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Learnings from the field- My first dove hunt

2/27/2014

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I'm here in Hermosillo, Mexico for a 3-day dove hunt, my first of what is hopefully many in the years to come. I'm on Day 2 and I wanted to share some quick thoughts and things I've learned out in the field:

1) Having the appropriate size barrel matters- I brought two guns with me, my 3-gun competition Benelli M2 with a 24" barrel, and my Benelli Vinci with a 28" barrel. I was excited to shoot my M2 because of the mag tube extension that brings my capacity up to 13 shells, but I simply cannot reach out as far as my Vinci with the 28" barrel. I had to be much more patient letting the doves get closer to me, or I missed many shots since they were simply out of range. Today I shot my 28" Vinci and I'm hitting many more targets.

2) Having more is not necessarily a good thing- With 13 rounds in my M2, I think it encouraged me to shoot more and therefore waste ammo since I was also missing more. The gun is heavier which can get tiring after a few hours out in the field. The upside of having 13 rounds in the gun is that I can spend more time eyeing the skies, but honestly I've been hitting more birds with my 4 round Vinci. 

Now, the M2's shorter barrel greatly contributed to my increase in missed shots, so it's not a totally fair comparison. I'd want to put a 28" barrel on my M2 to be fair to the Vinci. I'll do that one of these days.

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Picture of me and my hunting partner, Larry. I'm sporting a Benelli Vinci and Larry has a Benelli Super Black Eagle. Photo courtesy of Larry Seidler.
3) Trap and skeet practice are highly transferable skills, but... I've seen birds do things that clays simply won't, like change direction, flare out and abruptly slow down, and the speed obviously varies. The main transferrable skills I think are important are: A) Lead B) Swing through.

4) Lastly, speed loaders have been super useful. Here I've got three different types: TacCom,  andAP Custom. When my hand tires of one technique I can switch to the next. Having the ability to load quickly enables me to turn my attention back to the sky. 
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Shotgun shell caddies, from left to right: AP Custom, Carbon Arms, and TacCom. Benelli M2 modified by Salient Arms International with Nordic Components extension tube. Photo by Larry Seidler.
I grew up in Southern California and have been to Mexico many times. Hermosillo, however, is a first, and it is a great place to vacation. It is far away from any of the violence and very safe.

A video of the hunt is forthcoming, and I'll post it when live!
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SHOT Show Interview with Cam & Co

2/10/2014

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Chatting with Cam & Co on NRA News was a great experience at the 2014 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. In this 15 minute interview we cover an array of topics, ranging from Top Shot, my book, hunting, the Second Amendment, 3-gun competition, and of course, guns. 

Check it out here:

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Interview with Tom Gresham on Gun Talk Radio

2/10/2014

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I was invited to come talk on Gun Talk Radio with Tom Gresham. It's one of the largest gun talk radio/podcast shows out there, and Tom's a great guy and ardent Second Amendment supporter.

We chatted about how I got onto Top Shot, my upcoming book, "Shoot to Win" coming out in July, as well as some other fun things like my recents hunts and such. 

Listen here, I come in at the 4:15 minute mark:

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Anti-gay violence in Russia: Why the Second Amendment exists

2/7/2014

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The 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia are already off to a rough start. However, the anti-gay violence that is taking place ratchets things up (VIDEO ABOVE- warning, graphic violence). The Human Rights Campaign has put together the above video to document and highlight how innocent people are getting beat up and abused, simply for being gay and for simply speaking out in defense of gay rights. The main culprits appear to be neo-Nazis. The Russian police and government are taking no action to protect people from threats and physical abuse. With Russia's recent "gay propaganda" law and police inaction on this issue, the state is essentially endorsing anti-gay violence.

As a counter-offensive, a group called Athlete Ally is promoting Principle 6 of the Olympic charter which states:
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Russia is clearly violating Principle 6 through its "gay propaganda" law, and it needs to take action to prevent more violence from occurring. 

Thankfully, in addition to the efforts of Athlete Ally, companies like AT&T, Google (my former employer, GO GOOGLE!) are making their voices known that anti-gay discrimination should not be tolerated. We will see if more corporate pressure mounts over the next two weeks during the Olympics. I hope it has the positive effect of the Russian government condemning the violence and moving to prosecute those responsible.

How the Second Amendment protects Freedom

I think about how blessed I am to live in a free country like the United States. In America, we have the Second Amendment to protect against a tyrannical government. Tyrannical, defined:

              ty·ran·ni·cal
              təˈranikəl/ adjective
              1. exercising power in a cruel or arbitrary way

The Russian police and government are not protecting their citizens, and are basically encouraging the violence. It qualifies as state-sponsored violence in my book, and I'd call that tyrannical. This cruel, arbitrary exercising of this power is only targeted at gay people. 

If I can't rely on the police to protect me, then the only obvious conclusion is that I am responsible for my own protection. This is why millions of Americans own guns, which is also a primary way of keeping a tyrannical government at bay. On the one hand, I can't imagine the United States ever passing a Russian-style "gay propaganda" law, but in reality there are forms of it at the state level where students and educators can't use the word "gay" or talk about homosexuality in K-12 public schools. It's laws like these that could eventually push things to a tyrannical extreme.

If America ever did become a tyrannical state, I'd at least have my firearms as a way to protect myself. Unless that tyranny included disarmament. While Russians are allowed to own personal firearms for self-defense, they must apply for a permit. However, handgun ownership is banned so having one for conceal carry is a no-no unless you want to break the law defending yourself. 

I wonder if the Russian government would approve a permit application from an anti-gay hate crime victim? My guess is that they would deny it and provide the reason mentioned by Russian police in the above video: "you're gay so it's normal that you were attacked. Why would you need to [protect yourself] against someone?"

Irrational, inhumane, and just wrong. Governments should not condone violence or discrimination against any peaceful group.
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X Products Discount Code- 10% off!

2/4/2014

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The fine folks over at X Products make some awesome rifle drums for AR-15s, AK-47s, and more.


They are made of high quality aluminum and steel, and are very reliable. I competed with the X-15 .223 drum at the Crimson Trace Midnight 3-gun shoot, and loved it. 


Get 10% off their entire product line (except for .50BMG ammo) by using the code "topshotchris" at checkout. Get some!

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My First Pheasant Hunt

2/3/2014

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With my first duck hunt crossed off my list two weeks ago, I recently had a chance to go pheasant hunting near Chico, CA with Kris Koenig, the director of Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire. It's a great gun documentary which I participated in, and I hope you'll take some time to see it. You can buy it on DVD, get it on Amazon, Netflix, and many other places. 

There's been a drought here in California, but it happened to rain the day we went out for the hunt. I learned that rain is good because the birds' musty scent will be more pronounced, which helps the dog locate and flush the birds out of hiding. 

The morning started off slow, and we barely saw any action. With Super Bowl coming up, I really wanted to bag some birds and make some kind of pheasant treat for the party. 

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In the late morning, we finally saw some action. With my trusty Beretta 692 shotgun and #6 shot 2 3/4" ammo, I started to take down some birds. All that practice shooting trap was really paying off! Before we knew it, we were done for the day.
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We harvested the meat from the birds and retreated to the bar for some beer (Chico is the home of Sierra Nevada, so guess what we had). I started thinking about what I'd make with my hard-earned pheasant meat, and I landed on an oldie but a goodie: bacon-wrapped pheasant bites. 

Since pheasant meat is so lean, it can dry out quickly. Brining and wrapping the chunks in bacon helps keep the moisture in. After cubing, wrapping, and toothpicking the pheasant chunks, I cracked some fresh pepper and then sprinkled a bunch of dark brown sugar on each piece. Fifteen minutes at 350 degrees in the oven is all these needed. Not only was my first pheasant hunt a success, but so was the food at the Super Bowl party!
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San Francisco Emergency Response Teams

2/2/2014

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Following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in Northern California, many Bay Area municipalities reviewed their disaster response capabilities to prepare for the next big one. The San Francisco Fire and Police Departments created two programs: N.E.R.T (Neighborhood Emergency Response Team) and A.L.E.R.T. (Auxiliary Law Enforcement Response Team), respectively. I recently acquired both credentials so I can help my local community in a time of need. It’s completely free for San Francisco residents, and both programs contain lots of useful disaster training skills and information.

The SFFD NERT program is a 20-hour training program where volunteers learn about how San Francisco responds during a widespread natural disaster like an earthquake, flood, fire, etc. We received training on how to properly locate, identify, and operate gas valves in residential neighborhoods, how to use a fire extinguisher, as well as how to triage multiple victims in a mass casualty situation. We learned about the city’s disaster command and control structure, and how we should have 72 hours worth of food, water, and supplies in the event of a major disaster. 

When the next big earthquake happens, city services will be overwhelmed and so residents should be prepared to take care of themselves for the first few days. Critically injured patients along with fires and flooding will receive higher priority. Available volunteers can help supplant overwhelmed city services, and provide much needed logistical, medical, and other rescue assistance.
 
The SFPD ALERT program is an optional 8-hour add-on training which one can take only after completing NERT training. ALERT trainees receive additional training such as traffic control, foot patrol, assisting with office work, and other skills needed in a citywide emergency.


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Part of the police training was learning more about the K-9 unit and how they train their dogs.
The ALERT program is relatively new, having started in 2013. Sergeant Mark Hernandez, ALERT Program Coodinator, notes that "We are very excited about what we've been able to accomplish is a fairly short period of time. In five months, we have fully trained 47 volunteers. These individuals are prepared to safely assist law enforcement after a disaster, making San Francisco better prepared and more resilient. Our volunteers have approached their ALERT experience with enthusiasm and commitment. We are grateful to all of those that have joined with us to this point, and look to recruit another 60-100 volunteers in 2014."

The NERT and ALERT Teams are typically activated a few days after an incident, since volunteers are instructed to take care of ourselves and our loved ones first. Only once our loved ones are secured should we go and volunteer to help other city residents. 

What I really enjoyed about both programs is learning new skills and becoming a better citizen of my community. Programs such as NERT and ALERT help empower people and strengthen a city. 

For more information, you can visit http://www.sf-fire.org/index.aspx?page=859 and http://sf-police.org/index.aspx?page=4019. The Federal Government administrates other local groups across the country, so check here to see if your local police and fire departments have a similar volunteer program.

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