gun sane

I finally got my poor tired feet out of ICU so I'll post a few thoughts on running the gauntlet at the Knoxville Gun, Mall Ninja and Hot Tub show today. I was looking to get rid of some dreck that had accumulated over the past few years. I'd held on to it much too long and it was mostly a buyer's market, since America's No. 1 gun salesman is about to retire in less than 40 days. I suppose we're in that awkward period where gun seekers know the economy is gonna get better but it hasn't shown up on the paycheck yet. It's a lot easier to turn stuff when the customers are thick at the tables and fighting like it's Black Friday at the Walmart towel rack. This time I had to walk the show three times before I was willing to come off my dream price. Baked-on stupidity is hard to scrub out. First I had to run the gauntlet of lowballers in the parking lot and near the door. Anyone open carrying is subject to interrogation: What ya got? What do ya want for it? What will you take? (As if the second question doesn't matter.) It's easy to shake off the dealers masquerading as civilians. You give them a ridiculous price, such as full retail, and they know they're wasting their time talking to a fool who is unclear on the capitalist concept. But if you're haggling with someone without a FFL, you have a better chance of a tax-free sale. In Tennessee, gun show loopholes are pretty wide but you still should check state ID and frisk for ski masks. It costs the equivalent of a box of cheap 9mm to gain entry. Sometimes the cops hired for security will make an offer as they zip-tie your gun's action. Many are on the lookout for a bargain throw dow......I mean, backup pistol or revolver. It's best to eat before you arrive. There's usually a food vendor ready to take your money, if the health department has given them their license back, but you're still paying steak prices for a mystery meat burger. I remember ordering one time and just happened to see my doctor standing behind me staring at me like I was a sheep-killing dog. I told him that the patty makes for an excellent gun lube and actually attracts wild carnivores. Good for me he was one of the 50% of doctors who finished in the bottom half of the class. The first lap around the building is for show. You want to give the tightwad dealers behind the tables the impression that it isn't your first rodeo and you know which end of the horse smells worse. To set the proper mood, you should dress accordingly. I wore my "Deplorable Lives Matter" t-shirt to declare that I was someone to be reckoned with. When I lived in Texas I was topped with the usual Stetson with all kinds of shiny few-faws dangling off the crown. In East Tennessee, the well-dressed expert has at least 70 ball caps in his closet to choose from, but at the tables he's adorned with a lid which sports at least one Confederate flag and a witty saying, such as, "I Call 1911, Not 9-1-1." On the second time around, you should have your game face full on. The dealers now know that you carried all those slung rifles and pistol boxes for a full mile and they're looking for signs of weakness. Some will venture a "No luck, yet?" comment to drain your resolve, but they should be parried with an air of patience. "I may just hang on to 'em while the price goes up." is the only fitting comeback I've learned. Your mileage may vary. Take a minute to lean over their table and give their merchandise a hard look if you didn't do it on the first round. It's not that you're really interested about the same gun you've seen all over the show, but it gives them a chance to scan for all the intricate details of your pride and joy that you desperately want to disown. Caution: Make sure you keep the dinged side against your body--secrets are for serious lookers only. And don't knock over any Tupperware or other arts and crafts displays. It quickly spoils the mood. A third time around is for God-fearers only. You're praying every step of the way that a miracle will happen and someone will buy for cost plus the price of admission. There's no use putting on any airs. The self-respecting peons have long since headed to the barn. At this point, anything you've got to trade is even-steven with an RG revolver that the dealer euphemizes as "German made." If you're lucky, he'll do the deal and then beat you over the head with both guns. I must have been living right because I found a guy who bit on my rock-bottom price. I like to think he took pity, but I suspect he was afraid I'd heave up that hamburger on his chrome-plated throwing stars. I took his cash and hitched a ride from a handicapped scooter driver headed for the door. God moves in mysterious ways.

I'm going. I'll be the one in the flannel shirt and ball cap.

Yeah, I've beaten my swords into plowshares to preserve marital peace, too. But I still maintain a pocket knife at DEFCON 3.....or is it 4? Dang.....

Trying to get into the Spirit of Christmas? Don't look for smarmy TV movies to find the real "reason for the season." The wife has been gorging on the Hallmark Channel's yuletide offering lately and here's the synopsis of one that was on tonight: "As the Christmas holiday draws near, a veterinary student and a stray cat challenge a fireman's commitment to life as a bachelor."

There are reports that the initial fire had a human cause. How do you issue a warning on that?

There's too dang many of them to make a difference. Years ago I was a member of the Houston Gun Collectors Assn. which had only two shows per year. Well over 1,000 tables and no spa salesmen or trinket peddlers. There were deals galore. I don't begrudge RK or any dealer the right to make a living, but I don't go unless I have a specific need that can't be met elsewhere.

Whether you treat yourself to a bird this Thursday or not, I hope we all celebrate a joyous day of safe space togetherness in your own personal community of positive influencing associates.

Does that warranty cover KABOOMS?

Looks like baseball is the only thing the Dems didn't teach Chicago how to rig.

I don't listen to much country music, but wasn't that last one Lady Gaga?

The Top Five Things You Can Do After Reassembling the Old Ruger Mark Pistol: (1) Apply for an automatic P.H.D. at the American Gunsmithing Institute. (2) Crack the safe in the KFC Secret Recipe Room. (3) Do any repair job on a Ford. (4) Advise Rebel pilots on how to take down the Death Star. (5) Raise Bill Ruger from the dead.

Well, it sure beats the old way.

If it's all about concealment plus capacity, how about a mini-19? Get a Glock 26 and stuff a G19 mag with an X-Grip spacer into it. Sight radius isn't really a factor at average SD distances.

We all can relax for the moment. The ATF was shooting from the hip. https://www.atf.gov/file/109341/download

Gun enthusiasts are interpreting this rule change as an end run to control the ammo and reloading business. Here's two reports to consider: http://www.alloutdoor.com/2016/08/30/breaking-latest-atf-surprise-drive-ammo-prices-roof/ http://www.ammoland.com/2016/08/atf-reclassifies-wetted-nitrocellulose-as-explosive-materials-under-federal-laws/#axzz4Ikveu3Mq

My Bersa .380 cut its teeth on PMC. Avoid the Winchester pig-nosed fodder and the Sellier & Bellot FMJ. When you reassemble after cleaning, make sure the recoil spring goes back on the barrel with the slightly larger diameter end towards the muzzle (whichever way is more snug). Turning the spring so that its "tail" is in the 12 o'clock position over the muzzle may help prevent jams.

Tim Tebow would be proud to stand for the anthem....if the team owners can just get passed that pesky Christian image thing.

Yep, there's a lot of us retirees in the neighborhood that don't have to be anywhere at anytime. And there's a good number of lazy mechanics too. They're like electricity--they flow in the path of least resistance.

It suddenly got pretty breezy here and the power went out over a chunk of southern Maryville around 6 p.m. It's pretty common that this area is vulnerable to outages whenever the weather gets a bit unruly. The lights didn't come back on for two hours. I'm wondering if the city is still living in the 1950's when it comes to the grid system. In my career as an aircraft mechanic, I noticed that planes can't just park on top of a cloud when they lose juice. Therefore, there's several options to get the electrical power back, most of it independent of how the pilots think it should be restored. (Two of the most dangerous things in the airline business is a mechanic with a pen and a pilot with a screwdriver.) Many of these glorified bus drivers are bigots--they love Germanic buttons labeled OTTO, but hate to push an Hispanic one labeled MANUEL. Okay, pilots often don't have the time to react to scary failures--even if they get a bright idea--so critical systems are automatic. If electrical buses go dark, the gee whiz computer will open and close switches to cross-connect generating power before the pilots have time to scream. So why when a little windstorm comes along does it take two hours to get the electric thingys back the way customers like them? Aren't there any OTTO buttons down at the power company?

I'm dead last? That figures......the real Santa still hasn't brought me the little red wagon I asked for when I was six. Congrats to all the winners that are livin' right.

Merry Christmas!

It was just my turn to be the clueless latecomer. I think I'll stick to Funny Pics until I get a law license.

I haven't seen this posted here, so it may be news to you. http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/06/30/tn-businesses-that-disarm-concealed-carry-permit-holders-now-liable-for-their-safety/

How about a few of these yes or no questions? Do you decide life's matters based upon what the majority of other people think? Would you permit your teenager to do something you believe to be harmful if "everyone is doing it?" All things considered, do you regard polling results as little more than pieces of cheese to dangle before mice so that they'll ring a certain bell? And most important: Do you believe that polls should be outlawed during an election cycle so that everyone might vote their own conscience without fear of wasting their ballot if they don't like the popular crook?

This is the best reason I know of for the "keep the gun pointed downrange" rule. http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/clermont-county/amelia/dispatch-person-shot-killed-by-accident-in-clemont-county-gun-store