My life is never boring

I received a call from the FBI today. We had a nice chat about Boomershoot and everything is cool.

Someone tried to get me in trouble but I’m pretty sure it was more trouble for them than me. For the record I don’t even let people use the “B-word” in the context of Boomershoot. So telling law enforcement I am teaching people to make such things is laughable, which is what happened when the nice Special Agent hesitantly brought it up.

The end of the conversation was, paraphrasing:

We have to check these things out and write up a report. As long as the information you gave me is correct, as I expect it will be, this will be the end of it.

I gave him information on the most likely suspect who sent them “the tip”. Ry thinks it probably was someone else but it just doesn’t matter. It’s just a funny story for me to blog about and tell my kids and grandkids.

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17 thoughts on “My life is never boring

  1. I’ve been there, done that, and I have always wondered why the Feds haven’t checked in with you before.

    I know (as do everyone who have ever participated in one of your ‘shoots’) that you are scrupulous to the point of excess about safety. And adherence to existing laws about ‘dangerous’ chemicals.

    Yes, I did write the “preparations for the BoomerShoot”…

    http://www.boomershoot.org/general/general.htm#HintsFromJerry

    … article. I stand behind every word.

    Your shooting experience is the epitome of varmint shooters everywhere, and I enjoyed every moment of the years when I was able to attend. The bad news is .. the .22-250 was shooting bullets too light to manage targets over 500 yards, and the ..25-06 scope was inadequate for the tiny targets at those ranges.

    I haven’t been able to attend for too many years, for various dubious reasons, but I just want you to know how much I and my friends have enjoyed the opportunity you have provided for those of us who enjoy long-distance precision shooting.

    I still have my shirt … the BoomerShoot Shirt … which I don’t wear very often because I’m unwilling to wash it for fear that the colors will wash out.

    Thank you again for your efforts to present a ‘special’ event. I understand that you have expanded the shoot by providing more facilities. I’m glad to hear that: the cooties which rode home with me were most annoying, and the shoot really needed for people who didn’t have a portable bench-rest to have something better than a shooter-mat and a sandbag.

    You guys are awesome!

    Thanks again,
    Jerry

  2. Pingback: Someone called the FBI on Boomershoot... - The Gun Feed

  3. I have an alternative hypothesis. You may recall I have the wall-sized Boomershoot photo hanging in my law office. We had a month-long project involving a bunch of franchise restaurants and I had to bring in several legal temps to finish by deadline. All were rather far leftish as is the case here in the Bay Area, and they all asked about the photo. I have a mundane “elevator pitch” I rattle off to such questions. One of the temps, a sharp kid, had previously worked for the Obama White House as a speechwriting intern and we ended up having some philosophical discussions. I pointed him to the Jews in the Attic test. From some of his knee-jerk statist positions I figured it probably wouldn’t register but thought no more of it. I certainly don’t use the “b-word” when discussing Boomershoot, but I could easily see that particular temp — or one of the others who rotated through here — being unnecessarily alarmed. Sorry if that’s what happened.

    • Maybe. But I doubt it. In any case it’s really not a big deal. It was all handled very politely and without any lost sleep.

  4. If r/K theory is correct (debatable, but let’s just stipulate it for a moment), then someone may have been trying to target you with the FBI, i.e., setting up two K groups in opposition. The proper response is to make life a lot more exciting and conflicted than they would like it to be – identify them, see if the local authorities cna practice their dynamic entry tactics with THEM, press criminal charges, and sue them if possible. Then publicize the facts, and their names, as widely as possible in order to discourage others. It’s for the common good, Joe.

  5. Glad it wasn’t anything really concerning for you.
    The family story is that during World War 2 the FBI came to talk to my Grandfather at his work one day because someone there apparently thought he said something questionable about the war effort. My Grandmother, who learned her politics in Europe where one kept one’s mouth shut was terrified. Grand-Dad was never able to keep his mouth shut. Oddly enough the FBI says they have no record of any file on Grand-Dad.
    Maybe it was the local police. . .

  6. Once about thirteen years ago (+/- a month or so) had a biochemist who I knew had worked for the Dept of Defense call to ask about anthrax. Obviously I knew him, his background, as he knew mine. He worked Ames Iowa, research labs, and wanted to toss about ‘weaponizing’ anthrax. Not really that big a deal. If you want to know the details you can spend a few tens of thousands getting and engineering degree in the appropriate field… more about that later…

    A few years later I got a call from somebody I knew from SOTF (a defunct acronym) about a ‘Red Team’ snatching a nuclear warhead, they could easily do, and then, what next? I suggested peeling it like an onion until there is not much left and sending in a couple of well trained chimpanzees with battery packs and electrical leads, but if they don’t have that, any electrical engineer will do…

    Meanwhile, in between, I got less probing calls… maybe I dropped the dime, OK, I did, made the call (hypothetically) from Greenland, locally through Taiwan to Kansan City that there was a threat to POTUS, on his visit to Mumbai. Why some guy would make a toll free call to Kansas City from Taiwan to USSS for something that might happen locally in Mumbai kinda of sorta gets USSS attention.

    Then again, I get a call from ”Benedict Arnold” on my answering machine. “Benedict” is obviously a pseudonym. The actual message left was a lesser known, tertiary, confederate of Benedict. A quick look then, I call the Station Security Chief to tell him that Benedict inadvertently left a message on my machine for him. Why did I convey the message… It is obvious that my number and the Station Chief’s is on the same page in “Benedicts” notes…

    AND AFTER THAT – I carry diplomatic pouches from Greenland to Taiwan. For a couple of years anyway…

    DL:DR:

    Joe, DID they leave a business card?
    Look for them next year…

    To DavidWhiteWolf, which actually triggered my whole monologue,

    From a real pipe hitter I know –

    You got your Boomershot pic on the office wall – Is Good,
    NOW on the opposite wall make good sure your have some hardcore Zen Nature shots.

    You already know how to filter with that.

    That is all

  7. Tannerite is now sold in at least three sporting goods stores in my Texas suburb of Austin.

    Tannerite has been featured on Pawn Stars, one of the most popular cable TV shows in the US.

    Tannerite can be ordered online and delivered to your home.

    I believe Boomershoot has made explosions mainstream, and as Martha Stewart used to say, “That is a good thing.”

  8. I never use the naughty B-Word!
    I use “reactive targets”, or “Exploding targets” – which people say “Oh that tanner-stuff”, my reply is “similar but requires an actual Federal License, you cannot legally make what we make without a license and we all have background checks”.

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