Texas legalizes hunting game animals... with suppressors

Omigosh, omigosh, I'm so excited.  This will be so cool.  <----- Clicky, Clicky.

Today, after hearing your support for this NRA-backed common sense hunting reform, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously to legalize suppressor use while hunting.

I'm so excited.  Now, the thing is that suppressors are legal in Texas and hunting "non-game" animals with them has not been illegal.  Game animals are defined specifically in the law and include Whitetail Deer and Turkey, but not wild pigs or exotics.  Yes, they are technically game, but in the legal sense exotics are classified as livestock since they are non-indigenous and pigs are just a freaking invasive, destructive mess.  Why this is so cool is that you generally don't want to be hunting for something like Axis Deer with a suppressor during Whitetail hunting season.  Is it legal?  Sure.  Would you have to explain to Mr. Game Warden that you really were just hunting Axis (I swear, officer).  Probably.  It's just a dumb hassle.  Now, no worries.  It will also make the hunting much more pleasant for everyone involved and make taking younger kids hunting a lot more enjoyable.  Anyways, I'm excited, but a little nervous.

I'm excited because I'm going to do this in the near future.  I'm nervous because now I need to figure out how to get authorization to buy a suppressor for my next new gun.  I had plans and was working towards getting an AR chambered in .308 that I was going to use for a standard caliber hunting rifle.  Now, I need to set up a trust and figure out how to fit a rifle-grade suppressor into the budget...   $$$$

This is something I am FOR

Tacocopters.

Real or fake, I have to admit the concept makes me smile.

Biggest firearm theft I've ever heard of

from a private residence.

Thirty seven firearms and five suppressors stolen along with other goodies all valued at around half a mil.  Wow.  My first thought was why the firearms weren't in a safe, but since the homeowners were out of town it's possible the bad guys had all the time in the world to get the access they needed.  Man, that would suck pretty incredibly bad.

And so it begins...

If you think the hysteria surrounding the shooting in Florida will not affect you, consider this:

In Wisconsin, a homeowner defends himself and his family from some inebriated person on his enclosed front porch at 1 a.m.  The only reason I emphasize that it was enclosed is that it means that this person entered an enclosed structure that is part of this home.  The homeowner confronts the person and instead of complying, the person approaches the homeowner.  The homeowner fires a single shot from a handgun, killing the intruder. 

Two things you will notice about this case:

1. Apparently, what constitutes a "child" or "kid" has now increased to 20 years-old.

2. Skin color means you are completely innocent regardless of the circumstances.

The protesters are already out in force and I'm sure this homeowner will face threats against him for protecting his family.  Comparisons are being made to the Trayvon Martin shooting only because of the color of the individual's skin.

You will also notice the agenda of the media, here.  Yet again, they are questioning self-defense laws when they are not even the issue.  The laws governing self defense would still apply here regardless of Wisconsin's castle law.  This man was the only thing standing between an intruder who had entered a structure in his home and his wife and children.  What decision do you make in that situation?  You only have one chance to get it right as the person approaches you in the dark. 

Where the ATF and I agree

An issue of trust.

"A key area in which ATF fell short was leadership."

Among other things.

Movie Night, Cowboys, Aliens and Adventure

We got two of them:  "Tintin" and "Cowboys and Aliens."  You know what?  Both were really pretty good.  We got "Tintin" for the kids, so we thought.  It was still ok, but there was some content that was a bit on the older kid side.  Still, it was ok.  What I was surprised about was the awesome firearm animation.  I mean, just incredible.  There were MP40s, Lugers and Tintin himself carried an FN Hi-power, which I thought was pretty sweet.  Yes, there were your typical mistakes.  If you take a magazine out of a gun that has been in use and there is a round in the top of the magazine, you don't have one round left, you have two.  But anyways, it was done really well.  For those of you that may not be aware, there is a pretty cool website that can help you with your gun identification for movies.  Sometimes it's just fun to look back at older movies and see what was in them.

"Cowboys and Aliens" was surprisingly good IF and I mean IF you like Sci Fi and Western genres.  If you don't like Sci Fi and get it because you like Westerns and Harrison Ford, you will probably think it is goofy and ridiculous.  The story was done well and the actors were very good.  It was interesting to see Harrison Ford play a bad guy.  It's worth it for a rental.  Were there issues with this one, too?  Sure there were.  It's made by Hollywood, but overall it was fun and entertaining.

What I don't understand

When something like this happens and officers are put on administrative or "restrictive" leave instead of arrested and booked.  This seemed like a textbook situation of delusional combative guy that needed some tasing and mental evaluation at a later date.

When the officers finally gained control of Heidebrecht, they each grabbed a leg and dragged him, face down, across the floor to a police area inside the airport.

There is no question that it crossed the line at the dragging part.  At this point, it goes from a standard police response to assault and possibly misconduct and brutality.  I know quite a few officers and they get pretty sick of seeing this kind of thing.  It makes them all look bad.  There seem to be too many situations where officers take it upon themselves to go out of their way to punish people in the course of their arrest.  I understand you need to investigate to find out what happened, but why are officers treated different than citizens when these things happen?  Why would I be arrested and detained and have to post bail while the investigation is underway?  I think it's a bit backwards.  Law enforcement officers should be held to at least the same standard.  After all, the jerk in Canton that engaged in what can only be called terroristic threats gets investigated and fired, but walks away without ever being arrested.  "Insufficient evidence."  Snerk.

Welcome

Thanks to BullseyeBabe for hitting the follower button.  Her blog is worth a look and nothing is better than supporting new and interested shooters.  The community is great at that type of thing.  Thanks again, BullseyeBabe.  I do my best to respond to comments and always encourage them.

Rub-a-dub-dub, no guns in the tub

However, I finally got around to some serious cleaning.

...or perform surgery with all that junk

I'm a huge fan of the Sentry Solutions Armorer's Kit which you can see scattered all over back there.  A little goes a long way with their stuff and the smoothness of the moving parts is noticeable after application.  I've been using it on my little P3AT for some time now and have not had any issues at all since I have.  I love that the lubricant is dry and the grease is extremely high temp.  I will say that the AR was embarrassingly filthy since I've been shooting Wolf through it.  It's sparkly now, though.  I was only able to do 5 guns with the time I had.  I still need to clean the Mosin.  I wonder if my Bore Snake will be long enough.  :-)

Karma is holding on line one

You know, sometimes it comes calling.  If you're a jerk long enough and often enough, it's bound to catch up with you.  Don't be that person.  It might just save you from yourself.

Troegs Brothers: Nugget Nectar Imperial Amber Ale

Sorry, I couldn't wait to crack one open.  As  you can see by the two glasses, Mrs. 45er will be joining me in this flavor journey.

I love hoppy beers.  Just look at that label.  How could you resist that?

It pours a clear amber (duh) and has little to no head.  The aroma is strong hops and a touch of apricot.  If you think you smell hops, wait until you taste it.  It's like being punched in the mouth with a fistful of hops.  But in a good way.  It is a bit bitter and has a clean finish with little after taste.  I highly recommend it if your a hop head.  It goes great with pretzel chips.  I loved it as a way to kick off the tasting journey.

Yeasty, Hoppy goodies

I have a bit of a sampler pack that was recommended by David at Musings Over a Pint and a big thanks to him  for that. ;)  So, here is the line-up:

And a fine looking bunch they are.

In this corner, the IPAs:

In this corner, the other Ales:

And in this corner (yes, my beer battle has three corners) the stouts:

I will be doing short reviews on each and just having a blast trying them all.

A little twist on an Irish classic

Corned beef and cabbage.  I've had it many times.  I was sent this recipe for corned beef by That Guy (I cooked it in the oven instead of a dutch oven with coals).  He had previously sent me this recipe for Irish bacon and cheddar soda bread.  I used regular bacon and sharp cheddar.  You know what? It turned out great.  Hey, I might just have the start of a St. Patty's Day meal here.  So, what about the cabbage?  Well, with the corned beef cooking on its own, you can't just throw it in there so I found this recipe.  These are three really simple recipes and the only real time spent is waiting for it to cook in the oven, with not too much prep.

Oh yes, I am a day late.  The idea of having a St. Patrick's Day dinner didn't occur to me until a little later in the day and I had some range time to attend to, so I decided to delay a day.

Bacon, a good substitute for everything

The bread turned out fantastic.  It's like a huge biscuit.  A little dense and very, very good.

What is that in the background, you ask?  Just a little something Irish I picked up at the store.  It's new and they let me have a little taste.

I must say, it's some good stuff.  I may make my Whiskey Brownies with this.  Ok, so back to the other good stuff.  The Mustard and Brown Sugar Baked Corned Beef also turned out fabulous.

For the side of roasted cabbage, a simple recipe can be a great thing.  In this case, it was exactly that.  It went quite well with the corned beef.  I also added a little extra lemon to the cabbage and was very happy that I did.  I recommend it.

So, the recipes (short version), just for reference:

Mustard and Brown Sugar Baked Corned Beef: (full recipe at link)

2 1/2 to 3 pound flat-cut corned beef
1/4 cup whole grain mustard
1/4 cup brown or dijon or honey mustard
large sheet of aluminum foil

Pre-heat oven to 350F
Rinse corned beef, place on aluminum foil.  Frost the top of the corned beef with combination of the mustards.  Sprinkle the brown sugar on top.  Wrap up in foil and put in dutch oven or covered baking dish. Bake for 2 hours to 2 hours 20 minutes, opening foil for last 10 - 15 minutes to let top brown.

Irish Bacon and Cheddar Soda Bread: (full recipe at link)

8 oz cooked bacon (cooked and chopped)
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
4 green onions (sliced green tops only)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I needed a little extra)

pre-heat oven to 400F
Mix all ingredients except buttermilk in a large bowl.  Pour in buttermilk and work a little to form a round doughball.  Put doughball on parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 40 - 45 minutes.

Roasted Cabbage With Lemon: (full recipe at link)

1 cabbage
olive oil
lemon juice (fresh preferred)
salt
pepper

Pre-heat oven to 450F
Cut cabbage into 8 slices.  Cut out stem. Place on baking sheet. Drizzle or brush on olive oil.  Sprinkle with lemon juice.  Place in oven for about 15 minutes.


We are going to have this meal again.  We definitely aren't waiting until next year, that's for sure.

Range Day

It's been a while.  I thought maybe it was time to get some time behind a few guns.  I loaded up, well, probably what would be a frightening amount of hardware to some people and picked up my brother and headed to the range.  I wanted to put some rounds through a few to test them out and do some drills as well.

Bad Dog

Most of my work was drawing and firing multiple shots, sometimes on multiple targets.  I took out my dad's mostly un-fired full size Para Ordinance 1911 and it did ok.  It needs some more rounds put through it.  For the price he paid, it's a steal.  I put a bunch more rounds through my Kel Tec P3AT and that went without a hitch.  I'm pretty happy with that one since it got back from the factory.  My brother learned a few things as well and then he played on the AR-15 a lot.

Hmmmmm

Lesson learned from that target, don't shy away too much.  On that one I drew and fired a Glock 23 (.40 S&W) and engaged the target on either side with one round.  The top rounds were the first attempt.  I felt that was a little on the outside edge of a solid hit.  The bottom two was the second attempt.  Now, this is by no means a scenario I would think would be smart or viable in real life.  However, it sure does help to narrow focus on a smaller target and give you a "no hit" zone.

Then my brother started playing with the AR

Ka-POW

And, well....

45er's Hostage Rescue and Ear Piercing Salon

Oops.  Yeah, he nicked an ear, but I guess I wouldn't be concerned about putting a band-aid on my ear-lobe if the bad guy was taken out.

Caution

In my defense in the next picture, I was engaging four targets and moving.

And nothing is fun like ringing steel.

I gotta have more cowbell!

Aftermath.  Sad and empty.

Bedtime Story

I have kind of a problem.  I'm generally addicted to books.  I do everything I can to instill the love of reading in my kids.  One of my dreams has always been to read a story at bedtime to my kids.  Not the Dr. Seuss stuff, we've done that since the beginning.  I'm talking the kind of story that takes time to finish.  The kind that the kids can't wait to get back to the next night.  I thought I had jumped the gun with the oldest, but I couldn't wait any longer.

Some light reading

Yeah, I didn't start with the easy stuff, either.

Treasure Island

So, she was excited the first night.  I think she just loved the size of the book and thought she'd never have to go to bed.  I thought she might quickly lose interest.  I asked what she wanted to read the second night.  "Pirates, daddy! I want the pirates!"

Well, what a pleasant surprise.  The one thing I did learn is that it is taking me three or four times as long to read it because I have to do all of the voices and stop to explain things regularly.  She doesn't ask, but she looks at me with those blue eyes and nods her head when I do it.  I don't know if she really understands, but she seems to love it.  We're 50 pages into it now and she is still excited.  She even wants it read during the day, which I have gladly obliged.  Heck, yes I can turn off the television and read to you.  I was fully prepared to have her ask for one of her other books and that would have been fine.  I thought I was pushing it.  I think what I've discovered is that she inherited my addiction.

Movie Night

The Mrs. and I went to see "Act of Valor" today.  Every blog I have read has had high praise for the movie.  I'll just go ahead and lump mine onto the pile.  This movie was pretty incredible.  There were some points where the acting was a little weak (what did you expect, they aren't actors by trade), but the sequences where they let the operators operate was over and above fantastic.  It's a great flick and I recommend seeing it on the big screen before it gets out of the theater.  I just don't think a living room TV will quite do it justice.

Danke

Thanks to eiaftinfo for hitting the follow button.  I've perused the blog and with my recent vow to get more training, I can't wait to read about the ins and outs of training.  I will respond to comments and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

On hunting and the spoils gained

Hear, hear.

Common sense prevails

I'm not much of baseball fan.  However, I've been seeing rumbling regarding the Astros retro jerseys being neutered and removing the gun from the original "Colt .45s" jersey.  Well, someone finally got over their brain-fart and did the right thing.  It never should have been an issue in the first place.

A commitment to more training

Like a lot of people around here, I've been into firearms for a long, long time.  You learn what you learn and then you find out you've been doing it wrong.  You may be ok or even good, but then along comes someone by happenstance that says, "hey, maybe you should try doing it like this."  If you're open-minded (and you should be) those times should be something of an epiphany.  My first was about 18 years ago and I realized that there was probably a "right" way to do this shooting thing even if you were hitting your target.  You can always improve.  For a long time, getting it right meant doing a little research (remember books?) and making sure I knew what I was doing, but it was like learning how to tie a tie on the internet.  You knew how, but no one was there to tell you if you were doing it right.  A few years back some friends and I started getting serious about advancing our skills and took some great classes.  The problem is that most classes mean a trip (driving if you're lucky), overnight stay, cost of the class (usually not cheap) and multiple days away from home, in addition to ammunition costs.  I've been thinking that I need to find someone closer that I can work a deal with to get some good training.  In my area, this shouldn't have been that hard.  Well, it wasn't as easy as I thought, then life got in the way and I forgot for a while.

It had been bugging me for a while, so I started making calls again.  I ended up talking to a local shooting range who got me in touch with exactly what I've been looking for.  It looks like regular training is in my future and it's close and one-on-one with someone that knows his stuff.  I'm walking on air right now.  I can't wait until the first session.  Unfortunately, that may not be until May with other things going on.  Trust me, I will post the results and pictures.

Friend in a quandry

That Guy is a good friend and he has a bit of a decision to make.  Any bloggers with advice (it's ok, we all know bloggers never like to give advice) please head on over and maybe you have some experience to share.

God Drives a Honda

Little 45er is almost 4.  She goes to a Christian daycare, which we love.  However, it sparks conversations like this:

Driving away from daycare, we pass an older gentleman getting out of a car in the parking lot.  He is tall and has stark-white hair and a full, stark-white beard.  He's wearing sunglasses.

Little 45er:  "Dad!  I saw God!"

Me:  .......   (that's my brain trying not to short-circuit)

Me: (Now realizing she had seen the gentleman, but very curious) - "Pardon me, sweetheart?" (I still wasn't sure she'd said what she'd said)

Little 45er:  "I saw God!  He was getting out of that car!"

Me:  "You saw God?"  (still trying to make sure we're talking about the same thing)

Little 45er:  "Yes, God!" (I can hear in her voice she thinks daddy is a dolt right now).  "He was getting out the car."

Me:  "Well, that wasn't God, sweetheart.  You mean the man with the white hair?"

Little 45er:  "Yes, GOD!  He was right back there!"  The frustration in her voice is almost palpable.

I'm realizing now that she has probably seen pictures and cartoon illustrations (she loves her cartoon bible) and they have to draw Him some way (though I usually just see the talking cloud) and I've generally seen them as a stately older gentleman.  There you go, she just saw God in our town driving a Honda Civic.

Me:  God is everywhere, but he doesn't drive a car around in our town, honey.

Little 45er:  *Puzzled look*

Me:  *Puzzled look*

I then went on to try and explain the concept of a omnipresent, omniscient deity to a not-quite four-year-old.  I did the best I could, but I believe she still thinks God drives a Honda.

Iced-Tea Flavored WHAT?

I'm a huge fan of beer as you can probably tell.  I'm also a huge fan of iced-tea.  I'm from Texas, it's hard not to be.

However...

This is a crime against humanity.

                                       "The days of having to pour iced-tea into your Coors are over."

Really?  Because they never really started for me.  Who is carrying out this atrocity?  Is there really enough of a market that they had to make a product?  Then again, why am I getting all worked up?  What are you going to do, ruin a can of Coors? :-P

Sushi for kymber

I've been thinking about making sushi for a while now.  I know kymber had a craving, but lack of tools (hehe) a while back, so I thought I would make some in her honor.  I can practically hear some of you guys' eyes rolling out there, but if you haven't tried good sushi with things in it that you like, you may be missing out on something.  I decided on a simple roll with nothing too fancy.  Start with the rice:

Really, that's the hard part.  The rice making technique is a process in patience, but that's the part you have to do right.  If the rice isn't good, you might as well give up.

For the rice:

1 1/2 cup sushi rice (shari)
1 3/4 cup water
Large wooden bowl
Flat spoon (rice paddle)
Hand fan or stiff piece of cardboard
Cup of water for dipping spoon

Rinse the rice repeatedly in cold water until most or all of the milky color is gone.  Put the rice in a pot with a lid  that seals well.  Add the water.  Bring to a boil, then lower to the heat to low and cover.  Cook for 15 - 20 minutes.  Mine took a bit longer.  Cook until the water is absorbed.  You can tilt the pot if it has a clear glass lid and see.  I recommend not removing the lid.  Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

For the rice seasoning:

1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt

Dissolve sugar and salt in the vinegar.  Pour the cooked rice into the wooden bowl and dip the spoon into the cold water.  Begin folding with the spoon and fanning to cool the rice.  Do this for 5 minutes.  Add the seasoned vinegar one tablespoon at a time and continue folding, dipping spoon into water as needed.  When all of the seasoned vinegar is added, begin fanning again and continue folding for another 5 minutes.

When the rice is cooled to room temperature, cover with a towel until ready to use.

You will need a bamboo rolling mat.  I like to put the mat inside of a gallon ziploc and leave it unopened.  It keeps the mat clean and is easier to deal with than saran wrap.

Cut a piece of nori (seaweed wrap) in half lengthwise and lay it on the mat with the dull side up.  Dip your fingers in a combo of 1 cup water and 1/4 cup rice vinegar and scoop out about 1/2 cup of rice and lay it on the nori.  Press the rice out to the edges until it is about 1/4 inch thick and even.

Then flip it if you are making inside-out rolls.

Add some wasabi, then whatever goodies you desire.  I made a couple of Philadelphia rolls tonight (smoked salmon and cream cheese).

Lift mat and begin to roll, do not roll the mat under.  Keep rolling until the roll is complete and then press and form the roll.

I toasted some sesame seeds and rolled them in that.  Take a very sharp knife and wet the blade.  Cut slices from the roll and make sure to wipe the blade with water before each cut.

I dressed them up with a little Siriachi/mayo combo and some homemade unagi sauce.

And enjoy!  We definitely did.

Some judge in Maryland gets it

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2012/03/05/md-gun-law-found-unconstitutional/

but right now, I know of just this one.

Here we go again...

So, some of you may have noticed a serious uptick in sales of firearms and ammunition.  I know Tam has been noting a seriously packed house at gun shows and that observation has been reiterated by many in the community.  I know that trying to help a couple of people get their first gun has meant seeing a lot of "out of stock" all over the intarwebs. 

I just read an article.  I know what you're going to say, yeah another article - "sigh."  That's what I was thinking but really this is a pretty darn good article.

The usual suspects are there.  The Fudd that apparently is a "former member" (I wonder why "former?" There may be a whole other story there) of a whole group of Fudds (Gun Owners for Obama) and I believe their oath to join starts with "I am a gun owner, BUT..."  Those would be the gun owners that think that their hunting rifle or handgun they keep for personal protection are in some way different than any other firearm when someone comes looking to take them.  This is the Fudd line: "I don't see the reason anyone would own an 'assault rifle' so it's ok to ban them, but they'll never come after my Benelli that I use for dove hunting."  Good luck with that.  You know the ATF almost pushed language that would have possibly put your precious Benelli in the same category as a Saiga.  Watch out when you let someone pull the "sporting purposes" wool over your eyes.  It's ok, we have your back and you probably don't even know it.

Then there is the lost anti-gun person that seems to be in denial and either; A.)  flat-out confused or B.)  purposefully ambiguous. 

"The gun lobby has long known that fear is a remarkable marketing and fundraising tool," said Woods. 

Oh really?  So, what is it that you do again?  Oh yes, there will be "blood in the streets" if this legislation is passed.  Hmmm, sounds pretty scary.  Fear isn't just coming from the gun lobby.  It's the bread and butter of the antis.

And another good one from Woods, the anti:

"But the Supreme Court ruled recently that the Second Amendment is an individual right, so that fear is completely misplaced."

Strange.  That is really the first time that I've seen an anti-gun proponent say that out loud.  Therefore, I'm highly suspicious.  It gives me a very "there's nothing to see here," "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain" vibe.

All in all, sales are through the roof and background checks are off the charts.  Applications for NEW concealed carry licenses are skyrocketing.  I say regardless of the reason why, that can't be all bad.  I see this as more and more people that have a reason to vote for freedom.

Bockor Brewery: Bellegems bruin West Flanders Ale

A little over a year ago, some friends introduced me to "sour" ales.  This is definitely something that can take a little getting used to.  The first I had was Monk's Cafe and it is quite good.  I haven't really tried to find any new ones lately, but got a little urge to try a few.  One was a natural disaster and one of the nastiest brews I've ever tried, however this one was very nice.

The color was a dark brown, but very clear.  It had a clean aroma with a bit of yeast, but not very strong.  Now, for the flavor.  If you've not had a sour beer, they are completely different.  There is a slight sourness, but I equate it more like a slight vinegar sour (but not taste).  The flavor of this particular beer is very slightly of cherry and caramel malt.  The sour provides a crispness to the beer and it is very clean with little after-taste.  It has a lot of carbonation and is quite "fizzy," though the head is very small and not thick at all.  This will make a great summer beer on a warm day (which it happened to be today).