Minuteman Monthly Newsletter Issue 48 July 2005 CELEBRATING FOUR YEARS WORTH OF MINUTEMAN MONTHLY NEWSLETTERS WITH ISSUE 48!!! My first hunting experience when I was about twenty years old was interesting for me to say the least. I was almost shot by my brother-in-law, while out pheasant hunting. He was wading through some very thick brush. It was the kind of brush where you have to forcefully push through, or you'll get stuck in it. His shotgun was a 12 gauge semi-automatic. I forget the gun maker. The safety was a paddle switch that you can throw with the flick of a finger. While forcing his way through the brush, a couple of branches simultaneously cooperated in flicking off the safety and pushed on the trigger, firing the shotgun and surprising the heck out of both of us. If he wasn't careful about the direction his barrel was pointing, I might not be writing this message today. This month's Minuteman Monthly Newsletter is about curtailing hunting accidents. I cringe whenever I hear the local evening news trumpet loudly when a hunter gets shot by mistake. It doesn't help our cause and I imagine it hurts like heck... ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SAVETHEGUNS.COM QUOTES OF THE MONTH "The doctrine of blind obedience and unqualified submission to any human power, whether civil or ecclesiastical, is the doctrine of despotism, and ought to have no place among Republicans and Christians." Angelica Grimke (1805-1879) "Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the path of destruction." Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), US Founding Father, drafted the Declaration of Independence, 3rd US President Source: in a letter to John Adams "And, lastly, to vindicate these rights, when actually violated and attacked, the subjects of England are entitled, in the first place, to the regular administration and free course of justice in the courts of law; next to the right of petitioning the king and parliament for redress of grievances; and, lastly, to the right of having and using arms for self preservation and defense." -- Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780) Source: Commentaries on the Laws of England (Clarendon Press: Oxford, 17th edition, 1966, Vol. 1., Chap.1). "I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means...." President John Adams to Abigail Adams on the Declaration of Independence Note: I'm so proud to be a direct descendant of John and Abigail Adams. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ADVERTISEMENT Do you have a Leatherman Multi-Tool yet? My Leatherman multi-tool has become a part of getting dressed. It automatically goes right on my belt when I get dressed in the morning. It has saved my butt many times in past. Check out their latest offerings. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000065UEG/savethegunsco-20 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SAVETHEGUNS.COM GUN SAFETY TIP OF THE MONTH In some cases, a cartridge may have a primer, but no gun powder. Upon discharge, the primer would push the bullet into the barrel, where it would get stuck. This is called a "Squib Load". If only the primer fires on a cartridge, point the gun in a safe direction for up to two (2) minutes, possibly more, then check the barrel for any obstruction. If a bullet is stuck in the barrel, don't shoot another bullet at it to get it out. This will more than likely destroy your gun and could injure you and bystanders near you. If you can't get it out, see a gunsmith or other knowledgeable person. Sometimes, the failed primer will continue to burn and may set the powder off seconds later. I know of a guy who was using ammunition from World War I. Only the primer fired on one of the cartridges. He placed the rifle down on the shooting bench and kept a hand on it just in case it went off. According to his account, verified by a bystander, the powder in the case ignited more than twenty (20) seconds later. If only the cartridge primer fires when shooting, be careful. Keep the breech closed for at least one minute. Then open the breech and check the barrel for any obstructions. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NRA MEMBERSHIP MESSAGE Did you know that the National Rifle Association has about four million (4,000,000) members? Did you know that according to some surveys twenty eight million (28,000,000) people support the positions and work of the NRA? Did you know that you can give an NRA Membership as a gift to a loved one? Did you know that SAVETHEGUNS.COM is an NRA Recruiter? Did you know that if we don't involve today's children in our fight, we'll be giving up the Second Amendment in the future? JOIN THE NRA OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP NOW!!! (use this link and I'll get a commission on your membership.) http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XR017807 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MINUTEMAN MONTHLY NEWSLETTER AIMING POINT This month's aiming point is focused upon the importance of gun safety and hunter safety procedures while hunting. Every time I hear of a hunting accident, I cringe at the image being portrayed to the general public by America's hunters and gun owners. Hunting accidents are nearly one hundred percent preventable with the right information. My focus is upon the hunting accident statistics in the state of Pennsylvania for the year 2004. Each state's statistics are probably very similar and I thought these statistics are very enlightening. On May 9th, the Pennsylvania Game Commission announced that 2004 was the safest year on record for hunting accidents, since records have been kept on the subject, which is more than ninety years. In 2004, there were fifty six (56) hunting related accidents, which includes four fatalities. The rate of hunting related accidents was also the lowest on record at 5.56 per 100,000 hunters. In 2003, there were also four hunting related fatalities and a total of fifty seven (57) incidents. Even though this is a record low, we can and should continue to do better. What surprises me, as a Certified Firearm Safety Instructor is that fourteen of the fifty six hunting accidents, exactly 25% of them were self-inflicted. If fully twenty five percent (25%) of hunting accidents were self-inflicted, what does that say about our knowledge of basic firearm handling rules? One of these self-inflicted accidents was fatal!!! That's correct. There was one (1) self-inflicted fatal hunting accident in Pennsylvania in 2004. Unless you're a new subscriber to the Minuteman Monthly Newsletter, you'd know that I have a gun safety tip in every newsletter. Hunting safety and gun safety to me, are almost as important as protecting our rights to own and carry firearms. Mandatory gun safety and hunter safety classes as well as mandatory day-glo orange clothing are a good two pronged approach to keep these accidents down. However, let us keep in mind that we could reduce these accidents by another -25%, if we have a clearer focus on the three basic rules of safe gun handling. According to the Game Commission, among the fifty six (56) hunting accidents, 23 occurred while hunting deer, including the four mentioned fatalities. 14 occurred while hunting turkey, 13 for small game, 4 while hunting waterfowl and the remaining 2 were for other game animals. Hunters who were shot by other hunters because they were in the line of fire accounted for 18 of the 56 incidents. In a very surprising 16 of the 56 incidents, hunters were mistaken for game animals. In my opinion, this is the most preventable type of accident. My personal rule has always been not to fire unless you can identify the sex of the animal first. In many cases, there are rules and regulations according to male or female sex and one should never fire on an animal without first being able to identify the sex of the animal. That rule would have prevented one of the recorded fatalities. Unintentional discharges accounted for 8 of the 56 incidents, yes including one of the fatalities. The remaining 14 incidents were 6 for placing the muzzle in an incorrect position, 4 slips and falls, 3 ricochets and one accident blamed on a defective firearm. So in closing, we can say that knowing where your hunting partners are in relation to a game animal, proper animal identification and basic gun handling knowledge can bring these accidents nearly to zero. Of course, there's always going to be the slip and falls and the unintended ricochets, which are purely accidental in nature, but the vast majority of hunting accidents are preventable with a focus on these areas. Yes, hunting is a very safe sport. It's one of the safest sporting activities known to mankind. More kids get killed each year playing football, than we have hunting accidents, but we can always do better. These plummeting hunting accident statistics are great news. It's a great thing that hunting accidents and general accidents that occur with firearms are at all-time lows. But I'm afraid that these statistics don't mean a damn thing to the widow who places a wreath on a gravestone. These statistics don't mean anything to the father and mother who have to bury their young son. These low accident statistics don't help the feeling of loss when a parent places their child's favorite toy into a casket... Can you please pass this on to others and ask people to visit my "Safety Rules" page, my "For Kids Only" page and my "Kids Questions" page? The information I have on these pages can help prevent a parent from having to bury a child. The information I have in this newsletter can prevent you from having to hug the widow of your hunting partner.......THINK ABOUT IT. http://www.savetheguns.com/safety_rules.htm http://www.savetheguns.com/for_kids_only.htm http://www.savetheguns.com/kids_questions.htm ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thanks, Marc Richardson Owner/Founder www.SaveTheGuns.com "We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government. Far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." James Madison (1751-1836) Fourth President of the United States. 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