NRA Convention

I went to my first NRA Convention in Phoenix this weekend. My first thought? I should have started going years ago.

What an awesome display not only of more firearms and cool gear than you could shake a deuce-and-a-half at, but a display of Freedom, in the largest and grandest sense. A huge building packed with people who really understand what liberty is, how important the 2nd Amendment is, and what it means to stand up and be counted as an AMERICAN, not as some hyphenated half-breed that worries more about foreign opinion than national security.

The convention itself was everything a gun owner could want to see. Booth upon booth of guns and gear that ran the whole spectrum of the firearms industry. I didn't attend any, but there were also plenty of seminars as well, packed full of all sorts of nifty, educational, and useful info. Next year I'll be sure to make time for the whole shebang.

My cousin, a very savvy and politically active gal, showed me around and introduced me to more than a few people that it was a pleasure to meet. People that weren't awash in the political crap that floats around Cook County, Il...the Dark Abode of the Democratic Machine. When people saw that I was from Illinois, most just shook their heads in sympathy, with a look of pity in their eyes. I knew exactly what they meant, as Illinois has some of the most repressive and unconstitutional gun laws in the entire country. Yet Chicago is one of the most dangerous cities in the country...but try to get the Demo-Rats and bleeding hearts to connect those dots. You'd have an easier time sticking a grenade into a Derringer.

My funny story for the convention: I'm at the Barret booth with my cousin and her boyfriend, a good guy who is a Maricopa County Sherriff, looking at the Model 82A1 in .50 BMG. Way cool, very heavy, all spiffed out with nifty accessories. So I'm looking through the scope, and as I'm moving it around I accidentally lock onto a guy who is at that moment taking a flash picture, pointed right at me.

Let me say this: catching a camera flash through a huge rifle scope is a good way to have your eyeball blown out the back of your head. I was seeing that flash every time I blinked my eye for 5 minutes. But, I got to hold a very cool rifle, so...even trade there.

It was a great event. I can't wait for next year's gig. If you're reading this and you're not an NRA member...sign the hell up!