Ted Cruz Knows how to carry a Shotgun

Gun Watch ^ | 4 November, 2015 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

A blogger named Wes Siler criticised Ted Cruz for carrying a shotgun in the fashion in the photograph.  I am not sure if the critique was in jest,or serious.  It is not clear that Wes Siles is a liberal.  His favorite president is Teddy Roosevelt.  One of Wes' tweets advise on 16 ways to avoid being  "modern man" by the NYTs famous list.  Wes was soon corrected about shoulder carry, and rightly so.

Shoulder carry, as exemplified by Senator Ted Cruz in the Picture, is explicitly suggested as a means of safely carrying a shotgun or rifle.  It is explicitly demonstrated in the Texas hunter safety training.  From texas.gov:

The shoulder carry balances the rifle on your shoulder, controlling the firearm by a hand on the grip. Always keep your finger off the trigger and on the outside of the trigger guard. This is a good carry when walking beside or behind others. It is not a good carry if others are behind you.

 I looked at Wes Siler's site.   He seems like someone that I would get along with.  His remark about Ted Cruz may have been constructive criticism.  Wes prefers the muzzle forward version of shoulder carry.

Might have been nice if the picture above had been "in the field", but as a writer looking for appropriate photos, it isn't easy to get one that is "just right".

On the other hand, Wes has bought into conspiracy theories about the Koch brothers.  In a weird way, he knocks Republican lawmakers for doing what he wants done, which is to keep the sage grouse off the endangered species list.

(Update: It isn't obvious that Republicans were either keeping it off or attempting to get it on.  What I read seemed a delaying tactic for the status quo.)

Wes goes into a complicated scenario about how keeping the Sage Grouse off the endangered species list (a laudable goal) somehow kept energy developers from buying federal land.  Hey, the left has lots of conspiracy theories.

The theory is that energy producers want the sage grouse listed as endangered, so that private landowners will be enraged at the federal government, thus making them look more favorably at selling off federal land.

So maybe Wes is a complicated creature.  Maybe he is channelling some Edward Abby.  Abby had some interesting thoughts.

Remember this, Wes, energy development is what allows you to have the lifestyle that you have.  It has not destroyed the West.  Population increase from uncontrolled immigration is a much bigger threat.


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Link to Gun Watch

[marktwain]

The sage grouse conspiracy theory is complicated, as are most conspiracy theories. The key seems to be the claim that energy developers wanted the sage grouse listed as endangered so as to enrage ranchers.

How this is supposed to aid energy developers is, well, strange, hard to believe, and rather complicated.

[GreyFriar]

I note that both barrels of Cruz’s shot gun are empty, thus no threat to anyone walking behind him, beside him or in front of him.

H’mmm where was Cheney’s friend walking when he accidentally shot him?

[SkyDancer]

That guy at home is holding the shotgun by the barrels. Acid from your hand will rust it. You carry it the way Cruz did, by the stock.

[mac_truck]

Ahem... It is not a good carry if others are behind you.

I'd suggest going to Wes Siler's site IndefiniteWild directly to see what he's talking about rather than reading the spin at Gun Watch.

[Vendome]

How else would you carry?

It let’s everyone know they are safe....

[yarddog]

I haven’t actually seen them but someone has suggested that some gun organizations consider that carry as unsafe.

If that is true, those organizations are simply wrong. The way Cruz is carrying is one of the safest ways possible. Broken with the chambers empty and visible to anyone is as safe as it gets.

[ozzymandus]

Looks like Siler is a smart-ass leftie seeking attention to me. I can see daylight through Cruz’ gun barrels. I suggest Wes Siler (and his fans)STFU.

[cripplecreek]

Yeah a single shot could hardly be made any safer short of leaving the barrel at home.

[smokingfrog]

I've seen it done both ways.

[Cobra64]

Correct. And the gun is “broken.” (Anyone familiar with a non semi, trap/skeet/field gun is familiar with is term).

[Cobra64]

Yup. It twists my shorts when newbies insist on fondling the steel on my blued carbon steel firearms.

[mac_truck]

The fact you can see daylight through the barrel while facing Cruz is meaningless to the issue of whether or not it’s a good carry technique when there are people behind him.

But its not like the shotgun Cruz held for this photo-op was ever loaded either, so maybe it doesn’t matter.

[bt-99]

I prefer muzzle forward. Especially long trap guns balance better. You don’t have to worry about rust. You clean your gun every time you put it away.

[eartick]

We taught our 4Hrs the other way simply because the Line Judge that stood behind them could see the chamber and see that it was empty.

Also, this way the business end of the weapon was always pointed down range without having to be twirled around to load.

[marktwain]

In the video, Cruz never sweeps anyone with the muzzle of the gun.

The idea that some people are somewhat behind him is irrelevant if he never points the gun at them. It is doubly irrelevant when he is carrying a break action shotgun in this safe manner.

[marktwain]

You must be watching a different video than I have. Cruz never sweeps anyone with the muzzle, and the video shows him shooting a pheasant.

Hard to do that with an unloaded gun.

[ozzymandus]

I get the feeling you’re grinding on this just because you don’t like Cruz. You wouldn’t admit that, of course. And this Siler jerk is holding his gun by the barrel, which is worse than anything Cruz did. Siler strikes me as either an attention-seeking leftie or a self appointed range Nazi. Most shooters will be familiar with the latter term.

[Fightin Whitey]

Been hunting and shooting for fifty years.

Never yet saw anybody carrying by holding the damned barrel.

Good enough for these men good enough for me.

[Tailback]

that’s the butt, not the barrel.

[mac_truck]

You must be watching a different video than I have.

I watched the video Siler posted on Twitter when he made his comment about Cruz...that's the link I provided to you in post #4 which also contains the relevant part of the quote you provided from the Texas gun safety people.