Task 97 - Getting my License to Carry (Basic Firearms Safety Course)

Under the 2nd amendment, citizens of the United States are granted the right to bear arms. After several unspeakable tragedies involving individuals not fit to possess gaining access to a firearm many are arguing for stronger gun control. While I understand the need to keep weapons from those who are not fit or of impaired mental capacity from any and all access I am also compelled to argue in favor of the 2nd amendment for those of us who are of sound mind, body and clean criminal record and capable of securing our firearms properly. 

With the argument in full swing I decided that it was as good a time as ever to get my License to Carry (LTC) just in case the rules change or it is made so difficult that getting one is nearly impossible. In the state of Massachusetts getting a LTC is not a simple process. In fact it is a multi-stage process that starts with taking an 8-hour safety course which will educate you on proper gun use if you didn’t already know it. The course ended with an exam and range test. In order to receive your certificate you must pass all portions of the class. The range test is where you get the opportunity to fire a pistol under the supervision of trained, certified, and licensed individuals who will evaluate your skills and competence. Only if they are comfortable with you will they sign your certificate of completion.

Only after completing and passing such a course can you apply for a LTC. The application process also has significant rules and criteria to ensure that they are not given out to anyone unfit to have one. In the state of Massachusetts you must complete and submit an application in the town/city where you live. Often these applications must also include letters of recommendation from people who can and will speak for your competence and mental health. 

The application process also includes an interview with the Firearm’s Licensing official who will review your application. Then you are checked using the Massachusetts Instant Record Check System (MIRCS), are photographed, and fingerprinted. Next they check with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) all before a thorough background check using State and National Systems. Your fingerprints are submitted to the Massachusetts State Police Identification Section (SIS) to check for any state and national fingerprint based criminal records.

Once all this information is gathered it is then up to the Chief of Police or Licensing Officer to do a final review and approve your eligibility for a LTC. If approved the application is then submitted to the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) where it is again reviewed. Then Licenses are batch printed by DCJIS and returned to the Licensing Officer for Issuance.

As you can see it is not a simple process. Having a LTC doesn’t mean you must carry a firearm. It simply allows you the ability to do so and to use it for any and all legal purposes. Firearm’s are readily accessible and many are sold under the table and in back rooms where proper identification and background checks are not performed. Owning a firearm without the proper license is against the law and punishable by jail time and fines. While not easy to get it is mandatory and those rules should be adhered too. After all these rules are designed to protect.

It is the individuals who possess firearms illegally that are the problem. Taking the course and going through the very difficult and intensive review process demonstrates a persons’ willingness to obey the law and follow proper procedure. Only after receiving your LTC or a Firearm’s Identification Card (FID) are you able to purchase a pistol or other firearm. Additionally if you buy a firearm legally you must also purchase safety apparatus such as a trigger lock or other device designed to keep the firearm away from those who should not have access to it.

Before deciding if I should take the necessary steps to get mine I started by talking to a few of the guys at work who are members of their local sportsman’s clubs. As it turns out two of them are the resident safety officers for their respective clubs and in that capacity offer and teach the Basic Firearm’s Safety courses. Before enrolling in one of their classes I thought I should visit the clubs and see what they are about. I also wanted to visit one of the ranges to see if my interest would translate into a passion for firearms. As you read about in an earlier post I went to the Wrentham Sportsman’s club and took the opportunity to fire a good selection of firearms with good friend and co-worker John Dennis. I had a blast and as it turns out I am a pretty good shot. 

With that experience I decided to move forward with taking a Basic Firearm’s safety course. My other co-worker told me that he had a class at his club coming up very soon if I was interested. I checked the state list of certified courses before signing up and enrolled in the NRA Basic Pistol Course at the Medfield Sportsman’s club. A friend of mine who also had an interest decided to take the class with me. The class was taught over the course of three days with a range day culminating our training and certification. 

The course was led by NRA Certified instructor’s Mark McFadden and John Meincke II. The coursework was a bit dry and most of it for me felt like common sense. Having grown up in a home where guns were present my parents had already instilled upon me an appreciation for their power while always cautioning me of their inherent danger if not properly handled. 

The first two days were classroom learning where we went over all the chapters in the NRA Guide to the Basics of Pistol Shooting. At the end of the second day we had a final review of the information before taking the exam. The exam was 6 pages and 50 questions. Questions 1-20 were multiple choice and 21-50 either true or false. I scored a 98 on the exam having only gotten one wrong. It wasn’t that my selection was incorrect it was that another was the best answer. Everyone in our class passed although a few by the skin of their teeth.

It certainly was a wide spectrum of people from all walks of life. All the other students were very nice and the other members we meet couldn’t have been more inviting, friendly and open about firearm ownership. You could tell that the culture of this club was safety first and fun second. Knowing that they all took safety importantly helped getting everyone more comfortable. They were all willing to show you their guns and couch you on proper handling while talking about their passion.

Our final day was the range day. It was here that our instructors kept a very close eye on us to ensure that we were following range safety rules and operating and handling the firearms properly. To satisfy our range requirements we had to demonstrate proficiency and proper handling with two different firearms. First was a semi-automatic Ruger, Mark 3, 22LR, Target model, 6” barrel. It is less about the gun then our proficiency with a semi-automatic.

The second firearm we had to demonstrate proficiency and proper handling was a revolver. Specifically this one was a Ruger, Security Six, 357 Mag revolver, 4” barrel. After firing a both types of firearms provided our instructor was satisfied that we were both competent and of sound mental health.

The night before he had asked if we had any requests for firearms to try out at the range. I requested to try was my instructors Sig Sauer p226 .40 S&W. One of the tricks he taught us was to always load a semi-automatic with one less round then it was capable of handling. The reason is that it can be difficult to load the magazine when filled fully. After firing I decided that it was my favorite of the three. I really enjoyed this gun’s power and control. I also asked him to demonstrate taking the gun apart and proper cleaning of the firearm since I will need to be proficient in order to keep whatever I purchase clean and in good working order. 

We received our certificates of completion. Signed and dated by our instructor. It was a great experience and definitely educated us on general safety and proper handling of firearms. I feel far more prepared today to become a pistol owner then I did before.

The next step is completing the application. I downloaded the application right form the Police Department website of the Worcester. Immediately I had to pick which type of license I would like to apply for. There were really only two different licenses to pick from; Class A & Class B. I opted to request a Class A License to Cary – Large Capacity for a few reasons. First a Class A license would allow me to carry anything capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Most semi-automatic firearms have the potential to hold more than 10 rounds in many clips. Secondly, a Class A license would also allow me to carry “concealed and loaded on a public way” where a Class B would forbid such action. The last big difference is that a Class B would mandate that the firearm be locked and unloaded in the trunk at all times while being transported.

These significant differences in my opinion severely inhibit my 2nd amendment rights to bear arms. While I do not plan to carry a firearm having the legal right to do so is something that was preferable to me.

The next section was simple personal information. These items are most definitely the criteria they use to run background checks. The third section pertains to citizenship and criminal activity. As a citizen who has never been arrested or even in the slightest amount of trouble nothing here concerned me. The fourth and last section is the most important section. It requires two people to be references. I opted to select my friend and safety course instructor another co-worker who had first taken me to the range.

My instructor has been a member of the Medfield Sportsman’s club for the past 33 years. He was both president and a member of the clubs board for many of those years. He is one of three NRA Certified instructors and one of 3 NRA Range Safety officers of the club. He has also has also been the past chairman of the Rifle Range and is the current chairman of the contest committee. He is also the club champion for half of the years he has been a
member.

The second letter comes from a retired US Marine Corp and current member of the USCG Auxiliary. He is also the range safety officer for the Wrentham Sportsman’s club and had held numerous other position during his tenure at the club.

Both individuals I feel know me well and are well positioned to judge my abilities and competency with a firearm. I also feel that they are the most suitable to decide if I am fit to own a firearm. With the approval of my family and others who I respect and admire all believing that they are comfortable with me owning a gun I am ready to submit my application. Wish me luck.

 

Family Tree Grows into a Forest of Families

When my grandmother fell ill and eventually passed a little over a year ago, at the incredible age of 98, I regretted not having asked to her to tell her story in her own words. I wish that I had done that and asked about others in our family and taken the opportunity to document the history of our family from someone who not only knew it personally but lived for nearly a century of it. She was born into a privileged family with an interesting and long history and lived her life with as much enthusiasm as those that came before her. She was a great woman who I not only loved but admired for all that she did not only for me but for all those she came in contact with. She truly was a bright light in the lives of many people. She has left a legacy for us all to maintain and to enhance with our own story.

I can recall many a story about all the different relatives whom she spoke fondly off but never had I asked about how they all fit together. While some relationships were obvious others were not and to honor my grandmother I decided that I would research as much as I could about my family and all the families whose trees intersect with ours and put this amazing puzzle together.

It was a long process to validate and verify each person and as I got deeper and deeper I discovered more then I ever thought I would. I learned that some of the stories told were myth and other amazing things had gone untold. Rather then create a traditional tree I opted instead to create a forest of families all intertwined by marriage. It resulted in a large complex non-traditional group of trees.

I traced my family on my father's side back to 1570 starting with Esther Stedman and Jehu Burr and along the way discovered many interesting individuals such as Aaron Burr, Former Vice President of the United States, Tapping Reeve, founder of the Litchfield School of Law, as well as such notable families such as the Lockwood, Burr, Jenning, Wakemans, Jessup, Olmstead, Smith and Baker families from whom my Grandmother was born into.

On My mother's side I was able to trace the family back to 1738 in Canada. Our French Canadian heritage was again something I knew but had limited knowledge of. What I found most interesting on my mother's side was how the family names were truncated and simplified many times until what we are left with today.

In addition to just building my tree I have collected information about as many of those found in the tree as I could and captured as much of that information in a journal. It is my hope and goal for my research to be a guide to those that follow about our family and what makes us who we are today.

While I have exhausted my patience at the moment I am sure I will return to the tree once more and dig deeper on both sides. History is an amazing thing and knowing who and where you came from in an invaluable resource.  I will certainly not abandon this project and I will ensure that generations to come after me have the information I have collected.



 

Task 7 - Animal Adventures

Task 7 - Animal Adventures
Location: 336 Sugar Road, Bolton, MA
www.animaladventures.net

I had purchased a groupon for 4 to visit Animal Adventure’s in Bolton, MA We arrived at our schedule time and were added to a family who had already started a tour 30 minutes earlier. While I don’t mind addon’s I was a tad disappointed that we were added to a tour that had started 30 minutes prior. We were assured however that the areas we had missed we would circle back to at the end of the tour.

Our tour started with the alligators & crocodiles and a few very large snakes. They are beautiful and clearly very rugged reptiles. We saw several types from Albino and American alligators to caiman crocodiles. What struck me was the number of these reptiles all jammed tightly into the small enclosures. They seemed to be so starved for room that they were climbing on each other.

Next we perceeded into the other side of the main building where we were ushered into a small room on the side. Here we meet Obidiah an amazingly beautiful 3yo Eurasian Eagle Owl. Next we meet an chinchilla who entertained us by taking a very animated dust bath. We learned that because their hair is so fine and soft that they have trouble drying off if they get wet and that they prefer to clean themselves using the fine dust. He seemed to really enjoy the opportunity to play and rolled around creating a pretty good could of dust. Next we got to meet a hedgehog. He was beautiful and his spiky coat was surprisingly soft if you pet him from front to back. 

After having met the Hedgehog we moved into the main area of the building. We meet three Mountain Coati’s names Buffy, Ursula and Jane and their friend Abu a white-nosed coati. They looked like ant eaters and enjoyed lounging around and playing in their enclosures. We also saw a wood chuck who like me was struggling in the extreme heat. This poor little guy was on his back doing his best to stay cool. Multiple times I had to step outside to catch some fresh cooler air.

When I asked why they keep is so warm they indicated that the majority of the facilities residents are cold blooded and require warmer temperatures. I would learn that later when we went to the reptile room to meet the snakes. Before going to the reptile room we continued our tour where we meet three Ring-tailed Lemur’s named Reese, Flash and Tarzan. These beautiful animals were hanging out by their tails in their enclosures and seemed to really appreciate the visit. They entertained us for a good long while before we meet the next resident he was so small and cute but I was assured that he was less then friendly. He was a monkey and while the type escapes me at the moment he was full of energy and I struggled to get a good picture since he wouldn’t sit still.

My favorite resident was soon to come and it turns out that they have a kangaroo. He too was struggling to keep cool in the heat and was relaxing in his enclosure. I would have loved to have seen him up and moving around but can’t say I blame him.

Featured front and center when you enter the building was one of the most violent of all was a smaller caiman crocodile. We learned how these guys are the most vicious of all that they have at the facility and are only handled by select staff.

Finally we entered the reptile room where we met monitors, snakes and iguana’s. One of our guides favorites was the Indian sand snake. It was almost impossible to tell which end was its head and that it was that way as a defense mechanism. We also meet a gecko who had lost a tail at some point who was def a climber.

Having endured the heat long enough we shifted our tour back ourside where we meet their two pot bellied pigs. These guys didn’t seem to be bothered by the sun or the heat and were enjoying running around full of energy.

They also had a few goats one of which had recently given birth to a small calf. This little guy was smart and stayed inside a little building that they had to avoid the elements.

Our final stop of the tour was the back yard where we would meet a pair of foxes and several very large tortoises. The foxes much like the other animals were doing their best to stay cool in the heat and were relaxing. The tortuous on the other hand was moving around and while he wasn’t moving fast we all managed to capture a picture with him.

While we enjoyed our tour we found the facility a tad disorganized and messy and wondered about the animals well being. Particularly the owl who when we asked we were told was perfectly healthy. I wondered why they would keep him so confined rather then returning him to the wild where he belonged. We were told that he is a popular bird and as such they keep him.

I’d love to see this place focus more on making the facility appealing to visitors since I believe that the services they offer are very important. Right now it just looks dumpy and poorly taken care off. It’s a hodgepodge of buildings and enclosures.

Task 64 - Create a Cookbook

While working on my family tree and attempting to compile some family history I knew I wasn’t capturing everything. There is always more to a person than the history books and records can collect. They don’t capture the essence or the personality of a person. Those details are often hard to remember and often forgotten from generation to generation. Sometimes the greatest gifts a person has isn’t something that is recognized as an inheritance because it isn’t monetary. I struggled for a way to try and piece some of those details together but the idea struck me as I sat down for dinner at my parents. 

My mom had made her amazingly delicious corn pudding. While it isn’t a fancy dish it is always included in every holiday meal or special event. I know I had asked my mother before for the recipe but it wasn’t until recently that I discovered its origin.

She hadn’t dreamed it up or adapted it from a cookbook as I had expected. Instead I learned that it was a side dish her mother had always made for her. While my grandmother passed away when I was only four and I don’t remember her I came to the realization that a little piece of her personality and spirit is on the table each and every time my mom makes that dish.

It was then I realized that like my mother I too had memories of meals that she made for me. Those meals where made with love and she has spent countless hours nurturing my body and mind with those delicious dished. 

I decided that before it was too late and those meals were lost or forgotten I would collect and combine those recipes into a family cookbook. I asked my mom for both of my grandmother’s cookbooks and learned that they too had written down recipes from past generations. 

I have digitized and printed a copy for myself, my mother, and my brother so that they those recipes will live on for more generations to come. Rather than have it bound I opted to go with 3 ring binders so that recipe’s can be added.


 

Car Show Caricature

This past Sunday I went with my family to see the Worcester International Auto Show. It wasn’t a big show and there were no exotic sports cars but there was some fun to be had. Lexus of Northborough had hired a caricature artist to draw people.

While I think it was originally for parents to occupy their kids we all took a turn in the seat since the crowds were small. Below are a few examples of Dan, my mom and I. Everyone but my dad participated because he thought all the drawing looked the similar. I have to admit that I look nothing like the drawing made of me but it was still fun and amusing to have it done.

2012 : In Review

I had many exciting adventures in 2012 like skydiving from 13,500 feet, biking across the golden gate bridge, and completing the Doug Flutie 5K (my first official 5k). I also finished some much needed home remodeling projects such as installing the new baseboards, crown molding, adding a breakfast bar and giving the whole place a much needed paint job. I got my first retail part time seasonal job at Sur La Table and worked 219 hours and 35 minutes in the last 2 months of 2012. 

I posted 111 blog entries and completed 19 of my 101 things in 1001 days. With those 19 under my belt I am left with 71 more tasks to complete. Many of the 71 are multi part and have begun. I just need to make sure I stay focused and complete them.

I also completed my condo refinance which cut my monthly mortgage payments significantly. This has helped me get closer to reaching my goals of significantly cutting debt and helping me gain more financial freedom. My days of carefree spending are long over and today I enjoy finding a deal and saving money more than I ever enjoyed spending it. While I went over budget last year I think I have made enough adjustments that 2013 will be the year I stay on budget and finish strong.

2012 also had its many challenging events and setbacks for both me and my family. The biggest and most significant loss we had was the passing of our family matriarch and my grandmother. She passed away at 98 years old after complications related to a blood clot and pneumonia. This loss was devastating for both me and my family but especially for my father who has only had one parent for most of his life after losing his father at a young age. For me it was hard because she was the only grandparent I have had for the past 28 years and I have so many fond memories of my time spent with her. She will be missed greatly and will always hold a special place in all our hearts.

There were other losses too although far less devastating. The family suffered a significant financial setback as a result of Hurricane Sandy. The sea wall in front of our beach house was severely damaged and has resulted in very costly repairs what will take months to complete.

I also had an unfortunate expense of my own caused by a bad mechanic and a poorly installed timing belt which forced me to replace my car engine in early November. This was not an expense that I had planned for and caught me off guard. The good news is that I have nearly recuperated from the expense in large part to my seasonal part time job.

We finished off the year with one final setback. My brother discovered at the tail end of the year that his job was being eliminated while they shifted the company offices and reduced the number of regions from 8 to 3. While this has the opportunity to bring a new and exciting chapter in his life the unexpected change will definitely impact his family.

While 2013 was a roller coaster for me and my family it was a year of both great achievements and personal loss. It was a year I won’t say I wasn’t happy to see end. I am looking forward to 2013 with hope and excitement that it brings great times with friends and family but less loss and distractions. I hopeful that the as the first year of the Fire Cycle signified by the Black Snake in Chinese Astrology 2013 will bring me good luck and prosperity. My lucky element is wood and I will have to focus on it to better position myself for good fortune. Spring will be my lucky season and my lucky direction is east. Hopefully living in the north east will bring a spring filled with good vibes.