Can you believe I actually turned down opportunities to obtain additional firearms that could share calibers I already possess?
This past weekend was the gun show and the only thing I got to show for it was 200 rounds of 7.5mm French. Cleaned out one dealer and bought some extra from another who was overpriced. All boxer primed and reloadable brass. But I turned down the $350 near-mint condition Egyptian Hakim and Swedish M38. As usual, I will beat myself up for weeks over that. But I have pretty much no room left to store them and frankly felt guilty about spending the coin to do it.
One of the reasons is because I read this. It is about the economic collapse in Argentina in 2001. You should read it and take it as a wake-up call. I would argue that the American experience of an economic collapse would not mirror Argentina but I would agree that there would be certain parallels. Such as rising crime, property theft and ever more heavy-handed measures by the Government to attempt to maintain some illusionary semblance of order.
At a minimum, I think maybe another handgun might be a worthwhile investment.
Or maybe I just felt like keeping some money in my wallet. There's always April and the summer. Plenty of time to churn and consider next steps. A wait-and-see approach never really hurt anyone.
I've been asked a lot lately why I haven't ever signed up on Facebook or MySpace, this is the reason. Some might argue that using Blogger is no better but their TOS doesn't give them an unlimited right to use my content for any purpose they desire.
Sorry, I'm just not the trusting sort. I know Facebook and MySpace are neat and fun to connect with friends on but it just isn't my thing. It's bad enough I maintain a blog. Although someone with minimal analysis could figure out who I am through my blog, it will still require work and a phone book won't help you because I'm not in it. I'm not all that interested in having Facebook take a picture of me holding a rifle and blasting across an anti-gun ad. I'm sure my HR department would be very understanding about such things. Wouldn't they?
No thanks. I'll maintain a modicum of anonymity or at least make you work for my identity.
Finally, let's discuss perception. A co-worker stopped by and informed me there were some good deals to be had on Kalishnikov rifles out in the hills of Virginia and West Virginia by desperate country folks needing money. I told him that if he knew anyone with such a deal I'd be happy to send some cash their way as long as their willing to ship to my FFL. In the course of that conversation, he mentioned that those folks were getting pretty ansty and concerned about future gun control. Specifically the threat of encoded ammunition and its requirement to turn in and destroy unencoded stocks. And that if such a bill were passed and the Government came for their ammo, they would be turning it in one round at a time, rapidly, pointy end first.
Although an anecdote, I believe it. I've heard similar concerns expressed over such bills. And the inevitable expression of similar mechanisms of resistance against Government overreach and tyranny. While I might agree with the sympathy, no matter how glorious the thought of fighting for your freedom might be or the prospect of righteous armed revolution might be, you're not in touch with reality here.
On this point, I have to agree with many otherwise delusional liberal Democrats: The Government isn't coming to take your guns or ammunition regardless of whatever law they pass to make either illegal. They don't have to.
As much as we would like to see law enforcement and the BATFE kicking down doors to seize the now-illegal "assault weapons" or unencoded ammunition, it's very likely it is just not going to happen. Unless the Government was willing to shed all pretense of being a elected, representative body and rally citizens against it, they simply don't need to engage in such theatrics.
All they need to do is wait and pick us off one at a time.
Say they make unencoded ammunition illegal and you have a stockpile. The "turn over or destroy" date comes and goes and you still have it. No black helicopters, no FBI or SWAT team, no Sheriff knocking on the door. And it will stay that way. You're a criminal on paper in violation of the sanctified "Peace and Crime Free Citizens Act of 2009". Yet no one comes for you.
They don't need to. All they need to do is wait until you get pulled over for a routine traffic stop and get caught with illegal ammunition in your vehicle. Voila! You've gone from criminal on paper to criminal in reality. Doesn't matter if you were at a range or out plinking in the woods with close friends, the result is the same.
You become a convicted criminal in the eyes of the Government and then they will take your guns. Probably with the Sheriff's help while you're sitting in a cell waiting for bail and it will be done legally and the community will cheer. Because the media will paint you as a defiant psychopath in possession of dangerous, illegal ammunition. And you will be. All your protestations about rights and civil disobedience will be drowned out. You'll have a voice on the Internet, people will listen and perhaps you'll be given probation and an admonishment to "never do it again".
And you won't because you'll already be disarmed as a criminal when it happens.
Same will go for any gun ban where the now illegal guns are grandfathered in and the grandfather clause is stripped away. Kind of like what happened in California with the SKS. Then they'll wait and over time, they'll snare "innocent" gun owners on a technical violation and that will be that.
They won't need SWAT teams or black helicopters. They'll just need time. It certainly won't eliminate the "illegal" guns or ammunition but it will make examples of those unfortunate enough to get caught and force the remainder underground. Out of sight, out of mind. The net effect will be the same regardless of the means.
That's the reality and a lot of gun owners don't see it. They're gearing up for a fight I don't think will happen on the terms they're expecting. Sure, it might happen in some of the liberal paradises but in the vast majority of the country, it will be done so slowly and incrementally that you won't realize you're a criminal until your caught or haven't been paying close attention.
No standoffs, no "dying on your feet rather than living on your knees", no 3 percenters. And the Three Percenters who do pull the trigger will likely be marginalized and isolated as domestic terrorists, nothing more.
I think that's the reality. And gun ownership becomes forbidden, like the Prohibition Era and we'll have speakeasy ranges, nod-and-wink agreements with the neighbors on distant property or stuff just stuffed into an attic and admired once every 10 years during cleaning as wistful memories of a bygone era.
Welcome to our New American World.
This past weekend was the gun show and the only thing I got to show for it was 200 rounds of 7.5mm French. Cleaned out one dealer and bought some extra from another who was overpriced. All boxer primed and reloadable brass. But I turned down the $350 near-mint condition Egyptian Hakim and Swedish M38. As usual, I will beat myself up for weeks over that. But I have pretty much no room left to store them and frankly felt guilty about spending the coin to do it.
One of the reasons is because I read this. It is about the economic collapse in Argentina in 2001. You should read it and take it as a wake-up call. I would argue that the American experience of an economic collapse would not mirror Argentina but I would agree that there would be certain parallels. Such as rising crime, property theft and ever more heavy-handed measures by the Government to attempt to maintain some illusionary semblance of order.
At a minimum, I think maybe another handgun might be a worthwhile investment.
Or maybe I just felt like keeping some money in my wallet. There's always April and the summer. Plenty of time to churn and consider next steps. A wait-and-see approach never really hurt anyone.
I've been asked a lot lately why I haven't ever signed up on Facebook or MySpace, this is the reason. Some might argue that using Blogger is no better but their TOS doesn't give them an unlimited right to use my content for any purpose they desire.
Sorry, I'm just not the trusting sort. I know Facebook and MySpace are neat and fun to connect with friends on but it just isn't my thing. It's bad enough I maintain a blog. Although someone with minimal analysis could figure out who I am through my blog, it will still require work and a phone book won't help you because I'm not in it. I'm not all that interested in having Facebook take a picture of me holding a rifle and blasting across an anti-gun ad. I'm sure my HR department would be very understanding about such things. Wouldn't they?
No thanks. I'll maintain a modicum of anonymity or at least make you work for my identity.
Finally, let's discuss perception. A co-worker stopped by and informed me there were some good deals to be had on Kalishnikov rifles out in the hills of Virginia and West Virginia by desperate country folks needing money. I told him that if he knew anyone with such a deal I'd be happy to send some cash their way as long as their willing to ship to my FFL. In the course of that conversation, he mentioned that those folks were getting pretty ansty and concerned about future gun control. Specifically the threat of encoded ammunition and its requirement to turn in and destroy unencoded stocks. And that if such a bill were passed and the Government came for their ammo, they would be turning it in one round at a time, rapidly, pointy end first.
Although an anecdote, I believe it. I've heard similar concerns expressed over such bills. And the inevitable expression of similar mechanisms of resistance against Government overreach and tyranny. While I might agree with the sympathy, no matter how glorious the thought of fighting for your freedom might be or the prospect of righteous armed revolution might be, you're not in touch with reality here.
On this point, I have to agree with many otherwise delusional liberal Democrats: The Government isn't coming to take your guns or ammunition regardless of whatever law they pass to make either illegal. They don't have to.
As much as we would like to see law enforcement and the BATFE kicking down doors to seize the now-illegal "assault weapons" or unencoded ammunition, it's very likely it is just not going to happen. Unless the Government was willing to shed all pretense of being a elected, representative body and rally citizens against it, they simply don't need to engage in such theatrics.
All they need to do is wait and pick us off one at a time.
Say they make unencoded ammunition illegal and you have a stockpile. The "turn over or destroy" date comes and goes and you still have it. No black helicopters, no FBI or SWAT team, no Sheriff knocking on the door. And it will stay that way. You're a criminal on paper in violation of the sanctified "Peace and Crime Free Citizens Act of 2009". Yet no one comes for you.
They don't need to. All they need to do is wait until you get pulled over for a routine traffic stop and get caught with illegal ammunition in your vehicle. Voila! You've gone from criminal on paper to criminal in reality. Doesn't matter if you were at a range or out plinking in the woods with close friends, the result is the same.
You become a convicted criminal in the eyes of the Government and then they will take your guns. Probably with the Sheriff's help while you're sitting in a cell waiting for bail and it will be done legally and the community will cheer. Because the media will paint you as a defiant psychopath in possession of dangerous, illegal ammunition. And you will be. All your protestations about rights and civil disobedience will be drowned out. You'll have a voice on the Internet, people will listen and perhaps you'll be given probation and an admonishment to "never do it again".
And you won't because you'll already be disarmed as a criminal when it happens.
Same will go for any gun ban where the now illegal guns are grandfathered in and the grandfather clause is stripped away. Kind of like what happened in California with the SKS. Then they'll wait and over time, they'll snare "innocent" gun owners on a technical violation and that will be that.
They won't need SWAT teams or black helicopters. They'll just need time. It certainly won't eliminate the "illegal" guns or ammunition but it will make examples of those unfortunate enough to get caught and force the remainder underground. Out of sight, out of mind. The net effect will be the same regardless of the means.
That's the reality and a lot of gun owners don't see it. They're gearing up for a fight I don't think will happen on the terms they're expecting. Sure, it might happen in some of the liberal paradises but in the vast majority of the country, it will be done so slowly and incrementally that you won't realize you're a criminal until your caught or haven't been paying close attention.
No standoffs, no "dying on your feet rather than living on your knees", no 3 percenters. And the Three Percenters who do pull the trigger will likely be marginalized and isolated as domestic terrorists, nothing more.
I think that's the reality. And gun ownership becomes forbidden, like the Prohibition Era and we'll have speakeasy ranges, nod-and-wink agreements with the neighbors on distant property or stuff just stuffed into an attic and admired once every 10 years during cleaning as wistful memories of a bygone era.
Welcome to our New American World.
5 comments:
Great post sir. Scary, and probaby true, but great post.
Probably got it there C, but of course one of several a possible "Unintended Consequences" is that when that starts happening, people who see others like themselves being arrested as you envision may decide to start turning their ammo in - one round at a time.
Per the Three-Percenters, "Do they think they are the only ones with lists?", heh.
And I doubt that the DNC-press corp will be able to cover THAT development up for very long.
You fit right in on the MD Shooters forum, lots of end of the world talk and evil government agent talk. I like this blog though, it's very humorous!
Actually the gun owner will become like the unregistered gun owner in Europe. Guns stored in the attic and never used. Kind of like the 229 guns found at the home in NJ. Never knew until that homeowner came under the eye of the law. WE may lose a few who get caught but we have millions out there. These guns will not be used or carry, but they will exist.
Guns buried or hidden are as good as turned in. In a generation, no one will remember how to use them effectively or what they were for.
More important than the guns are the ideals and mindset that made the United States. When that is lost, whatever else happens, we will become the sheep that the system is looking for.
Post a Comment