Independence Day! So many grand things happening in the Republic and at Gunsite. Our new sign on the front gate says it all: Please excuse our noise. It’s the sound of LIBERTY.
President Theodore Roosevelt spoke on July 4, 1903 of the greatness of America, despite the divisiveness of the Civil War. He recognized the great American spirit, our beliefs in God and Country, and how we must continue the good fight.
“…It is a good thing, on the Fourth of July and on all other occasions of national thanksgiving, for us to come together, and we have the right to express our pride in what our forefathers did, and our joy in the abundant greatness of this people. …
So we come here together on the Fourth of July to see what a great people we are; to see how well the generations of our dead have done their duty. If we fail to realize that there is before us the obligation of handing down unimpaired to our children the courage that we have received from our fathers, then the truth is not in us. We can pay to the great men of the past the only homage really worth paying if we show by our deeds that their spirit still lives in our souls. Only by so doing can we show that we have a right to celebrate this day that marks the birth of a nation.”
News today is of the retirement of a Supreme Court Justice and the opportunity for President Trump to appoint another Justice. This is outstanding news for the Constitution and especially the Second Amendment. If you recall, one of the few times Gunsite has sent you two (2) Newsletters in one month was just prior to the Presidential election in 2016. We sent it focusing on the importance of this election and the future status of our Supreme Court. Think where we would be today if the liberal candidate would have had these appointments. Our thanks to those of you who took it to heart and helped elect a conservative minded President. President Trump may have other opportunities yet with Supreme Court appointments. Having said that, do not let down your guard and continue the polite, professional, good political fight as an American. Do not stoop to the levels of our opponents.
Now, as I heard Col. Cooper say on more than one occasion: “Let’s get on with the war.” Gunsite is having a very busy summer. Often July and August are slow as folks see the Phoenix temperatures and think we are as hot. (Rule of thumb is that you subtract about 20° from the Phoenix temperature for Gunsite.) However, this summer is not the case. The July 250 Pistol has morphed into two (2) 250 Pistol classes alongside about a dozen young Americans in the Youth 250 Pistol class, and the Critical Skills Pistol-Carbine is near full. (All in the same week!) The Gunsite Chapter of The Well Armed Women organization continue to meet monthly and train with the great Gunsite instructors on our ranges and simulators. Tutorials, Pistol Range Day, a week-end Edged Weapons class, another 250 Pistol Class at Colonial Shooting Academy in Richmond VA and our first 2 Day Shotgun Range Day round out the month. Whew . . . .
During some of the “down time” we have around Independence Day, Gunsite Road has been repaired on the rough part near Grand View Road, a new permanent sun shelter has been installed on the new Urban Scrambler, and fresh sand has been installed in the range backstops.
A major upcoming project is the replacement of all the turning target systems on Hanneken, South, North and Shot Quad ranges. Just think how many hundreds of thousands of times those targets have turned over the last many years. MGM will be delivering them over the next few months as we do the replacement.
The 2019 calendar is at the printer! This is a many month project from the photos taken and selected, the dates approved for courses and the verbiage reviewed. Thanks to Jane Anne Shimizu, Rikki Newell, and Dave Hartman and others for their many hours of hard work to make it happen. We hope to have them in the mail by late August or early September. Who will be a “Gunsite Calendar guy or gal” in 2019?
In closing, remember that Independence Day is a holiday to celebrate our hard-won freedoms. Recognize America and those who serve(d) to keep her free. Also remember those public safety personnel (Police, Fire, Corrections, EMS) and military who continue to serve away from their families on the holiday. Celebrate accordingly!
God Bless the Republic,
Ken
