I am obviously a blogger. Now ask me if I like bloggers… The answer would be yes and no. The bloggers I like give their opinion as an opinion and leave the reader with the impression that they, the reader, need to research and decide what is truth. I hope that I will always leave you the impression that although I have opinions, sometimes strong ones, but that it is subject to change. I also have a problem with people on the internet who pass themselves off as something they are not. I hope that I never do that either. I am not a professional gunfighter, or an operator, or a gunsmith. I hope I’ve never put off the wrong impression.
The internet is a wonderful place. I love the amazing things that it has done for the world. I am old enough to remember a world without the internet. Libraries, books, TV, magazines, and newspapers were the place for information. Communication was slower and so were the basketball scores. The internet, cell phones, and other technologies have truly changed the world. The problem can be when we believe whatever we read. That has always been a problem but it has exploded with the internet.
I love a State Farm Insurance commercial. You may have seen it. We see a guy with his car who has had an accident. He’s talking to his friend, a blonde girl, about his ap to help him with his insurance claim. She got her insurance on the internet. The friend asks her if she trusts her company, and she says “They can’t put anything on the internet unless its true.” Where’d you hear that?” They both say at the same time “The internet!” Most things on the internet are opinion. There is some fact, and a lot of fiction! If you think about it, in heyday of the newspaper, wasn’t everything up to an editor? They would try to put out the news. But in reality, if the owner or publisher of the newspaper did not want a story in their newspaper, it wouldn’t happen! The internet has just made us all “editors”. The thing is, editors are not only experienced writers, they are usually experienced in fields of writing. They would approve everything in an article so there was a process of an article being published rather than a “post” button.
There was a time in the gun writing world that those who wrote about guns were either in the military, law enforcement, or shooting competitively. Now I know that everyone in these three areas are not all gun experts, but it was a starting place.
Now days there is not a process where someone will look critically at your writing. For every “bad” comment, there are usually 20 “good” comments. I think that is because when I read something that I know is baloney, I won’t always take the time to write and call the guy a carpetbagger. Some of it is laziness and some is not wanting to deal with this guy.
At the risk of this article turning into a rant, I will say that I have very few sites, blogs, or forums that I follow. The ones that I do follow have been vetted by me and many, sometimes thousands, of others. Most of them I have watched and read for many years. I’m pretty confident in their opinions and abilities. One day I think I will name them and recommend them.
I will encourage you to do the same. If you don’t agree with something I’ve put on here make a constructive comment. I am not a gun or Mormon church expert.
I served in the military for several years and was a weapons instructor for 5 years there. I have shot my whole life and have loved shooting my whole life. I have been around the special operations world for some time. Many of my friends are operators or are in law enforcement. I have been a “prepper” (whatever that is…) all my life, but my whole 30 some odd married life. None of these things qualifies me as an expert. Do your own research. Get out to the range and get some experience. Talk to trusted friends and family that may have some gun or security experience. Then decide what is right for you and your family. If you have ideas or opinions I would welcome them here!
Semper Paratus
Burn
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