Posted on 03/27/2010 9:58:15 AM PDT by Travis McGee
If you don’t presently own any firearms, you may have been considering taking that step in order to protect yourself and your family. Or perhaps you already have what you consider to be an adequate home armory, but is it really enough? In the event that our economy tanks, one certain outcome will be much higher levels of criminal violence. Read Fernando Aguirre’s excellent “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse,” based on his experiences in Argentina after 2001, to see what happens to civil society when a national currency collapses and the banks are closed. Today’s career criminals will be that much more desperate and willing to use violence against their victims. The feral youths who need little encouragement to bust heads for sport in times of relative plenty may be starving, and no moral consideration will keep them from sticking a gun in your face or a knife in your back.
At the same time, the federal government may define this surge of criminal violence as civil disorder and enact emergency decrees, especially if armed citizens begin to fight back on a wide scale. One need look no further than the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to see how officials react toward ordinary people with firearms during a period of civil disorder. A freeze on gun sales and/or ammunition is a predictable outcome during government-defined “emergencies.”
Most of the readers of this column probably don’t need to be convinced of the wisdom of owning and practicing with firearms. You may even believe that you already possess all of the guns you need, whether a .38 caliber revolver in your bedside table or a small battery of handguns, shotguns and rifles in your closet or gun safe. You may even own one or more of those liberally despised so-called assault rifles. In any of these cases you may think you don’t need to consider any more gun purchases.
There is, however, one reason to purchase at least a few more weapons: to arm thy neighbors. I can hear you saying, “What is Bracken talking about? If that foolish grasshopper of a neighbor didn’t bother about his security when guns were readily available, why should I worry about him now? Besides, he may even be an anti-gun liberal, so the hell with him!”
This reasoning is short-sighted on several levels. First, we have all heard the old saying that “a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged.” When violence explodes during an economic collapse, millions of new conservatives will be created from former left-wingers. And besides philosophically anti-gun liberals, many folks simply grow up in families where guns are not present and reach adulthood having never touched a firearm. But no matter why they don’t own firearms, when the ultra-violence breaks out your neighbors down the street will deserve a way to defend themselves from criminal predation. Simple charity, Christian or otherwise, suggests that we should not leave the elderly couple, the widow or the single mom with young children defenseless against evildoers bent on rape, robbery or murder.
When the incidence of home invasions, carjackings and “express kidnappings” skyrockets, some of your neighbors will discover a sudden interest in acquiring firearms, just when firearms may not be available through normal channels. These unarmed neighbors may then ask if you have any extra firearms to lend to them. Which one of your carefully considered collection of guns will you hand over to arm your defenseless neighbor? Your high-end “concealed carry” pistol, which fits your hand like a glove? Your wife’s? Your pump-action shotgun? Your AR-15 Sport Utility Rifle? The fact is, you will be loath to give away any of them, not even to a neighbor in need. You have acquired each of them for a carefully thought-out reason! But your neighbor is still defenseless.
That is why I encourage you to buy a few extra firearms in anticipation of this future need. I would suggest that a revolver is the simplest entry-level firearm to provide to a non-shooting neighbor. There are no magazines, safety catches or slides to learn to manipulate. You simply open the cylinder, insert the bullets, close the cylinder and the revolver is ready to go. A revolver has the shortest “learning curve” of any firearm. Anyone can learn basic gun safety and effective close-range self-defense with a revolver in one afternoon. In dire extremes you could hand a revolver to a non-shooter after a five-minute period of instruction and dry-firing. Revolvers are intuitive; you can even see if they are loaded or unloaded simply by looking at the cylinder.
Of course, a much greater level of firearms training is highly desirable if there is time for it. If possible, take your non-shooting neighbor to a gun range now, in advance of a period of “civil unrest.” Training a non-shooter in the safe operation of firearms also shows your own overall knowledge of security issues. This demonstrated firearms proficiency will stand you in good stead when your leadership skills and tactical knowledge may benefit your overall neighborhood security posture.
Beyond the simple morality of providing a means of self-defense against criminal violence, there is another reason to be prepared to arm thy neighbors: the force multiplying synergy of multiple fields of fire. Recall the old cowboy movies when the gang of black hats rode into a town where the citizens were forewarned and prepared. As an historical example, consider what happened to the vaunted James Gang on the Northfield Minnesota Raid when they lost the element of surprise. Only Frank and Jesse escaped unhurt. The rest of the armed gang were killed by the townsfolk or captured shortly after, badly wounded.
An armed and alert neighborhood is a very dangerous environment for criminals. In a time of rampant violence, with the ever-present threat of home invasions, more armed neighbors mean more angles of fire for the criminals to confront. Instead of focusing their evil intent on a single home, selecting one sheep in a helpless flock, they will be threatened by fire from many directions and their retreat may be cut off. This compounds their risk compared to attacking a neighborhood where most folks are unarmed and cringing in corners, praying to remain unmolested.
Of course, it is best if your neighbors have all received a high level of firearms training. Otherwise, the risk of a “friendly fire” accident while repelling an armed gang with shots from multiple directions is increased. And of course, you should not provide a firearm to a drunk, a druggie, or a mentally unstable neighbor for obvious reasons. But the danger of living in an unarmed neighborhood is even greater, because such an area is a magnet for repeated violent criminal attacks.
The best outcome would be to leverage your training of individuals in safe firearms usage into general neighborhood self-defense drills. Then if the “James Gang” rides in…they won’t necessarily ride out! Word will get around, and your neighborhood will achieve an aura of armed strength that deters future criminal incursions. Consider why tiny Switzerland has never been invaded by its much more powerful and often bellicose neighbors. It’s not because of the Alps. It’s because the Swiss have a strong tradition of armed self-defense at every level. Both invading armies and criminal gangs go around “hard targets” that are known to shoot back!
If nothing else, from a strictly selfish standpoint, the humble .38 revolver you lent to that widow might provide you with a critical early warning of imminent danger when she fires it in self-defense. Forewarned is forearmed, even if the warning is a rapid series of pistol shots heard from up the street at oh-dark-thirty. But in any case, I would rather hear the widow’s defiant shots than her helpless screams.
So, consider buying a few extra firearms and ammunition while you can easily and inexpensively do so. A used revolver in good working condition can be purchased for as little as $250, a used pump-action shotgun for not much more. And if you don’t know what an SKS rifle is or what they cost, find out. Then you will have the option of arming your neighbors in a time of extreme peril, without diminishing your own family armory.
Very good valid points.
Thinking about it a bit myself, I can think of some situations, such as someone who pled guilty to the crime of misdeamor domestic violence years ago and is now legally prohibited from ever legally owning firearms (Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban) - assuming that it was a one time thing and they don't have any problems now - who could be of great benefit if the situation really hit the fan (although I do believe that violation of the Lautenberg Amendment is a ten year felony, so it would have to be a definitely serious matter of life or death situation).
Good idea with the lasers, but don’t forget to stock up on spare batteries. They might be hard to find if things get ugly.
You know how it goes when you get laid off, you have to sell stuff to pay the bills......
A lot of good folks have been laid off, me included. Pity I only have an old Ross .303 converted into a deer rifle left. I guess if the goon squad wants that they can have it.
Thanks, and thanks for the post. People need to think about this before they need it, or it will be too late.
Just suppose that someone comes home from work to find out that they can't go home? I'm sure you can come up with all kinds or reasons in this political climate that someone might down the road not be able to go home...preparation isn't the issue, being deprived by surprise is.
Just a thought.
Keep in mind that sometimes the “domestic violence” consists of defending yourself against a being beaten by your wife.
Those are also grown in 20 and 410 gage.
Yep......my regions temperate climate if favorable to 12 gauge version......;o)
20 gauge would be sweet for the select fire variants I spose !
Lurker’s post caused me to remember that each piece should be accompanied by its requisite accoutrements: cleaning kits, belts, holsters, bandoliers, slings, even basic web gear. JW Rawles suggests using nylon sacks to store these items, with attached tags matching the sacks to each gun or rifle.
And slings should be fitted to (zeroed) long guns before TSHTF. I recall the scene in ‘Foreign Enemies and Traitors’ wherein Zack Tutweiler lost his Winchester while crossing a creek.
And so rages the “AR-15 vs AK-47” debate, but I think it will be a cold day in hell before we see the AR-15 action used as the basis for a semi-auto shotgun! :-)
Wait until you're my age, I'll be 80 my next birthday.
I can still get an adrenaline rush riding my SV650 Suzuki on a twisty mountain road and as long as my hand and eye coordination hold up, I'll continue doing it. ;)
That is indeed a good argument to be made......but the 870 and 500 are bulletproof guns for all intents and purposes.
Sure, that’s different.
Neighbor: “Hey, I can’t get to the house, all my guns are there and I’m SOL.”
Me: “Come on in....”
Versus...
Neighbor: “There are thugs everywhere. We don’t own any guns. Save us...”
Me: “Have you ever fired a gun before?”
Neighbor: “I watch Maimi Vice. It can’t be that hard to shoot a gun.”
Me: (facepalm).
And when you can’t....what a way to go! “GER-O-NI-MO!”
I sure like those Saiga 12s, but I just have my old standby 870.
It is clear that you chose to post an objection without first reading the excellent article this thread is based upon. Had you actually taken the time to read the article, you would have been able to answer your own question or at least been able to attempt to refute one of the author's well thought out points. Posting without first reading the article just embarrasses the poster and makes the other readers of the thread uncomfortable for their error.
Thanks, and I don’t just get it, I am actively practicing it.
I have a very nice Remington pump action shotgun that is excellent for shooting skeet, partridge and pheasant but is far from optimal for home defense in the middle of the night. I have my eye on the local Washington used gun websites for a more tactical shotgun (and I am certainly open to suggestions...) and there have been a couple of offers up on the local net. I’ll keep the Remington no matter what, and I would readily hand it off to someone who needed it.
I got my future son in law thinking about this and over the past year he has had firearms training and bought himself a nice Glock and purchased sufficient ammunition to satisfy his comfort level. It’s a good start. He hits Army basic in South Carolina in May so he’ll be rifle proficient very soon.
A word of caution when buying used weapons though. there are (Biden)-ing wierdos out there selling all kinds of guns, cheap. If you are a Private Citizen of a particular State that is conducting a business transaction with another Private Citizen of the same State, there is no need to play silly games. I recently turned down an offer for a nice sounding gun, because the guy insisted on meeting in the parking lot of a local business, and was reluctant to let anyone know where he lived, was afraid it would lead to him being “raided”, etc, etc, yada, yada, yada....
That kind of person should be setting off your alarm bells, and anyone who has something to hide is probably not the guy you want to buy a used gun from. No telling what the history is, if it is stolen or has been used in a crime, and honest people who want to sell you a gun honestly don’t feed you a line of BS.
I also recommend you add “Boston’s Gun Bible” by Boston T. Party to your reading list. You won’t agree with everything he says, but his book is a must read for a layman trying to understand weapons, and it is entertaining and thought provoking to boot. Check Amazon, you can get it in paperback for under $12...
You are refuting my post without posting any actual reasons as to why I am in error.
My guess is you cannot.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.