If you recently obtained your Michigan CPL license, congratulations. You have made a smart and responsible move to help ensure you have the ability to protect yourself, your family, and your friends when facing an imminent threat of great bodily harm. Now that you have your permit, you might wonder what to do next.
Properly and legally carrying a concealed firearm requires more than having a pistol and a permit. You also need the right gear. Let’s take a closer look at the concealed carry gear you should obtain to legally carry concealed firearms all year long.
Concealment Holster To Secure Your Firearm
You should never tuck a pistol in your pants and count on the belt to keep it in place. You certainly do not want to carry a handgun in your pocket, because that could lead to an accidental discharge that lands you in the hospital and could trigger criminal charges. Instead, you need to obtain a dedicated concealment holster that enables you to carry your firearm securely and without tipping off others to its presence.
For example, a Glock 19 concealment holster should enable you to carry while securing the firearm comfortably. The holster might fit inside the waistband of your pants and have a hook and a belt loop to keep it in place. It also might fit outside the waistband, but you would need loose clothing to cover it – or do open carry where it is legal.
You also might try a shoulder holster that fits comfortably beneath a loose-fitting jacket or shirt, and a belly band holster could keep your firearms on your hip. A pocket or ankle holster could be useful for carrying a backup firearm, such as a snub-nose .38 or Ruger LCP. You might also use one type of holster during the hotter summer months and another during the colder winter weather.
Your clothing greatly affects your ability to carry a concealed firearm competently. It also makes a big difference in whether or not you are legally carrying concealed. Clothing that fits too tightly could make drawing and using your firearm impossible in an emergency. That consequence might be deadly.
You also need to wear concealed carry clothing that does not cause imprinting that clearly shows you have a firearm on your person. Loose-fitting jackets and shirts are ideal for carrying a concealed firearm. They give you a natural look without revealing the location of your concealed weapon. A normal-looking outfit that fits well while concealing your firearm is the perfect choice for carrying a concealed firearm.
Nabamita Sinha loves to write about lifestyle and pop-culture. In her free time she loves to watch movies and TV series and experiment with food. Her favourite niche topics are fashion, lifestyle, travel and gossip content. Her style of writing is creative and quirky.
Riding horseback has long been seen as an activity exclusive to two classes, an aristocratic class with money to burn, and certain subsets of a working-class who use horse riding as part of a means of production. Today, fewer people than ever ride horses for work.
These groups have been reduced to actual “cowboys” who act as guides and shepherds for cattle as they move from one part of open country to another, mounted police, park rangers, and others. This leaves us with today's more or less aristocratic class, the upper-middle class, and others who can afford to indulge in the hobby.
The point here is, owning horses is expensive. They require housing, more or less depending on the climate where they are kept. Quality food for horses is more expensive than that intended for other large animals, and they need a large amount of land in order to maintain their mental and emotional well-being, as well as their physical health.
Horse medicine and veterinary care are especially expensive. Horses are large animals whose primary adaptation of speed and size makes them prone to certain health risks.
In addition to these costs, learning to ride horseback is also not for those of modest means. There's a good reason for this, and in this article, we shall endeavor to explain why.
How Much Do Horseback Riding Lessons Cost?
The general consensus on a ballpark price range is between $30 to $85 per hour and an annual average of about $4,000. Looking at the annual cost, the upper limit of which is roughly $4,420, that's really not an enormous cost when you consider the value of the skills you'll be learning, the real-world utility of it, and the other great benefits of horseback riding.
Compared to the average cost of martial arts training, that's about twice what you can expect to pay. The reason we mention martial arts is that the difficulty and the amount of training to reach a journeyman's level of proficiency is about the same. Naturally, for a martial arts trainer to become proficient enough to teach, takes years of intensive study and practice. The same is true of horseback riding.
The reason learning to ride horses is more expensive is likely to come down to the fact that costs are higher. It could be said that the gear for horseback riding is more expensive. Certainly, you could spend a huge amount of money on martial arts equipment. But at the end of the day, the only thing you need to learn martial arts is your health and your instructor. Maybe not even that if you watch enough Kung Fu theater.
To ride horses, you need to see the care of the animal, their shelter, food, land requirements, and grooming. Over time, this can add up to a considerable amount of money. When you consider the fact that a trainer will need to maintain these costs, or have the costs maintained for them, then it's easy to see why they are as pricey as they are. Becoming a competent riding trainer will cost about as much as one year's worth of training times the number of years it takes to develop this competence.
The Benefits of Learning to Ride
Of course, there are some significant real-world benefits of knowing how to ride a horse. For a start, it's transportation. In some parts of the country, the Amish ride horses and use horse and buggy to get around town, so it's really not out of the question if you know what you're doing.
There are also valuable health benefits. In a previous article, we discovered that an hour-long session of riding burns about half the amount of calories as running. Riders also gain strength training benefits as well as benefits of the poise and balance they can develop.
Riding horses gives you a marvelous sense of freedom and power. It gets you out under the sun in the fresh air while getting that all-important connection with nature. Also, the benefits of developing a bond with your horse are not to be underestimated.
A mindful and caring rider can become very close to a horse. Both the rider and the animal must learn to trust each other implicitly. As this mutual trust builds, you and your horse will build a relationship that is as meaningful as any human/animal friendship can be.
Finally, riding horseback is also a mark of status. It is an elegant and beautiful pastime with a long and dignified history. Being a competent rider can be your foot in the door in clubs, competitive leagues, exclusive organizations, and more.
All of these benefits give riders a wide range of beneficial effects to focus on. Are you a fitness-oriented rider? Do you crave freedom and mobility? Do you appreciate the joy that can be derived from developing a trust bond with a large, powerful, and beautiful creature? Or are you in it for the veneer of class and respectability? Perhaps a portion of all these reasons contributes to your interest.
The Cost Spectrum
Many people learn to ride by growing up on a farm, by having a friend or family member who permits them to use their horse and land to learn on. A trainer you know well may give you a discount. There are also fewer and more expensive trainers out there.
The quality of your trainer matters greatly, especially if reputation and accomplishments are important to you.
At the end of the day, your training is worth an investment in high-quality instruction. But, if your budget is tight, you may be able to find a more affordable option.
Quality Riding Equipment is Key to Your Success
You owe it to yourself and to your horse to invest in the right equipment. If you can afford to get into this beautiful hobby, you'll never regret having made the investment. Doing it right means taking the time to learn well and to learn in a well-advised manner. It also means treating your horse like a beloved friend, feeding and caring for them fully and properly.
It can take years to become a competent equestrian. While you learn, the health and comfort of yourself and your horse will be best served by investing in top-quality horse riding gear. Cutting corners can lead to fatigue, injury, and reduce the chance that you and your animal will experience the best this hobby has to offer.
High-quality riding equipment will not only promote the health and wellbeing of your horse, but a high-quality saddle, for example, can last for many years, and can even serve as a valuable family heirloom.
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Hollywood does a poor job depicting the outcome of an electromagnetic pulse. Although our great nation has yet to face a threat such as an EMP, the danger is real and its results profound.
Though we would like to think an EMP would never be experienced in our lifetime, that just may not be the case. Should it happen, you need to be prepared.
We will look at the potential threat posed against citizens, and what to equip yourself with to survive with proper EMP shielding.
A Real Threat:
Since 1859, EMP's have been an unstoppable force that can reset clocks and humanity. We discovered that our new technology, electricity, stood no match for the geomagnetic storm that came with something like a solar flare.
The first time we experienced such a power, it was no man-made scenario. The Carrington Event was the largest recorded solar flare ever recorded.
Telegraphs sparked, paper caught aflame, and bystanders situated close to electrical lines felt first hand the surge of electricity cutting through the atmosphere.
Through the years, the power displayed in the Carrington event had been harnessed. Nuclear testing gave way to the potential for EMP events to take place on demand.
Early in the cold war, the potential for widespread electrical malfunction was observed by both the US and Russia upon their nuclear testing. From that point, all efforts were put towards defending against an attack with one of these electromagnetic weapons.
Iran, India, Pakistan, Russia, Cuba, North Korea, and China, among other countries acquiring the resources needed, now all possess the knowledge, capability, and will to set an instrument like this into the war zone.
Militarized weaponization of the electromagnetic pulse is a fear of many. It could strike anywhere, any time, and leave the nation in the dark. The motto is: if you aren't at least concerned, you aren't paying attention.
Be Aware, Take Action:
There is little to nothing you can do about a nationwide blackout from an EMP. However, there is much you can do about the products and supplies you need to keep safe in case of such an event.
An EMP destroys all electronics connected to the grid, plugged into the wall, and any device using a microchip. While a low-tech blender not plugged into a wall may stay safe, things like your phone, hard drives, LED flashlights and radios will be toasted.
Luckily, technology has given us EMP shielding for the devices we need most. The Faraday cage is the best defense against an EMP event.
Insulating the object from the harmful gamma rays and ionized atmosphere that sweeps through the environment, the Faraday cage diverts the danger out and around the object.
A conductive outer shell is responsible for redirecting the damaging waves while the insulation keeps your device safe for life post-EMP. These "cages", however, take many forms.
While some are crafted from ammunition cases and cardboard, a more portable, lightweight option has been tested and certified for protection.
Tech Protect EMP Protection Bags offer the ability to store the tools, devices, and support systems you need in case of an electromagnetic pulse.
Sizes from 8" x 8" all the way up to 38" x 18" x 14" allow you to keep individual good protected, as well as critical power generation units that will be sacred in post-EMP life.
What you get with a faraday bag is the most versatile and easy to use tried and tested device for costs that let you be protected sooner rather than later. EMP bags are affordable enough to keep all of your solid-state bug-out gear function for the days ahead.
A New War:
The threat of traditional nuclear war has taken the back seat, as the EMP has been tailored to cause near the same effect without the unquestionable damage to all parts of the earth.
The impact of an EMP would cause mass casualties in each state affected.
As the grid and every system dependant on it for operation is no longer usable, people will rely on what they have to survive.
Those who have the best chance at survival are those who can bear winters, hydrate daily through the following years and summer swelters, forage or ration what food they can manage, and defend against those who want what they have.
Let's break down the root of each of these dependencies we rely on and how the world will look should we not have these utilities.
First, we have our electrical, water, and sewage systems. All of these main utilities will cease to function as they depend on electricity to operate. As people turn their focus on providing sustenance for their own families, maintenance of critical facilities will not be provided.
With a collapsed economy, currency as we know it becomes useless. Food, ammo, tools, and supplies become bartering tender, as the traditional system of working and getting paid to buy products no longer applies.
The result of nonfunctioning utilities and economy is, in the case of an estimated 90% of the US, death. Starvation, dehydration, hypothermia, and murder will be exponentially elevated.
While this may just sound like scare tactics, the fact remains that our society as we know it could not function even close to the way it does and has for the past 50, 100, or even 200 years.
Taking a giant leap back in time would pose challenges the majority of the nation has never had to face, and ones we don't even know first hand how to deal with. Desperate citizens will take desperate measures.
War is complicated, and our modern advancements have only added to the complexity. A nation with resources and much to lose is a vulnerable one when it becomes technologically set back.
Taking a critical look at our nation, it is important to know that the military is very aware and prepared for events such as an EMP. While you can not rely on others to be prepared, you can keep your self and loved one ready and trust in the wise folks who bear arms against additional threats.
Providing EMP Shielding For Tomorrow:
There should be no doubt; EMP preparedness is a wise move for anyone, anywhere. So how do you get your things in line for the day after such a great set back?
First, think about the things you and your family depend on for survival. In such an event, where would you get water? do you have enough food stored up to last, and are you able to hunt more when rations run dry?
These things are crucial. However, help may be provided in national guard deployed locations. A radio saved for this electrical rainy-day can give you guidance to the nearest shelter, and potentially guide you to a safe location should further threats pursue.
Keeping a hand-crank radio, or one with extra batteries, in a Faraday bag can drastically help you. Also, consider your families life-supporting needs. If a loved one relies on any sort of electronic life-supporting devices, it would be smart to have an extra stored away.
Keeping devices safe is important, but like your rations, things eventually die. Recharging your devices will then pose just as much of a challenge as the EMP itself. Preparedness in all areas can be covered though.
A solar-powered generator will allow you to charge batteries, flashlights, power banks, power tools, and plug-in life-saving devices. Portable solar generators can give your family the help it needs. Place one in an EMP protection bag and keep it stored!
Life Goes On:
Like any great disaster, war, or collapse, life eventually reestablishes itself as manageable. Communities come together, and families grow stronger. While an EMP is something no one ever hopes to face, the reality is that it could happen at any time.
EMP shielding will get you through the tough times by giving you back a piece of the world you know in times of major reset. Lives can be saved with just a simple duplicate stored neatly in a military-grade sealed and insulated conductive unit.
Not only does war give way to the need for preparedness, but the world is also ripe with other dangers that threaten our way of life in the form of an EMP, be it man, nature, or malfunction. That's just the world we live in.
You have the knowledge and tools you need to defend against the worst of scenarios, get ready today. And while you're at it, check out our blog for more great articles about health, wellness, lifestyle, DIY, and so much more!
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Bamboo toilet paper is getting a lot of attention for being more environmentally friendly, but many people wonder if it is worth the switch. Is it really eco-friendly? How does it compare to traditional toilet paper? What about the cost difference?
These are common questions that consumers ask about bamboo toilet paper. Below, we offer helpful information that should answer most questions and help you decide if switching is for you.
How Eco-Friendly is Bamboo Toilet Paper?
Take a look at some of the ways that bamboo toilet paper is eco-friendly and may be a great option for your family.
1. Bamboo is a Sustainable Material
Traditional toilet paper is made from 70% hardwood and up to 30% softwood trees. These trees take many decades to reach maturity, and harvesting them disrupts the local environment and wildlife.
Bamboo, on the other hand, reaches maturity in a matter of weeks. It is the fastest-growing plant on Earth. It grows up to 35 inches per day, and self-regenerates from its root system. That means there is no need to ever replant bamboo or disrupt additional land. Bamboo is naturally a sustainable material.
2. Bamboo Produces Less Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Bamboo is a healthy grass variety that produces less greenhouse gas emissions than other types of trees. Compared to virgin forests, bamboo forests produce 30% less greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Bamboo Toilet Paper is BPA and Chlorine Free
Traditional toilet paper is made from paper that is bleached and treated with chemicals to strengthen and soften it. Long ago, elemental chlorine was used to treat toilet paper, but it has since been replaced by less toxic methods. Still, some toilet papers are treated with chemicals, such as bleach or BPA to get that white, soft paper that we all recognize.
Bamboo toilet paper is not treated with chlorine, BPA, or other harmful chemicals. It is 100% all-natural and is free from pesticides, dyes, fragrances, and potential allergens. It is a good alternative for individuals with skin allergies or sensitivities.
4. Bamboo Toilet Paper is as Soft as Traditional Toilet Paper
No one wants to use rough toilet paper, and that is a major concern among consumers considering bamboo toilet paper. But the good news is that bamboo toilet paper brands are increasingly finding safe and eco-friendly ways of making toilet paper softer and stronger than ever. Using longer fibers is one of the ‘tricks of the trade’ to keeping the paper soft and durable.
5. Bamboo is More Biodegradable than Traditional Paper
Not only is bamboo a sustainable material, but it is also highly biodegradable. All bamboo products are 100% biodegradable. That immediately makes bamboo toilet paper a more environmentally friendly option compared to traditional paper products.
This is important when you consider that the average consumer flushes 140 rolls of toilet paper per year! This is also helpful for the health of your septic tank since bamboo completely dissolves in water, which means there is no waste left to clog up your septic system or pipes.
As you can see, bamboo toilet paper is eco-friendly, safe, and convenient for most consumers. For those curious about just how environmentally friendly it really is, just take a look at the above.
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