 Joe Nava is a training instructor with the NRA here in Fairbanks, who has dedicated his life to teaching people to be safe with firearms. His passion began as a youngster, when he was accidentally shot by his hunting buddy. It didn’t have to happen, and since then, Joe has been telling people the basic rules of gun safety!
During Shooters’ Corner, Joe addresses upcoming events in the shooting community and takes calls from listeners, relating to gun safety, firearms, ammunition, or anything else that has to do with guns!
Joe also advocates gun safety training in the schools, with the Eddie Eagle program.
Listen to previous Shooter's Corner programs on our audio page.
We've had a number of folks ask about the theme song Joe uses. RAGTIME COWBOY JOE is a popular song composed by Maurice Abrahams in 1912. The 1912 copyright version published by F.A. Mills credits Lewis F. Muir and Abrahams as composers and Grant Clarke as the lyricist. It was a number-one hit song for singer Bob Roberts in 1912. Over the years, it has been performed by a diverse group of artists, ranging from Eddy Howard to The Chipmunks. "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" was also the radio show theme song for New York City's long running Public Radio show, Cowboy Joe's Radio Ranch hosted by Paul Aaron, New York's Cowboy Joe. He played many versions of the song dating back to one sung by Bob Roberts from a 1919 78 rpm record. He also played versions by the University of Wyoming. Listen to it on our audio page.
This week on Shooter's Corner
Hunter Education Courses
Parents! Listen up! You have been missing the boat. You do not understand ADF&G’s Hunter Education Courses. They do NOT teach students how to shoot. You must do that before your youngster takes the course. I see too many youngsters take the course before they know anything about aiming or firing a rifle. They fail the qualification test. Then the parents are upset, and the youngsters are crying because they have failed.
Then the volunteer Hunter Education Instructors spend too much of their time trying to coach the youngsters so they can qualify. This is not good.
Hunter Education does NOT teach students how to shoot. Hunter Education tests the student’s ability to shoot.
So, I have two suggestions for you parents who want your youngsters to become hunters.
First, do not put them into a Hunter Education Course before they are old enough to be successful in that course.
Second, teach your youngster how to accurately fire a rifle BEFORE enrolling them into a course. If you want someone else to teach your youngster how to shoot, call Bud Burris at 474-0437.
These two suggestions, if taken, will ensure success, and everyone will be happier.
Good luck!
HB80
I have bad news. HB80 has failed to pass in the Alaska Senate this session. That means the bill is dead. If we want to have it passed we must get it re-introduced next year and start all over again. This is bad news. I am saddened by it. The Alaska legislature has failed the law-abiding gun owners of Alaska. The Alaska concealed carry permit holders have caused no problems, and the crime rate in Alaska has gone down since the Alaska Concealed Handgun Law was passed. The Alaska gun owners deserve credit for that.
The Alaska legislators should stop listening to the lawyers who tell wild stories about what may happen, and start looking at the fine record of the concealed carry permit holders of Alaska. Legislative decisions should be based on logic and facts, not emotions and probabilities.
When the Alaska Concealed Carry Law was passed in 1994, it was passed over the objections of lawyers and others who said the public would not be safe if it passed. They were wrong. It passed, and the public has been safer ever since. That’s fact.
It is the same now. The lawyers are saying it will be worse if we pass HB80. They are wrong. They would have been proved wrong if the bill had passed. But some emotional lawmakers have not given us the option of proving that.
Don’t give up. Brace yourself, and prepare to help pass a similar bill in the next session.
Armed rebellion:
The thought of an armed rebellion against a tyrannical government in this Country is on the minds of many of its citizens today. But the important question is: when is the right time for that? The answer to this question can be clearly seen throughout history. The history of many nations is a history of multiple armed rebellions. Let’s look at our own Country.
Our citizens felt that the ruling government was tyrannical. So they expressed their feelings in many ways, including the Boston Tea Party. The ruling government took no heed. But the armed rebellion did not come until the government decided to disarm the public. That was the trigger which sent the signal to stand up in armed rebellion.
Clearly they rebelled at the right time. If they had allowed their arms to be taken they would have lost their only effective means of rebellion against a tyrannical government. And by tyrannical government I mean a governing body that pays no heed to the wishes and needs of its citizens but rules in whatever way is best for the government. That’s government in charge by decree. That’s not good!
So here we are in 2010 with some people feeling that our government has become tyrannical. But it has not reached the flash point of inciting armed rebellion. Where are we then?
We are at the point where we must change a government that we think has become tyrannical. This change can take place only at the ballot box. Everyone who feels uncomfortable with the current government in this Country must not only vote, but must actively urge others to vote also. This is the time for a ballot box rebellion. The time for armed rebellion has not arrived. It may, but it is not here yet.
If the government tries to remove our ability to rebel then we must rebel with arms. Right now we must keep our arms ready, but we must spend our efforts trying to change our government. Remember, anything you don’t like about your current government can be traced directly to a vote that was taken at the ballot box in a previous election.
Let’s fight for our Country at the ballot box and see if we can win it back.
Joe Nava
Open Carry:
We are very fortunate to live in Alaska where we have such a pro-gun legislature and such sensible laws about carrying guns. We who carry guns around Town do so for protection of ourselves, and possibly protection of others. Carrying our guns concealed gives us comfort, and it gives us an edge on the bad guys because they are not sure whether we have guns or not. Carrying a gun openly takes away that edge.
But, another effect of open carry is that it upsets some non gun owners. There are avid gun owners, like me. There are avid anti gun owners like Sarah Brady. We are both in minorities. The NRA only has a few more than 5 million members. The majority of people are in the middle of the discussion. We want, and need, these middle people on our side.
Carrying openly, even though it is legal, may upset some of those middle people. The anti gunners will take every opportunity to complain about the presence of a gun. They cannot complain if they cannot see, or know, that a gun is present.
I urge all Alaskan gun owners who choose to carry their guns around Town to carry them concealed. We are not hunting. We are merely carrying our guns for protection. There is no advantage to carrying a gun openly. There are disadvantages, as I have pointed out.
We do not have to prove or flaunt our ability to carry a gun around Town. It is legal. But we should do it ethically as well as legally. Think it over and do the right thing.
Tyrannies mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms. Aristotle
Joe's Corner-Opinion articles by Joe Nava
A lady’s first gun
OK! I have had it with gun stores that will sell any gun to a lady without concern for what that lady really needs. I now must talk about this. Too often I have a lady book a pistol class with me because she cannot use the gun she bought. Usually it is because some gun store clerk has sold her a semi-automatic handgun that she does not understand and cannot manipulate. It is not just that she cannot manipulate it safely. She cannot manipulate it at all. Today many adult ladies are choosing to take up pistol shooting for personal protection or recreation. They have no history of firearms use or knowledge. They do not know what gun they want or need. So, they trust whatever a gun store clerk tells them. Unfortunately, too many gun store clerks do not know how to help the lady make a good decision. Too often the clerk tells the lady she needs the gun that he thinks is best for him. Too often this is a semi-automatic handgun. Wrong!
A person’s first handgun should be a revolver. Why? Because it is simple to understand and easy to operate. All double action revolvers are very much alike. If you learn one, you can safely handle and shoot any of them. Semis, on the other hand, are all very different. You cannot know how to safely handle all of them just by learning one. The dependability of the revolver is what the lady needs for personal defense. Semis do jam, no matter how infrequently.
Ok, what is the solution? Send the lady to an expert. If a lady decides to buy a gun, she should first take a pistol class form an NRA certified Instructor. She will see and handle many handguns and learn what gun is best for her and the purpose she will use it for. She can then make her own decision about what gun to buy.
If you ask the National Rifle Association they will give you a list of Certified Instructors in your zip code area.
I do not mean to denigrate all gun store clerks. Some are very good at this, but many are not. They should tell the lady to take a pistol class and then come back and buy the proper gun. Also, I suggest that the gun stores should encourage their clerks to take the training and become NRA Certified Instructors. Or, at the very least, those clerks should attend the class required to obtain an Alaska Concealed Handgun Permit.
Families are the future of the shooting sports.
All across the United States we hear that the shooting sports are dying. That theme is particularly loud in the big cities of the lower 48 states. We hear that fewer people are hunting. Many organizations are trying to find ways to stop the decrease in hunters. But, I think the answer is not in new programs to get new shooters into our sports. I think the answer is in the family.
Most people I talk to got their start in shooting through a family member, usually a dad or an uncle or a grandfather. Nowadays some get their start from their mother.
If I get an adult person, in one of my beginning firearms classes, who has never fired a gun, that person usually says that no one in the family had guns or shot or hunted. Most of those people grew up in Lower 48 cities where the schools taught them that guns are bad and dangerous. Many come to my classes with a definite fear of guns, any guns. Hunter Education courses are taught by all 50 states and all Canadian Provinces. These courses are not aimed at increasing the number of hunters. They are aimed at making hunters more safe and ethical.
There are many programs out there now that try to increase the participants in the shooting sports. I have seen no evidence of success from any of these programs. That doesn’t mean those organizations should stop trying. They should continue, and perhaps they are slowing the lack of growth in the shooting sports.
You and I are part of the only possible answer I see. We all must be sure to pass on our shooting heritage to the next generations. If you have sons or daughters or grand children, be sure to give them the opportunities to embrace the shooting sports.
There are some families out there, actually quite a few, who do not have a family member to teach the youngsters how to shoot properly. We must reach out to those families and offer to be the mentors for those youngsters.
Ask yourself this question. How many youngsters have I trained to replace me in the shooting sports when I am gone? That is the important question. Make sure your answer is one you will be proud of.
Previous Articles
Civilization
We have become “civilized”, but we cannot become too civilized. That would be harmful. We are in danger of that now. Societies that are somewhat civilized continue to hunt. Societies that are too civilized stop hunting. Think about this idea: Civilized people do not kill other living beings. That is the credo pushed by many “Animal Rights” groups. They are wrong. Being too civilized causes grave problems, such as:
In Germany the Wild Boars have taken over the suburbs because of decreased hunting.
In Nepal an elephant killed 11 people but they will not hunt it because it is protected by an international treaty.
In Great Britain foxes can spread rabies to humans and other animals because they are not hunted and have reached high populations.
In the USA the deer in eastern states have become a serious problem for cars, planes, and flower gardens because they are not hunted. Populations are far too high for their habitat.
Waterfowl are a menace at airports in cities because they are no longer hunted enough to keep the population in check.
The wolf populations are too high in many states because of over protection. That damages the wolf and the prey species, which we depend on for food.
Furbearers are a serious problem in many states because the trapping and hunting of them has been severely curtailed. Beaver are flooding roads and removing forests.
Hunting is necessary for our future. If we give it up we trade our future for what we currently call “civilization”. We will lose all our civilization if we do not hunt and harvest our renewable, natural resources.
Take a youngster hunting!
Firearms in the cold
In Alaska we sometimes use our guns in very cold weather. Some hunting seasons are in the deeper parts of winter. Trappers use their guns outdoors all winter long. We may even want to visit the South Cushman Shooting Range in the cold weather. Or, we may keep a handgun in the car for personal protection. Shooting in cold weather requires special precautions.
Petroleum based gun oil will congeal in the cold. Your gun will not function well if you have any on your gun. One frequent problem is the oil inside the action which congeals and keeps the firing pin from going forward forcefully enough to detonate the primer of the cartridge. Sometimes this is intermittent and sometimes the gun will not fire at all. It depends on the temperature.
If oil is used in the cold it must be synthetic. All the gun companies now make gun oil with synthetics and some with Teflon. The gun needs very little, if any, oil in the very cold weather.
Test your gun in the cold. Put it in your car outdoors overnight. Then go to the range and shoot it without warming it. If you have trouble, rinse all the old oil from the gun with a good solvent, and lubricate it only with synthetic oil.
Also, accuracy is dependent on the cold. When your barrel is cold, the first shot may not go where it will when the barrel is warm. Test your gun so you will know where the bullet will impact on your first shot. Often we carry the gun in the cold all day and then get just one shot at the animal we are hunting. Be sure you know where that first shot out of a cold barrel will go.
Gun care is harder in the cold weather. If you leave your gun in the cold there is no problem. If you bring your gun from the cold into a warm house or tent, moisture will be drawn from the air to the cold metal. Your gun will get wet.
Put your gun near a warm source, with the action open. Let the warmth dry the moisture from the gun. Never put a cold gun into a closed gun case. The moisture that forms will not dry as the gun warms. It may cause rusting to start.
You can also put a cold pistol in a plastic bag and seal it. Then bring it into a warm room. It will warm up inside the bag without collecting any moisture out of the air.
Hunters and trappers may not experience these problems in Florida, but we here in Alaska do.
The word WEAPON
Too many people use this word when they shouldn’t. It has too broad a meaning to adequately describe what they are talking about. Just think about that. What is a weapon? It is a knife, a club, a taser, a stun gun, a bow & arrow, a can of bear spray, a sword, a gun, a cannon, a bazooka, an ICBM, etc. That word has too broad a meaning to convey what you are trying to describe.
Unfortunately, in the media, the word weapon is most often used to describe any firearm. I would think a reporter, who has been trained to get the details right, would use a more descriptive term for what he is describing. Too often it is reported that a person shot himself with a pistol. Then, in the next sentence the writer will refer to the pistol as a weapon. Why? He has already told us what it is – a pistol. Then he refers to it with a broad word that does not really describe what it is. Why?
Could it be that the word weapon gives the gun a bad connotation? The word weapon sounds a lot more evil than handgun, rifle, pistol, revolver, etc. Could the media be using that word purposely to make the gun sound bad? I often wonder, because wise use of the English language would not recommend that word in that context.
What does the word mean anyway? My dictionary says the word weapon means any instrument, such as a gun or sword or cannon that is used aggressively in combat or war.
Surely that does not describe the guns I use to teach gun safety. Neither does it describe the guns you use for hunting or target shooting, or even for self defense. These guns are not used aggressively in combat or war.
So, I suggest that you be more specific when referring to any gun. Call it exactly what it is, a rifle, pistol, shotgun, etc. Then we will know what you mean, and we will not be thinking of implements of war. I understand that police and military do use their firearms as weapons of war. But in the civilian world, let’s not use that term unless it is truly appropriate.
The health risk from lead
The health risk from blood levels of the metal lead has become a major factor in the battle to shut down our ability to shoot and hunt. The latest skirmish in this battle started in California and then extended to North Dakota. Now the entire Country is involved.
The Peregrine Foundation (an anti hunting group) successfully had lead ammunition banned in some parts of California where California Condors might find a gut pile and ingest some spent lead bullets.
Then we move to North Dakota where a member of the Peregrine Foundation’s Board of Directors (a dermatologist) published his study of lead fragments found in meat. The study was not scientific and was not peer reviewed. It was obviously biased. But, the North Dakota Department of Health took it at face value and removed tons of wild game meat from the Food Banks of the State, citing health issues. This meat had been donated by hunters for use by the needy.
The Federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) became interested and sent a team to North Dakota to do a scientific study of the problem. That study’s finding is: “There is no health risk from eating wild game meat.” Let me explain.
The CDC tested blood levels of lead in about 300 people, 80% of whom had consumed wild game meat. The average blood level was 1.17, as compared with the national average of the man on the street of 1.60. A level of 10.0 is considered a case for “concern” by the CDC, although no medical procedure is recommended at that level.
Young people (under 6) are more apt to be hurt by high blood levels of lead, so the number 10 is set to protect them. 10 is not “hazardous”. It is a “concern”. Medical procedures are not recommended for adults unless the level exceeds 50.
In the CDC study the 80% who ate wild game meat had a level 0.30 higher than the 20% who did not eat wild game meat. That is insignificant when we are dealing with a level of 10 to be concerned. Remember, the average of the entire group tested was 1.17.
Only 1.1% of those studied had a level above 5.0, and none were above 10.0.
So the bottom line is this. The ND Dept. of Health has again allowed wild game meat in their Food Banks because
the CDC study shows that there is no health risk from eating wild game meat shot with bullets made from lead. Good hunting, and good eating!
Shooting economics
Shooting is usually a recreation, but sometimes a self defense proposition. We don’t use a lot of ammunition for self defense, but we can (and should) use a lot of ammunition for practice no matter what out main purpose is. We should also have a variety of guns for whatever purposes we choose to shoot. How does all this cost play out economically?
First let’s consider the guns. They are an investment. In the future the guns you buy today will be worth far more than the dollars you pay for them now. I have a Colt revolver I bought for $85 in 1961, which I could easily sell for at least $300 today. You might say that is the rise of inflation over those years. Maybe so! But, the $85 hasn’t kept up with the cost of inflation if I now need $300 to buy the same thing. Guns protect your money from the loss of inflation. Holding onto your money does not.
You might decide to invest in the stock market. Bad idea, I say. Why? It’s because the value of your assets in the stock market may go up or down. The value of your guns will not go down in the long run if you take good care of them.
If there is fear and panic in the stock market your stocks may go way down. If there is fear and panic in the gun market the value of your guns will soar. You can pass your guns on to future generations knowing that their value will increase. You cannot be sure of that in a paper (or electronic) market.
Second let’s consider ammunition. Has the price of ammunition ever gone down? No, not really. In the short term you might run into a good sale. But in the long run you will always pay more for ammunition each year. Thus it makes good sense to buy the ammunition now that you will be shooting in future years when the price is higher. I used to buy .38 specials for my shooting classes at 20 cents per round. Now I am paying .40 cents per round. It might come down a bit, but I don’t ever expect to see it at 20 cents again.
You have to take care of your guns to retain their value. You also have to take care of your ammunition. Store it cool and dry, or cold and dry. Excessive heat may damage your ammo, but cold won’t. And, keep it in the original boxes so you will always know exactly what you have. That’s the safest way to handle ammunition.
So, I am not a licensed financial advisor, but here’s my advice for what it is worth. Buy guns and ammunition today and you will be very happy in the future that you did.
Guns and crime
Yes, guns and crime are related, but not the way the media would make you think.
If you pay close attention to all the stories the media presents, you would think that guns cause crime. So, you would think that more guns equal more crime.
That is wrong!
If you look at the facts, instead of listening to the anti-gun hype, you will discover that more guns equal less crime. That has been demonstrated in three countries recently.
First, in Australia, after a horrible school shooting, the government went about outlawing most guns and severely restricting all others. If you have a gun in your home it must be in a safe, you must be licensed, and the gun must be licensed. The ammunition must be in a different safe. You are not allowed to carry a gun outside your home except empty and in a case. Open or concealed carry is prohibited.
Many people get discouraged with all the licensing and storage rules so they just stop owning guns.
Crimes have gone up over 400% in Australia since these gun laws have been passed.
A similar thing has happened in Great Britain. You have to be licensed to own a gun. The gun must be registered. Handguns are prohibited. Semi-autos and pump actions are banned. Strict storage rules are in place. So, people have become discouraged from owning guns. Crime has risen sharply in Great Britain since these rules went into effect. But the criminals are now using knives to attack and rob people. So, Great Britain is now considering banning knives to reduce crime. In the USA we can see a direct correlation between concealed carry laws and crime. If concealed carry is allowed, crimes against persons go down. Crime is highest in those cities and states that do not allow concealed carry. Examples are Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Detroit, and Los Angeles, as well as the state of Illinois. Thus, we can see that guns and crime are related. More guns equal less crime. Fewer guns equal more crime. Which do you want?
The American Hunters and Shooters Association IS A SHAM!
This fairly new organization seems to be having more success than it should. So, I have to repeat my warning about it. The American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) is a sham. It is not an organization FOR the shooters. It is an offshoot of the anti-gun organizations in this country.
A group of the most anti-gun organizations in our country got together and started this sham, with top personnel taken mostly right from those anti-gun organizations. Their plan is to take resources away from the pro-gun organizations like the National Rifle Association (NRA).
AHSA was created with the specific intent to provide political cover for anti-gun politicians by allowing them to claim support from a “sportsmen’s” group. In truth, the anti-gun credentials of AHSA’s leadership is well documented. For instance, AHSA president Ray Schoenke has a long history of giving political donations to some of the most anti-gun politicians, including Al Gore, John Kerry, Barbara Boxer, Bill Clinton, Dianne Feinstein and Ted Kennedy. In 2000, Schoenke donated $5,000 to Handgun Control, Inc. (now the Brady Campaign) and the Ray and Holly Schoenke Foundation also made donations to the Brady Campaign. AHSA Board member John Rosenthal remains the leader of Stop Handgun Violence, the Massachusetts anti-gun group. And one of the leading organizers of AHSA is Bob Ricker, who has been a paid expert witness against gun manufacturers in a number of reckless lawsuits. (the information in this paragraph is from the NRA Institute for Legislative Action)
If you read their website you might think they are pro-gun because they talk about teaching gun safety and protecting the rights of hunters and shooters. But, one thing clearly reveals the true nature of AHSA. Notice that they talk about “reasonable regulation” of your firearms rights by the government. Clinton, Gore, Pelosi, and Brady all believe in “reasonable regulation”.
Anything the AHSA has said does not support your right to keep and bear arms. Their wording is carefully scripted to make you think they support the gun owners, but their actions on national and state gun issues does not show that support.
A careful scrutiny of their expenses will show that they spend nothing to support your firearms freedoms. Their money is spent to promote themselves so they can take resources away from the real pro-gun organizations. So, don’t be fooled. Put the AHSA right where it belongs, alongside all the other anti-gun organizations in our country
AHSA would be more correctly called the “American Association for the Protection of Anti-Gun Politicians.” No gun owner or sportsman should fall prey to its carefully crafted lies and deceptions.
Our “RIGHT” to keep and bear arms
The U. S. Supreme Court, in the Heller case, has said we do have the individual right to keep and bear arms. That does not surprise those of us who have read the U. S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We know the founding fathers intended that right to protect us from an oppressive government. The government has powers, given to it by the people. We, the people, have rights. Firearms ownership and carry is one of those rights.
But wait! The Supreme Court decision was 5 to 4. What in the world could those other four justices have been thinking as they wrote an opposing opinion to the majority view of the other five? I will try to tell you what they were thinking.
First look at the justices and try to remember what president appointed them. You will see that the Clinton appointees were among the minority who wanted to erase your firearms rights from the constitution. Just think, if we had another president rather than George Bush for the past 7 years, who might have been appointed to that court, and what side they would have voted on.
I firmly believe that all nine justices can read and understand the English language. If they all can, then they must all come to the same conclusion about the meaning of the 2nd amendment. But, they did not. How can two justices read the same passage and interpret it in the opposite way?
There is only one way they can. That is for a justice to first make up his (or her) mind as to what they want the amendment to say, and then try to produce an argument to prove their opinion. I believe that is why we get 5 to 4 decisions out of the Supreme Court.
What I am saying is that we have had a very close call here. We almost lost one of the precious rights given to us by our founding fathers. Just one more justice with a dissenting view and the minority opinion would have become the majority opinion. That’s scary to me.
Think ahead to the next time this question, or another similar question, comes before the court. It would only take a change of one justice to have the decision go the other way. And, here’s the important point, the next president of our Country may appoint as many as four new Supreme Court justices.
So, register to vote, and figure out which candidate is most likely to protect you rights by appointing justices who will do just that.
Joe Nava
Gun Insurance
I just read another item in the “Police Blotter” about guns stolen from a home. Could that happen to you? It is possible. Please take all the precautions, locks, dead bolts, alarms, signs, gun safes, etc. It still might happen to you. You need insurance on your guns. Here’s how to get it.
If you are an NRA member (National Rifle Association), you automatically have $1,000 worth of insurance on your guns. It comes with membership. NRA membership costs $35/year, or only $25/year if you buy it through the TVSA, or me, or any other NRA Recruiter. You get a magazine and the insurance all for that price.
You also will know you are helping the most effective organization in the Country to protect your firearms freedoms. NRA now has over 4 million members, but there are over 80 million gun owners in the Country. So, why don’t you belong? If you own a gun you should belong to the NRA.
The NRA gun insurance covers any loss, even if you drop one overboard when you are fishing. I collected on the NRA gun insurance when I checked guns at the airport and they never arrived at my destination.
If you are an NRA member, and you want more than $1,000 worth of insurance on your guns, call Lockton Risk Services at 1-877-762-3006. They will send a brochure to you describing the least expensive gun insurance you can buy. It is for NRA members only.
So, join the NRA, not only for the insurance, but to help us all keep what firearms freedoms we have left in this great Country of ours.
Clean shooting ranges by Joe Nava
Shooting is a recreation, particularly for Alaskans. That’s because so many of us own guns. We hunt and compete and defend ourselves with our guns. But, the main use of our guns is recreation. Shooting is no different from any other recreational activity. We need a place to engage in our chosen form of recreation.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough accepted the money form the State (through the ADF&G) to build the shooting range at the end of South Cushman Street. The Borough Dept. Of Parks & Recreation makes an attempt at cleaning the range about once each week, but sometimes they fall short of a perfect job.
Why? I think it is because some of us shooters do not clean up after ourselves when we shoot. We leave targets and spent shells and “objects” we use to shoot at for someone else to clean up. Why do some of us do that? Would you trash your own property that way?
But, wait a minute. The Borough shooting range is your property. You pay for its upkeep with your taxes. You, the Borough residents, own that range. Why not treat it as if it was your own back yard? Why not clean up after yourself when you use the range.
Recently Roy Roehl and his family and friends spend many hours cleaning up the Borough range so it would be clean for the Youth Hunter Education Challenge. They did a good job, but they would not have had to do that if you (we) would clean up after we shoot.
We find old computers, and other large pieces of equipment people have brought to that range to shoot at. Those items are left, after they are shot full of holes, for someone else to clean up. That’s not right. We should all clean up after ourselves.
Recently, also, a Boy Scout Troop cleaned up the shooting range at 36 mile Chena Hot Springs Road. It was a mess also. That range was built by the State Div. of Parks and Recreation for the purpose of drawing shooters to it instead of having recreational shooting all along the Road. The Div. of Parks asks that all recreational (target) shooting be done at the range at 36 mile.
OK, now one more thing! If someone does leave a mess at a shooting range, and you see it, clean it up. We do that on the streets around Fairbanks every spring because some people will not stop being slobs. Let’s do the same thing at the shooting ranges. Clean up the other person’s mess and leave the range cleaner than you found it.
If we all do this, the shooters will look better in the eyes of the public.
The soccer fields are not a mess. The softball fields are not a mess. Why should our shooting ranges be a mess?
Why get an Alaska Concealed Handgun Permit?
I get this question often. I answer it in every ACHP Class I teach. Let me answer it for you here.
In 2003 the Alaska Legislature passed a law which allows anyone 21 years of age or older, who is legal to posses a firearm, to carry it concealed in Alaska without any permit. But, there are still the following reasons to get the permit.
1) Your Alaska Concealed Handgun Permit will allow you to carry your handgun concealed in 32 other states. I pass that list of states around during each of my classes.
2) If you have the permit, you will be in the police computer as one of the “good guys”. Your background has been checked. You know the Law. You are safe and responsible with your gun. The police know they do not have to worry about you. Permit holders do not violate gun laws.
3) You will be safer, and more accurate, with your gun after taking the class and getting the Permit.
4) You will know what the Law says your responsibilities are with the permit. You will have heard three hours of the Law, and you will have copies to keep so that you can conduct yourself legally and ethically.
5) Who knows? The State Legislature may change the Law back so that you are required to have a Permit to carry a handgun concealed. It could happen.
6) The Permit is good identification. It not only identifies you, but it says you are an upstanding citizen with no criminal background.
These are just some of the reasons I urge you to take the training and apply for the Alaska Concealed Handgun permit. I will be happy to help you do that. Just call me.
GUN SAFETY by Joe Nava
It is time to post an article about gun safety. We talk about that all the time. I try to teach gun safety to everybody I can. But the question is: what to teach.
That question occurred to the 4-H headquarters back in the 1980s. They were getting more deeply involved with 4-H shooting programs, in conjunction with the National Rifle Association. After looking all around, the 4-H realized that almost everybody was teaching different gun safety rules. They decided to change that.
The 4-H called a conference at their national headquarters just outside of Washington, D.C. in Maryland. They invited all the units that were involved with guns. All the major gun makers were there, along with the ammunition manufacturers, and the Boy Scouts, Future Farmers of America, etc. About 50 people in all attended that 3 day workshop for the purpose of deciding on the most effective gun safety rules to teach.
I was there as the Chairman of the National Rifle Association’s Junior and Collegiate Committee.
We spent three days working out what we all could agree on as the most effective gun safety rules. The first rule proposed as the “Golden Rule” was: “Treat every gun as if it is loaded”. We worked with that for a while, but soon realized that when you say that to a person you have not taught that person anything. You have not taught that person how to treat a loaded gun, so to tell him to treat every gun that way is useless. He does not know how to treat a loaded gun.
We finally came to the agreement that positive statements must be made. The “Golden Rule” that was accepted by all was: “Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction”. That tells the person what to do. If that rule is followed no one will ever get hurt by a gun.
The second rule was then accepted as: “Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. That rule will eliminate the accidental discharges.
The third rule was: Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use”. That would prevent accidental discharges by someone who handled the gun and did not know how to use it safely.
After these three rules were agreed upon, a further, short note was added. It said: “Treat every gun as if it is loaded”. We could now say that because we had taught how to treat a loaded gun. This did not become one of the three rules.
The NRA has followed these rules precisely, and still teaches them today. They are still the most effective rules to teach to eliminate firearms accidents. They are in all the NRA teaching materials.
Unfortunately, I am now seeing people take on the chore by themselves of determining their own rules. They are different, and usually not as effective. We see 4 rules or 10 rules or different rules. One old one that is still used today is: never point a gun at anything you don’t want to kill. That’s not good for many reasons. The main reason is that it is negative. It does not teach what to do. We must teach positively to be the most effective. That wrong rule also says nothing about target shooting. We do not intend to “kill” anything when we practice our marksmanship toward the Olympic Games.
Anyway, I hope you get the point, and I hope you will always teach the three most effective gun safety rules that about 50 experts could devise. Follow the “Golden Rule” and no one will ever be injured by a gun.
The NRA Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program for elementary schools
Eddie Eagle does a great job of teaching youngsters how to be safe with guns. I take him into elementary school classrooms and he tells the students what to do if they ever find a gun. Eddie Says to: Stop! Don’t touch! Leave the area. Tell an adult.
This is a very effective safety program designed by educators for grades K-4. The program has been presented to over 22 million youngsters across the Country already. We have a full sized Eddie Eagle costume that stays in the Fairbanks area. It works best for Eddie to appear at all the class rooms in one elementary school on the same day. He only waits to be invited by the principle or other school official.
Eddie doesn’t talk. Of course not, he’s an eagle. But he brings volunteers along with him to show the Eddie Eagle video and do Eddie’s talking for him. Eddie likes to get hugs from the students, and he helps them do the Eddie Eagle shuffle as they all say the safety message together.
Eddie leaves work books, coloring books, and decals for the students to work on in class or to take home. He also leaves one of his videos with the school.
Eddie has visited all the elementary schools in North Pole, the Two Rivers Elementary School, the Salcha Elementary School, and the University Park Elementary School. He only needs an invitation to visit the school where your child goes. Talk to your child’s teacher or principle and see if Eddie can visit your school and teach an effective gun safety lesson to your youngsters.
Research has shown that this message does work to keep youngsters safe.
Stop! Don’t touch! Leave the area! Tell an adult!
Yes, guns do belong in schools. Let me tell you why. -- Opinion by Joe Nava, published in the Delta News, 1999
There have been guns in schools as long as there have been schools. There are good people and there are bad people, but there are no good guns or bad guns. Guns are tools which can be used for good or bad purposes by people. Guns have been used for good purposes in schools for a very long time, and they should still be. Let me make my case. Shooting is a Varsity Sport in some schools. And, it should be for many reasons. Most Olympic shooters get started in a 4-H or Boy Scout or NRA junior shooting program and then get on a High School or Junior High School Shooting Team. If they are good enough, they get a scholarship to a college with a shooting program (like the University of Alaska Fairbanks). After College, the best of the shooters may go on to a National Training Center to prepare for Olympic or other International Shooting competition.
Why is this good for the schools?
Shooting is the least violent of all the school sports. Shooters don’t grab, tackle or check the opponent. They don’t even bump into the opponent. Also, shooting, as a sport, has an unequaled safety record. There are more injuries in Table Tennis than there are in shooting competitions.
The greatest benefit of guns in schools, for the youngsters, is the self-discipline the gun teaches. Shooting takes much self-control. Any high school or college shooter learns this. It takes mental self-control to ignore all else around you and concentrate on the goal at hand.
This mental self-discipline learned through shooting, carries over into schoolwork and life. Shooting Teams in schools are always at the head of their class in academics. Shooting teaches the discipline it takes to excel in school.
I have never heard of a case, anywhere in the United States, of a School Shooting Team Member being involved in the criminal use of a gun. Never has any gun used for a school shooting program been used illegally. This doesn’t happen.
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