Mz. VRWC and I went to the Lucky Gunner.com Blogger shoot, near Knoxville, Tennessee and had an amazing adventure. The blog shoot was part of BulletFest 2011, a full-auto, car shootin’, appliance killing, Tannerite laced cacophony, held in support of the Wounded Warrior Project.
Lucky Gunner offered us free ammo, a chance to shoot a few machine guns, social time with other gun bloggers and a few surprises. If the event was half as good as it appeared, we figured it would be worth it to fly out from Arizona to Tennessee.
It would be a tremendous understatement to say that Lucky Gunner under-promised and over-delivered on this event. They were even thoughtful enough to provide us with “ammo waitresses”, who would get us ammo and water, so we never had to leave the firing line.
We started off with an informal meet-and-greet at a local pizza place on Friday night, where we heard rumors of tanks and other surprises. We also got to meet many of the people we would be shooting alongside. We had great conversations with Mike from Firearms Anonymous and his Army buddy, Fill Yer Hands, Reverend Kenn Blanchard, M.J. Mollenhour and Angela from LuckyGunner.
As we pulled into the range, it suddenly became clear that we were falling down the rabbit hole and into the gunny version of Wonderland. We were overwhelmed at the amount of machine guns, military hardware, ammo, smoke, noise, and hospitality available.
The 9mm subcompact and 1911 in .45 ACP that I brought along seemed inadequate compared to what was available to shoot. As I vaguely recall, I shot a lot of machine guns, including a BAR, M16s in various calibers and configurations, HKs, grease guns, and…then it all turns into one smoky blur of bullet sprayers, exploding appliances, and carbeques. I lost track of how many full-auto guns I shot in the first day. By the end of the day, I had even shot a civil war cannon!
There were tanks, half tracks, artillery, an EODT attack dog demonstration, guests of honor, and Veterans, appreciation for what our service men and women have faced for our country, great conversation, ammo waitresses, chicks with guns, handgun training, Gunnie Awards, and too way much fun to describe in just one blog post. We didn’t even get to meet all of the bloggers.
Guests of Honor at Bullet Fest 2011
We’ll be posting more about the blog shoot and giving shoutouts to more of the participants and link love to new friends. Until then, check out Rob Reed‘s compilation video of the blog shoot.
It’s time for the fun to start at the LuckyGunner.com blog shoot, at an undisclosed location, just outside Knoxville, Tennessee.
We made it to Tennessee, and our firearms did too. The TSA check on our luggage was a bit of a nail biter as we watched the TSA agent swabbing the contents of the bags (like holsters and gun belts – think there might be some gunpowder residue on there?).
The bags passed the test, and while there was no “bad touch” for either of us, we both were directed to the “enhanced” millimeter-wave machine. After getting an unknown dose of radiation, we made it to the gate, arrived in Tennessee and jumped into the rental car just in time to drive through a ginormous super-cell thunderstorm.
We arrived a couple of days early so we could check out some of the sights. It’s green beyond imagination!
The jungles of Eastern Tennessee
We’ve had a lot of biscuits since the International Biscuit Festival is underway in Knoxville. Picked up some extra radiation during an educational visit to the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge (as in Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Oak Ridge Boys). Now, it’s time to meet celebrity gun bloggers we read on a regular basis and hang out with some old friends.
LuckyGunner.com is honoring the best gun bloggers on the internet and they want your help choosing the winners! Go to the Gunnie Awards page to vote for your favorites.
Again, this is a partial list, you’ll have to go to the Gunnie Awards page to see the rest of the nominees and cast your votes.
Get your vote in by Friday, May 27th, 2011. The winners will be announced & presented with their 30mm replica round trophy from Technoframes on Saturday night, May 28th at the LuckyGunner.com Blogger Shoot held in Knoxville, TN this Memorial Day Weekend.
A bill to make the Colt Single Action Army revolver the symbolic state firearm of Arizona has stalled in the Arizona House of Representatives. Naming a state firearm won’t cost the state a dime, but it is an important element of Arizona’s history as it relates to the Arizona Centennial celebration. This is a one time only opportunity to celebrate our first 100 years of statehood. As noted by the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission, the Arizona’s Centennial provides Arizona and its citizens an opportunity to showcase the “state’s beauty, history and future”.
Colt SAA in Nickel - ASRPA 2011 Meeting raffle prize.
How was the Colt SAA Selected?
The Colt Single Action Army revolver (Colt SAA), also known as the
Peacemaker, was suggested by the Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association (ASRPA), after a survey of more than 3,000 respondents chose the Colt SAA as the gun most representative of Arizona’s history. ASRPA’s Arizona lobbyist, Todd Rathner, then contacted Colt to see if they would support and help achieve the official designation.
What Is ASRPA?
The Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association was founded in 1909 to oversee competitive shooting and firearms training in the state. ASRPA has played a crucial role in Arizona’s history, that continues to this day:
In 1910, The Arizona Rifle Team designed and used a flag when they attended the National Matches at Camp Perry. This flag was adopted as the state flag in 1917.(source ASRPA presentation)
Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association Rifle Team early 1900s
Does This Firearm Represent Arizona?
One of two guns widely acclaimed for winning the West, the Colt Single Action Army revolver was widely used by settlers, farmers, ranchers, miners, and the Arizona Rangers for self-defense and law enforcement. It was also carried by the Arizona Rough Riders*. It has been suggested that a Ruger product would be appropriate, since Ruger has a significant manufacturing presence in Prescott. However, Ruger’s Old West style guns began production in the 1950s and are actually based on the Colt Single Action Army design, which leads us back to having the Colt Single Action Army revolver designated as the state firearm.
What Will It Cost the State?
It won’t cost Arizona a single copper penny. It’s really hard to imagine how passing a no-cost bill like SB1610 would be too much for some lawmakers, when you consider the controversial bills that have been passed this year. Speaker of the House Kirk Adams pushed through a structurally balanced budget, a rollback of the state’s excessively spendy health insurance program (ACCCHS), as well as major pension reform. The House tackled contentious issues that desperately needed to be addressed, led by someone willing to take the heat.
What Now?
The Arizona House has worked many late nights this session, tackling difficult, contentious, and controversial issues for the State. Hopefully, with the busy schedule, they just haven’t had time to update the voting calendar with the date SB1610 will be heard on the House floor.
We’re hoping they will pass this bill on Monday, so the passage can be applauded at Senator Sylvia Allen’s Patriot’s Day celebration at the Arizona Capitol on Tuesday.
The film adaptation of Ayn Rand’s novel, Atlas Shrugged: Part 1, was a jam packed theater experience. Our Cliff Notes review of the movie is: let go of your expectations, open your mind, and go see it! Now! What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for the theater to open? Go now! Okay, okay, please go see this movie at your earliest convenience.
Back to the short-attention-span review, you could read a poncy, pretentious movie critique, or you can take our word. Atlas Shrugged is a good, dramatic movie, with a message based on your choosing. If you’ve read all 1,350 plus pages of the book, you will no doubt notice some deviation from the original story. There’s a bit of a love interest that should keep a slightly vapid date absorbed. There are numerous political themes playing out that should keep your armchair political quarterback friends riveted. Subtle, but important, details are revealed constantly to keep your thinking friends engaged. Finally, there is some great imagery to keep your visually amused friends hanging on for the next camera shot. Make no mistake, this is a sentient person’s movie, unlike Spider-Man 3.
Here’s a clue, take a look at this video of Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. trashing the Apple iPad . Unfortunately, you can only understand the gravity of the vilification of Steve Jobs and Apple if you see Atlas Shrugged.
Whether you think Big Business is evil and we should be protected from greed, or you think that phony conservatives in D.C. will protect you from socialism, you need to see this movie to grasp the consequences of the fashionable merging of Crony Capitalism with the warm hugs of business regulation, done for the Greater Good™.
Very few movies can motivate an entire theater to applaud, but Atlas Shrugged: Part 1 managed to do just that.
Phony Crisis Averted – Gov’t Spending to Continue Unabated
Finally, the phony threat of a government shutdown has been avoided.
Congratulations, you lose!
The news media and politicians droned monotonously about how severe the impact of a government shutdown would be. Children would die, women would lose their rights, the elderly would go hungry, and our soldiers would go unpaid while they risked their lives. Even after the deal, the Associated Press (AP) said that we were, “perilously close to a government shutdown”.
Not to worry, your government professionals are still on the job, well, not on weekends, holidays, after 5:00 PM or during vacations…
You may have heard the President’s speech tonight about an historic deal to avoid a government shutdown! He even went so far as to proclaim the budget deal as “the biggest annual spending cut in history.” Sounds great doesn’t it? Or, does it sound like Bravo Sierra?
Who wins?
House Republicans – They made it sound like the country would spend less this year due to their tireless efforts
Senate Democrats – Senator Reid wants you to know he stood up to those mean Republicans, and the Cherry Blossom Festival will go on.
President Obama – He wants you to think his bold leadership led to this historic reduction in proposed spending.
China – China will probably continue to finance our debt, growing rich from the interest payments.
Who Loses?
The American people – While you were sleeping, eating, working, or looking for work, a big pony show went on in D.C. to fool you into thinking they were “doing something” about spending. You might think they reduced spending (the news told you so), but they will still have a budget bigger than they’ve ever had before!
Democrats were tricked into believing their sacred institutions were threatened, when they’ll get more money than ever before. Republican politicians make it sound like they took a stand, when they made a deal to spend more than ever before. President Obama wants you to think he kept his promise from his State of the Union address to reduce spending. Your tax bill will continue to grow, as will the record deficit, and the gargantuan National Debt.
Yes, you have been swindled! A “historic budget cut” is a $228 billion dollar increase over last year’s budget.
Ah-ha-ha. Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated? Good night!*
* Jonny Rotten, lead singer of the Sex Pistols, after playing one song at a San Francisco concert, then walking off stage, ending the show prematurely.
Mz. VRWC and I went to the Lucky Gunner.com Blogger shoot, near Knoxville, Tennessee and had an amazing adventure. The blog shoot was part of BulletFest 2011, a full-auto, car shootin’, appliance killing, Tannerite laced cacophony, held in support of the Wounded Warrior Project.
