One in a row....

It's amazing just how much work goes into getting ready for competition. It's bad enough getting myself ready, but prepping for 10 to 20 people will make you insane. My hat is off to all the youth coaches everywhere, no matter what sport you coach, for all the behind the scenes work you put in to make it all happen.

Yesterday was the first competition for the kids in the Arizona Scholastic Clay Target Program. Held at Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club in Mesa, Arizona, the competition drew young shooters from all over the state. It was a beautiful day for shooting and the Buckeye kids came ready to kick butt.





The Buckeye team (left to right in the picture):
Teddi Wood-Holt - Instructor
Ethan - Junior Division
Hayden - Rookie Division
Trevor - Senior Division
Koal - Junior Division
Ryan - Senior Division
Len Sullivan - Lead Instructor
Kathy - Junior Division
Lewis - Senior Division
Megan - Junior Division
Nathan - Rookie Division
Dan Bauer - Instructor
Jessica - Junior Division

So how did the kids do? The 10 kids from Buckeye took home 22 trophies! Woot!! As a matter of fact, the Buckeye team had at least one shooter in the trophy round for every event we entered.

Here is the list:


Rookie Division (5th grade)
Novice Trap
Nathan (1st place)
Hayden (6th place)

Novice Skeet
Nathan (2nd place)
Hayden (3rd place)

Intermediate Trap
no Buckeye entries

Intermediate Skeet
no Buckeye entries

Intermediate Sporting Clays
Nathan (3rd place)
Hayden (4th place)


Junior Division (6th, 7th, and 8th grade)
Novice Trap
Koal (3rd place)
Jessica (9th place - tie)

Novice Skeet
Koal (3rd place)
++++++ This was a heartbreaker.......Kathy and Jessica were both only 1 target away from placing, and Megan was only 3 targets away. They'll be there next time!!!

Intermediate Trap
Ethan (6th place - tie)

Intermediate Skeet
Ethan (4th place)

Intermediate Sporting Clays
Ethan (10th place - tie)
Koal (10th place - tie)
+++++ Another heartbreaker for the ladies.....once again, Kathy and Jessica were tied 1 target away from placing.

Advanced Trap
no Buckeye entries

Advanced Skeet
no Buckeye entries

Advanced Sporting Clays
no buckeye entries

Senior Division (9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade)
Novice Trap
no Buckeye entries

Novice Skeet
no Buckeye entries

Intermediate Trap
Ryan (1st place)
Lewis (7th place)
Trevor(8th place)

Intermediate Skeet
Ryan (6th place)
Lewis (7th place)
Trevor (8th place)

Intermediate Sporting Clays
Trevor (3rd place)
Ryan (4th place)
Lewis (10th place)

Advanced Trap
no Buckeye entries

Advanced Skeet
no Buckeye entries

Advanced Sporting Clays
no buckeye entries

Not too shabby for a group that has only been together for 3 months......using a cardboard trap house, shooting stations spray painted in the dirt, and with no skeet field at all. It was easy to tell that the kids were having fun, because they were all smiling all day long.

An excellent way to spend a Saturday.

Absent WithOut Posting......again. It's almost time for the Buckeye shotgun kids to compete in their first "official" shotgun competition, so I'm kinda busy working on classifications and setting up an extra practice schedule. I'll be back!!!

In the meantime, spend some quality time with Jeff Cooper.

Wow....imagine that. Enforcing the laws already on the books makes a positive difference in crime: Old Gun Law Reaps New Benefits in S.F.

SAN FRANCISCO — A renewed enforcement of a 10-year-old law has reaped big new benefits in San Francisco, where police cite it as a primary factor in a recent drop in homicides.

Who would have thought that punishing criminals would reduce crime? Of course, being San Francisco, the do-gooders are upset about holding people responsible for their actions.

Some people, however, criticize the law for unnecessarily bringing minor gun offenders in for federal gun crimes.

“The ultimate sentence that is imposed tends to be much higher and the question is, ‘is that appropriate?’” said Public Defender Ron Tyler.

Do you suppose that if more people were punished for what they've done, it might not be necessary to punish all the people who haven't done anything wrong by banning/confiscating their guns?

As usual, Thomas Sowell is right on the mark.

Self-indulgence
Thomas Sowell (archive)


January 27, 2005

The enraged speeches and street disorders across the country that accompanied the inauguration of President Bush may tell us more than we want to know about what is happening to this country.

The media dignify these outbursts by calling them "protests" but what are they protesting?

That they lost the election? Doesn't somebody always lose an election? Did the Republicans take to the streets when Bill Clinton was elected?

Are the shouters and the rioters protesting that they disagree with President Bush's policies? Isn't that why we hold elections in the first place -- because people disagree?

Elections are supposed to be an alternative to other ways of settling political differences, including riots, military coups and dictatorships. But riots have been re-christened "demonstrations" by the mealy-mouth media.

What are these "demonstrations" demonstrating -- other than adolescent self-indulgence and contempt for the rights of other people to go about their lives without finding their streets clogged with hooligans and the air filled with obscenities?

The irony is that many of those who are indulging themselves in these strident orgies are the same people who were telling us to "get over it" and "move on" during President Clinton's scandals. Today the liberal MoveOn.org is the last place where people are willing to move on.

While this is overwhelmingly a phenomenon of the political left, the increasing acceptance of irresponsible behavior -- including vandalism and violence -- as a normal part of our public discourse says something about what is happening to this country as a whole.

Not only is there a growing class of people for whom indignation is a way of life, their sophomoric slogans are taken seriously by people who should know better. Moreover, their disruptions of the lives of ordinary people are accepted as if such things were nothing more than free speech.

The media even give rioters free air time in exchange for providing them with a spectacle to broadcast and liven up their news programs. The taxpayers who foot the bill for mob control seldom rate a mention. Neither do the police who get injured trying to keep hoodlums in check.

This may be some people's idea of a healthy democracy but it is more of a sign of a spreading sickness in a society too wimpish to insist that law and order matter and too mushy-minded to see that self-indulgence at other people's expense is not idealism.

If we were a little more clear-headed, these organized disruptions could be a valuable lesson in what the political left really believes in and what kind of world they would create if they ever get the kind of power they are seeking.

First of all, the left does not accept the proposition that other people have just as many rights as they do. This is obvious not only in the disorder and vandalism they inflict in the streets but also their intolerance on academic campuses across the country, where students who question the party line are hemmed in by speech codes and ridiculed and intimidated by professors who do not hesitate to punish them with low grades.

Ask any environmental extremist if people who don't care about preserving swamps ("wetlands") have the same rights under the Constitution that the people in the green movement have. Gay activists who demand tolerance and sensitivity from others do not hesitate to include in their parades insulting skits mocking nuns and others in the Catholic Church.

When pro-life demonstrators tried to hold a peaceful march in San Francisco on January 22, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a pro-abortion crowd not only followed them, shouting to drown them out and hurling insults at them, some sat down in their path to block the march and force them to detour.

We are seeing the ugly face of intolerance under the idealistic pretense of protest. We need to recognize it for what it is, even if the media refuse to do so. Above all, we need to see it as a warning of where our society is headed. Whether at home or abroad, if political conflicts are reduced to contests between the wimps and the barbarians, the barbarians are going to win.

©2005 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

The joint statement has been issued by the Crown Prosecution Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers regarding Householders and the use of force against intruders.

Householders and the use of force against intruders

Joint Public Statement from the Crown Prosecution Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers

What is the purpose of this statement?

It is a rare and frightening prospect to be confronted by an intruder in your own home. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Chief Constables are responding to public concern over the support offered by the law and confusion about householders defending themselves. We want a criminal justice system that reaches fair decisions, has the confidence of law-abiding citizens and encourages them actively to support the police and prosecutors in the fight against crime.

Wherever possible you should call the police. The following summarises the position when you are faced with an intruder in your home, and provides a brief overview of how the police and CPS will deal with any such events.

Does the law protect me? What is ‘reasonable force’?

Anyone can use reasonable force to protect themselves or others, or to carry out an arrest or to prevent crime. You are not expected to make fine judgements over the level of force you use in the heat of the moment. So long as you only do what you honestly and instinctively believe is necessary in the heat of the moment, that would be the strongest evidence of you acting lawfully and in selfdefence. This is still the case if you use something to hand as a weapon.

As a general rule, the more extreme the circumstances and the fear felt, the more force you can lawfully use in self-defence.

Do I have to wait to be attacked?

No, not if you are in your own home and in fear for yourself or others. In those circumstances the law does not require you to wait to be attacked before using defensive force yourself.

What if the intruder dies?

If you have acted in reasonable self-defence, as described above, and the intruder dies you will still have acted lawfully. Indeed, there are several such cases where the householder has not been prosecuted. However, if, for example:

having knocked someone unconscious, you then decided to further hurt or kill them to punish them; or
you knew of an intended intruder and set a trap to hurt or to kill them rather than involve the police,
you would be acting with very excessive and gratuitous force and could be prosecuted.

What if I chase them as they run off?

This situation is different as you are no longer acting in self-defence and so the same degree of force may not be reasonable. However, you are still allowed to use reasonable force to recover your property and make a citizen’s arrest. You should consider your own safety and, for example, whether the police have been called. A rugby tackle or a single blow would probably be reasonable. Acting out of malice and revenge with the intent of inflicting punishment through injury or death would not.

Will you believe the intruder rather than me?

The police weigh all the facts when investigating an incident. This includes the fact that the intruder caused the situation to arise in the first place. We hope that everyone understands that the police have a duty to investigate incidents involving a death or injury. Things are not always as they seem. On occasions people pretend a burglary has taken place to cover up other crimes such as a fight between drug dealers.

How would the police and CPS handle the investigation and treat me?

In considering these cases Chief Constables and the Director of Public Prosecutions (Head of the CPS) are determined that they must be investigated and reviewed as swiftly and as sympathetically as possible. In some cases, for instance where the facts are very clear, or where less serious injuries are involved, the investigation will be concluded very quickly, without any need for arrest. In more complicated cases, such as where a death or serious injury occurs, more detailed enquiries will be necessary. The police may need to conduct a forensic examination and/or obtain your account of events.

To ensure such cases are dealt with as swiftly and sympathetically as possible, the police and CPS will take special measures namely:

An experienced investigator will oversee the case; and
If it goes as far as CPS considering the evidence, the case will be prioritised to ensure a senior lawyer makes a quick decision.

It is a fact that very few householders have ever been prosecuted for actions resulting from the use of force against intruders.

Now if they just had something more effective than tennis rackets and dull scissors to fight back with............

No, I'm not going off on a tangent about how we should put up concertina wire and build guard towers on the US - Mexico border. These snipers are shooting the other way:

Snipers target border agents

Within the past week, agents assigned to the Douglas station in Arizona's southeastern corner — one of the nation's busiest illegal-entry points — have been fired at on at least six occasions, according to federal authorities, and although none of the officers was injured, several reported near-misses.

How much more is it going to take before we actually DO something to really secure the southern border?

Update: My foot is in the door. I have a meeting this week with the local school principal to discuss how gun safety is addressed in his school. I'll post another update after the meeting.

An interesting quote from a gentleman in the United States Attorney's Office:

Most immigrants that come to this country just want a chance to work and build a better life, but some of them come here to commit crimes. The best way we've found to deal with that is to have laws that say they can't have guns and you can.

This is not anything official....just two people talking. I just thought y'all might like to know that they aren't all out to get us.

It's time again to fire up your favorite word processor, typewriter, or pencil and let your local Arizona congress critters know how you feel. Two new bills have been introduced in the Arizona legislature that affect our rights as gunowners: SB1438 (concealed weapons permits - a good one) and SB1291 (firearm sales; background checks; shows - a bad one).

Find your representatives HERE and let them know what you think.

My daughter is turning 13 in two weeks. She informed me tonight that for her birthday she wants to have a sleepover on Friday night and then take all of her friends to the range the next day.

I can't wait to hear what the other parents have to say about that!

Mexico is threatening to take the US to court: Mexico may ask international courts to block Arizona law . Lovely.....a third world country that prints government sponsored comic books giving tips on how to enter our country illegally is complaining that we aren't spending enough of our tax money to support illegal aliens.

Don't get me wrong here.....I have nothing against immigrants. My own family emigrated to this country to escape the potato famine in Ireland. My issue is with illegal immigrants. Don't break the law by sneaking into my country and then expect me to support you with my money.

Acid Man for President!!

The next time a Democrat starts yapping at me about how he/she/it was "disenfranchised" in the 2004 election because of long lines, muddy parking lots, or some other lame excuse, I'm going to read them this gem about voting in Iraq: THE BALLOTT BOX BEATS THE COFFIN

.....At least 35 people lost their lives to terrorists yesterday; before Sunday, scores of election workers and candidates were murdered, and buildings belonging to half a dozen political parties were blown up.

and then I'm going to puke on their shoes.

A big 'HELLO' to Cowboy Blob and Freedom Sight readers!! Welcome to my humble abode......