I am going to give our new President a chance and watch to see how he handles the big issues. I am not going to talk down or ridicule him like the left has done with President George W. Bush. I will however, watch the policies that he tries to push through to see if my rights will be infringed. It has been great to see how gracious President George W. Bush has been to the new President. He has helped set up the smooth transition and treated him with the utmost respect. We could not say the same about the Clintons. They bamboozled the Bushes, stole government property, destroyed computers, threw trash around the white house and cleaned out Airforce One.

I will give one prediction for this year. Before the new President is out of his first term we will see his Chicago mob politics catch up with him. We just have to wait; you cannot walk through the barn yard without some of the yard sticking to you.

Even if you did not vote for him, lets respect the office. Happy Trails and keep the lead down range. Clark

Where he made some mistakes were fairly obvious. He carried a firearm into a bar. I am not aware of any state that has laws allowing the normal citizen to carry a firearm into a bar. The second is that he did not fully understand how to use his firearm. The gun slid down his pants and went off when he tried to stop the gun from going all the way down his pants leg. He was carrying a round in the camber with the safety off, and not in a secure holster. The third was to drink and try to carry a gun. Alcohol and guns do not mix. The police will throw the book at you if you are around Alcohol and guns.

So a young man that has the American Dream by the tail may be facing jail time and potentially loosing his fortune just for carrying a fire arm into a bar, and not knowing how to safely carry the fire arm. It also makes me wonder if he had practiced very often, or did he just buy the gun?

This is a lesson we can all learn from. If your carry a gun, do not drink. If you are sober and carry a gun, know how to use your fire arm.

Happy trails and keep the lead down range.  Clark

We had enough time after the testing and qualifications to let some of the students practice and run through some extra rounds. At the end of the practice rounds one of the students, who is also a good friend, challenged me to hit the only clear head silhouette left on the range from 20 yards with his .45 Glock. Always up for a challenge, I was able to put 5 out of 5 rounds  in the head portion of the target with a gun the I had never fired before. The students thought it was some pretty good shooting, while it was actually very easy. Just follow the basics and you will hit your target.

Instructors when you have other people on the range instructing them on the safe and proper use of firearms, you can not have a bad day and let your guard down. We as Instructors need to bring our "A" game to every class we teach. The safety drills and methods of teaching may just save someone's life down the road.

Happy trails and keep the lead down range. - Clark .

One of the best is...."The laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm those only who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes..Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man". --Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson and our founding fathers had it right. Those that are going to break the laws will get guns, and those that will obey the laws will just become victims.

I had spent the weekend teaching rifle, shotgun and axe throwing to a Boy Scout troop. The boys had a great time learning gun safety, shooting basics, and even what to do if they find a gun at their friends house. It is hard to even put words around the satisfaction and feeling of self worth that the boys felt when they would get groupings that you could be covered by a quarter. Some of the boys had never shot any type of gun before, and they were being encouraged by those that had been shooting before. We reminded the boys that we can teach them hunting and shooting skills only because of those that are fighting for our freedoms.

Our freedoms are under attack and will be taken away from us very slowly and in the name of the "Public Good". Glenn Beck is only one of those out there that is trying to help remind us that we cannot take our freedoms for granted, or they will be gone.

Happy Trails and Keep the Lead Down Range - Clark

If Senator McCain does win the election next week, he will have his hands full. The economy will be possibly falling for another 3 years. It took 20 years of inflated mortgages and Acorn pressure on banks to put people that could not afford the homes to get to where we are today. It will not be fixed by spraying 700 billion at the issue. The fact that the government is acting and moving in such a dramatic sweeping action should cause all Americans to take note. We are only at the beginning of the rat. That is, if a snake were to eat a rat, you can see where the meal is through the process by just looking at the snake and look for the bulge. We do not even know how big the rat actually is.

 “In what proved to be one of the biggest Democrat cover-ups since Ted Kennedy avoided charges in Mary Jo Kopechne’s death, the media covered for the Democrats by blaming the ‘financial crisis’ on everything from de-regulation to testosterone, while we did ourselves in by adhering to the tenets of political correctness.” —A.W.R. Hawkins

The bottom line: We are in for an economic down turn for the next 3 years, or longer, no matter who wins the election. With struggling economic issues, crime goes up. There is a direct relationship between a healthy economy and lower crime. When people do not have jobs and money, there is more crime. Concealed Carry and Self Defense classes are filled all over the country. Guns and gun safes are selling like hot cakes. Just because you have the handgun does not mean you could actually save your life with it should you be in a disaster. You need to practice. If you do not know how to shoot a gun….take a class and get your CCW!! Pay an instructor. The small amount of money you spend on the class may just save your own life. 

Happy Trails and Keep the Lead Down Range - Clark

260 lb. Mountain Lion 70 miles NW of Abilene

 Near Swenson , Texas

(about 70 miles NW of Abilene)


Look at what James Snipe hit with his car on county road 328 north of Swenson Texas in Stonewall County . The lion was   still alive but unable to move, so our neighbor called animal control and they came and put him down. A land owner had seen this one a week before dragging off a 320 lb steer. Our neighbor is an amateur taxidermist and he's going to stuff him. This one weighed 260 lbs. while most mature   males mountain lions weigh 80 to 150 lbs. We had no idea they still roamed around here!

Obama open questions: 1: Why has he openly lied about his involvement with ACORN? 2: Why has he had his college records sealed? 3: Why has his United States Senate Office had correspondence regarding a one million dollar donation with a known terrorist in Kenya 4: Why has some of Obama’s relatives come forward and say that they were in the room when he was born in Kenya? 5: Why has he had two separate birth certificates on his website proven not to be from Hawaii? 6:  Why did Michelle Obama received an increase in salary at her job in a hospital when the hospital received a significant earmark? 7: How can anyone sit in a church for 20 years and not know what their pastor is preaching and only denounce his teachings when they become public? 8: Why did Senator Obama ask the Iraqi government to hold off on any decisions or agreements regarding the Status of Forces Agreements until he could get into the White House? 

What is the Obama campaign and the Democratic party trying to hide? Do they actually know what they are going to get if he is elected? Be careful what you ask for….you might just get it.

As for me and my house we will be clinging to our guns and Bibles. Happy trails and keep the lead down range.  Clark.

In the fall we teach the Boy Scout rifle and shotgun classes as well as our Concealed Carry Classes. Our classes are booked full and we need to plan for additional resources to adequately cover the classes. It is refreshing to get to the range and teach young men that want to learn gun safety and have a great time. It is even more satisfying teaching men and women of all ages that are interested in being able to exercise their right to protect themselves in our CCW classes.

Glenn Beck has been preaching for over a year about the perfect storm that awaits the United States. He unfortunately has been right so far. He has pointed out that McCain and President Bush tried to warn us of the financial mess that was about to blow up. He has also talked about on his radio show on October 2, and 3^rd about the run on safes in the United States. He also talked about the increased sale of guns and ammunition.

Money, guns and ammunition are not the only things that you need to in order to survive. Talk with your family, friends, and neighbors about a plan. Should we have a melt down due to a terrorist attack or financial run on the banks, you need a plan. Do not panic, but rather plan a head. Also, take a note from the Boy Scouts, “Be Prepared”.

Let’s all take a deep breath and clear our thoughts of the economy, political attack ads, and lying main stream media.  Take the extra time this weekend to spend some time with your family, friends and neighbors. Get outside, and walk the dog, play with your kids and go to church. After clearing out your mind, ask yourself some questions.  How long can your family survive without government services such as police protection, water, power?

Happy trails and keep the lead down range. – Clark

I got my CCW permit over 10 years ago and ran out to purchase the first gun that felt good in my hand. It happened to be a Ruger P95 9mm. This is an excellent handgun, but is very large and heavy. I did like the idea of having 14 shots as opposed to the 7 or 6 shots in the 1911s that I had been shopping.  I found that in the first few months it was not very heavy, as I was thrilled with the newfound freedom. After the newness ran out, practicality showed up. I was not carrying the gun around, as it was too heavy. While I was not carrying the gun I had a few problems with deer poachers and was in fear of my life with out any way to defend myself. Running into a deer poacher who has a heavy rifle in the off season on your land is not a good thing. This prompted my next phase of pistol purchases, which was moving to a lighter and smaller Springfield Arms 1911 Commander. This fit the bill for being smaller in size while having a bigger bullet for more stopping power. This has been a great solution for most areas when you can wear a coat or deep conceal holster. There are now times where even this is too heavy. I have since purchased a North American Arms 22 LR Derringer with a holster grip. This slides into my front pocket and can have quick access. When it is clipped in my front pocket, you would think that it is a pocketknife or phone. It is comfortable and has become my primary gun for warmer weather.

I believe the answers to the two age-old questions would be (1) Size matters in gun and bullet size. There is a balance that must be achieved between stopping power and the ability or desire to carry the gun. If the gun is too big you will find your self not carrying the single thing that may save your life. Secondly: (2) Most self-defense situations are at close range and are fewer than 3 or 4 shots. This adds validity to the quality of the shot. Having a well placed 22 LR is better than not having a gun at all. Having a well-placed 45-caliber bullet is even better. In this day of everyone being sued or law enforcement officers going to jail when they are doing their jobs, it is better to shoot as few times as possible to save your life.

Happy trails and keep the lead down range. - Clark

North American Arms

Ruger

It would be interesting to see where the left wing, liberal media runs if the economy craters, or we are attacked again by Islamic Terrorists. Who will protect them as they are anti-gun and do not believe in self-protection.? They will most likely find their closest friend that is a NRA member that they had been ridiculing.

We as Americans should vote with our remote control and not give MSNBC or their advertisers our time and money.

Happy trails and keep the lead down range. - Clark