Kindness & Mercy

I have two firearms out here in Kalskag.  I named my .22 Rifle, Kindness.  I will kill them with kindness.  My newest addition is a .22 long barrel I named Mercy.  It will be a mercy killing.  The boys and I recently went out to site in and target practice with Kindness and Mercy.  Solomon brought his newest addition to site in, too. I was the only one who had ear protection so the boys had to take turns wearing my pink earmuffs!

Mercy made an interesting trip from Olympia, Washington to Kalskag, Alaska.  At the Seattle airport, I had to check in at the “other services” counter and declare her.  Then I had to take it to TSA where they thoroughly checked my bag.  I locked it up and off it went down the chute.  When I arrived in Anchorage my bag was not there!  I tried not to panic but went to the customer service desk and told them my bag WITH MY FIREARM is not here.  The gentlemen immediately started tracking it down. My daughter arrived to pick Mercy & I up from the airport and I told her the situation.  “They LOST MERCY?!” she exclaimed.  Two hours later I got a call from TSA telling me my bag with my firearm had arrived in Anchorage and they would lock it up for the night and deliver it to my door in the morning.  I was so relieved when Mercy showed up. 

A few days later I arrived at the Anchorage airport for Mercy’s second leg home.  This flight was arriving in Bethel.  Again I went to the “other services” counter to check in and declare Mercy was on board.  I was standing in the line and a man behind me asked quietly if I had a firearm.  Why else would I be in a line without a pet or children? I guess it makes sense. When the ticket agent called me up he immediately inquired if I had a firearm. What? Do I have a sticker on me that says I’m packing?  I smiled and told him yes, politely.  He checked me in and I filled out the firearm paperwork.  I took the bag over to TSA.  On my way over to the line toting my bag another customer asked me if I was carrying a firearm!  I figure I must have it tattooed to my forehead!  When I got to TSA there were several customers standing around and the TSA agent picks me out of the crowd and asks me….you guessed it! “Do you have a firearm? I’ll be right with you.” It arrived safely in Bethel with the rest of my luggage.

The last leg of the journey home to Kalskag was such a typical Alaskan bush experience.  I went to check in and declare Mercy in the Bethel terminal.  The lady at the counter checked me into my flight and I told her I had a gun in one of my bags.  She glanced up at me with the “duh, who doesn’t?” look.  She never asked me which bag it was in.  She just weighed the bags, tagged them and off they went to the airplane.  No declaring, no paperwork, no TSA inspection.  Mercy made it to Kalskag without further incident!