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Happy National Knife Day

August 24, 2026 by 0 Comments

August 24th has been designated as National Knife Day since 2011 or so. Its origin is attributed to Knife Rights but founder Doug Ritter says he didn’t start it but was happy to support it.

As Knife Rights says in their email today celebrating National Knife Day:

For Knife Rights, the key is that you should be the one to determine what type of knife you own and carry, not the government. That’s why we work every day to protect and expand your rights and protections as knife owners.

They are absolutely correct. I look at my cluttered desk and I see a number of knives. They include an old Mora 2000 sheath knife, a Bark River skeleton neck knife, a Civivi Out Yonder, a Blind Horse patch knife with beautiful striped maple grips, a Kershaw Launch 8 automatic knife, and my newest, a CJRB Gobi flipper with natural green G10 grips. Of course, I have many (many!) more knives scattered here, there, and everywhere. Most are production knives with only a few customs in the mix.

This last knife, the CJRB Gobi, caught my eye from a YouTube video. I think it might have been by Melissa Backwoods but I’m not sure. I like the way it fits in my hand. The pocket clip on it got bent out of shape and CJRB sent me a replacement almost immediately at no cost. I like that they are standing behind their knives.

In honor of National Knife Day, post a picture of either your favorite EDC knife or the last knife you bought in the comments. I’d love to see them. You also might consider a donation to Knife Rights as they opened the second front in the battle for the Second Amendment. They are doing their best to get rid of antiquated knife laws around the country.

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Quote Of The Day

August 23, 2026 by 0 Comments

The quote of the day comes from Lt. Col. William Swenson. Swenson, then a captain in the 10th Mountain Division, was award the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions in Afghanistan during the Battle of Ganjgal. During the battle Swenson continually requested both artillery and air support which was denied by higher ups.

In an after battle investigation, Swenson criticized superiors for denying artillery and air support saying it was a political decision on their part. Investigators agreed with him and reprimands were issued to two officers. It was then that the Medal of Honor recommendation for Swenson vanished from Army records for over two years. It was only after a US Marine general forced the case to be reopened that Swenson received the Medal of Honor in 2013 which was four years after the battle.

Remarking on this this, Swenson said:

“Behind every single institutional failure,” Swenson said, “there’s a name.”

Swenson is correct. We often blame bureaucracy in both government and the private sector. It should be recognized that someone somewhere made a decision or a series of decisions that led to the failure that we blame on bureaucratic policies or procedures.

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A Tax-Free Way To Support Your Gun Rights

August 11, 2026 by 1 Comment

As a former financial planner, I am quite aware of the Qualified Charitable Distribution. If you are 70 1/2 or older, it is an excellent way to make tax free contributions to 501(c)(3) non-profits which can range from your local church to many gun rights organizations.

While the alert below is specific to Rights Watch International of which I am the treasurer, a QCD could also be used to donate monies to groups like the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund, the NRA Freedom Action Foundation, the Second Amendment Foundation, and many others.

The three key items to bear in mind are that you must be age 70 1/2 at the time of the donation, it must come from an IRA, and the donation must go directly from the IRA custodian to the charitable organization.

See the alert below for more information:

Rights Watch International is the 501(c)(3) educational and legal arm of Grass Roots North Carolina. Donations to RWI are deductible for income tax purposes.

The IRS gives you a way to make a tax-free contribution to help Rights Watch International with monies from your IRA. It is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution. Not only are you helping preserve and protect your Second Amendment rights but you are getting important tax benefits.

Of course, there are some restrictions.

  • You have to be age 70 ½ on the day of the distribution.
  • The monies have to come from an IRA – traditional, rollover, inherited, inactive SEP, and inactive SIMPLE IRAs qualify.
  • Rights Watch International has to give you an acknowledgement of the contribution.
  • You have to report it on your Form 1040.
  • The annual limit is $111,000 per individual.
  • The distribution must come directly from your IRA custodian to Rights Watch International which is a qualifying 501(c)(3) non-profit.

Tax Benefits

  • No Income Added: The distributed amount is not added to your adjusted gross income (AGI).
  • Satisfies RMDs: It can fulfill all or part of your annual RMD once you reach RMD age.
  • Lowers Thresholds: Keeping your AGI lower can help reduce taxable Social Security benefits and prevent higher Medicare Part B/D premiums.
  • Standard Deduction Friendly: You benefit even if you take the standard deduction rather than itemizing.

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Petitions For The 2027 NRA Ballot (Repost)

August 10, 2026 by 3 Comments

Repost: If you are a voting member of the NRA and have not already signed these petitions, I’d urge you to do so ASAP. They are all off to a good start and need just a push to make the required 285 valid signatures needed to be on the ballot.

As I learned myself in 2024 when I first started gathering signatures to be on the 2025 NRA ballot for the Board, it is better to start early. Once the Nominating Committee meets and issues its report, there only remain 45 days in which to get the required number of signatures and submit them. Importantly, that is a hard 45 days with no exceptions made for natural disasters, war, or other calamities.

Some of the candidates below may also get nominated by the Nominating Committee. Frankly, in my opinion, a dually nominated candidate is stronger and was the reason I chose to continue the petition process even after I was nominated by the Nominating Committee.

The candidates below include two sitting Board members, two who served limited terms replacing two who had resigned, and one candidate who has never served on the Board but brings lots of experience.

If you are a voting member of the NRA, you are eligible to sign these petitions. A voting member is a Life Member of whatever level or an Annual Member with five or more years of continuous, unbroken membership. The electronic petition process will kick you out if you are not eligible to sign the petition or at least that is my understanding.

Todd Vandermyde

Todd is serving a one-year term on the Board of Directors. Todd brings the experience of having fought in the trenches in a blue state for gun rights as well as serving as president of the largest gun club in Illinois. He asks the questions that others either don’t think of or are too timid to ask. He lives and breathes the Second Amendment and ways to advance it. Among the board committees Todd serves on are Legal Affairs and Legislative Policy. Having nominated Todd twice for the Board, I can say without reservation he has my full support and we need people like Todd on the Board.

Todd’s petition: https://nra.directnominations.net/Petitions/Sign/1aaf6d83-59ab-4359-8155-78ebc00caa63

Huey Laugesen

Huey was elected to a one-year term on the Board of Directors in April. He is the executive director of the Colorado Shooting Sports Association and has brought new life to that organization. Before being elected to the Board, Huey served with me on the Membership Committee and I thought he advanced effective ways to reinvigorate our membership recruiting efforts. I endorsed him in the 2026 election and would be proud to do it again. He is now also serving on the Legislative Policy Committee with me where he will be bringing, like Todd above, the experience of fighting for rights in a blue state. Huey may be the youngest director on the Board but far from the least experienced.

Huey’s petition: https://nra.directnominations.net/Petitions/Sign/1b5b06d4-d28c-415e-abeb-33da7fb00ccf

David Mitten

David was part of the ElectANewNRA team in 2025 and finished a runner-up. When former NRA President Bob Barr resigned, David took his place on the Board. He was not on the 2026 ballot but is running this time. He currently serves as a non-director member of three NRA committees – Collegiate, Education & Training, and Gun Collectors. David is a retired teacher from Ohio who, among other things, helped develop the curriculum for the Ohio Hunter Education program.

David’s petition: https://nra.directnominations.net/Petitions/Sign/761a1fe8-b495-489f-a92b-8870b45a8aa0

Mark Shuell

Mark was nominated for the Board in 2025 but finished a runner-up. He assumed a seat on the Board when Gene Roach resigned. Mark is a retired financial planner from Michigan who has been very active in grassroots activism in advancement of the 2nd Amendment. He won the 2023 NRA-ILA Jay M. Littlefield Volunteer of the Year award for his efforts. He currently serves on both the Action Shooting and Grassroots Outreach Committees as a non-director member. Mark in 2025 was one of those candidates left in“no man’s land”. Despite this, based upon multiple conversations with him, his heart lies with reform. He was endorsed in 2025 by Jeff Knox which probably didn’t endear him to the Old Guard.

Mark’s petition: https://nra.directnominations.net/Petitions/Sign/e420c4e0-dd37-4f91-84a3-5bb5bd39cf68

Chuck Cunningham

Chuck is currently the Director of State, Local, and International Affairs at the Veterans Administration. In years prior to that he served as a Senior VP for Government Affairs for the non-profit Securing America’s Future Energy among other such positions. Much more importantly, he worked for NRA-ILA for almost 17 years where he served alternately as Director of State and Local Affairs and as Director of Federal Affairs. To say he would be a valuable addition to the Board is an understatement. Finally, he is assisting in raising funds for the Virginia Militia Clause lawsuit which I recently wrote about.

Chuck’s petition: https://nra.directnominations.net/Petitions/Sign/0d00d119-aa6c-476e-9894-4617a1294855

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Petition Candidate Needs Signatures

August 9, 2026 by 5 Comments

NRA Board member Dennis Fusaro is one of the four original “Four for Reform” candidates. He and the others three – Rocky Marshall, Jeff Knox, and Phil Journey – got on the ballot by petition and won seats on the Board. They cracked open the door to reform and the revolution that followed.

Dennis wasn’t sure he’d run for re-election until recently. He has now thrown his hat into the ring and is running by petition. Whether he will be nominated by the Nominating Committee is unknown. Regardless, he deserves to be on the ballot.

I don’t always agree with Dennis but I do respect his commitment to the Second Amendment and the hard work he has done behind the scenes to promote it.

Yesterday I was on a conference call with leaders of gun rights organizations from Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Montana. This call was arranged by Dennis to gather support for an amicus brief by former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in support of overturning the bans on ARs and other semi-automatic firearms. That Dennis could pull in leaders for such a call on a Saturday afternoon says something.

Dennis has also led the effort to raise money to challenge the Virginia magazine and “assault weapons” ban in Virginia state court. While that effort lost at the initial level, I think it has a chance to go further. This was not just a spur of the moment effort by Dennis. As early as last year he was arranging conference calls with legal scholar Dr. Edwin Vieira to lay the groundwork for challenging the Virginia law based upon their state constitution’s militia clause.

If you are a voting member of the NRA, I’d urge you to use the link below to sign Dennis’ petition. The Complementary Spouse and I have both signed his petition. As a reminder a voting member is a Life member of any level or an Annual member with five or more years of continuous, unbroken membership.

Dennis Fusaro

Petition Link: https://nra.directnominations.net/Petitions/Sign/df266476-4cbe-4fcb-a7f7-3acc8e21c669

Dennis marches to the beat of his own drummer as we all should do. He speaks his mind and sometimes has taken his lumps for it. However, his commitment to reforming and growing the NRA and his commitment to advancing our Second Amendment rights is without question.

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NRA September Board Meeting

August 8, 2026 by

The National Rifle Association’s Board of Directors meets in person three times a year. The spring meeting is on the Monday after the NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibition, the fall meeting is in September, and the winter meeting is in January. Members of the NRA are always welcome to attend these meetings. Of course, if the Board goes into Executive Session, you will be asked to step outside the room while that goes on.

Our September meeting including committee meetings will start on Wednesday, September 16th and continue through Saturday, September 19th at the DoubleTree by Hilton Washington Dulles Airport. The hotel is located at 13869 Park Center Drive in Herndon, VA which is about five miles from the airport. (Corrected the address as there are two Doubtree Hotels near Dulles).

I personally will have committee meetings on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as the Audit, Membership, and Legislative Policy Committees will meet on those days respectively. NRA members can attend committee meetings but, like with the Board of Director’s meeting, will need to leave if and when the committee goes into executive session. Committees like Audit, Finance, and Legal Affairs probably will spend a good part of their meetings in such sessions due to the confidential subjects being discussed.

If you live in the Metro DC area or within a reasonable driving distance, I would encourage you to attend. After all, it is your NRA.

The full schedule is below. I believe this was posted to Facebook on the Members Take Back the NRA page a few days ago.

Fall 2026 BOD scheduleDownload
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Oregon Anti-Hunting Initiative Fails

July 31, 2026 by 2 Comments

The anti-hunting initiative in Oregon has failed to get the required number of signatures to get on the ballot. It was called the PEACE Act which stood for People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions.

The sponsors portrayed the bill as being about animal cruelty including abuse, neglect, and sexual assault. The sponsors state, “The reason we are seeking to prohibit these activities is not to be punitive towards anyone currently involved with the injuring, killing, or breeding of animals, but rather to be protective of the needs of the animals and to codify their right to life and bodily autonomy in law.” To clarify the sexual assault aspect of the initiative, it went beyond merely some sick person having sex with an animal. It would also include standard practices in the livestock industry such as artificial insemination of cattle and dairy animals so as to improve the herd.

In one sense, I wished the backers of the initiative would have gotten it on the ballot. It then been a strong incentive for a coalition of farmers, hunters, and rational people to go to the polls in Oregon.

The elected Democrats in Oregon recognized the danger in this initiative to their position and came out strongly against it. Every Democrat in the state house came out against the bill. Gov. Tina Kotek (D-OR) said she didn’t support it.

As it is, this ballot initiative should be a wake up call to all who are in the outdoor community. They are not going to stop after one try especially since they received over 70% of the signatures necessary to get on the ballot.

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Who Is Brody?

July 23, 2026 by 2 Comments

I stumbled across this fake docudrama of a wife thinking her husband is cheating. After watching the video, the husband will be absolved as it was all a misunderstanding.

From the description:

This story is one that has to be told. Millions or hundreds of women around the world are left broken-hearted. Families broken. Marriages torn apart. The only way to stop it is to raise awareness of the problem. Do your part and share this with a friend.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Western Hunter Magazine (@westernhuntermagazine)

Yes, her husband engages in the handloading of ammunition. I’m envious that he has a whole room dedicated to this.

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Shooting The Big Bores

July 10, 2026 by 2 Comments

John McAdams of the Big Game Hunting Podcast just did a video where he shot everything from a 9.3×62 to the 500 Nitro Express. Everyone of these cartridges and rifles could be used for dangerous game in Africa (and the US) though the 9.3×62 doesn’t make the minimum size in some countries.

I am building a 9.3×62 and have a .375 H&H so this examination of the big bores caught my eye. I did get a chance to shoot the .416 Rigby at SHOT a few years ago. It was stout but not as bad as I probably anticipated.

I don’t know that I’d want to shoot any of these off a bench but standing and using sticks is another story. My friend Kyle has told me of a method where you can minimize the felt recoil by letting the recoil flow through you.

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Proud To Be An American

July 8, 2026 by 2 Comments

Last week while driving around town I happened to listen to a NPR report regarding a poll asking whether people were proud to be an American. The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll was done in mid June. I presume that the release was timed for the run-up to Independence Day and America’s 250th birthday.

A majority of Republicans and independents said they were proud to be American. By contrast, less than half of the Democrats surveyed were proud to be American.

I have to say I am profoundly disappointed in the results of this poll with regards to the Democrats. I don’t know if it is their hatred of President Trump, Trump Derangement Syndrome, government policies, or what but being an American is so much more than the government.

I grew up a Democrat. My mother was an ardent Democrat and active at the grassroots level in Democrat politics. Her Uncle Tom had served in the New York State Senate on the Tammany Hall line in the 1920s. By contrast, my father grew up a nominal Republican even though he was a native North Carolinian. However, he was born and raised in an area of the state, Randolph and Montgomery Counties, that was anti-slavery and wanted no part of the Civil War. The late historian William T. Auman wrote of what he termed “the Quaker Belt” (#commission earned) which included not only Quakers but anti-slavery Methodists such as those where my father was born.

I have lived through 13 presidencies starting with Ike. There have been six Democrats and seven Republicans who have served as Presidents during that time. By my calculation, I have lived under Democrats for 32 years and Republicans for 37 years. Somewhere along that timeline, I switched my allegiances and party affiliation from Democrat to Republican as it more closely resembled my values.

There were Democrats I liked and Republicans I detested and vice-versa. I still can tell you exactly where I was when I listened to Richard Nixon’s speech announcing his resignation as President. Nonetheless, no matter how much I may have disagreed and even detested the politician who was President, I never stopped being proud of being an American.

I have traveled to 46 out of our 50 states as well as a dozen foreign countries. I have met good people everywhere from coast to coast and everywhere in between. They are what makes America and not the temporary residents of offices in Washington and the state capitals.

We have been blessed as a nation with unbelievable freedom, plentiful natural resources, unparalleled scenic beauty, and the spirit of innovation and industriousness. Our recent visitors from around the world for the FIFA World Cup have been awed by what they’ve experienced.

We, of course, also have our problems which I cannot ignore. There are things in our history that have been shameful such as slavery which almost tore our country apart with the Civil War. Despite all of this, we have persevered, corrected our mistakes, and moved forward.

To conclude, I will say to the day I die that I am proud to be an American.