Let’s begin today’s article with a warning about a serious new and dangerous threat to our family finances, and confidential information. Packages, including padded envelopes, are being sent to homes across the country with a promotional piece stating that you have won a new gift! Just scan the enclosed QR code to find out what your new prize is. Once you scan that code, virtually everything on your phone will be transferred to a website, including passwords, banking information, photos, emails, test messages and even connections to your other devices and the cloud! This can be devastating to anyone that falls for it, not just our elderly which of course are the target of many of these very sophisticated scams.

I have some thoughts about how to punish these people should they be located, but the first step is to protect ourselves, and spread this warning to everyone in your inner circle, and friends on a grand scale. Use your social media, text and phone calls to notify the important people in your life.

As we continue looking at companies and organizations that help our families improve their security and personal skills, I have a very good candidate for you to consider. A military friend of mine recently joined the Belton Gun Club down near Anderson, and invited me to attend a meeting and see their facilities. Before I agreed, I decided to do a little online research to include looking at their website, social media reviews and any news clips about them. I came away from that process very impressed by their mission statement and history here in the Upstate, since 1960.

The Belton Gun Club Mission Statement as quoted from their website is: “to encourage organized rifle, pistol and shotgun shooting among citizens of the United States…safe handling and proper care of firearms, as well as improved marksmanship.”  They also stress the importance of firearms in our countries history, and the development of the characteristics of honesty, good fellowship, self-discipline, and self-reliance which are the essentials of good sportsmanship and the foundation of true patriotism. 

As I’ve stressed many times in this column, if you choose to use firearms for hunting or personal defense, you must learn safety first, and then develop your shooting skills after that. Safety includes the safe storage of all weapons you may have in your home, not just safe handling while using the weapons. Belton Gun club offers training classes for adults and children through their youth programs.

There are also monthly meetings and special events offered throughout the year. 

Membership includes dues and a one-time initiation fee, plus you must be sponsored by two existing members for your application to be reviewed. Each member serves a one year probationary period before the executive committee votes on full membership. 

I attended a monthly meeting on July 24th with my friend Keith who recently joined. The speaker at the dinner meeting, was current SC State Attorney General Alan Wilson and candidate for Governor. His presentation was very enjoyable and enlightening, and the members that I met were very friendly and welcoming. I believe this gun club would be an excellent option for both individuals and families to learn and practice safe gun handling while improving shooting skills. You will need eye and ear protection like other gun ranges in the area, and can visit as the guest of a member to try out their facilities. They also have new programs coming online, including a self-defense course being taught by a retired law enforcement officer. Check out their website for more information on meetings and upcoming events.

Contact info for the Belton Gun Club:

Website:  www.beltongunclubinc.org    Phone number: 864-318-4383

Mailing/Physical Address:  153 Range Road, Belton, SC 29627   

Rick ‘Pirate Hunter’ Grover strongly believes we are all in this together, and the more we learn and train, the better we will be prepared for any eventuality. This makes all of us part of an amazing neighborhood team of American Patriots. 

God Bless America! 

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