Five Weapons for Something Bad Happening
For a change of pace, I have given a little thought to five weapons that you might find handy in the event of Something Bad Happening, be that a natural disaster, a major societal or financial collapse, or some other major, society-crippling event. (If anyone mentions zombies, I will start throwing things.)
I am of the considered opinion that the need for weaponry would be about three-fourths putting food on the table and one-fourth fighting off attackers, and so I have listed my weaponry accordingly.
There is a wealth of armament available for a variety of purposes, and for some things there really is not a wrong answer. Bear in mind also that individual circumstances, most especially one’s location (urban, suburban, or rural, East or West, and so on) would make a big difference in choices. But I have managed to narrow my recommended list of “bad time” weapons down to five, in so doing trying to be as general as possible.
So, without further ado, here are five weapons you should consider having around for troubled times, in no particular order.
Savage/Stevens 24 (or a similar combo gun)
Savage 24
For those not familiar with the neat old Model 24, it is an inexpensive over/under combination gun, generally mounting a .22LR or .22WMR barrel over a .410 or 20-gauge shotgun barrel. In either form, it would be a handy thing to have for Something Bad Happening. Here’s why:
If you hunt, or know someone who does, give a moment’s thought to how that is carried out these days. Usually you are going afield after something specific. Take me, for example; in early September I may be out after mountain grouse, or if I’ve drawn a September bear tag, after bears; in October it will be deer and elk, and later in the year, maybe waterfowl or upland birds on the plains. In any of those cases, I will be equipped with gun and gear specific to the game.
Now think about a survival situation. In this case you will not be “deer hunting” or “grouse hunting.” You will be “anything I can eat” hunting, and the .22/shotgun combo is well suited to that task. The rimfire barrel will work on small critters, while you have the shotgun barrel for birds – and the rifle-sighted Model 24 is well-suited to launching slugs from that shotgun barrel as well. While you should never overlook the simple utility of a solid 12-gauge pump-gun, the combo gun’s versatility would make it an invaluable emergency tool.
Flintlock Rifle or Musket
Maybe a little on the fancy side.
If Something Bad Happening drags on for a long time, or results in a collapse of our major industries, then ammo resupply and repair parts could be a real problem. In that event, there may be advantages in downgrading your armaments, in the form of a flintlock long arm. Here’s why:
In the (unlikely, I should think) event of a major, long-term collapse, ammo will quickly become scarce as helpers on moving day. Indeed, in such an event I imagine ammo would become the new currency, with centerfire rifle and shotgun ammo being the big bills, while .22LR ammo would be the nickels and dimes.
But people have been making black gunpowder for over a thousand years now. Charcoal is easy to come by, if there are volcanoes within trading distance you can get sulfur, and if there are latrines, you can leach out potassium nitrate. If this is part of your plans, stock up on bar lead and a couple of molds, keep a goodly supply of flints stored, and you’ll be shooting long after your neighbors have started trying to improvise spears and spear-throwers.
Further, some black-powder long arms can pack a considerable wallop, at least at shorter (<150 yards) range. Smoothbore muskets have an effective range of about a third of that but can also fire shot charges or “buck and ball” loads.
And in the meantime, black-powder guns are a lot of fun to shoot.
A Concealable Handgun
My own choice – Glock 36
While I am generally in favor of belt iron in the form of major-caliber revolvers for outdoor work, in the event of Something Bad Happening, there are some great arguments for keeping a sidearm concealed. Here’s why:
Some years ago, while spending a boring evening in a hotel room, the course of my channel-surfing took me to a “documentary” detailing what life might be like in an actual post-collapse world. The “survivors” in the piece had established a camp along a small river.
One morning, on this rather silly show, a boat came up the river, steered by a “trader” who, with his companion, offered a variety of goods to barter. The entire population of the “camp” – about six people – came down to the riverbank to greet a complete stranger, in a lawless, post-apocalyptic world, unarmed, with two (frankly attractive) young women in the group.
I could spend a page of text explaining how stupid that is, but instead I will point out that there are times when a hideaway weapon could be of great benefit. The idea is the same as it is for concealed-carry today; when the bad guys do not know who is armed, that carries with it a fair amount of deterrence. And in a situation like the one described above, that concealed weapon could prevent an unexpected attack by the two boatmen who, as far as anyone knew, may have intent to steal the camper’s trade goods – or the two young women.
Far better, of course, to have someone at a short distance covering the group. That someone should be visible, armed, and prepared, with something that carries with it a little precautionary effect. Which brings us to:
Tacticool: The AR-15
The Original, Colt SP-1
Anyone who has been paying any attention to my gun articles knows that I am not a huge fan of Tacticool, even though I have an AR myself, mostly as a thumb in the eye to folks who tell me I shouldn’t be allowed to have one. But there are circumstances in which a Tacticool long arm may well be a damned handy thing to have around, and if you are contemplating that eventuality in the course of Something Bad Happening, then the Armalite platform is the way to go. Here’s why:
Consider for a moment that, for most of us, our location in the event of Something Bad Happening will be somewhere in the United States. (In much of the world outside of the U.S., discussion of what firearms to have on hand may be rather moot.) Consider that the AR-15 platform is the most popular rifle sold in the U.S. today, and has been for some time. Consider further that the primary service long arm of the U.S. military and many police agencies is the M-16/M4 platform.
Now consider that the AR-15 and assorted variants of that semi-auto rifle use the same magazines, the same ammo and many of the same parts as the military-issue rifles. If you are in a true post-collapse situation, you may well be scrounging for parts and ammo, and you may as well be scrounging for the most common stuff around.
Add to that the fact that most folks do not know much about firearms and might well be intimidated beyond the actual capacity of the rather modestly powered 5.56mm AR round. If one can back down a confrontation without firing a shot, so much the better, and the black Tacticool rifle might just do the trick there – especially if the gleaming edge of a bayonet is added to the mix.
A Quality Air Rifle
Benjamin .22 pellet rifle
In the event of Something Bad Happening, there are times when you may want to harvest some small game quietly; there is also the question of ammo, considering that you can stockpile tens of thousands of .177 or .22 caliber pellets in the space it would take to store a basic load of magazines for your Tacticool rifle. That makes a quality air gun a handy thing to have around, but that is not the only reason. Here’s why:
Bear in mind that I am not in favor of something like the Red Ryder BB gun that so many of us enjoyed in our youths. What is in order here is a quality, high-powered .177 or .22 caliber pellet rifle, one capable of taking rabbits, squirrels, and birds.
As mentioned, an air rifle is quiet. When Something Bad Happens, discretion may be required, and it is not inconceivable that one might have to harvest a bunny or a couple of squirrels in a suburban setting that still maintains some semblance of order, including the unfavorable attention that a rifle shot might bring.
Add that to the fact that one could easily and cheaply stock up tens of thousands of pellets, and a good air rifle might prove to be a champion long-term survival tool.
Honorable Mention – Other Weapons
Notice that in the introduction to this piece, I said “weapons,” not “guns.” There is a reason for that. A long blade would not be the worst of things to have around if the malodorous assimilated residue of the digestive process ever hits the oscillating rotary air-movement device. Some archery tackle would also be a nice thing to have in the time of Something Bad Happening. Here’s why:
Cold Steel 1917 Navy Cutlass
First, bladed weapons. These have the advantage of never running out of ammo; you just must keep them sharp. I have one, which I bought not out of worry of societal collapse but simply because I thought it was cool; mine is a Cold Steel replica of a 1917 Navy cutlass, the last combat long blade issued by the U.S. military. It is not a rapier or a fencing foil; this is a heavy, brutal weapon, made for hacking and slashing. I would hate to be the poor son of a bitch climbing a boarding ladder to find myself facing an old CPO at the top, armed with one of these in one hand and a .45 in the other. I imagine the same scenario would apply to someone, say, trying to force their way into your front door.
A typical modern crossbow.
Second, archery tackle. Being that game regs are likely to have gone out the window in such scenarios as we are discussing, I’d favor a powerful crossbow, as having greater range, accuracy, and being easier to learn to shoot well. A regular bow would serve as well, though, if you are already using one. In either case, there is the matter of arrows and bolts, but those can generally be used more than once, and target bolts can be used for many practice sessions. Bonus: Archery tackle is quiet. No flash or report gives away your position.
In Conclusion
For many years now, I have poked some gentle fun at the “New World Order” and other conspiracy cranks that claimed the UN was going to take over the country, or other such wild-eyed notions. I have, in the past, had little time for the “prepper” squads and their various paranoias.
These days I am rethinking that attitude a little. In the recent rounds of unrest, we had property destruction and arson only a few miles from our house. For several nights I kept a pump shotgun stuffed with 00 buckshot close at hand.
We have accelerated our Alaska plans accordingly, but we are still looking at one to two years to get moved permanently to the Great Land, where the armed citizenry far outnumbers the malcontents, and Alaskans are notorious for brooking no such nonsense. Something Bad Happening up there is likely to turn into Something Bad Happening for the instigators.
I will not be building any bunkers or stocking a year’s worth of expensive dehydrated rations. But we will likely be building a greenhouse for vegetables and doing some canning and preserving, which is something we planned to do in any case. And, just as I do now, I will keep an ample supply of ammo on hand.
Why? Because I do not see the current unrest just going away any time soon, and so I will take prudent action; move Mrs. Animal and myself away from any likely loci of the unrest, and make some prudent preparations, including evaluating my arms and ammo.
After all, it is better to have a gun and not need one, than to need one and not have one; and when you need a gun, nothing else will do.
I have multiple bows with many dozens of arrows and a fully-functional replica of 14th century Irish sword.
I think I have the alternative weapons covered.
The issue with the alternative weapons is skill. If you don’t practice archery regularly, you’re probably gonna starve if you’re depending on it.
And a sword is good for scaring someone, but actually using it to defend yourself, if you’ve not practiced any manual of arms, could go very bad for the user.
I’d recommend a machete/camp axe because they have a lot more utility as a survival tool and will be at least as effective as the sword in a untrained defensive situation.
I have an archery range in the backyard.
Admittedly, I have not been in armor in a decade and done any full contact swordplay. But I plan to get into a lower impact version soon. Because you never know when that skill might have some value.
Alas my son stole and sold my Naval Cutlass, but having Blades is a good thing, and can be a deterrent in themselves,
Where’s the 12 Gauge Pump in all of this?
/590m
I have some of this – the .410 and .22 as separate firearms. A tacticool rifle that looks very intimidating, and a musket.
someone here posted a link to a Knife store recently, Don’t Do It! my savings hates me………..
I had completely forgotten about these guys:
https://www.onestopknifeshop.com/
They were a client of mine way back in the days of yore.
I know nothing about their actual business, whether pricing/service is good/bad/etc. That was not a recommendation.
I was think about a bayonet and adapter. Being a German rifle, it would be expensive.
I have a few decent knives, 2 of my favorites are a Zero Tolerance ZT-0560 which is a bad ass looking Hinderer designed flipper and Spyderco Manix XL which features a big and scary sharp blade with a bearing lock. Plus I still have my old K-Bar I bought from the PX back in the 70’s, not sure what steel the blade is made from but it’s a major PITA to sharpen.
Just found out the ZT-0560 is discontinued, just checked the prices on E-bay. Wowzer…..
Check out the Spyderco Shaman. My personal fave and a step up from the Manix2.
The Manix XL I have has a bigger blade than the Shaman. Size matters…. 🙂
At more than 3.5″ I go fixed blade.
I mean, you’re just fucking with us now, right?
In .50 caliber, suppressed?
Do all of these modern game-capable airguns require some sort of air compressor?
I think you can use a bicycle pump, nah? Typical home shop compressors only go up to about 120psi, and the next step up industrial spec maybe 180psi? Your air rifle operates on about 3000 psi. It would just save you the manual pumping to charge via compressor, nah?
Oh never mind don’t listen to me I’m a cunt. I see all kinds of mad 4500psi compressors for paintball guns and scuba tanks and what not.
ppps – receivers holding up to 120psi. Pressure = resistance to flow or something. I’ll fuck off now.
Missed you for annotation in morning music link.
They have their own compressor, some are 1 pump, some can be pumped up more for extra power. My rifle is a one pumper, no safety, be careful, it’ll easily shoot your eye out. And take small game such as squirrels, etc.
So I would have to build my own belt-fed lever gun?
🙁
Pre-Compressed Pneumatic (PCP) airguns require a (fairly expensive) high-pressure air compressor or hand pump. The trade-off is that PCP airguns are generally lighter and higher performance.
Great Article Animal!
I have some of that Cold Steel weaponry lying around.
I just bought one of their pieces, great workmanship and balance,
Other weapons:
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2020/07/08/belt-fed-bullpup-lever-action-rifle-chambered-in-44-magnum/
Note: from the UK, where apparently this is legal.
I’m a 2A absolutist, and no one should be allowed to have something like that.
Cuz it’s ugly, right?
Of course.
It just needs “Service Guarantees Citizenship” written on it.
Yup, the cool kids will be using atlatls.
I never could figure those out. I got decent enough with regular David-style slings during my years at summer camp, but couldn’t cruft an atlatl that worked.
because of the cultural appropriation, dummy.
Also, congratulations on your newly discovered (((heritage))).
That reminds of another option.
Marbles and a Wrist Rocket. Does take some practice to get good with, though.
but can also fire shot charges or “buck and ball” loads.
And it’s all about that tap load.
Speaking of replica flintlocks, I am trying to decide what I want as my first one when the time comes that I can afford it. Torn between a 1795 Springfield and 1816 Harper’s Ferry, both made by Pedersoli. They are basically the same but the 1816 is less ornate. But if I get the 1816 it can be paired with the Harpers Ferry pistol, which would be neat.
Anyone get to pay with the big bore air rifles? I’ve seen some really cool videos and compressed air isn’t exactly hard to come by.
You like big bores and you cannot lie.
Can’t have a gun in the house.
But I do have a recurve bow I haven’t shot in 25 years. It was pointed out to me the arrows I have may be too short for a full draw, the draw is 45#, and I have a weak rotator cuff (post repair). I don’t know whether to make an appointment at the range or sell it.
I would very much like to have a crossbow.
The weight is 45#. The draw length is determined by your arms.
n00b
*sigh*
Not the arm alone, if you draw past the length of your arrow, bad things
canhappen.google how to determine draw length. You’ll find a bunch of tools.
This was the top link:
https://www.archerydirect.co.nz/draw-length-calculator#:~:text=To%20measure%20your%20draw%20length,2%2C%20is%20your%20draw%20length.
Just make sure the arrows are 1 to 2 inches longer that the draw length you calculate.
I have a 24″ draw, according to the calculator. Arrows are 34″ so I’m good.
You must be a wee lass.
I’m 5’3″ and my arms are a little shorter than they should be for my height.
Upgrade to a crossbow? Never shot one myself, but have always wanted to.
Animal, thanks. I’ll save this in my prepper/camping folder.
Also – zombies.
“I am of the considered opinion that the need for weaponry would be about three-fourths putting food on the table and one-fourth fighting off attackers, and so I have listed my weaponry accordingly.”
If commercial agriculture ends, wild animals will get scarce fast. If you have your own farm, you might not spend one-fourth of your time or ammunition fighting off attackers, but will need to deter them. Hell, people stole tomatoes from my garden back when things were relatively fine.
Unemployment checks going for bills, car repairs/gas. “Never buy what you can steal” sign never seen but has some adherents, I’m sure. Shopping means different things for different people.
I’m not gonna plead not guilty, I have rescued a few apples in my youth.
4×20, do you have any opinion on the beehives adjacent to the controversial St. Louis couple?
Look, the skeletal remains of previous attackers make fine fencepost decor.
I say skeletal, because in those circumstances, you don’t want to waste anything.
Long pork would not be choice #1, but skip a few meals and it becomes a lot more palatable.
Sigh.
You feed the long pork to actual pigs who served to lure in the intruder in the first place. DO I HAVE TO THINK OF EVERYTHING.
For people my age and younger, it can be a real surprise to find out that deer were hunted nearly to extinction in much of the US, in the late 19th through mid-20th century.
You are correct. I remember when they were fairly scarce.
Happily there are more deer in NA today than at any time in history.
During both world wars when meat was rationed wild animals of all kinds nearly disappeared. In some post-collapse scenario wild critters would disappear quickly.
Yep.
People who study and practice this kind of stuff, generally don’t have much good to say about subsistence hunting.
While I would never pass up the opportunity to hang some venison, I’d much rather rely on a couple dozen Thompson Self-Locking snares, and/or a chicken coop…
Not many will subsist on subsistence hunting.
Not to be a nihilist, but if things go to shit, I’d rather just go out in style. It won’t take much of a struggle to survive to wipe out all romantic notions about such a life.
Antifa types could be considered zombies. There’s not a whole lot of difference.
I think my hostility to barbarians is surfacing again.
I suspect the meat would be well marbled on your typical Antifa type.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365748
Oh Scheisse, meant to be a reply to you, Aloysious. ?
Watched that movie. Made me chuckle. It’s in my DVD liberry.
The Woodpile archive we discussed in last thread.
Oh, merci!
After all, it is better to have a gun and not need one, than to need one and not have one; and when you need a gun, nothing else will do.
Yes.
“bad time” is now in South Africa – Zimbabwe here we come. Maybe if Trump is reelected he’ll give white South Africans refugee status.
The Beginning of the End of Whites in South Africa
Australia denied it to them because it would seem racist. That damned country has lost its mind.
That’s rich. There’s no bigot like an Aussie bigot. I had one talk my ear off on a flight from Sydney to Adelaide. He made the KKK folks I’ve met look open-minded.
is that a reliable source?
One morning, on this rather silly show, a boat came up the river, steered by a “trader” who, with his companion, offered a variety of goods to barter. The entire population of the “camp” – about six people – came down to the riverbank to greet a complete stranger, in a lawless, post-apocalyptic world, unarmed, with two (frankly attractive) young women in the group.
You can’t fool me. That’s the first segment of How the West was Won.
Are there any really high-quality drillings or combination guns on the market right now? The Springfield M6 was always a piece of trash, and the one Stevens I’ve played with wasn’t much better.
H&R makes some. No idea how good they are.
With a closer look – it’s a .45 colt / .410 using a single barrel.
Krieghoff meet your standards for quality? Or are you talking something one of us could afford?
I mean, I’m actually thinking about a K-80 Shadow sporting clays gun right now…
Well, meeting first thing Monday morning. No, wasn’t a lay-off. It’s the new company mask policy/compliance with state requirements. Get caught without a mask when in the same room as someone else, second offense is on the spot termination. Fully expect the next step will be discipline for contracting covid.
Termination?
Christ what a bunch of assholes.
Shit rolls down hill. They get fined by the state or have increased costs, they’ll make sure employees follow policy, just like any other company rule.
They really want workplace violence to escalate, don’t they?
That would be immediate termination.
My company announced that if you go to one of those rethuglikkkan covid hotspots and have to quarantine upon returning to the virus-free lands of NY, you are NOT allowed to use sick time. Got to use vacation, or unpaid.
:shakes head: I thought we were all in this together.
I went to college with a girl born in Rhodesia. She was cute but also the most casually racist person of my generation I have ever met (short of white nationalist types). And this was in Georgia in the 80s.
There’s an argument to be made that the whites in charge of Rhodesia and South Africa created the reactionary movement which doomed all of them.
I don’t disagree with that, but its like America was the only revolutionary force that was Lockean in nature ever.
I can see good reason to overthrow the government of Rhodesia, but not to replace it with Mugabe’s government. Where were the Zimbabwean Jefferson and Adams and Franklin?
The US and Europe helped to fuck that up. By supporting the actual racist and repressive regimes for so long, they allowed to Soviets to become the political saviors of the rebels.
Which doesn’t refute my final question.
No, it doesn’t. I’d argue that they never existed. Tribal politics and communism are quite similar in a number of ways.
The Zimbabwean Jefferson and Franklin were executed with a bullet behind the ear and tossed in a ditch.
I’ve always thought it had to do with it not being a revolution as much as an independence movement, led by already established governmental entities. The colonies didn’t have to “restart” or build from scratch. They already had their own representative bodies.
Ian Smith and his allies set up the Rhodesian Constitution as an explicit attempt to avoid the horrible bloodshed and tyranny that consumed so many other African colonies during the the postwar era. He drew an explicit line between the overnight enfranchisement of poor and ignorant Africans and the election of communist tyrants who then dismantled democracy.
He wasn’t wrong about that, and that’s just a fact, as inconvenient as it is. Blame the colonialists, they kept black Africans poor and uneducated for centuries, and that’s really the root of it. If Cecil Rhodes had been sending bright Africans home to Oxford during the height of the Empire, to bring back the seeds of parliamentary government, maybe things would have turned out different in the 1960s.
Maybe there was never a solution, maybe 20th century decolonization in Africa would always and everywhere end to Marxist guerillas funded by the Soviets taking over. But at least he tried to avoid it with a legal, constitutional transfer of power with a clearly laid out progression, on the principle that those who contribute to the public treasury are the ones who should have the power of the franchise in proportion to their contributions.
Rhodesia did just fine for 20 years, despite being under international sanction by all “right thinking” people. Then they had a free and fair one man one vote election, and instantly became a Communist one party state. But white western liberals got to feel good about themselves, and really isn’t that the important thing?
The problem with the end of colonialism was it was to late, after the local elites were marxised due probably to western intellectuals.
Decolonization was probably done too rapidly as much as too late. The United Nations, despite its express purpose being to maintain peace, essentially pushed for decolonization at all costs. The Trusteeship Council patted themselves on the back for achieving changes of status and gaining new member countries then washed their hands of all the consequences. Of course, given that the primary competencies of UN “peackeepers” are raping the locals and spreading disease, maybe that’s not the worst possible outcome.
There was also a huge whitewashing of the Soviet Union’s role as a colonial master. While Britain and France were decolonizing Africa and Asia, only for many of those newly independent countries to get solications from Soviet “advisors”, the USSR never faced much pressure to free Poland, Hungary, or Czechoslovakia. After the early 1950s the UN essentially considered communist occupation synonymous with independence, and that in turn took pressure off the USSR and gave them a free hand to spread communism around the globe.
The founding fathers were outliers, and the American Revolution was also an outlier.
One of the most misunderstood aspects of history (ours in particular). Revolutions just don’t generally address the failures of govt that precipitate them – they exacerbate them.
It was just never going to work. By the middle of the 20th Century the demographics were too skewed in both places. What comes next is going to be horrific.
Speaking of people who wouldn’t survive an actual catastrophe, here’s a selection from my local community Facebook group.
I’m sure your new gastro is going to be really interested in how your great-grandpappy had a rough childhood.
Isn’t this usually found on Tinder “So if there’s a GI doctor who’s more open-minded and curious, I’d love to get connected.”
I think it’s usually a “BI doctor” maybe one who knows some Spaniards and Mexicans.
So I just got finished with my 1800 mile sojourn back across the country.
My time in northern Wisconsin was mostly covid free. Most of the things to do up there are automatically socially distant. The only time we donned masks was to go into stores, and we were the weirdos.
So we drove back through Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Florida, Central Florida, in South Florida.(yes, those last three are essentially separate states. )
Most of the trip is through very remote rural corridors. Although we went through the Chicago area, Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta, most of our stops were 100 miles from nowhere at a truck stop or restaurant.
I can report that people are not taking covid as seriously as they were a month ago. We did not see masks as a predominant feature anywhere that we stopped along the way. I was surprised that even in Atlanta, where they are locked down, that most people did not seem to be wearing masks unless they were employees.
We stopped at a Krystal Burger in South Atlanta. The burgers were delicious! Apparently the use of South Atlanta are Second Amendment activists. One young gentleman of color who appeared to be about 27 years old was openly carrying in a hip holster.
So that was interesting.
Throughout South Georgia down through Valdosta and through Northern Florida I was surprised at how many people were not wearing masks in the gas station stores. Northern Florida I was surprised at how few people were wearing masks in the gas stations and quickimart.
I did not stop anywhere in Central Florida. The new hybrid gets about 650 miles to the tank on the interstate. That is way longer than my bladder can hold out, so I rarely filled up with more than 6 gallons of fuel, which is a little more than half a tank on that sucker.
Down here in South Florida everyone is still treating it very seriously. Everyone is wearing their masks at the store. Everyone is still keeping their distance.
South Florida, meaning Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, were among the first to lock down. We have been treating it seriously the entire time. Even when we opened it back up, it was with some degree of caution.
Unless you are 23 years old and single. That group seems to have taken the position that if Governor’s can March in giant protests in large groups then they can have a barbecue at their place.
It was rather jarring to Traverse that many local cultures in that short of a. Of time. I spent a few hours in Nashville trying to work out a problem with our hotel. So I was in a couple of different hotel lobbies. Maybe it is because they were filled with people from other parts of the country, but masks were a bit casual, albeit at present.
If I had to sum it all up, I would say that there was definitely lockdown fatigue in some areas that are seeing resurgent cases. But there was also a sense of skepticism in a vast chunk of the country where covid-19 has not yet become prevalent. The county I was visiting in Wisconsin had two cases, and they both worked over in Duluth Minnesota. The last week we were up there they saw a major uptick with nearly a thousand cases in the state. The people who live out in the country I’ve been hearing about this terrifying monster for nearly half a year and they have a half a dozen cases in the area to show for it. They are not impressed with national news stories about this stuff. I think they are done with social distancing until this virus comes tearing through their communities. As I put it several times up there, they live socially distance, so they really don’t have to modify their behavior all that much.
Meanwhile, down in the megalopolis of South Florida, things have a more tense vibe. People have been rather serious about masks and social distancing since the early days of this pandemic down here. I didn’t really talk to anyone about it when I went to Walmart this morning, but I could feel that people were a little more uptight then they were a month ago when I left for Wisconsin.
If South Florida cannot keep this from spreading like wildfire, I don’t think anywhere in the country is going to be able to that has an urban population. I can’t imagine that anywhere has been more serious about masks and social distancing and shutting down businesses then these Three Counties have been. People have been extremely compliant down here. Traveling across the country made it a very Stark comparison.
I’m not sure what that means, other than I doubt that we’ll get out of this until the virus runs its course with the population.
Youth of South Atlanta. Not use. Not yoots.
Utes?
Yooottthhhhszzzz
So Trump managed to make the whole country covid vulnerable. Worst president ever.
FIL has had a large problem with boats lately. Our plans are in place if it is truly the get the hell out of Dodge situation. Unfortunately the Colorado river might be others choice also.
Good luck, we are blowing the Bridges first…..
I expect no less.
Yikes:
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/south-africa-reintroduces-ban-alcohol-combat-virus-pandemic
There aren’t that many things that’d get me to riot. This would be one of them.
That’s not going to fly in SA.
Ramaphosa has been responsible for ethnic cleansing and other atrocities, but this could doom him.
With the proven track record of successes enjoyed by Prohibition, we should all be gravely concerned.
I would go the penn and teller way if an apocalypse was comming, max out my credit card and live it up for a week because I certainly would not make it after.
AR-15 is not as reliable as a Mini-14 imo.
And the Mini is less likely to get common sense regulated out of existence.
And shoots .223 as well as .556.
Of some importance right now because 5.56 is next to impossible to get.
Mini-14 as big bore rifle?
Almost all ARs have either a 5.56 NATO or a .223 Wylde chamber these days, and can safely shoot any 223 or 556 ammo you can stuff down the tube.
I don’t think Joe’s puppeteers are going to fuck around with common sense, they are coming after all of them.
His election could well be nearly the biggest disaster in American history in more ways than I can count.
so you are saying most important election in lifetime?
Oh God, not again…
After this election we’ll have finally eliminated the evil ones and elections won’t matter again.
They are already wetting themselves over the prospect of full control. Interestingly though, they hammer the president regarding the handling of the virus but their first order of duty they want to accomplish is amnesty. Kinda like mask mandates start two-weeks for now!
Amnesty and open borders. They will never lose an election again.
Unless you troll the absolute bargain basement of the AR market, this is not true. Mini-14’s are well known for magazine issues and breaking parts.
Something something The Mattel Toy.
Yup, that’s another meme that’s proven hard to exterminate, along with, “It shits where it eats!”
Or, if you’re into other obsolete weapons, “Two world wars!!” and, “The greatest battle implement ever devised!!!”
I don’t know what it is about boomers and fudds that makes them so succeptable to memetic poisoning, but there you go…
Or, if you’re into other obsolete weapons, “Two world wars!!” and, “The greatest battle implement ever devised!!!”
You will have to pry my .308 M-1A and .45 ACP 1911 from my cold, dead hands.
You will have to pry my .308 M-1A and .45 ACP 1911 from my cold, dead hands.
“Yeah, he was blasting away at some cans on the fence over there and just keeled over.”
“I don’t see any cans left on the fence.”
“Two world wars!!”
Eh, if I had to load hardball, I’d prefer a .45. That’s always the big caveat with military handguns. There’s no difference that can be measured between all the service cartridges using modern JHP. Which means you should really only carry .45 if for some reason you shoot it better than 9mm, 10mm, or .40.
But in the military, you’re not supposed to load JHP, you’re supposed to load FMJ. So I can see the case for the .45 in that situation.
““The greatest battle implement ever devised!!!”
An arguably true statement when it was uttered by a man who died in 1945.
There’s not all that much difference between .45ACP hardball and 9mm NATO hardball, either.
My experience has been the opposite. Two Mini-14s with issues; one had a bolt failure the second has extraction issues. I have only had one AR-15 with issues and that was a Sarco A1 parts kit from 20 years ago.
Does jellied petroleum work against body armor? Asking for a friend.
under the right conditions it could be made very warm, and it sticks!
My last trip to the doctors office some years back involved an unanticipated ultrasounding of my groin region.
“Here, have some paper towels to clean off that copious slathering of lube.”
Thanks.
Unanticipated…
That’s what they all say.
Honestly, at the time I had no idea they used ultrasound for anything besides fetal voyeurism.
It’s also used to check for things like blood clots, etc.
I might dredge up this tidbit from the morning links more than once.
Rufus: the mask thing could lead to all sorts of medical issues; not to mention waste and impact on the environment.
When I walk around my block, I do a warmup lap picking up the litter so I can enjoy the ensuing laps. Fill up 1-2 plastic grocery bags a week. Beverage containers and fast food bags that were likely tossed in-situ constitute about half, the other half seems to be windblown from uphill/townward.
I’m collecting around five masks a week now.
To everyone making fun of people wearing their mask in the car: at least their mask isn’t whipping out the window after being hung on the turnsignal lever.
Those that wear in the car are the one’s I probably will never make fun of. They are probably the closest thing to a properly donned mask wearer out there sans some respirator trained personnel with proper PPE for the task at hand.
GlibFit: my block = 0.3mi, ~5:50, ~3mph avg per GPS recording
Its 1130, 115 outside, time go get some,
Tall Cans!
If Government thought the anti-vaxxer crowds were hard enough to deal with, the proposals to make kids endure weekly COVID testing while attending school will be epic.
I don’t even understand that. Let them all get it (as much as kids can even get it) and keep them away from anyone vulnerable for a couple weeks. Then you never have to worry about it in that school again.
My wife’s nephew and his wife (mid 30’s) had it – basically a cold for a week. Their young kids were obviously exposed and would probably test positive for ant-bodies. They never displayed the slightest symptoms.
Dad in the cancer ward had it and was asymptomatic throughout. Its amazing that it is being pitched AND believed as a 100% death sentence if you contract.
And breathtakingly stupid. The false negative rate at onset of symptoms is 38%. God knows what it is for asymptomatic kids.
https://www.270towin.com/ is showing that Biden has the W in the election, even if he looses the states they think are too close to call.
And you believe them?
Believe that that is what the polls are saying? Yes.
Polls tend to be… how to put this… complete hogwash.
Utterly unscientific. Why when I disembowel a rooster and read the entrails for portents – that right there, that is science.
We have literally seen people fired, beaten, and killed the past few weeks for expressing contrary political opinions. I think polls for the next 4 months are worthless.
The important question is whether the polls reflect reality. We’ll find out soon enough.
That’s been answered so many times already. It’s always no.
Looks just like a per-election 2016 Hillary map.
https://www.270towin.com/maps/consensus-pundit-electoral-map
They really think TX is in play?
They’ll say anything to try to fake inevitability.
Well the media is showing polling that Biden is ahead so yeah, they do.
That’s a good indication that the polls are either deliberate or accidental horseshit.
They tried the “inevitability” narrative to discourage Trump votes last time. I don’t see why they think it would work now.
Look at the samples for those Texas polls. They’re crap. The one I saw with Biden up had a sample of 39% Dems. I know Texas isn’t quite the GOP stronghold it used to be, but there’s no way I believe that.
And Georgia too.
So you are saying Stacy Abrams for vp.
Well Georgia did almost elect Stacy Abrams.
Alright prediction time. Trump will re-roll DACA EO to put in a pathway to citizenship for them that the left will either try to “one up” in Congress or will attack as not enough. Put in the caveat that the EO will sunset on election day 2024 unless Congress enacts legislation that mirror the EO.
I predict we’re going to get boned by the government, even harder and faster.
I just paid our taxes. I can’t take much more boning right now. I need to buy a rifle, right now dammit. Any brands to absolutely stay away from?
Remington
I knew I shouldn’t have bought those 870 shotguns.
You have 870 shotguns? Can I borrow a few?
Hey, I like my 870
I don’t know if I like them or not. I haven’t fired them yet.
Norinco.
I have no doubt any actions by the government will eventually end in a boning.
Nope, Trump isn’t that clever. He is as subtle as a brick.
they moved WI into a column: was 268 before
Watching a mystery show from the late 70s. Shows the killing as it happens – clear self defense case. Yet the supposed bad guy who is supposedly a retired police officer then goes and tries to stage the scene as a suicide. Makes no sense.
Makes no sense.
Neither does this.
Untrue, I can figure out what’s happening there.
Tacoma FD resumes season 2 on 7/23.
https://www.trutv.com/shows/tacoma-fd
AOC, being the suuuuuuper genius she is, thinks that Breaking Bad “glamorized, humanized, and sympathized” Walter White.
I never watched Breaking Bad but i thought that is what it did.
No, WW was a very Bad Person, as was everyone in the show, there were no good people IMO,
Breaking Bad is a term, a verb,
Not really. Walt’s a horrible person and the show doesn’t really try to sugarcoat it. It does sometimes portray his attempts to convince himself that he’s not a bad guy, but the viewer knows that he is.
+1 Criminal. Defense Lawyer
WW is absolutely glamorized, but so are criminals of all kinds in American media, going back decades.
Being a hero is better than being a villain, but it’s better to be a villain than a loser.
Heroes get girls, villains get girls, losers don’t.
It figures that she’s too dumb to understand the word antihero.
2020 Election is the 60th Presidential Election in US history. Ancient Sumerians and Chaldeans knew that the world was divided into measurments based around the number 60. This forbears a restart of a cycle.
More fun Facts:
13/60 of those elections saw more than one party receive electoral votes, or about 22%. There are only 22 letters in the Hebrew Alphabet, because they knew how to express all options of sounds in just 22 letters. Likewise we are at the end, and can expect a reset of a cycle.
2020 backwards is 202. In the year 202 Empereror Septimus Severus returned to Rome after being absent for 5 years. Likewise, we should expect to so the return of people absent from public life for the last 5 years.
Per this Wikipedia list, this would be #59 unless they’ve goofed and I can’t see it. (Table can be resorted by Election # on PC, though I couldn’t do so on my phone.) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_elections_by_popular_vote_margin
Also, my birthday is August 2nd. The same day that the Declaration of Independence was signed, so I’m obviously a rascist.
Also, if you add up 8+2+1969, it equals 1979, which was the year that the Smashing Pumpkins recorded the song “1979”, and that’s just eerie…
No scoped, long range, big game rifle?
Alaska is gorgeous, and the summers are grand indeed. Land of the Midnight Sun! Of course, there is the crushing poverty and rampant rape in Native communities, and let’s not forget the Fimbul Winter that the state experiences for 2/3 of the year.
Still, might be better than what’s going on in the lower 48.