After the Brady bill passed, I got to be quite active on the gun issue but after awhile I just got discouraged. I saw guns and gun owners vilified in the Media on what seemed like a daily basis. I saw veiled, and subtle and sometimes not so subtle slander on everything from sitcoms to feature films.

When I mentioned it to my wife she said I was being paranoid. I talked to my brother who is a natural shooter, and who grew up shooting with me. He is apathetic about gun-control with the opinion that, Hey they?ll never outlaw shotguns and what better home defense tool is there then a 870 express with 1 buck. (Never mind the Constitutional implications.) Some of my friends think participating in the system is futile.

Well I just felt like I was getting worn down. I had a membership (I let lapse) in the NRA, which I viewed as pretty much worthless as all they seem to do is capitulate, whine, and backpedal. All the time begging for more money to waste (my opinion). I pretty much decided I?d just oil up my firearms and watch this most important part of the bill of rights eroded away by PC. (I.e. stick my head in the sand.)

I?ve since rejoined The NRA after I saw the infomercial on tv, if for nothing else then to get on the books.

You?ve seen how it is. Every shooting/killing in the country gets its very own Full Blown Media Circus. Complete with dog and pony show. This I believe spawns the next one (who wants to settle for 15 minute of fame/infamy when you can have 24 to 48 hrs?) The mainstream media is not my friend.

A while ago I found myself web surfing and I did a search for gun control and started following the links. When I found WAGC, and the SAS pages I started reading essays and comments and stories of Women who where writing about using pistols for self defense.

I read an article written by a Woman that was describing the first time that she shot a pistol. (She was writing a magazine article if I recall) I paused and looked up from my monitor… I began reading again, as she started describing the excitement she felt. A bit of a smile began to spread across my face. I stopped again and thought back? I remembered my first shot with my first pistol a single action .41 mag. I remembered the feel of the smooth wooden grips. The crisp sound as I thumb cocked that Ruger?s hammer?the clean ?smack? as I obliterated an empty whiskey bottle from the top of an old corral post.
(A fifth of Jim Beam if it matters.)

The thing that impressed me was this woman, who was so obviously different then me, and yet she was able to articulate the same way I feel about shooting. It is kind of funny but I found myself bonding to her in a way I might not have done if It had been a guy writing the column. I don?t know, maybe it was because it surprised me. Or maybe it was because of the skill in which she articulated the feelings as opposed to the actions of shooting a pistol.

Like I have said before, and what I?m trying to tell my friends. I have a sense that Women are going to play a pivotal role in the fight for the 2A. I feel that these Women?s issues I?m reading about strike the heart of the debate. The second amendment is not about duck hunting, It?s not about shooting paper targets or clay pigeons, It?s not even about safety. It?s about self-defense, Pure and simple. Personal self-defense for the individual and the defense of truth and liberty for the nation in the collective.

I?ve never been too good at describing my feelings, but I guarantee If you you?ll let me practice on you guys Ill darn sure get it straight for my representatives before Election Day. As always, I welcome any comments or suggestions you may have.

Steve