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Now THAT's what I'm talking about!

Somebody thinking straight.

And yeah, you can't really count on the cops when the chips are down. They don't have anything at stake.

During the riots here, the Atlanta police flat out told the suburban community where I live now (didn't live there then) that they could not stop the mob from coming over the river bridge. The local vets broke out the Garands and the AR-15s and had the bridge boxed tight as a drum, dug in on the railroad embankment and in the woods above the north end of the bridge. A couple of bullets splatting on the approach convinced the rioters that it wasn't worth being a sitting duck all the way across 150 yards of concrete bridge with no cover. So nobody got killed and everybody went home. The county sheriff's office gave them their blessing, which was kind of funny. The old guys are still talking about it (which is how I heard the story). Kind of a last hurrah for a bunch of old Nam and Korea (and a couple of WWII) vets.

At the time, we lived in downtown Atlanta but in a little wooded enclave on a dead end street off a dead end street. No bus lines and only one way in or out, didn't figure anybody would bother us and they didn't (we were nevertheless ready, though a bit nervous because the house wasn't very defensible).

"The problem with all these stories about last stands in houses is that sooner or later somebody sets the house on fire."

-C.S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy

Many moons ago we had a racial dust up caused by a police shooting of a couple of “West Indian” perps who were attempting to kill the cops. The perps developed severe lead poisoning, leakage problems, and one died. The usual rabble rousers came out of the woodwork and the Rev. Jesse Jackson said he was coming out (and it wasn't to put out fires, either). He was politely told not to come (and reconsidered).

My neighbors and I broke out the artillery and it was cocked and locked and loaded. My weapon of choice was an M1C Sniper's rifle (caliber .30-06) and an M1911A1 pistol (caliber .45 ACP). After several days, the rabble quieted down and no further shots were fired. However, the mere presence of the arms and an obvious will to use them must’ve been sobering to the usual suspects.