Blazing Sword Update & Why Fridays are Bad

As I've mentioned previously, Fridays -- which used to be a big, productive day for me -- have become really unproductive. A casual glance at this blog will indicate I've missed more than a few of them.

I think this is mainly due to be becoming co-host of the GunBlog VarietyCast: I have more to do on Thursdays -- not only do I still have to do my Blue Collar Prepping segment, but I also have to listen to all the other segments and then record the entire show -- and that just leaves me exhausted when Friday rolls around. This is something I'm trying to change, but so far I haven't had much luck.

But who cares about that boring stuff, right? You all want to know about Blazing Sword. 

I am pleased to announce that IRS form 1023 -- the paperwork required for Operation Blazing Sword applies to become a 501c3 tax deductible charity -- has been filed. We are waiting for approval (which can take months), but the act of filing allows us to do a few things.

Legal statement per OBS in-house counsel: "Although we are a nonprofit, we have applied for, but currently do not have, Federal tax-exempt status. However, in the event our tax-exempt status is approved by the IRS, any donations to us will be considered tax-deductible. In addition, donations made prior to the IRS’s approval would be considered retroactively tax-exempt, including donations made as far back as our date of formation in August 2016. Please see this IRS link for more details." 

What this means is this:

1. Until our status is granted, OBS cannot actively raise funds. 
2. However, any money that people choose to donate now can be accepted. 
3. Anything you donate now is tax-deductible if we are approved. Fortunately, approval does seem likely. 
4. Additionally, anything you've already donated since August will also be tax-deductible, but again only if we are approved. 
5. We cannot (and likely will not) be able to reimburse volunteers for ammo and range fees like I had hoped. However, if you keep those receipts, you can write those off as charitable donations because you're spending that money in support of OBS. 
6. If despite all this, you're still itching to donate,  I'm going to ask you to hold off just a bit longer. I want to set up a PayPal account for OBS that is separate from my own, both for ease of bookkeeping and for legal reasons. 

A big "Thank You!" to everyone for your interest, your support, and for volunteering.