make them feel included. People didn't just introduce themselves, the pastoral staff met them and learned about them. Other kids introduced themselves and showed their kids where to go. People invited them to lunch after church. They made sure they knew about small groups. All of this could seem overwhelming - unless you're looking for a community to get engaged in. Then, you see it through a perspective of people going out of their way to make you feel welcome. That church was fine before this family got there - but when they showed up they went out of their way to make them feel welcome. And now, they're all better for it. If I were to extend that out to the NRA (again as a proxy for all of us) what does that look like? Let's say I'm a young Hispanic man here in Nashville, or a single black mother in Memphis who has bought a gun to defend her family, or maybe I'm a dad in government housing who can here gunshots weekly from my stoop as my kids play in the yard. Let's say I've joined the NRA to learn more about guns because that wasn't a part of my upbringing. I get a copy of American Rifleman or American Hunter in the mail every month. How do those publications speak to me? What would those publications look like if they included stuff that was important to the non-white, non-suburban, non middle class male reader? Off the top of my head: Let's talk Philando Castile - here was a young (black) man who did everything you're supposed to do as a permit holder when engaging with law enforcement. He notified them of his permit, was respectful, and didn't go anywhere near his gun - and still wound up shot. That's terrifying - and the NRA was silent on it. Let's talk firearm security when a $1000 safe may not be an option Let's talk firearm safety and handling in an environment where people aren't going to look at you crossways just because you're there Let's talk cultural issues where your family and your community may look at you crossways because the only people they know with guns are thugs Let's really open up some channels with law enforcement, and be an advocate, and have some hard conversations about interactions with our members who are terrified that they're going to get shot for something stupid. A lot of things can be true at the same time in life. As I look at our community of gun owners at large right now - we're as strong as we've ever been. But, that likely isn't strong enough to get us where we need to go next. America is getting browner. That is something that many of us welcome and celebrate. The 2A community of the future can't look like the one of today if we're going to remain as strong in future generations as we have in this past generation. Maybe the point of this thread isn't necessarily to call us out on doing something wrong - rather it's to start a conversation about how we can be more welcoming - even if at times we go out of our way to do it. How much stronger would the 2A community be if it were in fact a leader when it comes to inclusion? That's the thing. Leaders don't just show up one day with a group that is like, "yeah, I guess we'll follow you." No. Leaders create a space that people want to be involved in - and know that in doing so everyone is better.

The stories of IH going down are something to behold. I have a friend who owned a dealership when they went belly up. Their board kept everything pretty secret - and it went down really fast. He went from a having thriving farm implements business to bankrupt overnight.

Sweet. I’m going to enjoy seeing what happens with it.

While the NRA has existed for 150 years - and did in fact start to advance marksmanship - the NRA of today was not the same as the NRA that existed before 1977. That same Wikipedia article briefly lists the wholesale replacement of the board that happened in '77. There are some better contemporary descriptions out there that are worth reading. At that time the NRA was supportive of more gun control - and was actually considering removing the 'rifle' from its name. The gun laws we have today are largely due to the post-'77 NRA. It's worth mapping these against the gun control laws that get introduced following the Black Panthers entering the California state capitol building armed in the Spring of '67. Like it or not - we have to acknowledge the racist nature of the responses we've often had to black folks carrying guns. Don Mulford - a GOP congressman introduced a bill following the '67 protests stripping Californians of the right to open carry. The NRA supported that legislation. Think about the NRA convention - how many black folks do you see walking the show floor? This isn't meant to be a specific critique of the NRA - rather the NRA might be a decent reflection of us at large. More diversity may actually be what saves the next generation's gun rights. But, we're not going to get there by some magic. It's going to take real work and conversation.

I’m long on Millennials. But, it’s worth thinking about - what if they just want something close to the same deal the Baby Boomers got? How many Boomers do you know who graduated from high school - maybe went to college - but got a job, provided for their family, bought a house, took an occasional vacation, and was able to retire after working for one company their whole career? I’m a Gen X’er and most of my peers would take that deal if it were available. The global economy is 25x what it was at the end of WWII - but all of that profit is going to management and shareholders today - and not taking care of the people building the company. I know what it takes to build a company - and I could do it a lot faster if I did it on the backs of my people instead of making them partners in the effort. I may be leaving some money on the table - but at least I can sleep at night. But, I’m really tired of this argument Boomers make that Millennials should just suck it up and get to work - for most that ship has sailed. And, Boomers running the companies they work for are mostly responsible for it. As for this thread, like Erik, I’d encourage you to listen to the podcast before commenting - and instead of turning this thread to the easy person to bash - “the liberal” - think about what it means for people who don’t look like most of us to own a gun? Maybe ask yourself a question - is TGO a welcoming community to the black gun owner? What about the Hispanic gun owner? Maybe even the Muslim gun owner? Think and discuss.

A shift in mindset - running towards inclusion and diversity instead of away from it - may be the single most important thing we can do in the coming generation to concrete the rights that the last generation has fought to obtain.

Once upon a time I was sailing in federal waters with my grandfather and a few friends. The Coast Guard stopped us for an inspection. They asked if we had any weapons on board - to which we replied that we had a 12 gauge shotgun directly under the cockpit pulpit. They advised that we might consider something with some additional range as well - and that they found that stainless wiped down with a liberal coat of Balistol seemed to work well in the saltwater environment.

Loving that walnut stock.

In this community, know that if you’re having these thoughts, there are people who will listen and sit with you in that dark place until we can find some light. You can PM me anytime and I’ll pick up the phone - or get in the truck and help you get some help. You’re not alone.

New corollary to Godwin’s law - if your first post on this forum uses Hitler’s name in reference to someone other than Hitler - you’re not going to have the opportunity to post further.

^^ yes.

Probably. It reminds me of that old riddle, "How do you make a little money in the gun business?" Answer: start with a lot of money. Running a business is really hard. Running a brick and mortar retail front is really hard. In the gun business you're doing that in a regulatory environment that would just assume you not exist. Add in rapidly depreciating inventory, customers who just come in to showroom and then order online, physical security, etc. and you've got an almost impossible hill to climb. The likelihood of you blowing your life savings is probably high. The probability of you coming to hate everything about the industry is probably even higher. It seems like there ought to be someone telling you this stuff up front - or maybe there is and people just don't listen.

There ought to be a course for people thinking about opening a gun store. I hate seeing otherwise good folks blow their life/retirement savings on a gun store thinking it will be fun only to realize that it's a hard business whose customers will showroom your stuff only to buy online and leave you with inventory no one wants. How many examples of this do we have in the last few years here in Tennessee alone? I can think of a dozen off the top of my head. There are business models that I think could thrive - but it's not your classical brick and mortar model - they're more niche plays. And, even then you've got to show up and put in the work every day - and probably still be a little lucky.

And, when you actually call the BATFE on something like this, they're generally quite helpful. It could be that they're just thankful to answer a call that is something other than the NFA version of "are we there yet."

I've got one for a railed 1911. It's a functional work of art.

I the more I use a pressure washer, the more I think the GPM rating is more important than the PSI rating for most jobs. I think the Greenworks model I bought was the same as that first SunJoe link above. Likely made on the same Chinese line with different branding. The hose storage isn’t as nice as that Ryobi model - but it’s a lot smaller. The only complaint I’ve had - and it’s really more a function of the size probably - is that it seems to take the pump a minute to get all of the air out. I could probably pull the trigger for a minute longer before I power it up, but I’ve learned that just because you see a steady stream coming out of the nozzle doesn’t necessarily mean it’s ready for business. It hasn’t caused problems - it’s just cycled a bit for the first minute or two as I’ve used it.

Ah. Slowness on mobile. Was thinking, dang he just got that truck... I like that electric blue.

Did you get rid of the F-150?