Posted on 06/19/2020 10:39:26 AM PDT by Kaslin
With weak mayors and powerless police, we have little choice but to take our safety into our own hands.
I bought a gun last weekend. It’s not a purchase I wanted to make, and I pray I never have to use it, but with mayhem recently engulfing cities across the United States, I and many others are biting the bullet and purchasing firearms.
Mine is a Springfield 9mm — something small enough to fit in my nightstand or under my driver’s seat should I have to visit one of America’s many war-torn cities. But it’s powerful enough to do the job.
I’ve pondered the purchase for years but always found a reason to put it off. The carnage that has rocked the country over the last couple of weeks, however, sealed the deal. After all, I have a duty to protect my family as best I can, and when the government’s protections begin to break down, a firearm becomes my only option.
It’s not that I have anything against guns — quite the opposite. I’m a big believer in the Second Amendment and have defended Americans’ right to bear arms in writing. But guns were such a fixture of my youth that, like a kid forced by overzealous parents to play baseball year after year, I walked away at my first opportunity.
My father was an independent gun dealer who had me shooting my Chipmunk rifle at four years old, and my mom’s second husband was an avid hunter and gun collector. By the time I was 17, I had shot nearly every gun imaginable, from derringer and Desert Eagle pistols to SKS rifles.
I suppose I enjoyed it all at one point, but it’s been 20 years since I fired a live round. I will be heading to the range this week to correct that error.
I seriously doubt I will get the same trigger rush as my gun-loving friends, but I’m not in this for the thrills. Knowing that if someone kicks in my door I have a fighting chance of defending my home is well worth an arduous hour or so at the range. In fact, I have come to view it as my civic responsibility as I witness, in real time, the unraveling of the societal structures that are supposed to ensure our safety.
For years, liberal politicians and their public relations officers in the mainstream media have attempted to repeal the constitutional right to bear arms protected by the Bill of Rights. We were told our juvenile fantasies of protecting ourselves from a tyrannical government were laughable, given the advanced technology of the U.S. military. You know, all that “What good is a rifle against a fighter jet?” nonsense.
But that’s an absurd framing of the issue, done purposely to deflect from the real reason gun owners so passionately cling to their Second Amendment rights: the gross incompetence of their respective local governments.
That incompetence has been abetted by liberal politicians and pundits who, while trying to strip Americans of their right to protect themselves, also demonized American law enforcement by obsessing over and flooding the media with extremely rare incidents of police brutality. They also, of course, ignored the heroic stories of cops risking their lives to save others.
The tragic combination of these two efforts is now playing itself out on the national stage as cities across the country grant license to mobs of looters and rioters, grifting on the heels of the horrific murder of George Floyd and wreaking havoc on minority communities. The predictable result: cities full of sitting ducks in the throes of national turmoil. Thus far, my town has remained immune from such insanity, but the way this madness is spreading, I fear it’s only a matter of time.
The nation’s most iconic newspaper is publishing op-eds calling for the dismantling of police departments across the country. While such thinking was previously confined to America’s most liberal enclaves, it has gained footholds in mid-America cities such as Denver and Nashville.
All the while, violence goes unchecked because America’s police forces either have been ordered to stand down or are paralyzed by the fear that if they do their jobs, the media will ruin their lives. Whatever the reason, I can no longer rely on the government for my safety, and every bad guy in America knows it. Sadly, the left’s concerted campaign against America’s cops is dangerously close to taking them down.
But there’s a silver lining: As America’s cities continue spiraling out of control, millions of Americans like me are exercising their rights and purchasing firearms, thus undoing decades of work by the left to restrict the gun rights of Americans. According to Business Insider:
Federal background checks increased 75% in May compared with 2019, a further acceleration from April’s 69% gain over the previous year, according to Cowen research. Handguns, in particular, were up 94%. Background checks are largely considered a proxy for gun purchases in the absence of more granular sales data.
With weak mayors and powerless police, we have little choice but to take our safety into our own hands.
A “Neutral” (they do not own a usable self-defense weapon) on the 2A FRiend of mine emailed me the other day and asked what kind of shotgun she and hubby should buy.
Shocked, (I NEVER expected her to ask me THAT question!) I responded: “20 GA Mossberg 500 pump and 100 rounds of #4 Buck. Get more ammo if you think you need it.”
Will find out tonight what they have done about it. I’ll also suggest they get a revolver and arrange for some range time.
Knowing how and when to use a hand gun requires a huge amount of range time. Buying one is just a first step. Pray that he becomes a strategic thinker, fast and accurate with a well developed knowledge of his state and local laws.
A pump action shot gun would round out his security.
I get wanting one gun that does both, but if one truly thinks he made need a firearm to defend his life or others', I'd want the best tool for the job, which is a long gun, ie. AR-15. A shotgun is a distant 2nd.
LOL, slam on the brakes, “where’d it go?!”
Higher mag capacity, easier to shoot fast accurately, modern duty-quality projectiles have narrowed the gap between calibers.
but don’t give the police any reason to stop you.
AR-15
It’s probably a 25rd drum. Even those are ludricously huge.
With practice, unclouded mind and situational awareness, you would not believe the sense of calmness you have when imminent danger is at hand.
OK...I’ll tell it. I was dog-sitting my son’s house several years ago. My son was on vacation and had a lot of valuable items in his house and a lot of “friends” knew he was on vacay. It was 3am, the dog was on the bed. All of a sudden the dog yipped one time to the sound of shattering glass. I very quickly came to my senses and grabbed my gun on the nightstand next to me. No other sounds. I tippy-toed downstairs because he has a walkout. NOTHING. I came back upstairs in the dark and heard no further sounds. I finally decided to turn on the kitchen light. I looked over at the front door (with a tall side window next to it). That’s where I thought that I had heard the sound from. Sure enough...that was it. The dome light cover in the entranceway had fallen from above and shattered on the tile floor. HOW did this happen? Dunno. I blamed it on my deceased uncle Cliff playing tricks on me.
FEAR??? Not one second of FEAR with that gun in my hand. Music? OK....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIR6AAjEg5U
Think about it, if you are choosing a gun for a gunfight, to stop your opponent and defend your own life, you would be wise to look at what special ops chooses for that purpose. Invariably, special ops forces around the world choose a variant of the M4 carbine as their primary weapon. Not pump shotguns, not full caliber battle rifles (M14, FAL, G3). Not handguns (those are "secondary," ie. backup weapons).
” Ditto. Any recommendations out there?”
Remington 870 Wingmaster , 12 Gauge , Pump.
Affordable and reliable.
I will not make a new purchase because I don’t want to go into a database.
No, don’t get me wrong, you would be quite well equipped with a 12 ga pump, especially if you can’t, or don’t want to, spend the money on an AR. But, as I said, there’s a reason why professional gunfighters don’t choose them for anything other than blowing hinges off doors.
I had a friend shoot his toe off with a 9mm, just saying, lol.
But that is because they are allowed to shoot combatants that are known to not be innocent, but are hundreds of feet away.
For people in a home in town, a rifle is the least helpful gun. A shotgun or pistol is far better.
On the farm, rifles and shotguns are what we expected to use.
I don’t understand why you think one person will kick in your door instead of 1000.
Higher mag capacity. Pfft.
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.