Living in North Idaho: A Second Amendment Culture

Blog Post Image
Local

 View the VIDEO here

 

At the Martinelli Realty Team we proclaim you can, “Live Better in North Idaho.”

Just what do we mean?

It has nothing to do with the cost of real estate in Coeur d’Alene, or anywhere else in North Idaho.

One example of "Living Better" is my Sunday afternoon in the first week of March 2019:

My nineteen year-old son suggested that after church we go sight in his girlfriend’s new .270 hunting rifle.

Stop!

Let me count my blessings…

1)     My son was raised in North Idaho

2)     My son is in church

3)     My son knows how to hunt

4)     My son wants to spend time with his Dad

5)     My son is courting a girl who was also raised in North Idaho.

6)     That girl was in church

7)     That girl knows how to hunt

8)     That girl wants to spend time with her Dad

9)     So, the four of us…me, my son, his girlfriend and her Dad went shooting after church in North Idaho.

Typically, we shoot firearms in our front yard. But since we were sighting in a hunting rifle we needed to go to a firing range with 100 or more yards.

So, after church, the four of us jumped in the truck and drove to a public firing range on the outskirts of town.

Did you hear what I just said! Public firing range!

Every community in America has public parks or maybe even a public beach. But how many communities have public firing ranges? North Idaho does.

And while we just as easily could have taken the truck into the Coeur d’Alene National Forest and did target shooting from the tailgate, we were blessed on a rainy day, to go to a public range that was covered, on concrete, with shooting tables, pre-existing targets down range, and restrooms.

What did all this cost you ask? The same cost as using a public park or beach! It’s part of our culture.

Yes, in North Idaho, elected government uses tax payer money to facilitate the Second Amendment!

At this firing range, we shared tables and targets with other members of our North Idaho community. Nobody knew anybody’s names, but we all knew each other like trusted friends who shared a common bond. Race, sex, age, religion, where you were from…nobody cared! Some were shooting AR’s, some AK’s, some 300 Win mags, and some shotguns…All were sharing and enjoying family time centered around their Second Amendment rights in the great outdoors of Idaho.

Every 10 to 15 minutes the loud sounds of firearms ceased. In a cloud of gun smoke, people placed their empty weapons in racks behind them… actions open… and hollered at each other, “Down Range!”

After pulling and hanging targets everyone would respectfully shout at each other again, “Fire-in-the-whole!” and “Eyes and Ears!” and the cycle repeated once again!

So, after sighting in the rifle, and a friendly shooting competition that lasted several cycles, we had shot through all our ammo. We pulled our targets, collected our brass, tidied up our borrowed shooting tables and hollered to everyone, “Thanks guys!” as we left in between a shooting cycle.

So that’s my Sunday after church in North Idaho. Only as small, yet significant, example of what it means to “Live Better in North Idaho.”

Written by: Kory Martinelli Realtor/Owner of The Martinelli Realty Team – Professional Realty Services Idaho