It was just another beautiful day in Paradise when I left Santa Barbara heading south along Hwy 101. The sun was rising to my left, the Pacific ocean battered the sea walls to my right. I am headed inland. Today I want to find out what effect the Virginia Tech tragedy has had on shooting sports. But on mornings such as this it becomes prudent to be cautious as you drive along the coastline. 
For now you have entered the---> SURF ZONE<----. Beware the realm of surf board ladened vehicles driven by wet haired inhabitants indigenous to these areas in the early morning hours. Quick moving Hummers, H2 and H3's, Toyota trucks and classic Woody's all weaving along the coast barely avoiding the traffic around them, transfixed by a rising wrinkle in the sea their vehicles seem sucked toward the sandy shoreline, crossing lanes, weaving, recovering and repeating the motion over and over as they study the waves and seek out incoming wave sets..."it's the ride man..it's the ride!" But hey don't laugh to loudly, can you imagine what they say about us driving for miles just so we can turn tiny colored clay targets to fine dust as they race across the sky. But It's "Kaliforna" 
where one can be anything and do anything anytime they want...
where cutting off the head of a snake in a movie can become a resume for a job as Governor one day! But lets keep move forward....
Turning off the 101 to the 126 the temperature begins to rise as I pass threw the Fillmore valley flying by vegetables, nursery farms. Everyone is busy..farming starts early. Cruising behind lines of trucks strapped tightly with mountains of lemons the aroma fills the cab as I accelerate past them in my Sports Chassis Freightliner. Drivers of big rigs always smile at one another.
Entering the 5 the Six Flags exit comes up on the right here in Valencia. 
My destination is the Oak Tree Gun Club. Every club seems to appeal to a different crowd, has it's own personality. Oak Tree's owner is a well reputed big game hunter. Download MOV01054.MPG Parking the truck in the shade of an oak tree I decided to grab an unsuspecting employee, tape an interview or two. As I walked around inspecting the facilities I found everything to be clean, the employees were busy keeping up with the wind that was blowing loose paper around the fields. Then I spotted Ernie Reed -->cornered him in the meeting room for a few questions. Now here is a guy who lives and breaths the Oak tree philosophy 24/7...and a nice guy! Ernie has been with the club since James Mitchel bought it from Mrs. Mercer some 7 or 8 years ago.
The story goes there was a Realtor interested in buying the property first. His dream was to develop multi-million dollar houses along the ridges and in the small valley. 
But when they conducted an environmental study of the property they found a great deal of lead...duh, its a shooting range! So up stepped James Mitchell, an avid hunter, Safari Club life member and long time gun enthusiast he was about to achieve one of his dreams. His own shooting range . Well I don't want to spoil the interview, click on it. Later I decided I best interview some customers if I want answerers to the VT question. I was in luck, there was a corporate "Team Building" shoot class being conducted in the large meeting/lunch room. The guest Speaker was none other than our own Olympic champion Kim Rhodes. Not wanting to interrupt her presentation, after all I wasn't invited, I stepped around the crowd out the back door and purchased $250.00 of Sporting Clay targets. Thought I may as well get in a little practice while I waited. Assuming she would accompany the Corporate staff and employees on the course I planned the perfect interception point. Right..wrong! She made her presentation and left.
She had turned the actual shooting over the the companies Class I shooting instructor John Plueger seen here giving instructions to an employee.Download MOV01334.MPG
Now what does it say about a company that has a Class I shooting instructor ON STAFF! Maybe that it is the company everyone will want to go to work. Who are they---> I.L.F.C.--->International Lease & Fiance Corporation. Is this the boss we all want? My day was improving as I interviewed Ed Fanning, what a guy!
They have about 150 employees and he rotates them at Oak Tree so everyone has an opportunity to come in for a day. This was Wednesday the middle of the week. Just imagine working for a company that takes you to the range on HUMP DAY...plus pays for the shooting! They began with a great presentation by Kim, then went to the skeet range then the trap range and lastly shot sporting clays! Just listen to Julie Harris after she shot station 9 Download MOV01345.MPG Julie and her friend Rio were so excited they could hardly contain their enthusiasm. How many companies do you know that can bring employees together like this... Ed my cap is off to you.
So did I get my original question answered? Have local gun owners and gun enthusiasts been effected by the VT massacre? Yes they have, we are all effected when a tragedy like that occurs. Are gun owners retreating from their guns? Has the industry been mortally wounded? Are shooting ranges dying? It was not found in my research. Look at the faces of these women! Click on these downloads! Remember, they have never shot a gun before today!
If I found anything at all it was a unanimous agreement that if only one other person had had a gun in the building when the massacre began...perhaps a life would have been saved, perhaps many lives. So what have we learned today? Simple: 64,999,987 gun owners killed no one today....PLEASE pay attention to the the upcoming legislation and legislators that would panic and drive further bills across the nation to remove your rights to own and enjoy guns. Remember California is on the front line...it will always be the front line.
Hey c u at the US Veteran's Open--->May 18th-20th. If your going contact me.
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