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<\/a><\/p>\nThe theme this year (on badges, decoration elements, etc) was “resistance fighters who fought fascists” and we thought that was quite timely.<\/p>\n So, as always, everybody seemed to have a very good time and it was marvelous to see friends, listen to talks, and watch people compete in challenges like the dueling tree and crypto puzzle<\/a> (folk are still working on that to see who can win this amazing 80% lower<\/a>!)<\/p>\n One of the most hilarious moments of the Shoot was when Puking Monkey<\/a> pulled a “Yo, dawg, I heard you liked cannons… so I shot a cannon out of my cannon!” for everybody.\u00a0 \ud83d\ude00<\/a><\/p>\n But one of my favorite parts of this year’s DEFCON Shoot came toward the end of the day.\u00a0 To tell the story properly, however, we’ll have to reflect upon the conditions at the shoot site<\/a> when we first arrived.\u00a0 Many areas of public land which are used for recreational shooting are, as a lot of gun folk will know, subject to awful and unnecessary abuse.\u00a0 My friend Karl documented as much on InRange TV<\/a> and plenty of other news reports and anecdotal evidence shows just how thoughtless some firearms folk can be when no one’s looking.<\/p>\n The Indian Springs location (where we shot last year as well as this year) is sadly no exception.\u00a0 Some bad apples have a long history of going out there and shooting at ridiculously inappropriate targets that make a mess and leave debris everywhere.\u00a0 This was immediately visible as we arrived and were setting up…<\/p>\n We noticed assorted debris like target backer boards and old metal school lockers.\u00a0 At least those are either bio-degradable or relatively self-contained and box-shaped items.\u00a0 Plenty of things were not suited to being targets at all, however.\u00a0 Mattresses and more, for example…<\/p>\n It’s a shame when folk take old appliances out to the desert because they shatter in so many ways when shot or blown up…<\/p>\n But perhaps the most horrendous offenders are consumer electronics, like TVs.\u00a0 These not only shatter into loads of bits that will never biodegrade, but they also contain plenty of other materials that are harmful to the environment and require special hazardous disposal protocols for e-Waste when being thrown away properly.<\/p>\n I was very inspired by my attendees and volunteers at the DEFCON Shoot.\u00a0 Almost right from the start, it was possible to see everyone there taking the time to at the very least police up much of the waste into more organized piles.\u00a0 (This was as much to aid in the parking of cars as it was simply good practice… and no one had to be asked to do this.\u00a0 The group of hackers just took it upon themselves without direction.)<\/p>\n In the middle of the day, I looked at the large group of folk (many of whom came from less free states or totally un-free countries) enjoying this public land and getting to shoot guns that they would never otherwise be able to handle… then I looked at the fold of bills in my pocket from individuals who arrived without pre-registering and instead opted to pay cash on-site.<\/p>\n Then I started googling.<\/p>\n There are a number of waste haulage firms in the Las Vegas metropolitan area.\u00a0 But none of them said they would service a job so far outside of the city, up in a nowheresville like Indian Springs.\u00a0 Eventually, on the verge of giving up, I asked one fellow very directly, “Look, you said that this job’s distance wouldn’t make it financially feasible… but I fear you may be underestimating this group’s willingness to incentivize you.\u00a0 Exactly what kind of additional compensation would<\/em> make this job viable to you?\u00a0 Tell me a number.”<\/p>\n My jaw dropped when, after some brief consideration and a pause, the owner said it would cost possibly “as much as an additional $150” to come that distance.\u00a0 I hired him and his crew immediately.<\/p>\n And, sure enough, after the conclusion of the DEFCON Shoot, Dennis and his team lead James and a crew of workers arrived on site and began to police up as much debris and junk as their vehicle could hold.\u00a0 I told them that I was prepared to pay extra disposal fees for any TVs they could gather and that we’d cover the costs of a full 15 cubic yard truckload.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n