Showing posts with label I Love VA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label I Love VA. Show all posts

College

I will have two kids in college in two weeks.

I am very proud of my kids. So much so that my wallet doesn't mind so much.

I was looking at the wide variety of courses available at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) where my son starts soon.

I was surprised to see that NVCC offers Gun Smithing!

--Yet another reason I Love Virginia!

New Laws in Effect Today

From the NRA-ILA: July 1, the following pro-gun/pro-hunting laws will take effect in Virginia:

Sunday hunting legislation -- Senate Bill 154, sponsored by now-former state Senator Phil Puckett (D-38), and House Bill 1237, sponsored by Delegate Todd Gilbert (R-15) and 39 colleagues -- repeals the outdated ban on Sunday hunting on private lands with written permission from the owner while still prohibiting hunting within 200 yards of a house of worship, the hunting of deer with dogs and the hunting of bear.  SB 154 was signed into law on April 1 and HB 1237 was signed into law on March 5.

Senate Bill 371, sponsored by Senator Jeffrey McWaters (R-8), allows the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to issue hunting, trapping and fishing licenses valid for one full year from a future effective date.  SB 371 was signed into law on March 17.

House Bill 127, sponsored by Delegate Ed Scott (R-30), allows persons to hunt big game with muzzleloading pistols of a caliber of .45 or greater where and in those seasons when the use of muzzleloading rifles is permitted.  HB 127 was signed into law on March 5.

House Bill 307, sponsored by Delegate Scott Lingamfelter (R-31), permits local school boards to provide after-school hunter safety education programs for students grades seven through twelve, at the cost of the participant.  HB 307 was signed into law on April 4.

House Bill 357, sponsored by Delegate Rich Anderson (R-51), allows a circuit court clerk to disclose information contained in a concealed handgun permit application to the applicant.  HB 357 was signed into law on March 31.

House Bill 715, sponsored by Delegate Tommy Wright (R-61), establishes a new combined license for persons hunting with a bow and arrow or a crossbow.  HB 715 was signed into law on March 5.

House Bill 752, sponsored by Delegate Tom Rust (R-86), gives a school board discretion in requiring expulsion for certain students found with a firearm on school premises.  HB 752 was signed into law on April 7.

House Bill 1146, sponsored by Delegate Buddy Fowler (R-55), allows apprentice hunters to hunt unsupervised if they have completed a hunter education course.  HB 1146 was signed into law on March 17.

NRA-ILA thanks you for your active involvement during the 2014 legislative session, which helped ensure these measures became law.  As always, please stay tuned to www.nraila.org for future updates.

Deer Hunting

This fall I want to get back into the field and see if I can fill my freezer with some delicious venison.

Was chatting with JayG last night and he wants to see if we can get some rifle hunting action going.

The most important part of hunting is the scouting.

The time to scout is over the next few months.

--Going to see how much the chiggers and ticks like Jay for food...

The Hole Book by Peter Newell (1908)

"While fooling with a gun, Tom Potts shoots a bullet that seems to be unstoppable. A literal hole on each page traces the bullet’s path as it wreaks havoc across various scenes until it meets its match in a particularly sturdy cake. A native of McDonough County, Illinois, Newell built a reputation in the 1880s and 1890s for his humorous drawings and poems, which appeared in Harper’s Weekly, Harper’s Bazaar, Scribner’s Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, Judge, and other publications. He later wrote and illustrated several popular children’s books, such as Topsys and Turvys (1893), a collection of poems and images which could be viewed upside-down or right-side-up; The Hole Book (1908), featured here; and The Slant Book (1910), which took the shape of a rhomboid and told the story of a baby carriage careening down a hill."

--Ahhh. Children's books just are not the same... 

VA Gun Trader

I have been enjoying the hell out of VA Gun Trader this week.


If you have never checked it out, and live in VA, You really should.

To do it right you really need to go there daily and keep an eye out. It also gives you a realistic sense on the value of a firearm.

--The discussions can also be a hoot.

Loving VA

I have said it before and I will say again. I love living in Virginia.

It is a great state to live in if you are a gun owner. I love the fact that I can buy even Class III items from a classified ad on the Internet.

We are also the 4th safest state to live in. With all the gun freedom some would like you to think that because I can carry a concealed firearm in church or a bar that gunfights would be breaking out everywhere all the time! Nope. Sorry to disappoint them.

--But what the hell is up with the snow this year!?

Virginia Gun Trader

A friend sent me a link to Virginia Gun Trader!

On this site, people that live in Virginia can privately buy, sell and trade firearms, ammo, accessories, gear and goods.

It's been around for a while and I am just now hearing about it!!  Oh the Humanity!

At this writing the site currently has:
  • 12798 Members
  • 156 Forums
  • 19580 Topics
  • 98557 Posts
--Check it out! I might give it a try!

Ready to be signed


Today, after their passage in the House, three more pro-gun bills will now be sent to Governor Bob McDonnell for his approval:

Senate Bill 67, sponsored by state Senator Bill Stanley (R-20), would remove the option for a locality to require an applicant for a concealed handgun permit to submit fingerprints with the application.  This legislation was passed in the House of Delegates by a 72 to 24 vote.

Senate Bill 323, drafted by the NRA and sponsored by state Senator Bill Carrico (R-40), would repeal the prohibition on law-abiding citizens buying more than one handgun within a thirty-day period.  Anti-gun opponents have long claimed that gun rationing keeps handguns out of the hands of criminals, but history has shown this law to be ineffective, and to only affect and penalize law-abiding citizens.  This legislation was passed by a 64 to 32 voteSB 323, is the companion Bill to House Bill 940, which was previously passed by both chambers and has been sent to the Governor for his approval. 

Senate Bill 563, sponsored by state Senator Frank Ruff (R-15), would alter certain application procedures to obtain a concealed handgun permit, including allowing for the submission of an initial application via U.S. mail. This bill would also restrict the clerk and the circuit court from requesting or requiring any information from an applicant other than that which is allowed on the concealed handgun permit application. This legislation was passed in the House of Delegates by a 79 to 20 vote.

--God I love Virginia.

Va. House passes repeal of 18-year-old one-gun-a-month bill


RICHMOND, Va. — A law Virginia passed a generation ago to end the states’ reputation as a haven for gun runners is on the verge of being repealed.

On a largely party-line vote, the House passed Wednesday with a 66-32 vote the measure to end the law that limits handgun purchases to one a month. The Senate prepares to follow suit.

They were among several pro-gun bills winding their way through a gun-friendly General Assembly under total Republican dominance this year for the first time since 2001.

--I Love Virginia.

Date Night

Had an excellent date night with the wife tonight!

We went to see a On Man Show of the Lord of the Rings!

It was a great show.

I have gotten into the habit of checking websites for any prohibitions of firearms.


There are just a few simple rules they ask we follow:

  • Silence is requested while the performers are on stage
  • You must remain seated during the performance (Unless the dance floor is set up)
  • No audio recording
  • No video recording
  • No Cameras
  • No Smoking anywhere in the building

No prohibitions. 

--Another night a man went forth armed and nothing happened....  

Shotguns and Coffee

I am off this morning to drink some coffee and shoot some shotguns!

One of the things I love about Virginia is that my Parks and Recreation system here support shooting sports.

This morning I am heading to Bull Run Regional Park Shooting Center for a few hours of excellent skeet and trap shooting. I will take some pics while I am there! It is suppose to be sunny and 66 degrees today which is pretty close to perfect for me!

--I will let you know how I did when I get back!

Earthquake

The Great Virginia Earthquake of 2011 will be long remembered in my house as PEZocalypse.

All humor aside: This event really got me thinking.

People completely freaked out. The Cell phone system totally failed. The Internet was overwhelmed. The highways were Jammed.

The thing that got me thinking is the question: "What if this had been really bad?"

I was at work when it hit. If I wasn't killed outright there would be no way to drive home for all the bridges between the two.

I checked my BOB in the truck. Good there. I have 2 liters of water as well. My sneakers were not there but I think I could squeeze 20 miles out of my work shoes.

--Got more thinking to do. There were aftershocks last night. Or were these all fore-shocks?

Gun crimes drop at Virginia bars and restaurants

Well what do you know?

There was no blood in the streets. It did not become the wild west.

"Virginia's bars and restaurants did not turn into shooting galleries as some had feared during the first year of a new state law that allows patrons with permits to carry concealed guns into alcohol-serving businesses, a Richmond Times-Dispatch analysis found.

The number of major crimes involving firearms at bars and restaurants statewide declined 5.2 percent from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011, compared with the fiscal year before the law went into effect, according to crime data compiled by Virginia State Police at the newspaper's request."

--I Love Virginia.


Knight Muzzle Loader

This fall I am heading back to the field to hunt with my Knight Muzzle Loader. This allows me to hunt during the "Primitive Weapons" season a few weeks early.

Knight LK93 Stainless Inline 50 cal Muzzleloader
This guy is all stainless steel, has a nice in line hammer with double safeties. I added an Aimpoint Dot scope and now it is great out to 100 yards. Wish me luck! I need some meat!

--Fun stuff, even though it's not so primitive.

Renewing My Concealed Carry Permit

One of the reasons that I love Virginia is that it is a "Shall Issue" State. I realized recently that my Concealed Carry Permit was getting ready to expire so I went onto their handy dandy web sight and filled out a simple PDF form.

I like to actually stop in at the courthouse and renew in person. I have been in there lots of times so when I got there I knew enough to leave my knives in the car. But this time I discovered that my cell phone was now forbidden. Specifically cell phones with a camera or recording ability.

Hmmm...

Five minutes, and $50 later I was swearing on a stack of mothers graves that I will behave. Quick and easy. The clerk was a classic southern bell. She called me "Darlin". Called everyone, Darlin.

I asked, "How long until the new permit arrives in the mail?"

She answered, "Well the law says you have to have it in 45 days or less. Darlin, if you don't have it in 21 days, you just give me a call." She gave me her card, a free trigger lock and a smile that wouldn't quit.

--I love Virginia.