Category Archives: Survival

Concealed Carry

Posted by Tim on

Facebook is a trap! Every time I log in and start scrolling through the most recent updates I’m flabbergasted by the amount of stupidity just in my own circle. The pictures, the statuses, and the worst – the political arguments. But I’ve fallen for that trap before, and I won’t again. It’s nearly impossible to win an argument on the internet, especially when you’re dealing with people who don’t watch the news, don’t know crapola about economics, and couldn’t tell their ass from their elbow. I’m ranting, aren’t I?

The most recent argument that I saw was regarding concealed carry, and the dangerous effect it has on communities. In case you aren’t from Wisconsin – our awesome Governor, Scott Walker, has really moved the state in the right direction (pun intended). Not only do we now have voter ID, the ability to fire bad teachers, and a balanced budget, but we also have concealed carry. Once a Wisconsin resident passes a course and signs a few papers, they can get a permit to carry a concealed gun in public.

This isn’t a new thing. In fact, now that Wisconsin is on board, only Illinois is left without a conceal carry option. Now, if 48 other states are already doing what Wisconsin is, what is the big hubbub about? Well, it’s simple. Some people (mostly whiney liberals) are literally afraid of guns, and think that people shouldn’t be allowed to walk around with them. People might start “taking the law into their own hands” or being “vigilantes”. Right… Unfortunately, in all other states where concealed carry is allowed this isn’t the case.

The evidence is very clear about the effects of concealed carry. While some people may believe that more guns mean more crime, statistics show that without a doubt – more guns mean less crime. Why? Because an armed community scares off criminals looking for victims. In communities where concealed carry is prevalent, crime rates plummet – murder goes down, rape goes down, armed robbery goes down. It’s amazing. Criminals don’t want to be shot, so they stay away from people with guns.

But, wouldn’t it be easier to just not allow anyone to carry guns? Instead of allowing people to walk around with permits, how about we just ban people from carrying weapons all together? Well, that’d be great – but a lot of people would be left defenseless. Criminals are by definition people who don’t obey laws. Therefore, you can pass all the laws you want and they will carry all they want. You then end up in a situation where law biding citizens are left defenseless and the criminals have all the guns. Concealed carry allows regular people to defend themselves.

The misconception is huge, but the evidence is very clear. More guns – less crime. The problem with the argument for less guns isn’t just politics. Its more serious. As the evidence shows, crime rises when people aren’t allowed to protect themselves. If someone really wants to “ban guns” they are not only banning guns, but putting innocent people’s lives on the line. The decision to ban guns is a moral one. How is it right to risk someone else’s life, just so someone else can feel safe?

In the end, the law will stay as it is. We’re not going back to the days of being one of two states that doesn’t allow its residents to defend themselves. The effects of this law are already becoming apparent. Recently a man with a conceal carry permit stopped a robbery at an Aldi Milwaukee. Bet that’ll be the last time anyone tries to rob that store! More of these kinds of incidents are great. They tell criminals that we’re not afraid. Law biding Wisconsinites will not be pushed around by thugs.

As for people “taking the law into their own hands”, let me just say that when there isn’t anyone else around to enforce the law, a citizen has the duty to enforce it himself. Police aren’t everywhere, and that means that responsible citizens should step up and defend themselves. There is nothing wrong with protecting yourself, your family, and your property. Its admirable, and should be encouraged. In the end, we’ll wind up with a less violent community, where we aren’t afraid of criminals – criminals are afraid of us!

Suggested reading – “More Guns, Less Crime” and “The Bias Against Guns” by John Lott, and “The Seven Myths of Gun Control” by Richard Poe.

Assault Weapons and the 2nd Amendment

Posted by Tim on

I have a confession to make. I just purchased another gun. Now, that’s no surprise to people who know me. I’m pretty sure that I’m a certified “gun nut”; one of those guys who drives a crappy car, lives in a crappy house, and wears crappy clothes BUT has thousands of dollars invested in firearms. I take most of that back – I have a decent house, a decent Toyota Tundra, and I wear… well… less than fashionable, but not poor quality, clothing. But I do have thousands of dollars invested in firearms. It’s my vice.

Although I’ll openly admit to being a pro-gun NRA member, I’m not about to talk about what I have. I’ll talk about that with personal friends, but honestly, I’m too much of a paranoid weirdo to start blabbing about it on the internet. Bear with me as I use vague descriptions of guns during this post and in the future.

My most recent purchase was paid for with my tax return. I picked it up at store here in Wisconsin that has a pretty large selection of assault weapons. (For those of you who don’t know – “assault” weapons are any gun that makes the liberals pee their pants. Usually these are rifles with big banana clips hanging off them. The term “assault” was originally penned by leftists looking to ban the weapons that they didn’t like. Calling them “assault weapons” helped advance their cause.) I went there because, well, I was looking to buy an assault rifle.

As I was driving around on my normal work route, I stopped at a satellite store and was looking to talk with a friend of mine. He was in the Army in the 90s and we always like to talk about guns. Since I had just purchased this new gun, I was eager to talk to him. Unfortunately, he was at lunch when I was there, but I still pulled up a website on his computer and left the page open so he’d see it when he got back.

Another worker walked past the computer and laughed, “Is that what you bought?” Yes, yes it is. He shook his head and explained that he’s not a “gun guy”. That’s fine. Not everyone is going to share the same hobbies.
“Well, as long as you don’t dislike guns, it’s okay with me” I responded.
“I understand people having handguns, and rifles, and whatnot. But not stuff like THAT.”

So, I went on to explain that the gun isn’t as bad as it looks. It’s an assault rifle. People assume that because it has a 30 round magazine that it’s somehow more dangerous that any other rifle. In reality, there are many hunting rifles that are much more powerful than the standard M16 that our armed forces use. But hunting rifles don’t look mean; assault rifles do.

After I explained this to him he was fine with it. He now felt safe. This whole misconception is a big problem in America though, and maybe I should explain it. The 2nd amendment of the US constitution is not there so that we can hunt animals. It’s also not there so we can protect ourselves from robbers entering our homes. It’s there so that citizens can create a militia. Now, some people will say that we don’t need militias, because we already have an army. Once again, people aren’t getting the idea. The militia isn’t to defend us from outside enemies; it’s to defend us from our own government.

The founders were very concerned about the abuse of power by government. That is why they gave us the second amendment – so that we could fight our government if we had to. Now, we haven’t had to yet, but as history has shown – tyranny can be swift and unexpected. Our citizens need to be armed if they are ever to confront their own government. Furthermore, this is exactly why assault weapons should be legal to ordinary citizens. We’re not going to fight off a tyrannical government with handguns – we’ll need these “mean looking” guns.

It’s important to know this stuff. Hunting and sporting, home protection – that’s all a bonus, but the real reasoning behind the 2nd amendment was to arm people against their own government.

Your First Gun – Glocks and Berettas

Posted by Tim on
Glock 23

Glock 23

So, another conservation started – this time about guns. I sometimes feel like I’m surrounded by people who just want to talk about the things I want to talk about, and it’s great. The question raised was what a good first handgun should be. I had to think for minute, ask a few questions, listen, think some more, and I came back with a solid answer. Well, actually two answers, depending on one factor – are you going to carry it with you?

I don’t like to talk about the firearms I have online, and I don’t tell most people more than they need to know. I’m kind of a weirdo when it comes to that stuff – but for this post I’ll let my guard down a bit. I have owned or do own both Glock(s) and Beretta(s). That’s vague enough, right? All you need to know is that I have experience with both. I also have or had or have fired a bunch of other guns. I’ve got a pretty good idea about what’s a good buy, a reliable weapon, and what’s best for certain situations.

The answer came down to two guns – The Glock model 23, or the Beretta 92FS. Both are amazing handguns. Accurate, comfortable, and neither one jams. The Beretta is a 9mm full size pistol. It’s the same one the military uses (the “M9″), and has a number of nice features. It’s very simple to take apart and clean and it has an ambidextrous safety. The coolest feature in my opinion is the ability to turn the safety on with a round in the chamber, which drops the hammer, but doesn’t fire the round. It also comes with a nice case and two 15 round magazines.

Beretta 92FS

Beretta 92FS

The Glock 23 is a .40 caliber compact pistol. Just like the Beretta, it’s super simple to disassemble, but it has a unique safety – a trigger safety, as well as firing pin safety and a drop safety. All this means that you are going to have to purposely pull the trigger to get the gun to fire. The .40 is going to have a little more power than the 9mm, but since it’s a larger round in a smaller gun the magazines only hold 10 rounds, although you can buy aftermarket clips that hold 13.

Both weapons are nearly impossible to jam. They’ve been put through some ridiculous testing (buried in mud and then shot a full magazine without a problem, etc) so you know you’re getting a quality product either way. But the question that determines it to me is whether you’re going to be carrying the gun or not. If it’s going to stay at home and occasionally make it to the range – I’d take the Beretta. The slightly longer barrel makes it easier to shoot accurately, and the 9mm is a comfortable round. You can shoot a lot without your hand and wrist hurting. But if you’re going to be carrying the gun with you – get the Glock. It’s smaller than the Beretta, making it easier to conceal, and it has a little extra stopping power if the situation arises (God forbid).

Now, I know Beretta makes compact pistols in a .40, and Glock makes full size pistols in a 9mm, but for a first gun these are the two choices I recommended. Lots of ranges have rentals available, and it’s a good idea to try out a couple before you buy anything. Something that’s comfortable and suits your need and won’t break the bank. But keep in mind – this is just your first gun. You’ll be buying another and another soon enough.

Stock Piling Guns & Ammo?

Posted by Tim on

Since we all know that the end of the world is coming (right?) it’s a pretty good idea to get your arsenal ready for war. But with the Obama-Economy shrinking most people’s bank accounts, it’s also a good idea not to waste your money on guns and ammo that won’t get you the most bang for your buck.

The first thing to think about when picking out a weapon (or two, or three, or…)  is what you’re going to be using it for. Is your new purchase going to be strictly a home defense weapon, or is it going to be a gun you carry?  OR, is it a weapon you are going to need to count on when shit hits the fan?  If it’s a SHTF weapon, then defense should be the main priority. You are going to want a weapon that is powerful enough. Personally, this means no .22s, and nothing smaller than a 9mm.

A gun with a decent capacity is also  important. A .44 magnun in a revolver is powerful, but with only 5 rounds it isn’t that great. A rule I’d stick to is 10+ capacity. This will allow you to have a decent size round, while still having enough where you don’t have to worry about running out in the middle of a shit storm. I’d also stay away from revolvers. Generally they’re going to be lower capacity and slower reload times.

Another thing to think about when purchasing your gun is how popular the ammunition is. Not only is it important to have a powerful round, but it’s also important that you can buy ammo easily. For instance – a 10mm round is pretty hard to come by (at least in my neck of the woods) but a 9mm round is found at pretty much every sporting goods store. While the 10mm is more powerful, I’d choose the 9mm, just because it’s less expensive and MUCH easier to find.

One final thought is paying attention not only to how popular your ammo is in the US, but also overseas. If SHTF and ammo is low, you may have to steal some from an enemy soldier. At this point, most of our enemies are using AK-47s or some variant. That being said, it’s a good idea to have an AK yourself, just so your ammo is compatible with theirs.

Then again, I’m no expert.

Can You Survive The Worst?

Posted by Tim on

For the past few years a thought has entered my mind more and more. I find myself thinking about the riots in Europe; the fires, violence, murders, rapes. What is to stop that from happening in America? Europeans have come to be addicted to entitlements. Their economies have been ruined by their frivolous spending on social programs – retirement, healthcare. But these are the same programs that America has right now, and they are the programs that are causing our own problems.

When someone is given something for so long, it’s is nearly impossible to take it away. But at the end of the day, if the money isn’t there, a country is forced to “cut” spending. In Europe people rioted in the streets over having to pay for their college education, or for having to retire at a later age. Here in America, we are just as addicted to entitlement programs, I can only imagine what kind of chaos will break out when we finally have to cut our own spending.

Perhaps we’ll only have a few riots in the major cities. Lucky for me, I don’t live in a huge metropolitan area, but I’m close enough to Milwaukee and Chicago that my own neighborhood could see some spillover. What does this mean for me? Well, right now it means keeping a close eye on Washington, and preparing for the worst. I’m not going to go all weirdo “survivalist” on you, but it’s always smart to be prepared.

Physical fitness is obviously a key in survival, and I feel like I’ve got that down. But what about living without electricity? Without a phone, or car, or computer? Do I have what it takes to survive? I’ll keep everyone updated, but something I’m going to be focusing on more is just that – survival. Shelter, food & water, fire. Right now I don’t know enough, but over time I’ll be more and more prepared for what could happen. I’ll keep you updated with what I learn.