Thursday, April 30, 2009
Insert Title of Your Choice Here
Link;
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=8&f=15&t=358156
Court: 2nd Amendment trumps local gun limits
Described as 'protection against government degenerating into tyranny'
WORLD NET DAILY
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California has ruled that the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms is "deeply rooted in this nation's history and tradition" and long has been regarded as the "true palladium of liberty," so it therefore must be applied against state and local government weapon restrictions as well as federal gun limits.
The ruling came in a decade-old dispute over a private operation's request to hold a gun show at a county fairground, even though the county prohibited gun possession at its facilities.
The new ruling from the usually liberal 9th Circuit said Alameda County in California was allowed to ban guns at its facilities, but in general the 2nd Amendment provision for Americans to keep and bear arms applies not to just federal gun limits but local rules as well.
"This could be big, folks," wrote Kurt Hofmann at the St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner.
"In Nordyke v. King … we may very well be seeing the beginning of the end of that very unsatisfactory set of circumstances, wherein state and local governments need not so much as pay lip service to the 2nd Amendment," he continued. "In the 9th Circuit, in fact, that end has indeed arrived.
"This development is very significant, because the 9th is the largest, and thus one of the most important, federal circuit courts. It is also considered the most 'liberal,' and thus perhaps the most resistant to protecting the right to keep and bear arms," he continued.
Hofmann cited a concurring opinion by Judge Ronald M. Gould, who wrote that nothing less than the security of the nation – a defense against both external and internal threats – rests on the provision.
"The right to bear arms is a bulwark against external invasion. We should not be overconfident that oceans on our east and west coasts alone can preserve security," Gould wrote. "We recently saw in the case of the terrorist attack on Mumbai that terrorists may enter a country covertly by ocean routes, landing in small craft and then assembling to wreak havoc. That we have a lawfully armed populace adds a measure of security for all of us and makes it less likely that a band of terrorists could make headway in an attack on any community before more professional forces arrived. Second, the right to bear arms is a protection against the possibility that even our own government could degenerate into tyranny, and though this may seem unlikely, this possibility should be guarded against with individual diligence."
The court opinion this week said, "We therefore conclude that the right to keep and bear arms is 'deeply rooted in this nation's history and tradition.'
"Colonial revolutionaries, the Founders, and a host of commentators and lawmakers living during the first one hundred years of the Republic all insisted on the fundamental nature of the right. It has long been regarded as the 'true palladium of liberty.' Colonists relied on it to assert and to win their independence, and the victorious Union sought to prevent a recalcitrant South from abridging it less than a century later," the court continued.
"The crucial role this deeply rooted right has played in our birth and history compels us to recognize that it is indeed fundamental, that it is necessary to the Anglo-American conception of ordered liberty that we have inherited. We are therefore persuaded that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment incorporates the Second Amendment and applies it against the states and local governments," the opinion said.
The court previously had ruled exactly the opposite way, but it said the U.S. Supreme Court's Heller decision, which confirmed that the 2nd Amendment right is personal as well as collective, prompted the reversal.
At Poligazette, a commentator noted it is a major victory for the pro-gun position.
And another Gun Rights Examiner writer, David Codrea, said, "This is big – especially coming from the 9th Circuit, notorious for its hostility to gun rights. Look for an appeal. And then look to see if the Supreme Court agrees to hear it."
Technically the county cannot appeal, since its policy to restrict guns on county property was upheld. But the plaintiffs, Russell and Sallie Nordyke, could appeal on behalf of their gun show operation.
The 2nd Amendment states: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
"This necessary 'right of the people' existed before the Second Amendment as 'one of the fundamental rights of Englishmen,'" the ruling said. "Heller identified several reasons why the militia was considered 'necessary to the security of a free state.' First, 'it is useful in repelling invasions and suppressing insurrections. Second, it renders large standing armies unnecessary . . . . Third, when the able-bodied men of a nation are trained in arms and organized, they are better able to resist tyranny."
The decision appears to run counter to the general direction sought by the administration of President Obama three months into his tenure.
He's already advocated for a treaty that would require a federal license for hunters to reload their ammunition, has expressed a desire to ban "assault" weapons, has seen a plan to require handgun owners to submit to mental health evaluations and sparked a rush on ammunition purchases with his history of anti-gun positions.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=8&f=15&t=358156
Court: 2nd Amendment trumps local gun limits
Described as 'protection against government degenerating into tyranny'
WORLD NET DAILY
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California has ruled that the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms is "deeply rooted in this nation's history and tradition" and long has been regarded as the "true palladium of liberty," so it therefore must be applied against state and local government weapon restrictions as well as federal gun limits.
The ruling came in a decade-old dispute over a private operation's request to hold a gun show at a county fairground, even though the county prohibited gun possession at its facilities.
The new ruling from the usually liberal 9th Circuit said Alameda County in California was allowed to ban guns at its facilities, but in general the 2nd Amendment provision for Americans to keep and bear arms applies not to just federal gun limits but local rules as well.
"This could be big, folks," wrote Kurt Hofmann at the St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner.
"In Nordyke v. King … we may very well be seeing the beginning of the end of that very unsatisfactory set of circumstances, wherein state and local governments need not so much as pay lip service to the 2nd Amendment," he continued. "In the 9th Circuit, in fact, that end has indeed arrived.
"This development is very significant, because the 9th is the largest, and thus one of the most important, federal circuit courts. It is also considered the most 'liberal,' and thus perhaps the most resistant to protecting the right to keep and bear arms," he continued.
Hofmann cited a concurring opinion by Judge Ronald M. Gould, who wrote that nothing less than the security of the nation – a defense against both external and internal threats – rests on the provision.
"The right to bear arms is a bulwark against external invasion. We should not be overconfident that oceans on our east and west coasts alone can preserve security," Gould wrote. "We recently saw in the case of the terrorist attack on Mumbai that terrorists may enter a country covertly by ocean routes, landing in small craft and then assembling to wreak havoc. That we have a lawfully armed populace adds a measure of security for all of us and makes it less likely that a band of terrorists could make headway in an attack on any community before more professional forces arrived. Second, the right to bear arms is a protection against the possibility that even our own government could degenerate into tyranny, and though this may seem unlikely, this possibility should be guarded against with individual diligence."
The court opinion this week said, "We therefore conclude that the right to keep and bear arms is 'deeply rooted in this nation's history and tradition.'
"Colonial revolutionaries, the Founders, and a host of commentators and lawmakers living during the first one hundred years of the Republic all insisted on the fundamental nature of the right. It has long been regarded as the 'true palladium of liberty.' Colonists relied on it to assert and to win their independence, and the victorious Union sought to prevent a recalcitrant South from abridging it less than a century later," the court continued.
"The crucial role this deeply rooted right has played in our birth and history compels us to recognize that it is indeed fundamental, that it is necessary to the Anglo-American conception of ordered liberty that we have inherited. We are therefore persuaded that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment incorporates the Second Amendment and applies it against the states and local governments," the opinion said.
The court previously had ruled exactly the opposite way, but it said the U.S. Supreme Court's Heller decision, which confirmed that the 2nd Amendment right is personal as well as collective, prompted the reversal.
At Poligazette, a commentator noted it is a major victory for the pro-gun position.
And another Gun Rights Examiner writer, David Codrea, said, "This is big – especially coming from the 9th Circuit, notorious for its hostility to gun rights. Look for an appeal. And then look to see if the Supreme Court agrees to hear it."
Technically the county cannot appeal, since its policy to restrict guns on county property was upheld. But the plaintiffs, Russell and Sallie Nordyke, could appeal on behalf of their gun show operation.
The 2nd Amendment states: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
"This necessary 'right of the people' existed before the Second Amendment as 'one of the fundamental rights of Englishmen,'" the ruling said. "Heller identified several reasons why the militia was considered 'necessary to the security of a free state.' First, 'it is useful in repelling invasions and suppressing insurrections. Second, it renders large standing armies unnecessary . . . . Third, when the able-bodied men of a nation are trained in arms and organized, they are better able to resist tyranny."
The decision appears to run counter to the general direction sought by the administration of President Obama three months into his tenure.
He's already advocated for a treaty that would require a federal license for hunters to reload their ammunition, has expressed a desire to ban "assault" weapons, has seen a plan to require handgun owners to submit to mental health evaluations and sparked a rush on ammunition purchases with his history of anti-gun positions.
Cooking from Scratch
Hermit got me thinking about this a couple of days ago. Guess I will talk about some of my cooking experiences and maybe a few thoughts at the end.
I learned to cook in scouts. Start doing a lot of camping and pretty quickly we wanted to eat real food. You get bored of instant oatmeal, pb&j sandwiches, top ramen and canned goods. We started cooking simple stuff like eggs and stew and it all went from there. A few batches of burned eggs and some other weirdly cooked stuff and eventually it got figured out.
This lead to me starting to cook at home a little bit. Using a real stove and having more ingredients helped some and pretty quick I made a wicked breakfast. Pretty quickly when we went to some cabins for trips I was in charge of cooking breakfast. If it can be cooked on a campfire or a dutch oven odds are I can do a B- job at it.
Somewhere along the line I started lifting weights a lot (became a meat head for a few years before I really had to run for work) and started eating a lot of chicken. I wanted that chicken to not taste like bland boiled crap so I started trying different things. I make pretty darn good chicken. Aside from picking up the ability to get the most out of cheap steak (college) and cooking other normal stuff like: tacos, spaghetti, burgers, and other normal stuff. This is the stage of cooking I stayed at until about a year ago.
As my paranoia picked up last year I started wanting to make stuff out of the assorted staples I had stocked up on. Making things with rice is pretty simple, cook the rice and throw a bit of your favorite sauce on it and chow down. Beans were more complicated. I did a few batches in the thermos with varying degrees of success and pretty much gave up. Between getting done with school, getting hitched and starting working I was pretty busy there for awhile.
Once we got here we realized the high cost of pre packaged prepared crap food. My wife got the idea that we need to cook from scratch into her head and has been going at it with a vengeance. We have been eating from scratch for a couple months or so. She makes biscuits, cornbread, bread, hamburger buns, tortillas and all sorts of other stuff. She has figured out the cheapest ways to do just about everything and I have paid a bit of attention. I can cook more stuff then I could before and she can cook a lot.
We eat better than before on far less money. Dinners average 5-7 dollars if they have meat and far less without. That is for a meat of some kind, a starch and some veggies usually with enough for me to eat another meal in leftovers. She buys meat in bigger packaged (5-10 lbs) then it gets cut into more manageable pieces (2-3 pounds) and food saved. This lets her take advantage of sales and we tend to have a decent amount of meat in the freezer. It is nice to be able to cook burgers or pork chops or whatever out of the blue.
There is one big improvements we need to make in terms of our cooking/ food storage plans. The first is that we are not doing a good job of rotating food from the stash. Most of the extra food is in a couple of contico/ rubbermade containers in a very inconvenient location. This just makes it impractical to go grab that can of green beans you know you have instead of just getting another one. Lesson: If it is inconvenient to rotate food you will not do it. The stuff lasts for a long time so it isn't a huge worry but it is something to fix for the next time. Some cansolidator like shelving units will fix this problem. This will happen at the next place we live.
Other then that the next step is to start stocking bulk grains and such. Getting some sort of a grinder to make our own flour will be an adventure. Also the security that will come from having a dozen or so five gallon buckets of bulk grains will be nice. This would happen now but I would not be around long enough to use the grinder for very long before we move again. This also will happen at out next residence.
One of the few benefits of moving all the time is that it makes for an easy timeline to start new projects and such.
Thoughts?
Come Check Out the Nutrimill Wheat Grinder - Available Now at Our Happy Homestead!
I learned to cook in scouts. Start doing a lot of camping and pretty quickly we wanted to eat real food. You get bored of instant oatmeal, pb&j sandwiches, top ramen and canned goods. We started cooking simple stuff like eggs and stew and it all went from there. A few batches of burned eggs and some other weirdly cooked stuff and eventually it got figured out.
This lead to me starting to cook at home a little bit. Using a real stove and having more ingredients helped some and pretty quick I made a wicked breakfast. Pretty quickly when we went to some cabins for trips I was in charge of cooking breakfast. If it can be cooked on a campfire or a dutch oven odds are I can do a B- job at it.
Somewhere along the line I started lifting weights a lot (became a meat head for a few years before I really had to run for work) and started eating a lot of chicken. I wanted that chicken to not taste like bland boiled crap so I started trying different things. I make pretty darn good chicken. Aside from picking up the ability to get the most out of cheap steak (college) and cooking other normal stuff like: tacos, spaghetti, burgers, and other normal stuff. This is the stage of cooking I stayed at until about a year ago.
As my paranoia picked up last year I started wanting to make stuff out of the assorted staples I had stocked up on. Making things with rice is pretty simple, cook the rice and throw a bit of your favorite sauce on it and chow down. Beans were more complicated. I did a few batches in the thermos with varying degrees of success and pretty much gave up. Between getting done with school, getting hitched and starting working I was pretty busy there for awhile.
Once we got here we realized the high cost of pre packaged prepared crap food. My wife got the idea that we need to cook from scratch into her head and has been going at it with a vengeance. We have been eating from scratch for a couple months or so. She makes biscuits, cornbread, bread, hamburger buns, tortillas and all sorts of other stuff. She has figured out the cheapest ways to do just about everything and I have paid a bit of attention. I can cook more stuff then I could before and she can cook a lot.
We eat better than before on far less money. Dinners average 5-7 dollars if they have meat and far less without. That is for a meat of some kind, a starch and some veggies usually with enough for me to eat another meal in leftovers. She buys meat in bigger packaged (5-10 lbs) then it gets cut into more manageable pieces (2-3 pounds) and food saved. This lets her take advantage of sales and we tend to have a decent amount of meat in the freezer. It is nice to be able to cook burgers or pork chops or whatever out of the blue.
There is one big improvements we need to make in terms of our cooking/ food storage plans. The first is that we are not doing a good job of rotating food from the stash. Most of the extra food is in a couple of contico/ rubbermade containers in a very inconvenient location. This just makes it impractical to go grab that can of green beans you know you have instead of just getting another one. Lesson: If it is inconvenient to rotate food you will not do it. The stuff lasts for a long time so it isn't a huge worry but it is something to fix for the next time. Some cansolidator like shelving units will fix this problem. This will happen at the next place we live.
Other then that the next step is to start stocking bulk grains and such. Getting some sort of a grinder to make our own flour will be an adventure. Also the security that will come from having a dozen or so five gallon buckets of bulk grains will be nice. This would happen now but I would not be around long enough to use the grinder for very long before we move again. This also will happen at out next residence.
One of the few benefits of moving all the time is that it makes for an easy timeline to start new projects and such.
Thoughts?
Come Check Out the Nutrimill Wheat Grinder - Available Now at Our Happy Homestead!
Cheap Food
Tonight we had sausage and pancakes for dinner. It cost about $4.50 and there are leftovers, would have been a lot less if we had cooked half the pack of sausage. I like to roll my sausage up in pancakes and dip the whole thing in syrup. I will probably have some of the leftovers for breakfast. Sometimes it is nice to have breakfast for dinner and it is cheap to boot. Dinner these days costs 5-7 dollars total if we eat meat and far less if we do not. Of course this could be done a lot cheaper but we do not have the need or desire to do that. For less than the price of a frozen pizza we had a great dinner tonight.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
China is Buying Gold. Are You?
China admits to stocking up on gold. I also admit to stocking up on gold.
If you are doing OK on food, medicine, arms and ammo with some cash left over it would be a good idea to get some gold (and silver). I currently split the cash going towards precious metals more or less equally between silver and gold and it is working pretty well for me. Somewhere down the road in a few years once we have enough silver it will just be gold.
If you are doing OK on food, medicine, arms and ammo with some cash left over it would be a good idea to get some gold (and silver). I currently split the cash going towards precious metals more or less equally between silver and gold and it is working pretty well for me. Somewhere down the road in a few years once we have enough silver it will just be gold.
I Told You So... Again?
A while back, I wrote a little post about our good friend Maggie from the TSLBF realizing the problems with government. Well, sometimes the libertarian gods need to drive my point home. Unfortunately for Maggie, this appears to be one of those times. Just when you think the government has fucked up as much as they can, they kill your water, and trap you in your house. Thanks to recent events, I think Maggie might have gone from crying socialist to angry libertarian.
Regardless, the only thing better than saying "I told you so" is being able to say, "I told you so... Again."
Regardless, the only thing better than saying "I told you so" is being able to say, "I told you so... Again."
Quote of the Day
"Obviously, the most important of all those issues is getting the economy moving forward again. The White House will argue that passing the $787 billion stimulus bill was the biggest accomplishment in the first 100 days.
But getting a Democratic-controlled Congress to spend money on pet projects is easy. Congress loves to spend taxpayers' money and create programs...
Will it work? Who knows? How do we pay for it? Who knows? Will it create 3 million jobs? Who knows?"
Ed Rollins
But getting a Democratic-controlled Congress to spend money on pet projects is easy. Congress loves to spend taxpayers' money and create programs...
Will it work? Who knows? How do we pay for it? Who knows? Will it create 3 million jobs? Who knows?"
Ed Rollins
Living in a Travel Trailer and Women
Mickey wrote a darn good post about the motivations which lead to his lifestyle choice. He is more or less going with the Dakin plan of gentile poverty. Not that Dakin invented it but he definitely coined my favorite description for it and thus gets mentioned.
The post also briefly touched on the topic of women. First of all I want to say that I like boobs a whole lot. That has nothing to do with anything except women have them and my random thought generator is on high today. Anyway I am coming to see through a variety of different areas (peoples posts, comments, etc) that some essential topics need to be revisited from time to time. While readership on most blogs doesn't change that much month to month we do need to realize that individual readers come and go. It might not be a bad idea to post on some key topics from time to time, maybe quarterly.
I hear two typical gripes when it comes to survivalists griping about their wives. (To a much smaller degree women readers griping about their husbands in the same context.) The first is rather small and simple. It goes something like "I want to get (enter the name of a relatively low priced item) but my wife vetoed it". I have a couple thoughts about this. First of all there is a real simple answer to this, personal money. We do this and I can't see how any marriage survives without it. This is money that you both get to do whatever you want no questions asked. Spend it on good tasting lip gloss, hair products, shotgun shells or high capacity magazines or save it. The point of this is that you can do whatever you want with it. Survivalism aside I strongly suggest implementing this plan. Want a rifle or a dozen machetes but the wife is not on board? Save up your pocket money and get it.
For slightly larger (say a few hundred dollars but + - depending on your finances) items here is another idea, I bet she wants something also. Within the limits of your finances she is a lot more likely to be willing to allocate resources towards that sweet new whatever if she just got something nice. I have an awesome Wife who really asks for very little in terms of material goods but when she asks for something the answer is almost invariably yes. I think that a culture of both of you getting the reasonable things you want and can afford breeds a sort of good nature about it. This week we are spending cash on what you want but last week I got that spam can of ammo or whatever. I do know for certain that the fastest way to get a spouse to start being nit picky about that stuff is to do that to them.
Why don't guys do this I often ask myself? I think part of the answer is that one can look at survivalism as essential and thus not a hobby and thus something which falls outside the compromising realm (nothing in marriage falls outside the compromise realm). With small reoccurring expenses like extra canned goods or a few blue 5 gallon water jugs in my experience it is usually a non issue. Unless we are shorter then normal me picking up something on a trip to the store is a given. I think it is more important to focus on your desired end state of getting the preps you want instead of thinking about and arguing principle. I have chosen this path and it has worked out pretty well for me. If some nice stuff appears in her jewelry box (or whatever else she likes) odds are the ruggedly awesome you have been wanting Mosin Nagant will show up in the closet.
This pretty much covers my thoughts on how to deal with the smaller issues.
Ironically from what I see no issues seem to come up between a few hundred bucks and a massive and total change in lifestyle namely moving to a trailer in the middle of nowhere. All I can say about that is if both parties are really not 100% on board with it that dog isn't going to hunt.
Wifey and I have talked about this in a combination of a conceptual discussion and our own experiences with preparedness finances. Somewhere down the road she will write on the matter. I/We were lucky that my paranoia was fully developed when we entered into marriage. For better or worse all the cards were on the table before hand. I do not suggest revealing your paranoia on a first date but somewhere between that and promising to spend the rest of your natural life with someone it would be a good thing to have some serious conversations about.
For those of you who got all nuts after making lifelong vows and the spouse isn't on board with the whole thing. Aside from the basics of what I said above I do have a couple suggestions. First start gradually: a few cans of food and a couple gallons of water at the grocery store, a couple boxes of ammo for your ccw/ bedroom handgun, a bit of emergency cash in the sock drawer. Gradually increasing the size and scope of your paranoia's impact on life will give her some time to get used to it.
Also I have had pretty good luck with explaining exactly what I want to get and why I want to get it. Someone who sees a need for say clean water is a lot more likely to be OK with some cash disappearing from the bank account for a water filter.
Oh yeah, I am sorry if it seemed like I was picking at anyone or anything like that or if it came off as know it all. I am just putting what I have experienced (or observed) that works and doesn't work.
How does it work in your house? If it doesn't work then why doesn't it?
The post also briefly touched on the topic of women. First of all I want to say that I like boobs a whole lot. That has nothing to do with anything except women have them and my random thought generator is on high today. Anyway I am coming to see through a variety of different areas (peoples posts, comments, etc) that some essential topics need to be revisited from time to time. While readership on most blogs doesn't change that much month to month we do need to realize that individual readers come and go. It might not be a bad idea to post on some key topics from time to time, maybe quarterly.
I hear two typical gripes when it comes to survivalists griping about their wives. (To a much smaller degree women readers griping about their husbands in the same context.) The first is rather small and simple. It goes something like "I want to get (enter the name of a relatively low priced item) but my wife vetoed it". I have a couple thoughts about this. First of all there is a real simple answer to this, personal money. We do this and I can't see how any marriage survives without it. This is money that you both get to do whatever you want no questions asked. Spend it on good tasting lip gloss, hair products, shotgun shells or high capacity magazines or save it. The point of this is that you can do whatever you want with it. Survivalism aside I strongly suggest implementing this plan. Want a rifle or a dozen machetes but the wife is not on board? Save up your pocket money and get it.
For slightly larger (say a few hundred dollars but + - depending on your finances) items here is another idea, I bet she wants something also. Within the limits of your finances she is a lot more likely to be willing to allocate resources towards that sweet new whatever if she just got something nice. I have an awesome Wife who really asks for very little in terms of material goods but when she asks for something the answer is almost invariably yes. I think that a culture of both of you getting the reasonable things you want and can afford breeds a sort of good nature about it. This week we are spending cash on what you want but last week I got that spam can of ammo or whatever. I do know for certain that the fastest way to get a spouse to start being nit picky about that stuff is to do that to them.
Why don't guys do this I often ask myself? I think part of the answer is that one can look at survivalism as essential and thus not a hobby and thus something which falls outside the compromising realm (nothing in marriage falls outside the compromise realm). With small reoccurring expenses like extra canned goods or a few blue 5 gallon water jugs in my experience it is usually a non issue. Unless we are shorter then normal me picking up something on a trip to the store is a given. I think it is more important to focus on your desired end state of getting the preps you want instead of thinking about and arguing principle. I have chosen this path and it has worked out pretty well for me. If some nice stuff appears in her jewelry box (or whatever else she likes) odds are the ruggedly awesome you have been wanting Mosin Nagant will show up in the closet.
This pretty much covers my thoughts on how to deal with the smaller issues.
Ironically from what I see no issues seem to come up between a few hundred bucks and a massive and total change in lifestyle namely moving to a trailer in the middle of nowhere. All I can say about that is if both parties are really not 100% on board with it that dog isn't going to hunt.
Wifey and I have talked about this in a combination of a conceptual discussion and our own experiences with preparedness finances. Somewhere down the road she will write on the matter. I/We were lucky that my paranoia was fully developed when we entered into marriage. For better or worse all the cards were on the table before hand. I do not suggest revealing your paranoia on a first date but somewhere between that and promising to spend the rest of your natural life with someone it would be a good thing to have some serious conversations about.
For those of you who got all nuts after making lifelong vows and the spouse isn't on board with the whole thing. Aside from the basics of what I said above I do have a couple suggestions. First start gradually: a few cans of food and a couple gallons of water at the grocery store, a couple boxes of ammo for your ccw/ bedroom handgun, a bit of emergency cash in the sock drawer. Gradually increasing the size and scope of your paranoia's impact on life will give her some time to get used to it.
Also I have had pretty good luck with explaining exactly what I want to get and why I want to get it. Someone who sees a need for say clean water is a lot more likely to be OK with some cash disappearing from the bank account for a water filter.
Oh yeah, I am sorry if it seemed like I was picking at anyone or anything like that or if it came off as know it all. I am just putting what I have experienced (or observed) that works and doesn't work.
How does it work in your house? If it doesn't work then why doesn't it?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Mexico's Awesome Response To Swine Flu
Rangerman or whoever is writing SHTF blog these days did a good albeit disturbing post on Mexico's response to the Swine Flu epidemic. I feel bad for Mexico, they really aren't catching any breaks these days.
I wish we had the easy going land of Taco's, big hats and great drinks back. While they aren't and will never be a serious danger to our nation their problems can complicate our lives for sure.
I wish we had the easy going land of Taco's, big hats and great drinks back. While they aren't and will never be a serious danger to our nation their problems can complicate our lives for sure.
Beautiful Women Wednsday- Anne Coultier
What is not to like about this gal? She is beautiful, smart as can be and a die hard conservative. Alas she leans a bit too the religious right instead of the easy going and fun libertarian camp but we can't all be perfect. So God gave her great legs instead of a strong desire to stay out of the personal affairs of others; we should try not to hold it against her.Before someone jumps all up in my ass I am going to say a couple things. First of all I think a lot of what she says is for shock value because shock = book sales= $$$$$$$$$. Second of all I don't agree with everything anyone does so that one reader who plans to dig up a psycho quote just chill out.
Anyway I am going to get to bed now.
Surviving a Pandemic
Hey Ryan,
I don't know if you remember me, my name is Will the owner of survival-spot.com. Anyways, just thought I'd update you on my new blog post, how to survive a flu outbreak. Thought it might be helpful to you.
http://www.survival-spot.com/survival-blog/survive-a-flu-outbreak/
Hope everything's going well,
Talk to you later
William
TOR here: I would add that the post looks pretty good but will add the specific advice NOT TO GO TO MEXICO.
I don't know if you remember me, my name is Will the owner of survival-spot.com. Anyways, just thought I'd update you on my new blog post, how to survive a flu outbreak. Thought it might be helpful to you.
http://www.survival-spot.com/
Hope everything's going well,
Talk to you later
William
TOR here: I would add that the post looks pretty good but will add the specific advice NOT TO GO TO MEXICO.
Positive and Negative Firearms Experiences with LEO's
My recent post linking to a Massad Ayoob article drew some spirited debate in a direction I had not expected. It got me to thinking about experiences with cops and guns. We all know there are some authoritarian jack boot thugs who hide behind badges and there are also some darn good people doing a tough job. The question is exactly how many of each exist. I do not think that answer will be solved by sharing my experiences or the highly unscientific comments section. In any case it will be interesting to get a sense of your experiences with cops and guns.
During my life as a firearm owner I have had several interactions with the police where a firearm was involved in some way. Almost all of them were me mentioning (as required by state law) that I am carrying a concealed weapon when somehow or another I end up interacting with a cop. The vast majority of these were resolved with a head nod, maybe asking if I've got my permit with me and once or twice asking to see my permit. There have however been two experiences that were a bit more noteworthy. It works out perfectly because one was positive and the other was negative.
The positive one started like almost every police interaction does with a normal traffic stop. I hadn't done anything wrong but the stater was running a DUI point. He pulled me over and there happened to be a pump shotgun lying on the passenger seat. He said something to the effect of "so you've got a shotgun" and I said "yeah it is empty, you can check if you want". He did not check and the rest of the conversation went on just fine. I had done nothing wrong but he would not have been within his rights to make the whole thing a real pain in the ass for me. The guy just being cool about the whole thing was enough that I still remember it positively several years later.
The negative experience was a bit more interesting. A few years ago there was a major storm back home which caused a huge blackout that lasted for a few days (or more in some areas). My mothers place has a wood stove so it was a pretty decent place to be staying. At the time Ryan rented a room in a nearby town where they were out of power. Since it was winter the temperature in a home without heat (they had electric heat) that place was not so comfortable. Also hearing his roomies scream at each other did not seem appealing. I invited him over to mom's place to at least stay warm until power was back on. That is an interesting little thing to think about but is mostly just setting the scene. Without TV or anything like that it got a bit boring as the evening went on. I would have gone to sleep but Ryan was used to working swing so was wide awake. I decided to stay up and we ended up going for a walk around our little home town. At one point we were walking along the main road and a cop car pulled up. Once she got out of the car I mentioned having a gun (lawfully concealed) and she asked where it was then told me to turn around with my hands behind my back. She got a bit of a shock when Ryan turned did the same thing. So she grabbed my thumbs, reached under my Carhart coat and took the 1911 out of the small of my back, stuffed it into the back of her belt and proceeded to do the same thing to Ryan. She then put our guns in her car and demanded to see our ID, permits, etc to call everything in. Through the whole time we were waiting for the person on the other end of the radio to check us out she was standing there all jittery and stuff. I wanted to say "lady, if we were crooks we would not have told you we where carrying guns. If we wanted to hurt you we would have done it before giving you the loaded pistols we were carrying" but decided against it. She was obviously jumpy and it would not have helped calm her down which was my goal. She was pretty new to the job and probably over reacted a little bit. Was this an enormous inconvenience? No it was not. Was she within her rights? I am sure she was.
Why did the whole thing bother me? I have been thinking about this question for most of the day. Really we were just detained for 10 minutes or so which since we were walking around and bullshitting wasn't a problem. In retrospect it really bothered me that I was treated like a dangerous criminal when in fact I was just a peaceable armed citizen. That this cops default setting was that someone who tells her they have a gun is a serious danger to her was insulting to me. If I had been a scumbag I would have said nothing and she would never have been the wiser, I was a good guy doing the right thing and it got me screwed with. If I would have wanted to harm that cop I would have called a 911 call in from a pre paid cell phone and said I was at one of the empty houses which butts up to the woods then been lying in wait with a rifle. Matter of factly as law abiding armed citizens who happened to be meandering through town if the only cop on duty got into trouble (town is pretty darn small) we would have been the best chance of help that could do anything except write a report.
Back towards your experiences. I am interested in your experiences and how they have shaped your perspective on law enforcement.
During my life as a firearm owner I have had several interactions with the police where a firearm was involved in some way. Almost all of them were me mentioning (as required by state law) that I am carrying a concealed weapon when somehow or another I end up interacting with a cop. The vast majority of these were resolved with a head nod, maybe asking if I've got my permit with me and once or twice asking to see my permit. There have however been two experiences that were a bit more noteworthy. It works out perfectly because one was positive and the other was negative.
The positive one started like almost every police interaction does with a normal traffic stop. I hadn't done anything wrong but the stater was running a DUI point. He pulled me over and there happened to be a pump shotgun lying on the passenger seat. He said something to the effect of "so you've got a shotgun" and I said "yeah it is empty, you can check if you want". He did not check and the rest of the conversation went on just fine. I had done nothing wrong but he would not have been within his rights to make the whole thing a real pain in the ass for me. The guy just being cool about the whole thing was enough that I still remember it positively several years later.
The negative experience was a bit more interesting. A few years ago there was a major storm back home which caused a huge blackout that lasted for a few days (or more in some areas). My mothers place has a wood stove so it was a pretty decent place to be staying. At the time Ryan rented a room in a nearby town where they were out of power. Since it was winter the temperature in a home without heat (they had electric heat) that place was not so comfortable. Also hearing his roomies scream at each other did not seem appealing. I invited him over to mom's place to at least stay warm until power was back on. That is an interesting little thing to think about but is mostly just setting the scene. Without TV or anything like that it got a bit boring as the evening went on. I would have gone to sleep but Ryan was used to working swing so was wide awake. I decided to stay up and we ended up going for a walk around our little home town. At one point we were walking along the main road and a cop car pulled up. Once she got out of the car I mentioned having a gun (lawfully concealed) and she asked where it was then told me to turn around with my hands behind my back. She got a bit of a shock when Ryan turned did the same thing. So she grabbed my thumbs, reached under my Carhart coat and took the 1911 out of the small of my back, stuffed it into the back of her belt and proceeded to do the same thing to Ryan. She then put our guns in her car and demanded to see our ID, permits, etc to call everything in. Through the whole time we were waiting for the person on the other end of the radio to check us out she was standing there all jittery and stuff. I wanted to say "lady, if we were crooks we would not have told you we where carrying guns. If we wanted to hurt you we would have done it before giving you the loaded pistols we were carrying" but decided against it. She was obviously jumpy and it would not have helped calm her down which was my goal. She was pretty new to the job and probably over reacted a little bit. Was this an enormous inconvenience? No it was not. Was she within her rights? I am sure she was.
Why did the whole thing bother me? I have been thinking about this question for most of the day. Really we were just detained for 10 minutes or so which since we were walking around and bullshitting wasn't a problem. In retrospect it really bothered me that I was treated like a dangerous criminal when in fact I was just a peaceable armed citizen. That this cops default setting was that someone who tells her they have a gun is a serious danger to her was insulting to me. If I had been a scumbag I would have said nothing and she would never have been the wiser, I was a good guy doing the right thing and it got me screwed with. If I would have wanted to harm that cop I would have called a 911 call in from a pre paid cell phone and said I was at one of the empty houses which butts up to the woods then been lying in wait with a rifle. Matter of factly as law abiding armed citizens who happened to be meandering through town if the only cop on duty got into trouble (town is pretty darn small) we would have been the best chance of help that could do anything except write a report.
Back towards your experiences. I am interested in your experiences and how they have shaped your perspective on law enforcement.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Shopping Trip
They had Swiss Miss boxes of 8 pouches of hot chocolate for a quarter so I bought the last 5. Yeah it is April in the deep south but that is a good deal and I will probably use them eventually. Never know when a squad sized element will come over and want some hot chocolate.
quote of the day
"the subsidizing of bad decisions destroys one of the most effective sources of better decisions-- namely, paying the consequences of bad decisions."
-Thomas Sowell
-Thomas Sowell
Some info on the current ammo situation
Follow this link...
This passage in particular was thought provoking for me "the great unknown is what demand will be later in the year".
This passage in particular was thought provoking for me "the great unknown is what demand will be later in the year".
Hermit on Surplus Rifles and Ammo.
(TOR notes: Hermit was kind enough to help me out by writing a post on surplus rifles and ammo. I will make some comments in italics)
I first began collecting military surplus rifles in 1986. I’d just left the Marine Corps, and moved up into the
In the 1980’s, surplus military firearms were very cheap and there was a huge variety on the market to choose from. In a town 50 miles from our place, there was a general merchandise store that specialized in these older weapons. Not because there were many collectors about, but because the guns were cheap, reliable, and prized as useful tools by the local people. Money was in short supply and there was little enthusiasm for expensive hunting rifles. Hunting was a practical part of life, associated not with sport so much as with obtaining food. If a person could fill his freezer with meat using a 1903
On weekends, I’d drive down to this town with my wife. While she looked at things we needed for the household, I’d look at guns. The store had a layaway policy with no time limit and very liberal payment terms. They received shipments of surplus rifles frequently and the weapons were always in very good to excellent condition. The store manager was careful to keep a supply of the appropriate ammunition for any guns he sold, so affordable ammunition was never really an issue. Bearing in mind that most people bought one or two twenty round boxes for hunting season, it wasn’t difficult in those days to keep adequate quantities of ammo on hand.
If the main objective of your gun buying was not hunting, as was the case with me, then shooting relatively costly hollow point or soft point ammo at targets made little sense. Aware of this, the manager also kept military surplus ball ammo on hand at bargain basement prices. Through the late eighties and into the late 1990’s, surplus ammo was never a problem. You could get .30 carbine, 30-06, .308
By the end of the 1990’s, the older rifles were beginning to get harder to find and they became more costly. The General Store I frequented was purchased by a
When
Being a smart guy who watches the tide of events Hermit was able to get some relatively last minute ammo before the window was closed and supplies ran out. Broadly speaking last minute plans have a pretty high chance of failure and should not be depended on.
I took the additional step of learning to reload, and acquiring the appropriate components and tools to do so. Reloading is not difficult to learn, not expensive to get started in, and is very rewarding. Not only does it furnish you with loaded rounds for your weapons independently of any action a repressive government may take, but it is an extremely satisfying and relaxing hobby. You get a lot for the money you spend on reloading. I know an individual who, like me, chose to live as far out in the bush and away from “society” as he could arrange. He maintains enough powder, bullets, brass and primers to satisfy any foreseeable need for the rest of his life, and he’s a shooter. Reloading gives you flexibility and independence.
One thing a wise man I knew told me is that you do not save money by reloading, however you do get to shoot a whole lot more;)
If you are considering buying a Mauser, a Mosin , an
TOR here: First of all lets give Hermit a big round of applause. He knows more about this subject than anybody I know. This post was interesting and informative. I would really like you to note that commonly available calibers can and do become unavailable. Supplies run out and government edicts can cut off supplies, sometimes with short notice.
As a final thought with every decision there are positives and negatives. The positives can be enjoyed and the negatives must be managed. The positives of surplus bolt guns is that they are accurate, readily available, super reliable and inexpensive. The negative (aside from minimal round capacity and slow rate of fire but that is another discussion) is that ammunition supplies can and do dry up for various reasons. If you can properly manage the negative by purchasing ample supplies of ammunition while it is inexpensively available and potentially reloading down the road owning surplus rifles will almost surely be a positive experience for you.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
quote of the day
"Why should taxpayers who live in apartments, perhaps because they did not feel that they could afford to buy a house, be forced to subsidize other people who could not afford to buy a house, but who went ahead and bought one anyway?"
-Thomas Sowell
I have been saying this in a less eloquent way for months.
-Thomas Sowell
I have been saying this in a less eloquent way for months.
Mantracker
Last night I stumbled onto this show on the TV. It was pretty interesting and I watched a few episodes. Here is a preview of one of the episodes I watched. It got me to thinking both as a survivalist and as an Infantryman about how I would deal with a situation like that "a tracker on horse back chasing me".
This show was pretty darn realistic except that it ended when the tracker physically touched the prey. In a world of projectile weapons that is a rather artificial constraint. I think it would be a far different (albeit darker and more aggressive in an American sort of way) game if they had paintball/airsoft/ simmunition guns.
How to deal with someone tracking you. I found an interesting site here. Whatever you think of the Rhodesian's they were probably the best at tracking people in a military context. Here is their cliff notes on anti tracking.
your trail.
From what I saw in the show people did well when they did the following:
1. Obscured their tracks by throwing cloth/ over sized socks over their footwear.
2. Stay off the road if they are close. You aren't going to move faster for longer then someone on horseback.
3. Use false routes (make some semi obvious tracks then go the other way) at convenient opportunities such as forks in the road.
4. Do anything that you think will delay them.
5. Use terrain that is prohibitive for movement on horseback or significantly slows it down. A good map recon is essential on this one. Maybe they can't follow you down the steep almost cliff but if they can just go an extra mile and use the trail you loose. A horse can do a lot of side tracking and still walk/ run people down.
6. If you need to get away from them move into thick and or steep terrain that is prohibitive to horses.
As for some darker less nice ideas.
1. Neutralize their transportation. Remember in Crocodile Dundee II when the gangsters were about to start chasing Mick Dundee and the first thing he did was shoot the radiator out of both of the trucks? Put them on foot and you are a long way towards even.
2. Anything you can do to delay them will put distance between you and them which is the goal. The farther behind they get the more likely you are to loose them. Punjee sticks at a good choke point could really slow them down. At a minimum if they detect the trap they will be a lot more cautious from then on.
3. Turn around back onto your own trail and bring the fight to them. Preferably do this when they are on an open trail with nowhere to go and you have a nice little hillside.
4. If you are in a large (5+) group consider leaving a couple lightly encumbered quicker people to conduct some some sort of a delaying action. Someone popping off a few shots (at least semi accurate) to pin them down is going to gain plenty of time to break contact while they use fire and maneuver to close with the suspected position or break contact and seek to move around it.
Not sure that anyone cared but those are pretty much my thoughts on this.
This show was pretty darn realistic except that it ended when the tracker physically touched the prey. In a world of projectile weapons that is a rather artificial constraint. I think it would be a far different (albeit darker and more aggressive in an American sort of way) game if they had paintball/airsoft/ simmunition guns.
How to deal with someone tracking you. I found an interesting site here. Whatever you think of the Rhodesian's they were probably the best at tracking people in a military context. Here is their cliff notes on anti tracking.
ANTI-TRACKING
The techniques for anti-tracking are as varied as your imagination. You may be the one being tracked some day, so give some thought to covering your trail. Here are some possibilities:
1. Wear the same boots as the enemy, if
2. Use animals or cattle to cover your
3. Move in the rain if possible.
4. Use streams and rivers, roads and
5. Walk on rocky or hard ground.
6. Move through villages to get lost in
7. Split up or bombshell and circle back
8. Brush out your tracks with bushes,
9. If dogs are after you, try using CS or
From what I saw in the show people did well when they did the following:
1. Obscured their tracks by throwing cloth/ over sized socks over their footwear.
2. Stay off the road if they are close. You aren't going to move faster for longer then someone on horseback.
3. Use false routes (make some semi obvious tracks then go the other way) at convenient opportunities such as forks in the road.
4. Do anything that you think will delay them.
5. Use terrain that is prohibitive for movement on horseback or significantly slows it down. A good map recon is essential on this one. Maybe they can't follow you down the steep almost cliff but if they can just go an extra mile and use the trail you loose. A horse can do a lot of side tracking and still walk/ run people down.
6. If you need to get away from them move into thick and or steep terrain that is prohibitive to horses.
As for some darker less nice ideas.
1. Neutralize their transportation. Remember in Crocodile Dundee II when the gangsters were about to start chasing Mick Dundee and the first thing he did was shoot the radiator out of both of the trucks? Put them on foot and you are a long way towards even.
2. Anything you can do to delay them will put distance between you and them which is the goal. The farther behind they get the more likely you are to loose them. Punjee sticks at a good choke point could really slow them down. At a minimum if they detect the trap they will be a lot more cautious from then on.
3. Turn around back onto your own trail and bring the fight to them. Preferably do this when they are on an open trail with nowhere to go and you have a nice little hillside.
4. If you are in a large (5+) group consider leaving a couple lightly encumbered quicker people to conduct some some sort of a delaying action. Someone popping off a few shots (at least semi accurate) to pin them down is going to gain plenty of time to break contact while they use fire and maneuver to close with the suspected position or break contact and seek to move around it.
Not sure that anyone cared but those are pretty much my thoughts on this.
Mid 20's Quiz
1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
Electricity. Hate paying it but cant live without it. Maybe soon I can afford solar panels haha (stolen from the person who I got this from. It used to be rent but I like this place so that is OK)
2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
We had dinner at a nice little Thai place today.
3. What do you really want to be doing right now?
Maybe something exciting but nothing is OK also.
4. How many colleges did you attend?
2, community college for a year then DFFGEHRFKIGUWE
5. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?
It was clean.
6. What are your thoughts on gas prices
Not too bad now. Going to go up when we eventually snap out of this recession.
7. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
Why do I need to go in today.
8. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
I am tired.
9. Do you miss being a child?
NO.
10. What errand/chore do you despise?
Um we currently live in a pretty 1950's style situation so I don't do much in the way of chores.
11. Get up early or sleep in?
Getting up early though I sleep in a bit on the weekend.
12. Have you found real love yet?
YES!
13. Favorite lunch meat?
Tuna or chicken.
14. What do you get every time you go into Wal-Mart?
Ammo if they have something I can use.
15. Beach or lake?
lake.
16. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
Not at all.
17. Sopranos or Desperate Housewives?
Sopranos.
18.What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
Kissinger.
19. Have you ever crashed your vehicle?
Got in a wreck almost a decade ago.
20. Ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
No but man I’ve always wanted to.
21. Ring tone?
a telephone.
22. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
No place that weird.
23. Somewhere in California you've never been and would like to go?
If I never had to go back to the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia that would be great.
23. Do you go to church?
Nope though we are planning to change that.
24. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?
New career.
25. How old are you?
Mid 20's.
26. Do you have a go-to person?
Duno what that is.
27. Are you where you want to be in life?
In some aspects of my life, yes, I am very happy. Other parts I would like to change.
28. Growing up, what were your favorite cartoons?
I was never that into cartoons.
29. What about you do you think has changed the most?
I don't get mad anymore. I also figure out how to get what I want then do so.
30. Looking back at high school were they the best years of your life?
Nope. Some fun stuff happened but too much teenage angst.
31. Are there times you still feel like a kid?
All the time.
32. Did you ever own troll dolls?
I think I had one.
33. Did you have a pager?
No, I did not sell drugs.
34. Where was the hang out spot when you were a teenager?
Probably my house.
35. Were you the type of kid you would want your children to hang out with?
In some aspects yes in others no.
36. Who do you think impacted your life the most?
close friends.
37. Was there a teacher or authority figure that stood out for you?
Not really anything outside the norm.
38. Do you tell stories that start with “when I was your age..."?
To the kids (guess 22 isn't a kid but I digress) at work I occasionally tell a story about when I was young like them.
Electricity. Hate paying it but cant live without it. Maybe soon I can afford solar panels haha (stolen from the person who I got this from. It used to be rent but I like this place so that is OK)
2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
We had dinner at a nice little Thai place today.
3. What do you really want to be doing right now?
Maybe something exciting but nothing is OK also.
4. How many colleges did you attend?
2, community college for a year then DFFGEHRFKIGUWE
5. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?
It was clean.
6. What are your thoughts on gas prices
Not too bad now. Going to go up when we eventually snap out of this recession.
7. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
Why do I need to go in today.
8. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
I am tired.
9. Do you miss being a child?
NO.
10. What errand/chore do you despise?
Um we currently live in a pretty 1950's style situation so I don't do much in the way of chores.
11. Get up early or sleep in?
Getting up early though I sleep in a bit on the weekend.
12. Have you found real love yet?
YES!
13. Favorite lunch meat?
Tuna or chicken.
14. What do you get every time you go into Wal-Mart?
Ammo if they have something I can use.
15. Beach or lake?
lake.
16. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
Not at all.
17. Sopranos or Desperate Housewives?
Sopranos.
18.What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
Kissinger.
19. Have you ever crashed your vehicle?
Got in a wreck almost a decade ago.
20. Ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
No but man I’ve always wanted to.
21. Ring tone?
a telephone.
22. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
No place that weird.
23. Somewhere in California you've never been and would like to go?
If I never had to go back to the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia that would be great.
23. Do you go to church?
Nope though we are planning to change that.
24. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?
New career.
25. How old are you?
Mid 20's.
26. Do you have a go-to person?
Duno what that is.
27. Are you where you want to be in life?
In some aspects of my life, yes, I am very happy. Other parts I would like to change.
28. Growing up, what were your favorite cartoons?
I was never that into cartoons.
29. What about you do you think has changed the most?
I don't get mad anymore. I also figure out how to get what I want then do so.
30. Looking back at high school were they the best years of your life?
Nope. Some fun stuff happened but too much teenage angst.
31. Are there times you still feel like a kid?
All the time.
32. Did you ever own troll dolls?
I think I had one.
33. Did you have a pager?
No, I did not sell drugs.
34. Where was the hang out spot when you were a teenager?
Probably my house.
35. Were you the type of kid you would want your children to hang out with?
In some aspects yes in others no.
36. Who do you think impacted your life the most?
close friends.
37. Was there a teacher or authority figure that stood out for you?
Not really anything outside the norm.
38. Do you tell stories that start with “when I was your age..."?
To the kids (guess 22 isn't a kid but I digress) at work I occasionally tell a story about when I was young like them.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
I Like This Plan
If you haven't noticed these days I stay away from political stuff as a rule. Unlike almost everything I hear in the news this made me a bit happy so it will be an exception to the rule.
President Obama calls for return to PAYGO rule to reduce federal deficits. I like this idea a whole lot. Unfortunately it doesn't include the current stimulus bills and deficit spending; some might say that is just a bit like a fellow chugging a whole bottle of whiskey then talking about plans for moderation.
President Obama calls for return to PAYGO rule to reduce federal deficits. I like this idea a whole lot. Unfortunately it doesn't include the current stimulus bills and deficit spending; some might say that is just a bit like a fellow chugging a whole bottle of whiskey then talking about plans for moderation.
Clearing Something Up- Washington State Open Carry
To be blunt I think Washington state gets a bad rap in some ways. Yeah Olympia and Seattle are full of hippies and such but it is not like the land magically changes into Utopian Libertarian land at the Idaho state line. In any case that is a topic for another day. Washington's status as an Open Carry state is the topic of today. I figured everyone knew the deal but recently stumbled onto a comment by someone who missed the memo.
Anyway Washington is an Open Carry state, period. It was an open carry state from frontier times until 1969 when they passed what amounts to a prohibition of open carry coupled with very vague rules about what constitutes "brandishing" in effect during this 25 or so year period if anyone felt intimidated by your weapon it was brandishing. A fairly recent (2006) series of police training bulletins following a state supreme court decision laid it out very clearly.
"mere possession of an openly carried handgun is not prohibited. In order to support an enforcement action under this law the officer must be able to articulate (describe in a convincing manner) malicious intent by the suspect or circumstances that reasonably cause alarm to the public. In either case, because open carry in Washington is presumably legal, the articulation must include something beyond mere, open possession."
More info here.
Anyway it is fine to open carry a handgun in Washington unless it is specifically prohibited by law. I am not a lawyer (and maybe don't have a clue what I am talking about so consult a professional blah blah blah standard disclaimer) but the training bulletins seem to lay it out pretty clear.
Anyway Washington is an Open Carry state, period. It was an open carry state from frontier times until 1969 when they passed what amounts to a prohibition of open carry coupled with very vague rules about what constitutes "brandishing" in effect during this 25 or so year period if anyone felt intimidated by your weapon it was brandishing. A fairly recent (2006) series of police training bulletins following a state supreme court decision laid it out very clearly.
"mere possession of an openly carried handgun is not prohibited. In order to support an enforcement action under this law the officer must be able to articulate (describe in a convincing manner) malicious intent by the suspect or circumstances that reasonably cause alarm to the public. In either case, because open carry in Washington is presumably legal, the articulation must include something beyond mere, open possession."
More info here.
Anyway it is fine to open carry a handgun in Washington unless it is specifically prohibited by law. I am not a lawyer (and maybe don't have a clue what I am talking about so consult a professional blah blah blah standard disclaimer) but the training bulletins seem to lay it out pretty clear.
Blog Friend Goes Open Access
Hermit decided to go open access so check it out. You might have read his blog and have almost surely seen some of his comments.
Weirdest Think I've Seen in Awhile
Today we were driving through the projects (wonderful urban planning of long ago put them right in the middle of main roads) and saw THREE PEOPLE RIDING HORSES! Yes they were riding horses down a major street and turned off into the projects, WTF?
Politically Correct basic 4
I am almost positive that I wrote about this at some point. In any case between talking about 30-30's and the insane explosion in the price of semi auto rifles and full capacity magazines it seems worth discussing it again.
Maybe you live in a place where gun ownership is greatly restricted. Maybe you are just getting into firearms ownership and are priced out of semi automatic rifles and pistols. Maybe you just plain like older simpler firearms. Enough maybe's.
I will speak in some generalities but this is specific enough that you will get a good idea of what I am thinking.
My intention with this post is to give a blueprint for a basic firearms battery that is readily affordable and could be owned legally anywhere in the nation (as always consult local laws blah blah blah).
Rifle: Marlin 30-30 or Mosin Nagant. If your budget is low and or you live in wide open spaces the Mosin Nagant would be the rifle for you. If the budget has a bit more flexibility and you live in a thickly forested area the Marlin 30-30 could be a better choice. Many factors could go into this decision but either way you are getting a darn good rifle.
Pistol: 4" .38/.357. These are super common and with a bit of looking a good used one can be had in the $300 range or a bit more depending on the manufacturer. A good compromise between price, concealability, shootability and of course legal anywhere you can have a gun. These pistols will not disappoint.
Shotgun: Plane Jane Remington 870 with a wood stock and an 18" barrel. These will do everything a super tricked out tactical CQB shotgun will but look just like Grandpa's old bird gun albeit with a shorter barrel.
.22: Plane Jane Ruger 10/22 with the standard 10 rd factory magazines.
This is not the cheapest or the "best" basic four but if you live in Kalifornia/ NY/ NJ it would be a good way to go.
Farmers Market- A Moderate Success
This morning we went to the farmers market. Maggy has been writing about the one back home and it has been motivating us. In any case we finally got to the farmers market this morning. It was a pretty bleak scene with a bunch of folks selling weird used crap and some probably stolen possibly fake gold chains and jewelry. There was one small vendor with whom we were able to do a reasonable amount of business. We got 6 ears of corn, a little box of strawberries and a big bag of sweet onions. I wanted to get some beans but that didn't happen. There was another big vendor there but they only seemed interested in selling large boxes of stuff and hundreds of pounds of greens. I would eat greens if I was hungry but otherwise they are not appetizing to me.
We spent 9 bucks and it was at least as good of a deal as we would have gotten at the grocery store. Also the food will surely be better and was locally (or at least regionally) produced which is a good thing.
The corn will get cooked up tomorrow night and the remainder will get picked at through the week. The strawberries will go together with some real whipped cream and fluffy biscuits (far better then crappy short cake). We will do this tomorrow with turkey burgers. Should be a darn good dinner.
Wifey's long term goal (which I totally agree with) is to entirely remove ourselves from the normal grocery store food chain in favor of a better local alternative. We will not be able to truly do this until she gets canning in a serious way and we have a full sized freezer but taking small steps now is a good thing. We should take a good step toward this at our next location. One of the nice things about moving all the time is that it makes it easy to have definite start times for implementing goals.
We spent 9 bucks and it was at least as good of a deal as we would have gotten at the grocery store. Also the food will surely be better and was locally (or at least regionally) produced which is a good thing.
The corn will get cooked up tomorrow night and the remainder will get picked at through the week. The strawberries will go together with some real whipped cream and fluffy biscuits (far better then crappy short cake). We will do this tomorrow with turkey burgers. Should be a darn good dinner.
Wifey's long term goal (which I totally agree with) is to entirely remove ourselves from the normal grocery store food chain in favor of a better local alternative. We will not be able to truly do this until she gets canning in a serious way and we have a full sized freezer but taking small steps now is a good thing. We should take a good step toward this at our next location. One of the nice things about moving all the time is that it makes it easy to have definite start times for implementing goals.
quote of the day
"Always bring a stick to a fist fight, always bring a knife to a stick fight, always bring a gun to a knife fight, whenever possible, avoid gun fights."
-Hermit
TOR here: I would take a stick (I like ax handles;) over a knife any day (maybe it is a nuance in my training but I could crack a skull way before someone could stab me) but broadly speaking Hermit makes a great point. Superior fire power is a good way to win fights.
-Hermit
TOR here: I would take a stick (I like ax handles;) over a knife any day (maybe it is a nuance in my training but I could crack a skull way before someone could stab me) but broadly speaking Hermit makes a great point. Superior fire power is a good way to win fights.
The Marlin 30-30
Today we ended up taking a spontaneous trip to Walmart. As always we cruised past the ammo section just to see what was there. I didn't want to pick up any more .357 JHP's for $30 so there was nothing there for me. I did however take a glance at the gun rack. Among the various bolt actions and hunting shotguns was a solitary Marlin 30-30. I don't remember the exact cost but if you walked in with $400 you could walk out with that rifle and at least a box of shells.
These old stand by's are kind of the stepchild of the survivalist rifles. They do not look tough with big magazines sticking out of the bottom like the AR and the AK. They are not super cheap like the Mosin Nagant. Somewhere between the "best" and the cheapest these great guns are largely forgotten. Massad Ayoob writes about them here.
These guns are quick to reload in comparison to bolt guns. This is a big advantage for two legged predators who tend to require multiple rapid shots at relatively close range. They hold a decent amount of shells for a non magazine fed rifle. They carry a cartridge that is sufficient for a wide variety of mid sized game and plenty for two legged predators.
Admittedly these guns can not be everything to everyone. Their biggest limiting factor is range with a top end in the 150 meter range depending on who is behind the gun and such. If you live in wide open regions like the Plains or Southwest these are not the best choice but for urban dwellers and those in thickly forested or brush country they could be a good choice.
If a magazine fed semi automatic rifle is out of your budget or inclination and the widely available surplus bolt guns do not give you a warm and fuzy then it would be wise to look hard at the Marlin 30-30.
These old stand by's are kind of the stepchild of the survivalist rifles. They do not look tough with big magazines sticking out of the bottom like the AR and the AK. They are not super cheap like the Mosin Nagant. Somewhere between the "best" and the cheapest these great guns are largely forgotten. Massad Ayoob writes about them here.
These guns are quick to reload in comparison to bolt guns. This is a big advantage for two legged predators who tend to require multiple rapid shots at relatively close range. They hold a decent amount of shells for a non magazine fed rifle. They carry a cartridge that is sufficient for a wide variety of mid sized game and plenty for two legged predators.
Admittedly these guns can not be everything to everyone. Their biggest limiting factor is range with a top end in the 150 meter range depending on who is behind the gun and such. If you live in wide open regions like the Plains or Southwest these are not the best choice but for urban dwellers and those in thickly forested or brush country they could be a good choice.
If a magazine fed semi automatic rifle is out of your budget or inclination and the widely available surplus bolt guns do not give you a warm and fuzy then it would be wise to look hard at the Marlin 30-30.
Friday, April 24, 2009
CMP Order Update 3
Got the copy of my military id faxed off to them today. The number worked fine and it went through OK. Twas just a pain to drive across town to get it done.
In any case all the stuff should now be in so hopefully soon they will send me some bullets soon. I sent them all the stuff long enough ago (months) so it would be great to get it finished out.
In any case all the stuff should now be in so hopefully soon they will send me some bullets soon. I sent them all the stuff long enough ago (months) so it would be great to get it finished out.
Marital Communication
Today we had a pretty interesting couple minutes here at the TOR place. It was nowhere near the laundry incident but things were tense and confusing for awhile.
I came home from work today at about 10:30 (once in a blue moon we get a sham day). Wifey was in another room and I asked if she wanted me to make her breakfast. [we sorta alternate occasionally making breakfast but it is not an expected thing by any means, she made eggs and toast yesterday.] Immediately she just started yelling. The yelling kept on for about a minute and I decided to head over there and see exactly why she was so angry that I offered to cook her food. Apparently she thought I said "what are you making for breakfast?".
This is a bit easier to laugh about than the laundry incident because it was resolved almost immediately and left neither of us angry.
I came home from work today at about 10:30 (once in a blue moon we get a sham day). Wifey was in another room and I asked if she wanted me to make her breakfast. [we sorta alternate occasionally making breakfast but it is not an expected thing by any means, she made eggs and toast yesterday.] Immediately she just started yelling. The yelling kept on for about a minute and I decided to head over there and see exactly why she was so angry that I offered to cook her food. Apparently she thought I said "what are you making for breakfast?".
This is a bit easier to laugh about than the laundry incident because it was resolved almost immediately and left neither of us angry.
To Buy Online or Local and Shotgun Ammo For Lower Budgets
Maggy asked me about places to purchase reasonably priced shotgun shells. It seems her stock of them is lower then she had thought. This lead me down the following train of thought.
First of all I started thinking about various online dealers. After that I thought a bit more towards her specific situation. While I don't know her exact defense budget my guess is that it is fairly modest.
The thought of whether to go mail order or purchase from local vendors came to mind. Technically speaking it is a pretty strait forward exercise. If a hypothetical box of 12 gauge ammo costs 6 dollars at the local store and 5 dollars from an online vendor with shipping for the amount you want at $35. This would mean you need to purchase more than 35 boxes of ammo for the lower cost of the shotgun shells to equal out the additional cost of shipping.
The downside of going through online vendors is that you need to purchase ammo in larger amounts. Instead of being able to pick up a couple boxes a paycheck and accumulating ammo over time you need to pay more at once.
If it is going to take you a long time to save up enough cash to purchase the amount of ammunition you want then it is probably better to just pick up a box here and there. If your neck of the woods goes all Katrina an envelope with the words "online ammo purchase" with some cash inside will not defend your hearth. Do consider that if you already have at least a modest amount of ammo (a couple/ few hundred rounds per gun) then odds are you will not get murdered by a baseball bat wielding thug with an empty gun in your hands.
If online dealers seem to be the best route for you I have had good experiences dealing with the following people: Cheaperthandirt, Aimsurplus, and J&Gsales. Though they don't sell ammo CDNN Investments is a good company with top notch customer service.
Back to Maggy and her lack of shotgun ammo. My specific suggestion to her was to take ten bucks a week (or $5 or $15, whatever) and put it in an envelope. When she goes to Walmart to check the sporting goods section for those 15 rd packs of buck and slugs that cost 8 or 9 bucks. I didn't do a ton of research but usually have a pretty good grasp of ammo prices and these are some of the best deals out there for shotgun ammo. They don't have these every time but they are pretty consistently there. Using this plan by the time you get to Walmart when they have these you should be able to pick up at least a couple of em.
If I recall correctly JWR suggested 100 rounds of buckshot and 50 slugs for those on a lower budget with a shotgun as their primary defensive weapon. I think these numbers seem pretty good and are ample for all but a genuine TEOTWAWKI.
First of all I started thinking about various online dealers. After that I thought a bit more towards her specific situation. While I don't know her exact defense budget my guess is that it is fairly modest.
The thought of whether to go mail order or purchase from local vendors came to mind. Technically speaking it is a pretty strait forward exercise. If a hypothetical box of 12 gauge ammo costs 6 dollars at the local store and 5 dollars from an online vendor with shipping for the amount you want at $35. This would mean you need to purchase more than 35 boxes of ammo for the lower cost of the shotgun shells to equal out the additional cost of shipping.
The downside of going through online vendors is that you need to purchase ammo in larger amounts. Instead of being able to pick up a couple boxes a paycheck and accumulating ammo over time you need to pay more at once.
If it is going to take you a long time to save up enough cash to purchase the amount of ammunition you want then it is probably better to just pick up a box here and there. If your neck of the woods goes all Katrina an envelope with the words "online ammo purchase" with some cash inside will not defend your hearth. Do consider that if you already have at least a modest amount of ammo (a couple/ few hundred rounds per gun) then odds are you will not get murdered by a baseball bat wielding thug with an empty gun in your hands.
If online dealers seem to be the best route for you I have had good experiences dealing with the following people: Cheaperthandirt, Aimsurplus, and J&Gsales. Though they don't sell ammo CDNN Investments is a good company with top notch customer service.
Back to Maggy and her lack of shotgun ammo. My specific suggestion to her was to take ten bucks a week (or $5 or $15, whatever) and put it in an envelope. When she goes to Walmart to check the sporting goods section for those 15 rd packs of buck and slugs that cost 8 or 9 bucks. I didn't do a ton of research but usually have a pretty good grasp of ammo prices and these are some of the best deals out there for shotgun ammo. They don't have these every time but they are pretty consistently there. Using this plan by the time you get to Walmart when they have these you should be able to pick up at least a couple of em.
If I recall correctly JWR suggested 100 rounds of buckshot and 50 slugs for those on a lower budget with a shotgun as their primary defensive weapon. I think these numbers seem pretty good and are ample for all but a genuine TEOTWAWKI.
Living in the South
I have done some observing and thinking about the benefits and drawbacks of living down here.
The good. Wifey saw a place with a house and a barn and a couple outbuildings on 30 acres for $80,000.
The bad. Wages down here are fairly low and more or less in line with the general decreased cost of living down here.
The ugly. It is really hard to tell if a place down here is decent or not before you live there for awhile. Once place down here where many people live is super sketchy. You just can't tell until you live there for awhile.
The good. Wifey saw a place with a house and a barn and a couple outbuildings on 30 acres for $80,000.
The bad. Wages down here are fairly low and more or less in line with the general decreased cost of living down here.
The ugly. It is really hard to tell if a place down here is decent or not before you live there for awhile. Once place down here where many people live is super sketchy. You just can't tell until you live there for awhile.
quote of the day
"I think every freeholder should have a rifle, pistol and shotgun for himself. His wife and daughters should have a pistol and shotgun they can handle each. His sons should have the same arms he has himself."
-Hermit
-Hermit
Thursday, April 23, 2009
I Told You So
One of my greatest pleasures in this life is rubbing a friends nose in the fact that they were wrong. It is why I get up in the morning. This might make me a worthless bastard, but I enjoy it, so I embrace it.
Regardless, it is time for my favorite holiday of the year... I Told You So Day (I am currently petitioning the federal government to make it a national holiday, but no luck). Well, here is my, I Told You So.
Maggie, of TSLBF fame, is well, not a Libertarian. She has, over the past few years went from a Lib-tard, to a moderate whiner. I think that is about to change. There are one group of people who have faith in the government, and it ability to do good. It is those people who have yet to be fucked by the government. Maggie just got to watch herself, and our hometown get fucked.
First off- I FUCKING TOLD YOU SO! Are you trying to tell me that the government, any government, no matter how good their intentions are, makes irrational rules which they aren't and cannot be held accountable for (outside of not electing them to fuck up again)? Are you saying that government, once it makes a bad choice, such as fucking up all the roads, is more likely to push further on, rather than admitting they were wrong, and fixing the problem? I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!
That said, what is going to happen? Well, Maggie says that they will put liens on peoples houses. She said that because she texted me, and that was my guess. To be honest, it sounds right to me, but I really have no idea what will happen if people dont pay this little tax. I doubt the government will take it lying down.
While writing this post, I took a walk with Helga the Commie... She is from the USSR, Siberia to be exact, and my hatred of the government is one of our favorite topics of conversation... That and how she was really happy growing up, and felt spoiled because she owned a hat... In winter... In Siberia. Regardless, I brought up the fact that Maggie might have finally seen the light and was moving into the Libertarian camp. She asked me why. My response was that the only people who are not libertarians are those who haven't been fucked by the government yet... She looked at me and said, "Ryan, do you know anyone who has been fucked by the government more than I have?" I looked at her and replied, "What does that say about you?" (She is still a liberal, and no, she has been fucked over by the government more than any of us will ever know, God willing). It looks, unlike Helga, like Maggie might have started to make the switch... Good for her... And I TOLD YOU SO!!!
Regardless, it is time for my favorite holiday of the year... I Told You So Day (I am currently petitioning the federal government to make it a national holiday, but no luck). Well, here is my, I Told You So.
Maggie, of TSLBF fame, is well, not a Libertarian. She has, over the past few years went from a Lib-tard, to a moderate whiner. I think that is about to change. There are one group of people who have faith in the government, and it ability to do good. It is those people who have yet to be fucked by the government. Maggie just got to watch herself, and our hometown get fucked.
First off- I FUCKING TOLD YOU SO! Are you trying to tell me that the government, any government, no matter how good their intentions are, makes irrational rules which they aren't and cannot be held accountable for (outside of not electing them to fuck up again)? Are you saying that government, once it makes a bad choice, such as fucking up all the roads, is more likely to push further on, rather than admitting they were wrong, and fixing the problem? I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!
That said, what is going to happen? Well, Maggie says that they will put liens on peoples houses. She said that because she texted me, and that was my guess. To be honest, it sounds right to me, but I really have no idea what will happen if people dont pay this little tax. I doubt the government will take it lying down.
While writing this post, I took a walk with Helga the Commie... She is from the USSR, Siberia to be exact, and my hatred of the government is one of our favorite topics of conversation... That and how she was really happy growing up, and felt spoiled because she owned a hat... In winter... In Siberia. Regardless, I brought up the fact that Maggie might have finally seen the light and was moving into the Libertarian camp. She asked me why. My response was that the only people who are not libertarians are those who haven't been fucked by the government yet... She looked at me and said, "Ryan, do you know anyone who has been fucked by the government more than I have?" I looked at her and replied, "What does that say about you?" (She is still a liberal, and no, she has been fucked over by the government more than any of us will ever know, God willing). It looks, unlike Helga, like Maggie might have started to make the switch... Good for her... And I TOLD YOU SO!!!
What Waiting Costs
I have been thinking about this one for a little while. A conversation with Stephen and Commander Zero's great post have sort of spurred me to cranking it out now.
Both of these guys and I (along with numerous others) have been telling people to get their gun cabinets and accessory/ ammo closets in order. Some folks blew us off. They didn't have the cash or inclination to listen to what we had to say. One friend of mine is apparently quite content to have two mags for his pistol. Others waited and it cost them.
Stephens close friend (and my acquaintance) had no interest in getting an AR months ago when it was suggested that he pick one up. Now he wants to get a pair of them. Instead of paying 800-900 for basically whatever AR he wanted it is going to be $1200+ can't be picky. He will also pay dearly for mags and ammo.
A friend didn't pick up spare pistol mags when they were readily available at low prices. He paid 50% more then he would have a couple short months ago. He also needs to pick up more AK mags which now cost 2 or 3X as much as they did this summer.
For the sake of full disclosure I personally should have purchased Glock 19 mags several months ago. I had been wanting to pick up one of those sweet little guns for awhile and could have gotten the mags significantly cheaper.
I am also kicking myself for not getting more AK mags this summer when they were 7 bucks a piece. The amount of them I have is well above freak out stage and just below my highly paranoid comfort stage. It would have been great if I'd bought 5 more last summer. I am not willing to pay the going rate to feel a tiny bit more comfortable.
The only positive thing I can say about right the firearms (and assorted accessories) availability situation now is that pretty much whatever you want is readily available albeit at steep prices. Some specific manufacturers are backed up and you might not be able to get a 16" flat top AR model XDFGE from manufacturer Y but you can walk out of the store TODAY with a 16" flat top AR. You might pay 30 bucks a piece for Glock, etc all mags but you can get them. Aside from some of the newer fancier and models made in smaller quanities (Pmags and the H&K high reliability ones, etc) good old mil spec AR mags can be had in any quantity you are willing to pay for.
Ammo is somewhat hard to find these days. More accurately put it is hard to find it at prices you want to pay. Do what you want to do. Aside from a hand full of folks who read this your ammo supply or lack thereof could never affect me: of the hand full of folks whose ammo situation could possibly (by a real stretch of the imagination) affect me two have enough to fight a fairly long drawn out guerrilla war, one has a reasonable amount, one has a couple/ few hundred rounds per gun and the last has several boxes.
Nobody knows what is going to happen for sure. Maybe a year will go by and supply will catch up to demand and prices will drop. [It would be sort of sickly hilarious to see all people who "invested in tangible goods" eat some crow.] There is a very real chance that an assault weapons ban comparable to the 1994 AWD will happen. This would mean that some weapons available now would be unavailable and prices of "pre ban" weapons would rise dramatically. The real cost of purchasing an evil rifle or pistol would go up greatly when mag prices go up exponentially. This could put the most effective personal defense weapons out of the reach of most readers.
I have spoken in the past about what I suggest for getting ready. The bottom line is that if you want it and can afford it then you would be well advised to purchase it ASAP. If a ban starts coming down the pipe you might be able to pick up a couple of last minute items but then again you might not. I would probably pick up a few things just because but am definitely not depending on it, you should not either.
I have gotten to a place where I will be relatively comfortable if the price of evil weapons and their magazines increases beyond my reach. I would not be able to purchase a few guns (G19, 20" flat top AR, etc) I would like but could probably find other more politically correct ones (a stainless .357, another pump shotgun, etc).
I am ready, are you?
Both of these guys and I (along with numerous others) have been telling people to get their gun cabinets and accessory/ ammo closets in order. Some folks blew us off. They didn't have the cash or inclination to listen to what we had to say. One friend of mine is apparently quite content to have two mags for his pistol. Others waited and it cost them.
Stephens close friend (and my acquaintance) had no interest in getting an AR months ago when it was suggested that he pick one up. Now he wants to get a pair of them. Instead of paying 800-900 for basically whatever AR he wanted it is going to be $1200+ can't be picky. He will also pay dearly for mags and ammo.
A friend didn't pick up spare pistol mags when they were readily available at low prices. He paid 50% more then he would have a couple short months ago. He also needs to pick up more AK mags which now cost 2 or 3X as much as they did this summer.
For the sake of full disclosure I personally should have purchased Glock 19 mags several months ago. I had been wanting to pick up one of those sweet little guns for awhile and could have gotten the mags significantly cheaper.
I am also kicking myself for not getting more AK mags this summer when they were 7 bucks a piece. The amount of them I have is well above freak out stage and just below my highly paranoid comfort stage. It would have been great if I'd bought 5 more last summer. I am not willing to pay the going rate to feel a tiny bit more comfortable.
The only positive thing I can say about right the firearms (and assorted accessories) availability situation now is that pretty much whatever you want is readily available albeit at steep prices. Some specific manufacturers are backed up and you might not be able to get a 16" flat top AR model XDFGE from manufacturer Y but you can walk out of the store TODAY with a 16" flat top AR. You might pay 30 bucks a piece for Glock, etc all mags but you can get them. Aside from some of the newer fancier and models made in smaller quanities (Pmags and the H&K high reliability ones, etc) good old mil spec AR mags can be had in any quantity you are willing to pay for.
Ammo is somewhat hard to find these days. More accurately put it is hard to find it at prices you want to pay. Do what you want to do. Aside from a hand full of folks who read this your ammo supply or lack thereof could never affect me: of the hand full of folks whose ammo situation could possibly (by a real stretch of the imagination) affect me two have enough to fight a fairly long drawn out guerrilla war, one has a reasonable amount, one has a couple/ few hundred rounds per gun and the last has several boxes.
Nobody knows what is going to happen for sure. Maybe a year will go by and supply will catch up to demand and prices will drop. [It would be sort of sickly hilarious to see all people who "invested in tangible goods" eat some crow.] There is a very real chance that an assault weapons ban comparable to the 1994 AWD will happen. This would mean that some weapons available now would be unavailable and prices of "pre ban" weapons would rise dramatically. The real cost of purchasing an evil rifle or pistol would go up greatly when mag prices go up exponentially. This could put the most effective personal defense weapons out of the reach of most readers.
I have spoken in the past about what I suggest for getting ready. The bottom line is that if you want it and can afford it then you would be well advised to purchase it ASAP. If a ban starts coming down the pipe you might be able to pick up a couple of last minute items but then again you might not. I would probably pick up a few things just because but am definitely not depending on it, you should not either.
I have gotten to a place where I will be relatively comfortable if the price of evil weapons and their magazines increases beyond my reach. I would not be able to purchase a few guns (G19, 20" flat top AR, etc) I would like but could probably find other more politically correct ones (a stainless .357, another pump shotgun, etc).
I am ready, are you?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
New Army Sniper Rifle
Army Sharpshooters to get SEAL sniper rifle. Basically the SEALS are using a real supped up version of the AR-10 and it looks like the Army is going to adopt it as well. I think the move to a semi auto rifle that is magazine fed is long overdue. It is worth noting that M14's are being used in this role in some places. I would contend that an M14 with roughly equal customization can do anything this gun can but that is neither here or there. The bottom line is that it is a good gun and our troops will be safer once it is widely fielded.
Pakistan Might beat Mexico in the race to the bottom
Taliban tighten their grip on Pakistan's northwest
This is pretty darn bad. A country with nuclear weapons is falling to the Taliban. Their population (and by default government and Army) is at best neutral towards the lawless factions in their completely ungoverned Northwestern Frontier Province who (in an rather optimistic view) aid and abed terrorists. Look at what happened the last time the Taliban was in charge of a country? That country didn't have nukes. This could be bad, real bad.In the two nation race to collapse I think Pakistan just pulled ahead.
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