What a difference a YEAR makes!
26 January 2020
December 2019
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!
2019 will certainly go down as possibly the worst year of my life, but as in all things, there is ALWAYS a silver lining.
Exactly one year ago this week started the plunge into some of the worst health issues I have ever faced, yet one year later I feel like a new man! I have regained 25 pounds of the 33 I lost in the first 3 months of this year, am able to exercise and lift weights again, and have regained a focus and energy I have not felt since I was forced into retirement because of multiple neck and back surgeries.
And as usual with my life, I have moved into a new hobby/enterprise activity to help keep my mind active and fresh to help weather the storm of becoming a senior citizen.
In November of this year I was issued my Federal Firearms License by the ATF. It is a GREAT honor for me. I am an active member of the NRA and have been a shooting enthusiast since I was young. I hope to have a small online business starting up in 2020, as a way to take my hobby to the next level.
There is VERY controversial area of firearms, as I have learned, that I find myself having to take a stand on (or in my case against) in relation to the Do-It-Yourself gun manufacturing movement that exists in this country.
Most citizens are probably not aware that you are allowed to legally manufacture your own gun for our own personal use. You may not let anyone else use it and you can not sell it or transfer ownership to anyone else. Upon the death of the original owner/builder, the gun must be destroyed or surrendered to ATF (and with VERY GOOD REASON).
This topic brought up some heavy debate in my own mind about this policy. My followng commentary on this is STRICTLY my own opinion, and is in no way meant to criticize the policy or those that choose to embark on making their own guns. The law states that you can, and as long as it does, I will always support and defend a persons right to make that choice.
HOWEVER!
The other thing that most folks may not realize about this gun building thing is that the law ALSO does not force the gun to be serialized and registered. This is the area I find most alarming and why I felt it necessary to take a stand and distance myself from this group of shooting enthusiasts.
There are TWO very important aspects on this that I felt compelled to consider and side with. And BOTH I feel have a direct relationship to my deep respect and sense of duty to our Law Enforcement community and the difficult challenges they face on a daily basis keeping us safe as best they can.
Number 1: Even though our Constitution guarantess the right of gun ownership, I view it as more of a priviledge than a right, just like a Driver's License. We must act RESPONSIBLY as gun owners.
Number 2: To me the thought of unregistered guns floating around is VERY disconcerting. Were these guns to fall into the wrong hands, or be stolen and used in a crime, by the very nature of being untraceable, makes the job our Police Officers face, a VERY daunting task.
Ask yourself a question: How would you feel if a gun you made, was stolen and used to injure someone? Not something I could live with!
I have sensed a strong sentiment of the feeling of invasion-of-privacy and anti Law Enforcement in regard to this movement. And it is a sentiment I DO NOT share!
I am in favor of strong gun control measures. But I also believe it is people who kill people and NOT the fault of the gun itself. Blame should rest where it belongs. Banning a gun for it's operational characteristics will NEVER be the answer to the problem. AR does NOT stand for Assault Rifle folks! It stands for Armalite Rifle named for the company that invented it. And it was issued as a civilian gun before it became used in the military.
But back to my initial topic of discussion, I think if you make a gun, you should act responsibly and register it by having a serial number engraved on it, period!
I refuse to own or be in possession of an unregistered gun. I have zero problem with the government and Law Enforcement knowing about the guns I own.
Okay, I will get off my soap-box now! Thanks for listening!
God Bless the U.S.A. 