Between the economy, the oil price war, the politicization of politics, and most pressingly the virus, 2019ncov is proving to be the potential trigger for wide scale geopolitical change and possibly insecurity. States are going to go into quarantine one by one with little to no coordination. Governments and law agencies will be commandeering emergency powers. We are sitting on a major pressure point and it's impossible to predict the outcome, but there is a high likelihood of political instability and/or violence, even within America.
If the economy doesn't recover soon, people are going to grow increasingly hungry and desperate without radical federal measures. It is prudent to be prepared to defend yourself now because this is shaping up to be the kind of scenario where you really cannot rely on first responders to protect you.
Edit: I meant "polarization of politics" but autocorrect may be hinting at something profound...
A lot of media trying to push this as hillbillies/rednecks wanting to defend their hoard of toilet paper are short-sighted.
Panic & fear cause people to make unpredictable poor decisions, and you never know if that could affect you and your family. In the USA, you have a right to defend yourself and these people are just choosing to do that. Please don't demonize them for just wanting to protect themselves and their families.
if you do everything wrong, like keep guns and ammo associated, or just keep a loaded gun in your nightstand, maybe.
then again, many of us rural folks grew up hunting and shooting from age six. somehow we never decided to blast a friend or family member in the face. chalk it up to family values and gun safety lessons I guess!
most of the increased mortality related to gun ownership, is from suicide.
Respect for firearms is an extremely important skill to teach a child. Having grown up hunting, this was taught to me at a very young age. But more kids die from drowning in pools than from accidental firearm discharges, and it's also important to teach your child water safety and swimming skills.
Personally I've been wanting to do a bulk ammo buy for a while, and realized there was going to be a run so I dumped 1000 bucks into some ammo for all the calibers I own.
I'm also in the process of building an AR-10, and have slowly been accumulating parts. Decided to pull the trigger on some of the more expensive parts this week because I caught some good deals.
I was going to put an order in cause I've got a couple shoots coming up. Everything was in stock Friday. I went to buy today and everything but some of the more obscure cartridges are sold out. It is pretty crazy.
Far from making fun of Americans, I am scared for them. This crisis has already proven how irrational people can be, and rapidly we revert to basic tribalism, giving in to base instincts. Adding (even more) guns to this mix is a bad sign. But in an environment where trust in authority has been systematically destroyed, it is, a sadly understandable response.
Stay safe, and remember that most of the people you might be defending yourselves from are probably just as desperate (if not more so) than you.
you're afraid people will murder each other in times of strife?
if you really think this will devolve into violence, then you aught to understand what the firearms are being bought for. it's not to go mad max on somebody.
Trust in the system is at an all-time low. At Amherst College, the administration decided shortly before Spring Break that students should not return after the break in order not to bring back coronavirus to campus and spread it there. There would be accommodations when necessary.
There was a sit-in to protest against the very sensible decision. One would think that at the second-best college in the nation the administration would be aware that some students may have difficulties coming up with emergency funds for travel, that there may be travel bans or that some students might not wish to return to unstable living conditions at home. But the students did not trust the system to work for them.
Do you mean an actual assault rifle, or just a "scary black gun" that is functionally equivalent to any other modern semi-automatic hunting rifle (and shoots lower powered rounds than many common hunting rifles)?
If it's the former, there's nothing low-friction about it. You have to fill out more forms, pay more money, get more background checks, etc. etc., yadda yadda, and you can't buy any such weapon manufactured after 1986.
My experience of firearms is limited to three years in the (not US) military so I'll deffer to you on comparative merits of semi automatic vs hunting rifles available to civilians on the US market.
To be honest i always found the idea to defend ones home in america ridiculous. They are built from wood. Most of them. One molotow cocktail or burning arrow and bow from looters, and you are literaly toast - AR15 or not.
The only thing keeping you alive and well is the social fabrique. If its torn, now would be a good point to start mending it.
Im way more worried, what will happen in all those countries that where under the thumb of the us-military, the day those soldiers do no longer get paid or get backup from overseas, in bases surrounded by people who have generations of grudges.
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[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 60.5 ms ] threadIf the economy doesn't recover soon, people are going to grow increasingly hungry and desperate without radical federal measures. It is prudent to be prepared to defend yourself now because this is shaping up to be the kind of scenario where you really cannot rely on first responders to protect you.
Edit: I meant "polarization of politics" but autocorrect may be hinting at something profound...
That's a good one, it reveals an unexpected, deep truth.
This might not entirely be a bad thing [1]. Things will need to get worse so they can get better.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal
Panic & fear cause people to make unpredictable poor decisions, and you never know if that could affect you and your family. In the USA, you have a right to defend yourself and these people are just choosing to do that. Please don't demonize them for just wanting to protect themselves and their families.
Be safe and watch out for each other.
if you do everything wrong, like keep guns and ammo associated, or just keep a loaded gun in your nightstand, maybe.
then again, many of us rural folks grew up hunting and shooting from age six. somehow we never decided to blast a friend or family member in the face. chalk it up to family values and gun safety lessons I guess!
most of the increased mortality related to gun ownership, is from suicide.
I'm also in the process of building an AR-10, and have slowly been accumulating parts. Decided to pull the trigger on some of the more expensive parts this week because I caught some good deals.
It's not all panic buying.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2020/03/07/coronavi...
Far from making fun of Americans, I am scared for them. This crisis has already proven how irrational people can be, and rapidly we revert to basic tribalism, giving in to base instincts. Adding (even more) guns to this mix is a bad sign. But in an environment where trust in authority has been systematically destroyed, it is, a sadly understandable response.
Stay safe, and remember that most of the people you might be defending yourselves from are probably just as desperate (if not more so) than you.
if you really think this will devolve into violence, then you aught to understand what the firearms are being bought for. it's not to go mad max on somebody.
Somehow I am having a hard time empathizing with people I am put in the position of having to defend myself from.
There was a sit-in to protest against the very sensible decision. One would think that at the second-best college in the nation the administration would be aware that some students may have difficulties coming up with emergency funds for travel, that there may be travel bans or that some students might not wish to return to unstable living conditions at home. But the students did not trust the system to work for them.
Some stage sit-ins, others buy firearms.
Terrifying.
If it's the former, there's nothing low-friction about it. You have to fill out more forms, pay more money, get more background checks, etc. etc., yadda yadda, and you can't buy any such weapon manufactured after 1986.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/its-still-legal-to-own-a-...
My experience of firearms is limited to three years in the (not US) military so I'll deffer to you on comparative merits of semi automatic vs hunting rifles available to civilians on the US market.
The only thing keeping you alive and well is the social fabrique. If its torn, now would be a good point to start mending it.
Im way more worried, what will happen in all those countries that where under the thumb of the us-military, the day those soldiers do no longer get paid or get backup from overseas, in bases surrounded by people who have generations of grudges.
Primary : MK18 BLOCK 3 URGI (https://i.redd.it/tgnpp2xi82q11.png) Secondary: Roland Special