Giving Tuesday

If you're at all active on social media, you are no doubt aware that today is #GivingTuesday. If you don't know that is, it's the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving and it's meant to be a day where you donate to your favorite charities.

You know where this is going, right?

Yes, I'm going to hit you for donations to Operation Blazing Sword!  We don't have corporate sponsors and we certainly aren't funded by a billionaire like Bloomberg; we make a difference by contributions from people like YOU.

Last year I asked for $1000 and that amount was met. This #GivingTuesday I'm challenging you to beat the old record and raise $2000 for Operation Blazing Sword! Please help continue our mission in educating people in firearms safety and operation. Your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate $5 or $500. Every little bit helps! And Facebook and PayPal will match a total of $7 Million in donations.

Here's how to donate!

1. Go to the Facebook Fundraiser page. For Giving Tuesday, all administrative fees are waived. 
2. If you don't use Facebook, you can donate directly with PayPal at this link. 
3. If you're old school, you can mail a check to 800 Belle Terre Parkway Suite 200-302, Palm Coast, FL 32164

Also, if you're active on Twitter, please go to this tweet and retweet it using the words @OpBlazingSword  and #BeTheGood. We get $10 for every mention!

Ready, set, GIVE! RT this video with an @ mention of your favorite charity using #BeTheGood and we’ll donate $10 on your behalf in our $100K Charity Giveaway!

With YOU, kindness, empathy and small actions can lead to big change. pic.twitter.com/fj0kB1yC7G

— Benevity (@benevity) November 27, 2018

Thank you so much, and have a wonderful holiday season!

Independence (from fear) Day

Not to brag, but while y'all were having cookouts and watching fireworks and generally sweltering in the heat, I was helping my young Texan friend find a trainer.

So here's the short version: not a day after I'd posted my request for gunnies in the Houston area, I was contacted by a gentleman known as Steve Griffiths who said "Erin, I may know someone who might be able to help. I have forwarded a link to your post to them. Sorry I can't be of more assistance."

Well, he shouldn't have been sorry, because the person he was talking about contacted me that afternoon. Her name is Lori Townsend, and she's had a CHL for 10 years now. She also lives in Houston and, as you might have guessed, is female. Not only does this alleviate the "stranger anxiety" that might occur with meeting an unknown male, Lori will also be able to address female-specific concerns such as pistol weight and grips for girl-sized hands.

Want to know what's ironic? Both Lori and Steve are friends of Oleg Volk -- the same man who helped me get my own carry pistol and permit. I swear, Oleg is the social center of the gunnie world.

At any rate, I introduced YTM and Lori and they got along like gangbusters. They've exchanged phone numbers and are making arrangements around work schedule and child care to go out to the range. Lori is going to bring her mini-arsenal of pistols of shoot so that YTM can experience difference models and calibers. And, of course, she's going to get the basic lessons of gun safety and operation. Hopefully her husband, too, who is completely on-board with her owning and carrying a gun.

So right now, the plan is this: Lori and YTM (and Mr. YTM is possible) meet, learn proper firearms safety, squeeze of a couple hundred rounds, and hopefully our gal will have a good idea of what kind of gun she wants. Then Lori will help her with the paperwork of getting a CHL. Meanwhile, the rest of us are going to chip in some money so that she can afford that pistol and permit, and god willing, maybe a shotgun for the house and some extra ammo and training and whatever else.

Donations may be sent via PayPal to [email redacted]. As soon as I can get a button set up (most likely, I'll have to have her set it up and then send me the code) I'll post it front and center on my blog.

And if you're in the area and are willing to donate training, range time, ammo, or anything else, that's also great. You can either leave a comment here or email her directly.

Let's help this young lady be independent from fear and welcome her into our ranks!