"The reality here is that hey would probably deputize the lot of us."
No doubt. Idaho is a very different place than New Orleans. And a similar situation won't arise there, I'm pretty sure. It's a matter of choosing one's living place, I suppose.
I live in St. Paul, Minnesota. One would be hard-pressed to organize neighbors here to defend their homes against law enforcement personnel. It would not happen, even though firearms ownership is very high in this state.
Different regions have different residents, it seems. I'm here for very good family reasons. My wife's parents are quite elderly, and need stuff done for them daily. They're staying independent and in their home only because my wife and I moved here last year. That is why we moved.
I'm very clear in my understanding of my situation here. In the case of a major disaster here, I would leave, with my wife and her parents and go elswhere. I do have places I can go and be received without question, and the plan is already in place for such an eventuality.
What is happening in New Orleans is quite predictable. Of course law enforcement is going to take folks' firearms. Anyone who thinks that would not happen in this situation is an idealist. Is it wrong? Of course it is wrong. Is there anything those residents can realistically do to prevent it? Absolutely not. Will the Bush administration put a stop to this confiscation of firearms? Of course not.
Idealism is a wonderful thing. Realism is far more practical on a day-to-day basis, especially in emergency situations.
I'm reading a lot of "lets you and him fight" posts in this and other threads. I note that those who are saying that they would stay and shoot any LEO who tried to make them leave or take their firearms are not in New Orleans right now. They're really not anywhere that puts them in that situation. It is easy to say things, but far more difficult to actually do them.
The guy on CNN this morning who declared, right in front of some LEO, with a dozen or more armed people in a truck nearby, is blustering. I do not expect that he will actually get into a firefight. He's expressing his anger and frustration, but he will end up leaving and his firearms will be taken. I mean, he's telling a cop standing right next to the reporter that he has a house full of arms. Stupid. He'll go.
Am I armed in my home? You bet I am. Am I out blowing hard about it? Absolutely not. Nor will I ever do so. In an emergency, where evacuation is called for, I will be gone before the rest are even starting to load their stuff. Among the things I will take with me are my arms. I'll duke it out later, in court, if necessary, but I'm not getting into some futile armed conflict with law enforcement. That way madness lies, at a minimum.
I'm too old for idealism. I have a wife and family to protect. Sometimes, doing that means taking the stuff and getting the heck out of town. I can be gone in less than 15 minutes. I'm always ready to leave.
.,..and thank God they did.
In their time, the line they drew in the sand, was when the big government of their day, on an organized and massive basis, came for their weapons. That's when they fought.
Now, the situation in New Orleans does not necessarily represent those same circumstances...but the seeds are there and we'd best be ever more vigilant.