A common source of enjoyment in Russia and Ukraine are family outings to pick mushrooms. Of course, one has to be careful, because some mushrooms are deadly. In the United States it is not uncommon for families to pick berries of various types. I recall picking blueberries, raspberries, wild strawberries, blackberries, pin cherries and choke cherries while growing up in the wilds of Northern Wisconsin.
A source sent me these pictures of a gun culture family outing. In the spring, after the snow has melted, the local range offered opportunities for gathering brass that had accumulated over the winter. The children found picking brass to be much more fun than picking mushrooms or berries. You can see that their hands are full of .223, .40 S&W, and the occasional .45.
Springtime in Wisconsin is cool and pleasant. The mosquitoes, deer flies, horse flies and ticks have not yet hatched/emerged to mar the outdoor experience. You can see the range berms in the background. It looks as though there are a few spots where the snow is not completely melted. The little girls are wearing rubber boots, a good choice for a Wisconsin spring.
The final harvest reveals how the gun culture recycles valuable artifacts, saves energy, and has a good time while doing so.
The grandparents of the children are in Ukraine, and face the growing problems there. One of the girls was quoted as saying that she wished that they could send the brass to grandma, so that they could defend themselves.
No doubt the sentiment was picked up from her parents.
Children say the funniest things!
The father assured me that since the invasion of Ukraine, many former pacifists have decided that they should have weapons. But firearms are tightly controlled in the legal market.
If you have money, they are available from the endemic organized crime figures.
The east block type ammunition, most being steel cased and Berdan primed, is much harder to reload than the brass cases common in the United States.
Reloading supplies are almost impossible to come by.
I suspect that brass picking is a uniquely American experience.
©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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I just do not understand people that throw away their brass, One day it will be worth its weight in platinum.
ReplyDeleteGuess they can't see it under the snow to pick it up?
ReplyDelete