I was thinking there about the recent Clint Eastwood movie Gran Torino, where he tells some gang bangers to “Get Off My Lawn” and emphasizes the point with an M1 Garand.
Eastwood’s character in that movie didn’t need to go to an Appleseed. He was awake already. He wasn’t sitting on the couch letting his neighborhood go to hell; he did something about it. (And unlike most Eastwood films, he didn’t kill anybody).
Not all of us (in fact, hardly any of us) have had to go through the hell of a war in order to learn to shoot, or to shoot better, or to learn how to teach others to shoot.
Reaching back further in history, we don’t HAVE to pick up our rifles and challenge the powers that be, because we can challenge them using the OTHER tools that the Founders gave to us, such as our first amendment freedoms to speak, write, and assemble, or our second amendment freedoms to keep and bear arms.
But the Founders didn’t just give this stuff to us. They EARNED the right to give it to us, with their tears, sweat, and very blood.
It’s up to us to get off the couch, learn the heritage, and pass it on.
Ever heard of Isaac Davis? You will have, after attending an Appleseed.
Ever heard of Hezekiah Wymann? You will have, after attending an Appleseed.
Do you know the six steps to firing a shot? They will be in your muscle memory after two days at an Appleseed.
Do you know how to change the sights on your gun, so you can take a rifle you’re making hits with at 100 yards, change the sights, and hit out to 500 yards away? It’s called “Inches, Minutes, Clicks” and you’ll learn it at an Appleseed.
Did you know there were several “false starts” to the American Revolution, and things could have turned out differently? On April 19, 1775 alone, it took “three strikes of the match” to get the flame of Revolution started. At an Appleseed, along with the marksmanship, you’ll learn why that was, and what was going through the minds of the “embattled farmers” that cool Tuesday morning.
Get to an Appleseed. www.rwva.org. There’s one this weekend in Danville, IL. Get off the couch. Learn or improve your marksmanship. Learn your heritage.
And, coincidentally, it’s a LOT of fun. A LOT more fun that whatever stuff is on TV this weekend. See the posts below for details. I’ll see you Saturday, 8:30 AM, at the Danville Rifle and Pistol Club.