Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Ruminations on Riots

I’ve lived through two - two and a half riots. I was just a spud during LA’s Watts Riots. I barely remember my grandparents suddenly appearing in our backyard and everyone staring at a thick tree-trunk of smoke in the sky. I wondered why my Grandmother sobbed, not understanding that their house was only a few miles from the flames. I also remember my Father putting a target pistol in the car on our way to church. 

Twenty seven years later, I stood in my own yard, staring at three solid walls of smoke surrounding my newly purchased house. I had helped guide some company employees out of downtown Long Beach, pulled my girlfriend out of her trendy, but sketchy, apartment, then came home to stare at the encroaching smoke with an equally black pit in my stomach. 

I remember it was eerily quiet – no one was on the road. Civilization had abandoned us; most everyone, including the cops, crouched inside their stucco huts. The only sounds were occasional sirens – and gunshots. Lots of gunshots.

I had never felt so alone, so utterly exposed. Fires raged less than a city block away, but there were no firemen, no cops, no National Guard. Just me. Stupid me. I didn’t know any neighbors; but I did have a few firearms. However, they were better suited for busting clays or bunny-rats. I didn’t even have enough ammo to fill the few magazines of my wildly inaccurate Mini-14. If push came to shove, I was going to get it sideways. 

Fortunately, the Rodney King Riots ended after three - four days; too late for 53 people. The cops reappeared in a rush when a copter’s searchlight pinned a car to the curb near the head of our street. Cruisers and HMVs came out of nowhere and the six young male occupants were quickly cuffed and stuffed. The cops took at least two long guns into evidence and then vanished again. However, the smoke walls were losing their solidity and eventually vanished, too. The smell of smoke took a very long time go away.   

Now, twenty-two years later, I’m living through another riot – virtually. The GF – 'scuse me, The wife – is in St Louis, while I’m in LA. Thankfully, so far at least, the Michael Brown Riot isn’t anywhere near as vicious as the Watts or Rodney King riots. However, the locals are very aware of the tensions that course beneath the city. 

Again, I’m helpless – unable to protect the one I love. However, she lives in a neighborhood of deer hunters, has her Cowboy Action Shooting guns, and we moved some of my mil-surps with her. (Parlez-vous Mosin? SKS? Sardine cans?) The neighbors have organized for protection and truly appreciate my wife’s contributions (not without a raised eyebrow or two.) She's as safe as anyone can be in St Louis.  

I’m left 2600 miles away to ruminate on riots.

It can get ugly when civilization’s leash is slipped. No one is truly safe; cars can deliver the insanity anywhere. TV, Twitter, Facebook, whatever, can excite the unstable far away. Your putative protectors may go missing; overwhelmed or simply busy defending their own. And it can all happen in a heartbeat: you’re there with yourself and what you’ve got. Ready?

When the smoke suddenly engulfs you, you might have to fight very hard to stay alive. A mob is a heartless, cruel beast. One of the firearms that our Dear Leader is so desperately trying to eliminate is uniquely suited for self-defense in a riot. Light, handy, capable, accurate, easy to shoot, limited penetration, with a large magazine capacity: carbines like the AR-15 just might be the best choice available. Our readers need to have something to resist the anarchy.

Although mindless, the mob can be reasoned with. Pointing intimidating pieces of hardware at it seems particularly effective. Stories abound of home and shop owners facing down rioters with their SKS, AK-47 and AR-15 rifles. Often, the mob turns tail without the need to fire a shot: a Win-Win. Some of their neighbors, without such communication tools, died.

There are predictions of increasing social disruptions and riots, with all the ongoing demographic shifts, racialist expectations, employment participation rates, and the overarching economic problems. The possibility of a political shift with the Nov 14 elections is upsetting to some elements. It seems prudent to look at your particular situation and prepare. 

Best advice: Don't Be There. If You Are, Be Strong.  
 
The possibility of having to face rioters alone, however remote (if you are lucky) is just one of a host of excellent reason to fight for all of your Second Amendment rights - without compromise.      

4 comments:

  1. The muzzle end of an AR says go away in any language.

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    1. The Muzzle of the AR is wise: Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's will without fighting. Sun Tzu

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  2. I lived through the Watts Riots at 3000 Imperial Hwy, roughly 2 blocks from the cordon line that kept rioters contained, one night a fella in an old chevy tried to run past the NG squad stationed there, I guess he did not see the 30 cal browning mounted to the APC. News reports referred to the incident as rifle fire, yeah right. There were many ppl shooting at airliners near LAX, that was not heavily reported but when I reroofed my building a year later there were hundreds of spent bullets imbedded in the tar paper of the roof. and no taller buildings around for miles to fire from. Gun stores were completely sold-out, all firearms and ammo was gone, it took months to restock. Watts was never the same and turned into a killing zone for PPL driving through the area. By the time the LA Riots hit I was living in a rural area of the US watching the violence on TV

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    1. Several of my wife's coworkers have tried to buy firearms. Stores in the area have little but hunting rifles in weird calibers - with less ammo. There's also a visible police presence around the gun stores.

      Preparedness isn't one of those "I'll get to it when I need it" things. Education, training, practice, equipment, supplies and *mindset* have to be in place.

      Another story: Several friends kidded me about being a "gun nut" (I've gotten nuttier) and supported anti-gun measures. When Rodney King hit the fan, a few asked to borrow a gun. Nope. Their laws made them wait 15 days for protection. And they had never handled a gun before, despite my invitations. Double nope.

      To their credit, a couple did swallow their pride, and one has managed to out-nut me. ;^)'

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