What 1 unarmed citizen did in Baltimore last night..

[WNTFW]

Ron,
Don't lie man, you have the reloading knowledge of at least a 200 year old.

I remember when you could leave a gun visible in your home here. High security was a gun case with a glass front!

"Distance is your Friend" replace the threat with fire or toxic cloud and the response is leave. Angy mob? One problem is once a riot breaks out crossing a city may be worse than staying put if you don't have good info. Then the situation can change very quickly. I don't want to be stuck in traffic for that. Another aspect is both of our parents are near and I am not leaving them either. Logistically that is eight of us. If you see it coming then yes, dodgeball is the game.

I did listen to the police scanner from Baltimore one night.

 

[9mmfan]

The problem is in a riot nobody can handle it from a civilian perspective.

It pains me to admit this, but as much as we would love to assume we would beat our chests whilst defending our castles, how many here actually have the training or the know-how to set up an active defense in this type situation? The gumption, even?

The scenario laid out post-Katrina that was included was in fact from "Thank God I Had A Gun" by Chris Bird. It concerned the mutual effort put forth by the residents of a neighborhood in Algiers, across the river from New Orleans.

It amounted to multiple young single men standing on corners visibly armed. Shotguns mostly, if I recall the book correctly.

Going back to the point on question, if looters/marauders had mounted an actual offense, would there really have been anything beyond luck with which to hold them off? As it was, the visual deterrent worked. Beyond that, really who could say?

This is a legitimate query as to what others think might have been the outcome.

In my opinion, the folks suggesting that bugging out is the way to go have most reasonable point...

 

[WNTFW]

9mmFan
I agree with you. Thank you for your comments.

But to clarify 2 of my points for anyone that may need it.
1 - Post Katrina was a lot of tilting at windmills
2 - I think I could hold off a lot of (unarmed??) people by myself or with a small group. The problems would be what if I am wrong and what would the aftermath be for me. (that doesn't even get into what am gaining from protecting X)

I was pretty good at spotting the red flags in rumors the days after Katrina. One thing I have found is that even though I came back immediately after Katrina few people ask me any questions specifically or in general about what happened. There are some other observations I made but won't bring them up in this thread. Most people want to believe what they want to believe.

The only thing I will add here is some things are not what they appear to be. Don't act too soon. Make sure your assessment of a situation is complete. I doesn't hurt to think things out ahead of time, have a plan or play "What If . . ." The problem comes when you paint yourself into a corner because "I have guns".

I know I am being the devil's advocate.

 

[Browning]

If rioting and looting are taking place within 3/4 mile of where I live and I have a wife and children I am gone. If I have the means to defend my home and property and a few willing neighbors then I remain but rest assured my wife and the children are gone. So unarmed your friend decided what? That he should remain home when he was 3/4 mile from major rioting and looting?

The problem is if a riot pops off and you're in the epicenter either you're stuck driving out through the middle of it while their blood is up and the rioters are possibly drunk or high (first places to get looted are liquor stores and pharmacies) or hunkering down and waiting until 9am and a big chunk of them are asleep.

Driving out in the middle of that at night with your wife and kids and possibly some other relative with a vehicle load of valuable belongings when rioters are swarming cars to scream obscenities and smash the windows to dent your head with a brick doesn't exactly sound like a whole lot of fun even if you're loaded for bear.

Just saying...most multi-day riots usually flicker out in the morning and then flare back up in the afternoon and the evening for a reason. Even criminals, looters and arsonists have to sleep at some point. You'd be better off scooting in the morning rather than trying to drive out right then.

 

[Rock185]

Having spent most of my adult life in LE, I always kind of felt sorry for those good people who honestly thought that the police would always arrive in time to protect them should the need arise. Once in a while, we do ride in like the cavalry and save the day. But much more often, whatever was going to happen, has happened. But, I have assured people who feel no need to do anything for their personal or family protection, other than lock the doors of their car or home, that by gosh we will do a bang up job of investigating any violent crime they or their family may have been the victim of. However, that effort may not be of much value to victims badly injured or killed.....

 

[Arizona_Mike]

I used to have a lot of debates with an anti on another forum. He is an Iranian expat and Southern California liberal but actually a great guy. On an emotional level he could not accept the "real reason for the 2nd" and I think he was suspicious of the character or sanity of people who made that argument.

After having family suffer in the failed "Green Revolution" he got it and got himself a pretty darn nice tactical shotgun. I enjoy converting antis by showing them a good time shooting but got no pleasure from this conversion.

Mike

 

[Lycidas Janwor]

Isn't there a video (possibly on youtube) of a store owner who had his family, armed with rifles and shotguns, on the roof of their small business during a riot? I'm not sure where this took place, somewhere in a US city. The thing is, it worked. Nobody messed with that store.

 

[ol' scratch]

Come on now...

At the risk of repeating myself, city people run around secure in the mistaken knowledge that should evil come to visit "someone" will come to save them.

City people? This attitude of people who live in the sticks and people who chose to live in the city looking down on each other doesn't really make much sense to me. I grew up in the sticks and moved into town. I work in Chicago on occasion and take trains to Englewood. I work in some of the worst neighborhoods in the midwest (Englewood and the east end of Cleveland, parts of Indy, some of the areas in the west and south ends of Toledo). No one I have run into in those areas thinks anyone will show up in a moments notice to protect them. Politicians like to find a reporter to try and pad their careers and talk those points, but the people I have spoken to know better.

Legal gun ownership even seems to be on the rise in places like Chicago. It is a good thing too. I remember taking the cab to the hotel after a long night that turned into day. There was a little convenience store on 55th wrapped up with police tape. The driver explained that the store owner was pistol whipped that night and left for dead. I asked what would have happened if the store owner had shot his attacker. The driver shook his head and replied, "Man, you can't do (expletive) like that in Chicago. They send you to jail for that." Interestingly enough, this was right across the street from one of those blue flashing cameras. The driver informed me that the thugs found a $3 solution to a $100,000 problem. They just cover their faces. He said the people on the south side were on their own.