What Did You Do To Prepare This Week?
As Zero noted it is about time to freak out that the next administration, in this case most likely a lame duck Democrat will bring about another AWB or whatever. If I was just a shooter this would be easy as I would toss all available resources towards guns, ammo and mags. However since I need to worry about eating, drinking clean potable water, communication, shelter and such there are certainly trade offs. Luckily I have had a few years working a decent paying job to fill most of my needs and some of my wants. Thus I don’t need to freak out but looking at where I am and prioritizing filling a few holes is not a bad idea. I sort of overlayed my biggest holes with the stuff most likely to be easily taken out of circulation (at current prices) and got a shopping list.
The stuff I see as most vulnerable are imported items and magazines. For example imported Siaga shotguns and dirt cheap HK G3 and AK-47 mags could be gone in a single executive order or a change in import regulations. I don’t own or have a huge desire to own a Siaga, though if I did I would get one and plenty of mags. Since I picked up some mags for the PTR-91 I may get some day that is off the list.
Today I ordered an AK-47 spare parts kit and 10 more European surplus AK mags. I don’t really need the mags but at $9.95 a piece they are a great deal.They give me enough to comfortably equip another AK which is a nice option to have. If I never get there they will go into the barter/ charity pile. This purchase is the last I really want to make before November timeframe.
However if I can get around to it picking up 10 more PMAGs, 10 more Glock 9mm mags, and an AK drum would be nice. Speaking of which does anybody have experience with an AK drum that doesn’t suck and is currently available at a reasonable price? I have to weigh it up against other things on the list and am not sure where this stuff will fall. Still though November is a long time away.
It is probably not a bad idea to take a look at your situation. If you have a gun lying around with just 2-3 mags, especially one that you rely on it might be prudent to order a few more just in case.
This Is Awesome
Medical marijuana growers join Teamsters Union.
There are so many hilarious ways this can go. Cheech and Chong meet Tony Soprano is the scenario I’m starting with.
quote of the day
“Unless we do identifiable harm to others, the State should leave us alone.” — libertarian journalist John Stossel
Zoning and HOA’s
My principle observation about zoning is that everyone wants to be able to do whatever they want and have their neighbors follow the rules. People want to buy into an area with restrictive rules and then do what we feel like. HOA’s vary from benign ones saying you can’t have cars on blocks in the yard or paint your house bright pink to outright Nazi like rules and regulations. However the theme continues.
The hypocrisy of some of these individual positions baffles me. Usually somebody says “I should be able to build/ sell stuff/ whatever small business out of MY home”. Fine and dandy that position makes some sense. However when I take it a step further and ask if they would mind the neighbor opening junk yard on the front lawn or their other neighbor opening a disco in their back yard that closes at 2AM they all of a sudden have a real problem. It is THEIR neighborhood and they want it to be nice and quiet. Some folks will then say that neighborhoods should have the right to agree on what they want to be there. Oh wait a second they ALREADY DID and they said you can’t run that used junk shop in your living room.What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
The biggest thing I see about zoning and HOA’s is to be fully informed. Take some time and dig into the books to see what is and isn’t allowed in a certain place. A home is a huge purchase and it is well worth a boring afternoon of reading to make sure you are comfortable with them. Learn what the rules are and then figure if they will work for you. Error strongly on the side of caution. If you might want to some day have goats and it says no farm animals then best move on. Sorry but it is unlikely that you will find a place where you can grow and sell eggs and milk in the back yard in a decent sized city. In a lot of ways it is convenient to live in a city but they have rules.
I often hear “every place here has an HOA” and that may be true. However I would say after you research them all if you can’t find one you can comfortable live under there are two options; first you can decide to just deal and second you can decide to live elsewhere. Generally if you get out of town or the suburbs HOA’s go away.
Lastly remember that either everyone is going to live by the rules they agreed to (at least implicitly when they bought there) or it is going to be a free for all. The neighbor might dislike your used junk store or micro farm just as much as you would dislike their junk yard or disco.
Obey The Law or at Least Keep Your Mouth Shut
I do not suggest you do anything illegal to prepare yourself for any sort of worst case scenario. That isn’t just a disclaimer; it is what I really think. The juice just isn’t worth the squeeze. Particularly in the area of firearms you just don’t need to break any laws. If the place you live in has really sucky gun laws then move.
I have heard of some folks who have a shotgun with a very short defensive barrel. That is fine and dandy unless some goblin breaks into their place and that shotgun gets used. The difference of a few inches of barrel would be the difference between spending a bit of time talking to the cops and eventually going home and a long time in jail.
If you really want to have some explosives around then find a legitimate reason to have them and jump through the hoops to get the right licenses.
It is tempting to think I’ll just get X and only take it out if the world ends. Life just doesn’t work that way and almost all realistic scenarios do not have all law enforcement vanishing.
At a minimum if you do make the decision to break the law don’t tell anybody and hide the stuff well. Really telling nobody is probably more important than hiding the stuff well. In some circles people becoming informants in order to get a pass on their own indiscretions is more common than anybody will admit. Also a person who hears you are looking for something might just come up with it and get the whole thing on tape to send you to the pen.
Lets say you live in California and own a Glock or some kind of a semi neutered semi automatic rifle. You might think that having a box of full capacity mags for both of these guns is prudent. Again I would suggest you either move or deal but at least pack the stuff securely and hide it deep. Somehow or another a person might end up in your attic and them mention the box of AK mags to someone else but a person digging 4 feet down in your garden 5 feet from the lower left side is unlikely. Should your spouse know about this? I say yes because you two need to be on the same page in major decisions. However there is no reason for anybody else to know.
Obey the law or at least keep your mouth shut.
Should You Get Involved?
Read this very interesting post at Warrior Talk News. Think about this now while you have time to deliberate and figure out all the angles so if something happens you already have a good idea what is the best course of action.
quote of the day
“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them.”
-Robert Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
quote of the day
“When you’re a suspect and you’re innocent, keep your mouth shut”
-Gill Grisom in CSI season 1
Total Survivalist Blog 