So you've decided to shoot 3 Gun. You've got an AR-15, a semi-automatic pistol that you are pleased with, and a shotgun that will hold 8 rounds.
Now what? How do you find a competition? And what else do you need to be ready? Well, the good news is that almost every state in the country has 3 gun competitions in it and our list of 3 Gun Competitions has a database of all of the existing 3 gun competitions that we know of in the U.S. (if you are aware of one that is not on the list, please notify us by email at info@3-gun.com so that we can add it to our list). Once you've found a competition in your area, call them up find out when their next competition is, and let them know that you're new to 3 Gun and ask if there's anything particular you need to bring or anything you need to do in particular to be prepared before you come out to your first competition. They are likely to be extremely friendly and helpful and probably the primary preparation they will recommend is simply to make sure that your rifle is sighted in and that you bring plenty of ammunition. Our experience has been that the 3 Gun community is a very friendly group that is extremely welcoming to newcomers. We have not personally found there to be any of the aloof superiority attitude that we have unfortunately encountered in some gun stores around the country. At 3 Gun competitions, most of the other competitors will be very excited to find out that this is your first competition and they will be eager to share ideas and lessons they have learned with you to help you improve faster and master the game better. The only thing that will put everyone in a very bad mood very very quickly is irresponsible, unsafe gun handling behavior. Simply treat all of your firearms as if they are loaded and all times and follow all instructions from the range officer to the letter. If you are fairly new to handling firearms then some of this will be new but it is important to learn good safe gun handling practices right away. You will probably find that your performance the first time at a 3 Gun competitions is rather bad, but it will rapidly improve within a few competitions and the difference will be very noticeable. As you get better, obviously the competitions will become more fun as well. (We all enjoy doing things that we're good at better than things that we're not good at of course). Good luck and have fun!
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Today is September 11. Like many of you, I remember exactly where I was the moment I heard a plane had been flown into the World Trade Center. Many good people died that day and the general feeling of safety that had become common in the United States began to weaken as well.
It has been weakening ever since. Search the word "prepper" online and you will get a multitude of results. Hundreds of websites, dozens of books, countless articles. All dedicated to the subject of "prepping". What has happened that has caused so many people in our relatively safe, stable society to suddenly feel that society might collapse at any time and that they need to prep for such an event? It is precisely things like the fact that the September 11th attack occurred on American soil, the general ineptitude of our federal government, the massive (and growing) national debt, the fact that there are literally millions of people worldwide who hate the United States and would like to see us fall, the fact that other countries are increasing the size and strength of their militaries while ours is shrinking, the fact that city dwellers all live on an electric grid that is not within their personal control. This list could go on and on, but you get the point... Things like this make it increasingly obvious to a growing portion of our population that our society could collapse into chaos (or at least a much less stable version of itself) at any time in the near or distant future. This should not be surprising. All societies eventually crumble and are slowly replaced by the next phase of history, so to speak. A quick glance through the annals of history will show dozens of powerful empires that rose to great heights, massive sizes, had their day of glory, and then faded out of existence. This destruction happened through a variety of ways including war, government bankruptcy, social degeneration, etc, etc. In the end, it doesn't matter how it happens. It only matters that is does happen. So, what's my point? Well, my point is this: many preppers who are genuinely good well intentioned people are focusing largely on accumulating supplies. Very few are focusing on developing skills, especially defense skills. If you merely have supplies and the stability of our society has crumbled, then the well armed bad guy that lives down the street is simply going to come over to your house, rob you of all of your supplies, and probably kill you and your family. As a result, effectively all you have done then is stock up to provide supplies for the bad guy. This is obviously not good. If we seek to honor those who have fallen in preserving our freedom throughout our country's history then we must do so as those men did....By staying armed and consistently training ourselves for whatever is required of us in order to protect the helpless, stand up for what is right, and preserve our free society. Keep in mind that the U.S. has not had a full scale military attack on its mainland since the war of 1812. That is a long long time ago. Europe and most of the rest of the world have had full scale war take place in their cities and neighborhoods much more recently than that. We must remember that all wars are fought in someone's home town. When an army invades a country, they don't just attack the enlisted soldiers of that country. EVERYONE is under attack. At that moment, it will be way too late to start preparing. Well, what if it's not war that destabilizes our society? It could be caused by widespread economic disaster, disease outbreak, small scale frequent terrorist attacks scattered throughout the country, a breakdown of the infrastructure that people have come to rely on for electricity/clean water/food, anything....The possible causes are really countless, However, in the end, it really doesn't matter what causes the destabilization, the result is ultimately the same. If our stable society collapses for some reason other than war, the relative safety that we previously possessed as a result of the stability of our society will go out the window as well. Remember how many police and military forces were sent to qualm the LA riots in the early 1990's? And that was just for one city. If the entire country underwent a similar event at one time, it would truly be impossible for any central authority to effectively control it. For this reason, it is important to stay armed and stay trained so that if that day ever comes, you are prepared to protect your family, to protect the weak, the protect the helpless, and to stand up against evil regardless of whether it is in the form of an invading military or simply in the form of thugs who are taking advantage of the loss of stability in society by preying on the weak. The heroes who have fallen fighting for our freedom have passed the torch to us. It is up to us to carry it. That means training and preparing ourselves both mentally and physically. A complacent people is a weak people.
If we don't know what principles our free society was founded upon how will we be able to uphold it and protect it? If we don't know what we need to defend against, how will we recognize it when it shows up? Freedom brings responsibility. The tyrant preys upon the inclination of mankind to avoid responsibility. It is what gives the tyrant his choke-hold on the people. When you turn your responsibility over to someone else, you have lost your freedom. The cost of freedom is responsibility. Responsibility for oneself. Responsibility for one's family. Responsibility for one's community. Responsibility cannot be delegated. Each and every one of us is responsible for maintaining the freedom that our countrymen died in order to preserve. Do not squander it in complacency. I guarantee you America's enemies are not sitting on the couch getting fat. They are training every single day with one primary thought in their minds: the goal of toppling America. Honor our forefathers. Honor the fallen. Say a prayer for the families of those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001 today. Every year, this day is a reminder to them of the horrible day that they found out that they would never see their husband, brother, wife, mother, father, or friend again. Be vigilant. Be strong. Be free. And as always, shoot 3 Gun. |
AuthorGeorge Koehl, IV - shooter, avid reader, regular guy, free, well-armed average US citizen. Archives
July 2016
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