I'm sure many of you are way more informed than I am on what's going on; for folks like me, this isn't a bad starting point to get my bearings so I can delve more deeply into issues that I'm particularly interested in.

Vox has a series of articles that summarize the positions of the Dem presidential candidates on various issues.

Below is a link to the one on guns and gun control; there's a list of other issues at the bottom of the gun article if you want to explore where various candidates stand on other topics.

https://www.vox.com/2019/8/7/2...lence-mass-shootings

Thanks! That's useful.

Good discussion and it comes at an opportune time for me. I bought a shotgun last weekend.

For those who are interested in such things it's a Mossberg 835, used. I bought it to shoot trap with my friend Dennis, a guy I've known since high school. It's not really made for trap shooting but of all of the shotguns he has (inherited from his father) this is the one that works best for me. I decided I'd been mooching long enough and bought it. We've been going to the range about once per month and it makes for a pleasant day.

My kids both married in to hunting families and I mentioned that once I retire maybe I can use this gun to hunt with them. He definitely did not like this idea; even though he grew up hunting he no longer cares to do so. He doesn't like killing animals, even ones he is going to eat. He also said it just isn't that much fun to do, at least around here. I'll have to think this one through.

I don't actually have the gun yet. California has a new law out that requires background checks for both buyer and seller. These checks have to be done while the gun is in the possession of the licensed arms dealer who performs the checks - kind of like an escrow. The process takes some two weeks and if you can't prove you legally own a registered firearm you are not allowed to buy ammunition of that type.

Dennis has been griping about the new law since we started going out to the range. I looked in to the requirements and they don't sound all that onerous to me. We shall see. One thing I will say is that transporting it or out of the State looks like it would be a problem.

Meantime, Dennis has always been an artist, ever since high school. He airbrushed the album cover art from "Surfs Up" on the refrigerator door in my camper in 1972. I sure wish I had kept it. He's been an artist - commercial and fine art - ever since. His latest gig has him turning out some of my favorites of all of his work.

www.bigvista.com 95% of the artwork you see on the shirts and such is his. I especially like the series for the National Parks.

The National Parks stuff is just great!