It was a sting; Neil Steinberg of the Chicago Sun Times was given an assignment to buy an AR 15, hopefully to prove how easy it is to acquire the bogeyman rifle that scares Liberals. Like most stings, there was an element of humor, not because the sting failed; no, it was Steinberg’s foolish attempt to salvage the article and prove to his readers that he wasn’t rejected because of alcohol and spousal abuse, but because he was a reporter. Like the sanctimonious drunk who is played for a fool and continues to deny a problem with alcohol during a drunken rant, Neil should have been advised to forget the story or to write it accurately without bias.
With a pious distaste for rifles and the people who buy them, Neil traveled to a source of evil, Maxon Shooter’s Supplies, in Des Plaines, IL, to buy an infamous AR 15.
Neil’s suspicions were confirmed, when he noticed a clerk’s dagger tattoo on a forearm. Neil asked a few questions about the ARs and the clerk asked Neil for his FOID card (Firearm Owner’s Identification Card). The rule was stressed: No card, No gun.
He decides to purchase the rifle and is passed on to Mike, who supposedly recognizes Neil’s name as a reporter (like Hemingway, famous writers find it difficult to escape their fame and an integral part of the story, for without this key, he would have no excuse and no story). With Neil’s cover blown, Mike has Neil fill out the required paperwork and Neil assumes he will pick up the rifle the next day, upon approval.
Sadly, later in the day, Neil was informed by Sarah of Maxon’s, that they could not sell him the rifle because he had failed the background check.
Neil was incredulous at the thought of being rejected by a gun store that hired men with dagger tattoos. He demanded to know why he was rejected.
Sarah replied that Maxon’s was not required to give out the reasons.
Undaunted, Neil was convinced that he was rejected because of his occupation.
Maxon’s was given an opportunity to respond to Neil’s allegations and they sent a lengthy response detailing Neil’s history of alcoholism and spousal abuse. Neil’s cover was blown more completely than he realized, but he was undeterred. Those were pathetic excuses not to sell him a rifle. Gun dealers preferred to sell to terrorists and crazy people, while rejecting upstanding drunks and wife beaters.
A professional horseman for over 50 years, Skook continues to work with horses. Skook has finished an historical novel, Fifty Thousand Years, that traces a mitochondrial line of DNA from 50,000 years ago to the present. The story follows a line of courageous women, from the Ice Ages to the present, as they meet the challenges of survival with grit and creativity. These are not women who whimper of being victims, they meet the challenges of survival as women who use their abilities without excuses or remorse, these women are winners, they are our ancestors.
Fifty Thousand Years is available in paperback and e-book, it is getting great reviews. You can purchase a copy here; Visit me on Facebook.
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