When I started shooting, I found myself enjoying many aspects of the sport — most of which has been training, tactics, concealed carry, and to some degree, the gun debate. Ask my wife, and she’ll tell you I love a good debate.
Tom Hudson and I have been good friends for many years. Tom knows my personality. We share opinions on a lot of issues. He also knows that if I have an idea or opinion, I’m going to share it. When he suggested I should try writing for GunNews giving a LEO perspective, I thought, What the heck. I always enjoy reading his articles, and I enjoy the site. I decided to give it
a try. I thought it could be fun, and I have insight, ideas, and training that might be a benefit to readers. I can’t deny who I am. I am proud of my career, the work I put in to get here, the bonds I have formed, and the lives I have been blessed to be a part of.
Recently, I caught up on some of the comments on my articles. I knew there would be a few that weren’t happy about my pro-LEO stance. What amazed me were the comments about the picture for my articles. When I submitted my picture, I never thought it would be attributed to the “unconstitutional tyrannical terrorist standing army,” as one so eloquently put it. It was a picture of my oldest daughter and I on a chairlift snowboarding. Why that picture, and not a picture of me at the range? That’s a great question. When I’m at the range, I don’t do selfies. I’m focusing on front
sight and trigger squeeze. Why did I choose picture with my face obscured? Well, I do kind of like some level of personal privacy. I mean, I don’t really believe our readers who comment have names that actually include underscores in them. The last reason I chose that picture is to serve as a reminder that we should enjoy many aspects of life.
Snowboarding isn’t something I was able to do most of my life. I struggle with obesity and had to set goals to get myself to a position and weight to be able to snowboard. In fact, it wasn’t until recently that I had been able to hit the slopes. This last winter, my time was taken up with an intense training program, and I was unable to get out on the mountain like I wanted. Hopefully, this long, hot summer will break soon, and I will find myself “shredding the gnar.”
Snowboarding isn’t the only thing I have come to enjoy. I also started running. I set a goal to run a half marathon, and did it. You could imagine it was pretty hard with the balaclava and helmet; I persevered. I felt it was quite an accomplishment. The worst part was at mile eight, my iPod died, leaving me without music for the last fivemiles.
Since the run was in Moab, Utah, the next morning, my wife and I got up and hiked to DelicateArch. We made it to the arch at sunrise. My wife was impressed that I had the energy to make the hike the day after I ran thirteen miles. I was more surprised that I wasn’t as sore I thought I was going to be.
I’m also a self-proclaimed audiophile. I love music of almost every genre, especially all styles of rock. I’m a huge Deadhead.Many seem amused that a cop loves the music that seems to define theessence of the “stoner” culture. I do — so much so that for Valentine’s Day, my wife surprised me with a trip to a campground with “cabins” that are actually renovated buses. We stayed in the Ripple Bus, because Ripple is one of my favorite Dead songs.
Those of us who shoot hate when we get lumped together with the lead-paint-eating troglodytes who use guns inappropriately. Before Dianne Feinstein can begin chiding the NRA for a catastrophe, gun owners will have taken to the internet, disavowing the shooter’s events. While some are begging not to be pigeonholed with the disgusting and outlandish behaviors, others will go so far to blame the government for the attack, suggesting an attempt to shred the Second Amendment.
When those who saw my picture and jumped to the conclusion that I was “the face of our modern police force,” accusing me of being a corrupt cop, “a foot soldier of tyrants,” they showed that they may be as ignorant as those that continue to call a magazine a clip. They are the same people that I, as a gun owner, worry about. They are the ones I believe will one day send me to my keyboard typing an all-too-familiar message to remind my anti-gun friends, I may be a “gun nut,” but I’m not that dude.I have lived in the Intermountain area since my early teens, and I’m still perplexed when the hunting season is “in the air.” I still haven’t been able to smell it. I’m not sure if I want to, but that doesn’t mean I look at hunters with vile and contempt. I just wish them luck and begin my belly crawl to the butcher’s counter in the grocery store. We can agree there are plenty of things we don’t see eye to eye. I accept some will read this totally disgusted that I could choose to snowboard instead of ski. That I am open about being a Deadhead, or a golfer (yeah, I try to do that, too). However, if you’re reading articles on this website, there is a likelihood we both enjoy shooting.
I am a cop. I am loyal to my law enforcement family. I openly admit to being a police apologist. All of that under consideration doesn’t mean I stand by and approve of the misdeeds and illegal actions of those that have crossed the line. Let me say here, for all to read, corrupt cops, dirty cops, lazy cops, and “badge heavy” cops jeopardize society, as well as every other police officer’s safety. Those “officers” do not deserve the privilege to serve.
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