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This is the second part of a two-part series primarily aimed (pun intended) at someone looking to purchase his or her first firearm.  Since there are so many options, a lot of people just don’t know where to start.  Here, we offer some suggestions on what to consider as a first firearm choice.  We also provide some ideas on how to narrow down your myriad options.

Last time, we talked about handguns–revolvers and semi-auto pistols.  This time, our focus is on long guns–the rifles and shotguns. My cameralady from the reloading videos, “Miss B.H.C.”, also weighs in a bit on this.

As in Part 1, here our focus remains the city or suburban resident, mostly out of necessity.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

This is a two-part series primarily aimed (pun intended) at someone looking to purchase his or her first firearm.  There are so many types out there that it can be kinda bewildering.  As a part-time Range Safety Officer, I see a lot of new folks who would like to shoot, and would like to own a gun, but they don’t even know where to start.

Here, we offer some suggestions on what to consider as a first firearm choice.  We also provide some ideas on how to narrow down your myriad options.

In this episode, we discuss handguns–both revolvers and semi-autos–as a candidate for a “first firearm”.  Next episode, we’ll do the same thing for the long guns–rifles and shotguns.  In both episodes, our focus is the city or suburban resident, mostly out of necessity.

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Shortly after the first episode, a few people asked me why I don’t just call myself a “Libertarian” now, given that the term “Liberal” means “Democratic Party Progressives” to so many people.  To them, the word “Liberal” conjures up images of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Charles Schumer, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi.  These folks and those like them are not Liberals, but rather, “Progressives”.  It is true that the Libertarian Party was formed out of a direct response to that misuse of the noble word, “Liberal”.

Back then, I promised to address that in a future episode.  That time has arrived.

This is defiintely an “out of the frying pan and into the fire” episode.  It’s sure to tick somebody off.  I try not to, but it’s probably unavoidable when one takes on a topic like we do here in this case.

Here is my view on the difference between Liberalism and Libertarianism, and why I continue to refer to myself as a Liberal.  I don’t share all of their beliefs, and I consider that the philosophy doesn’t account for certain real-world problems–problems that my Dad, Colin Powell, and Oscar Robertson know well–but there is definitely some overlap.  We Liberals need to start hanging out with the Libertarians more; while we disagree on some points, still, in a lot of ways, they are our natural allies.

Libertarian listeners, my understanding of Libertarianism is by necessity less than encyclopedic.  I am willing to revisit this topic if you can give me a good case to do so; fair is fair.  This episode is to help start that conversation that really should’ve been taking place years ago.