With Gustav approaching New Orleans Residents stocking up on AR-15’s and ammo

dvorak.org/blog ^ | 08/28/08 | McCullough

[TornadoAlley3]

We just got a call from Devline Rossell, a charter captain based out of Venice, Louisiana. He was shopping in New Orleans to get some supplies before the arrival of Gustav (currently listed as a tropical storm that has left at least 22 dead in the Caribbean) and reported that the item most in demand was not food, clothing or shelter.

“I just left a sporting goods store and you would think that the number-one selling item would be plywood or potable water or gasoline right now,” he said. “Apparently it is AR-15s and .223 ammo. I watched at least 20 people buy AR-15s and cases of .223.”

Can’t say I’m surprised. After the nightmare that was Katrina I think it would be unwise for anyone to assume the state, local or federal government could guarantee his or her personal safety during a natural disaster. Of course, I think it is foolish to assume that under any circumstance.

The AR buying spree demonstrates that people don’t think of it as an “assault weapon” but rather an arm that is ideally suited for self-defense, which it is. I also suspect that for some of the folks this is their first firearm. Goes to show that not only is there no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole but that there is no such thing as a gun-control advocate in one either.

[supercat]

wow, you guys were indeed lucky to have access to reinforcement, but my observation still wonders why you would repeatedly, durin an emergency, place temporary buffers up, seems like a huge waste of resourses vs placing permanent fixtures, and maybe having some prefab additions to throw in if needed...

My parents were in a flood (2.5 feet above record) rather than a hurricane; this was to date the only time that sandbags would ever be needed for their house. They would like to install some more permanent protections, but zoning and other regs limit their choices.