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.
I didn’t intend to spend the money on extra handgun ammo. But I did anyways. Simply because it might be harder to obtain.
I was purchasing extra magazines. I got most of what I wanted. Now they are sold out, again. I may buy a couple of more but those are only for the gun locker queens.
Hope I can get a bit more rifle ammo. Only because I expect it to be in short supply and it already is, too.
OK, now I really gotta run. Running late but all is good.
Good start because CW2 on way.
The “generic utility shotgun” is a Remington 870, Mossberg 500, or similar. High end stuff is for specialized use or collections.
For what it’s worth the AR platform is both getting very affordable and also a bit arcane with all sorts of configurations and price points. I don’t pretend to know enough on that front to mislead anyone...
Welcome to Our War, pal.
Better get a Battle Rifle and a decent combat shotgun too.
You’re going to need it.
“..The police have power but are being neutered....”
The police also have the power and the means to REMOVE these democrat communist mayors and city councils.
And I’d say they have a duty to do so, as well.
By Any Means Necessary, as the left likes to say.
It’s about time LEOs stand up and realize it.
Training and maintenance are extremely important. However, we should be careful suggesting that firing a revolver, for example, requires a PHD in use of firearms.
I remember an incident in San Francisco of all places where a homeowner had a revolver that had been on guard and untouched for, I think, 49 years. It worked flawlessly in stopping a criminal attack.
Also, there are several Freepers expressing an intention to get their first gun. I would advise all of them to ask their conservative friends for help. I have helped many friends by training them and educating them as to the various possibilities. You don't have to be the world's best expert to provide very valuable aid to friends who haven't paid attention to this topic in the past.
To those Freepers, just ask your friends whether they know anybody who could give you some tips on obtaining a firearm.
No offense meant, but I've worked in the firearm industry, and have trained with many of the most reputable experienced self-defense firearm trainers, for 20 years. I don't know much about much, and there's even much about firearms (long range shooting, which I am learning now), I don't know. I DO know about what is considered optimal for CQB, which is what home defense firearms usage is.
For every shot of 00 Buck you shoot, you have 9 .38 cal projectiles that will easily exit your home if not stopped by your target.
All guns are a good idea.
I suppose I’m largely talking to men here but please, please, get an AR and a few nearby friends that have them as well. Find chokepoints between your neighborhood and the bad part of town (bridges are good). At the very least understand how to build and defend checkpoints/barricades.
We are talking about mobs of lunatics in the thousands. They are not going to run off. If they progress things further and march into your area, you need to be ready to repel.
In a situation likely to have multiple attackers, I think I’d prefer magazine capacity over hole size.
...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.
Invariably, special ops forces around the world choose a variant of the M4 carbine as their primary weapon... Not handguns (those are "secondary," ie. backup weapons).
Just a few things to keep in mind when selecting a defensive firearm. A handgun may be your best choice.
Keeping one hand free
-To keep pressure on a wound (yours or someone else's)
-To open or close a door or window (house or automobile)
-To hold onto the steering wheel
-To shoot with your non-wounded hand
-To hold a flashlight
-To operate a mobile phone, camera, or radio
-To work house or car keys (the incident may start when you're returning in your car with your loved ones still inside the house)
-To activate a car remote starter. (You may have to bug out while under attack)
-To open more boxes of ammunition
Readiness
-You may need to position the firearm where it's readily available. John Correia from Active Self Protection shows plenty of videos where the individual would have been best served wearing their firearm on their person. Could you wear your long arm around your house?
-Shooting from bed is much easier with a handgun. Paul Harrell's 'Shooting from Bed' video is a must-see, between the comedy and the practicality.
Weapon Size
How wide are your doors, stairwells, and hallways? A long arm may be sub-optimal in your residence.
Nosy Neighbors
One advantage a handgun has with nosy neighbors is that you can take it back and forth to the range (or anywhere) without them knowing.
-The person you need to defend against may already live in your building or across the street. Do you want to let them know there's a long arm in your house when you're not home?
As for Special Ops, they're going into situations with teammates and against known bad guys. Your best play may be to slip away while concealing your firearm. It's hard to blend in and slip through a crowd of rioters while carrying a long arm.
Hard to get range time if ammo is hard to find.
Anyone who advocates using a pistol in a gunfight, when you could use a long gun, is full of shit.
Screw the background check. It does nothing.
Mossberg offers a reliable pump shotgun at a very reasonable price. Benelli is for the serious hunter who wants a work of art. Either will do the same work. A Remington 870 is great but more expensive than Mossberg. I think you want a pump gun, I see no real advantage to a semiauto and a double only gives you two shots, With a pump you can fire a round or two or five and then reload very quickly, just shove the rounds into the tube from below.
Of course if you anticipate facing a huge mob you may need to look at a real riot gun but no high dollar goose guns to hang over the mantle. A Bennelli is just too nice to shoot rats with.
Thanks for this info, I will look into Mossberg and the Remington 870.
whatever ... scared the hell outa me just looking at it
Look at the Lynx 12 by SDS Imports. Yes, it is Chinese made, but it is cheap and well made. Produced in a factory which has been making AK’s since 1977.
The Lynx 12 is a similar gun to the Saiga, but could be had (Pre riots) for $439.
It is a shotgun built on an AK platform. 12 round mags as fast as you can pull the trigger. Nothing much more devastating than that.
I don't mean to argue but in asymmetric warfare disguise may be your biggest asset. Carry a long arm and you're targeted a block away. With a hidden pistol and a "I Voted for Hillary" tee shirt, you can walk right through the crowd.
Battles and wars are one thing, starting them by shooting an Archduke and a Countess is another.
You’re not arguing with me. Every post I’ve made in this thread concerns HOME DEFENSE. THAT MEANS, USING A FIREARM INSIDE YOUR OWN HOME.
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