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More Rendezvous Stuff!

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Brownell’s has been a supporter of the Gun Blogger Rendezvous since the first year, and each year they donate one of their top-of-the-line range bags:
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From Brownell’s catalog:

The Signature Series Range Bag is a versatile, two-in-one bag system featuring a roomy, outer bag with large exterior, bellow pockets and an inner, open bag with adjustable dividers, padded pistol inserts, magazine pouches and much, much more. Both bags are constructed of long lasting, 1000 denier, Cordura® nylon with non-scratching, self-healing, YKK zippers and solid brass pulls. We even added stylish, top-grain, leather straps to the zipper pulls where needed to make opening and closing the “high-use” compartments easier when wearing shooting gloves. Adjustable shoulder strap is made of strong, 1½” wide nylon webbing and includes a comfortable pad lined with non-slip, suede leather. Quickly detachable, brass-plated swivel clips are springloaded for extra security and allow shoulder strap to be interchanged between inner and outer bags. Inner bag provides safe transport for match pistols when you don’t want to leave them in your competition holster. Use the inner bag to carry just what you need to the firing line and for fast “bag-up” after shooting. If you have a lot of gear, use the bags separately for nearly twice the storage capacity. The double-layered, 3/8″ thick, corrugated bottom panels in both bags give full support for heavy loads of ammunition, pistols, tools, sandbags and other shooting accessories while retaining the original shape of the bag. The Signature Series is a full-featured bag, designed to perform and built to last.

Outer Bag:
• Moisture-resistant, 1000 denier, Cordura nylon.
• Large, main compartment with zippered top, measures 18″ long, 9″ wide, 12″ high.
• Zippered, main, side pocket: 17″ long, 2½” wide, 10″ high. Holds shooting glasses, muffs, and cleaning supplies.
• Two, padded end pockets 7″ long, 2½” wide, 10″ high provide ample room for choke tubes, spare parts, etc.
• Two, flat, zippered pockets 18″ long, 7″ and 8″ high for targets, notebooks, ballistic sheets, etc.
• Four, brass-plated D-rings provide lockable storage when used with your own padlocks.
• Adjustable shoulder strap with polished, quick-release, swivel clips.
• 2″ wide, wrap-around carry handles with contoured grip area and hook and loop carry handle.
• Self-healing zippers and solid brass, #9 zipper pulls.
• Full 3/8″ thick, bottom panel is composed of two, corrugated, double-wall, plastic sheets glued, then layered in opposite directions for superior strength and rigidity.

Inner Bag:
• 1000 denier, Cordura nylon with knit back, expanded vinyl lining for excellent water-resistance.
• Two, fully padded pistol inserts with soft, wool-like Sherpa® lining and hook and loop closure straps fit inside the full-length, zippered side pockets for extra security. Accepts scoped, competition guns, spotting scopes, etc.
• Two, removable, high-strength, plastic dividers with reinforced hook and loop edging for spacing adjustments; provides up to three individual compartments.
• Brass-plated D-rings for shoulder strap attachment.
• 3/8″ thick, double-layered, bottom panel supports the heaviest gear.
• Padded end panels for extra protection of inner bag contents.
• Six, individually sewn, magazine pouches.
• Self-healing zippers and solid brass, #9 zipper pulls.
• Two, elastic, retaining straps for shooting towels, extra ammo and magazines.

The price on this thing in the catalog is $249.99. Mine is eight years old now, has made innumerable trips to the range loaded to the gills, and still looks new.

Brownells has also donated five tactical flashlights:
photo l_080001089_1.jpgAgain, from the catalog:

The compact, amazingly powerful BVL530 is the light to have when you need emergency or supplemental lighting. At less than 5-1/2″ long, it’s small enough to go with you everywhere, so you’ll have it whenever you need it. Don’t be deceived by the size – the BVL530 delivers power that belies its small stature. An ultra-reliable, shockproof, CREE® XM-L2 LED emitter gives an astonishing 530 lumens maximum output that will illuminate the darkest corners. The Low (175 lumen) mode is brighter than “high” mode on a lot of other lights, and there’s a power-saving Ultra-Low (13 lumen) mode, too. High mode can be set to steady-on or strobe. Change modes by hitting a simple sequence of “clicks” on the sealed rubber tailcap switch.

All this power sticks around, too: you get up to 2.5 hours continuous output in High mode, and an amazing 9 hours in Low.

And if you come to the Rendezvous, you could be taking one of these home with you!

Quote of the Day – Robin Williams Edition

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I got this in an email this evening.  It’s other people’s words, but it was delivered by Robin Williams in his 1996 film Jack, about a boy who ages at four times the rate of other people – appearing about 40 years of age when he was 10.  It’s his college graduation speech as valedictorian of his class.  The video clip is available at YouTube, but just read the words by screenwriters James DeMonaco and Gary Nadeau that serve as perhaps the best eulogy I think I’ve ever read:

I don’t have very much time these days, so I’ll make it quick – like my life.

You know as we come to the end of this phase of our life, we find ourselves trying to remember the good times and trying to forget the bad times. We find ourselves thinking about the future. We start to worry, thinking “What am I gonna to do? Where am I gonna to be in ten years?”

But I say to you, hey, look at me. Please, don’t worry so much. Because in the end, none of us have very long on this earth. Life is fleeting. And if you’re ever distressed, cast your eyes to the summer sky when the stars are strung across the velvety night. And when a shooting star streaks through the blackness turning night into day, make a wish and think of me.

And make your life spectacular.

I know I did.

Dancing in the Blood of the Slain

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Why are anti-gunners so…vile?  In a reply at Quora.com to the question “How many Americans own a gun?” one Jay Bazzinotti answered:

I’ve read stats that there are over 300,000,000 firearms in private possession in the US. Essentially, you can find a gun in every other household, and chances are that if you break in any empty house at random, there’s a 50/50 chance you will find a gun, probably in less than five minutes, either under the mattress, in the dresser or in the couch cushions, fully loaded and ready for you to use it to rob a 7/11. Over 500,000 guns are stolen each year — maybe more, since gun owners are loathe to report gun theft. 30,000 people are killed, about 1/2 by suicide, and over 100,000 are wounded by guns every year. I particularly like the gun death in Massachusetts where a Sheriff gave a full-auto Uzi to a 9 year old who pulled the trigger and shot himself in the head — a dozen times. The best part is that the Sheriff got off. So did the dad who brought the kid to the gun club and encouraged him to fire an unfamiliar machine gun. It’s absolutely hilarious to see the NRA nutbags say there is no gun problem in America, especially when they are paying for the defense of “responsible” officials and parents like these two love bugs.

(Bold my emphasis.)

I love the caring he shows for the dead child. The Other Side™ is always so concerned about the children, unless, of course, it’s a child of The Other. Then they can chortle to their heart’s content when one dies. He was talking about this incident in gun-control paradise Massachusetts.  It wouldn’t surprise me if he wanted a copy of the video of the incident so he could … nope – not going there.

When people tell you “nobody wants to take your guns away!” point them at Jay Bazzinotti.

And ANOTHER Reason!

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Osage County Guns, a new sponsor to the Gun Blogger Rendezvous is contributing ANOTHER pistol for our fundraising raffle for Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA), a SIG Sauer 1911-22 that will look a lot like this one:

Osage County Guns photo 1911-22LR-Detail-Hero.jpg

And you can win it with a simple raffle ticket.  But you must be present to win!  So make your reservations today to come join us in Reno, September 4-7!  And thanks to ExurbanKevin, Osage County Guns’ new head of social media marketing.

Well CRAP

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And now Robin Williams has passed:

On August 11, 2014, at approximately 11:55 a.m, Marin County Communications received a 9-1-1 telephone call reporting a male adult had been located unconscious and not breathing inside his residence in unincorporated Tiburon, CA. The Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Tiburon Fire Department and Southern Marin Fire Protection District were dispatched to the incident with emergency personnel arriving on scene at 12:00 pm. The male subject, pronounced deceased at 12:02 pm has been identified as Robin McLaurin Williams, a 63-year-old resident of unincorporated Tiburon, CA.

An investigation into the cause, manner, and circumstances of the death is currently underway by the Investigations and Coroner Division s of the Sheriff’s Office. Preliminary information developed during the investigation indicates Mr. Williams was last seen alive at his residence, where he resides with his wife, at approximately 10:00 pm on August 10, 2014. Mr. Williams was located this morning shortly before the 9-1-1 call was placed to Marin County Communications. At this time, the Sheriff’s Office Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, but a comprehensive investigation must be completed before a final determination is made.

Regardless of what you might think of his politics, Robin Williams is, in my opinion, the funniest man of the last 50 years. I predicted, after seeing The World According to Garp that he would eventually win an Oscar for his acting talent, and he did for his portrayal of psychologist Sean McGuire in Good Will Hunting.

I’ve never seen a faster comedian, or one better at improv. In 1990 while at Kingsboro Psychiatric Center in Brooklyn, New York on location for the film Awakenings (where Williams played a psychiatrist) director Penny Marshall appeared (along with the cast) in a video feed at the American Comedy Awards. She was congratulating her brother Garry Marshall for his winning an American Achievement Award from that organization. During her speech (with Robin just over her shoulder) she mentioned that they were on set “at a menstrual hospital.” In an INSTANT, Williams piped up: “A menstrual hospital! It’s a period piece!” Penny Marshall turned several interesting shades of red.

Here, I think, is one of the best examples of William’s brilliance – improv using a prop from the audience (Updated with a YouTube clip of the entire piece. Improv starts at about 2:22 and runs to the end of the clip.):

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGhfxKUH80M?rel=0]
The world is now a grayer place.  I hope he and Jonathan Winters are making a lot of people very, very happy right now.

Edited to add:

I think this might have been a little more real that we realized:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s26WxsgyKE?rel=0]
I wish someone could have found him his Grail.