kato13
09-10-2008, 03:52 AM
General Pain 04-22-2008, 05:16 AM Since things are what they are I was wondering how well my fellow board-members are prepared for a impending WW3 scenario in Real live?
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Headquarters 04-22-2008, 05:31 AM this is a bit morbid isnt it ?
I dont believe in that sort of conflict anytime soon..But I do like to prepare just for fun ..I once read an article by a work group of higlevel scientists saying that they did not believe that it would be possible for ordinary people to survive an all out nuclear war -not to mention that it probably wouldnt be desireable to do so
Anyways-given what the facts are onhuman nature its best to keep a couple of guns and loads of ammo in a strongbox somewhere in the house -at least thats a couple of guns that are not out on the streets or in the hands of bad people ..
see? I am a man of peace.
How come people who are prepared almost always come across like
right wing,gun crazy,racist surviva-freaks ?
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Targan 04-22-2008, 05:49 AM I don't know what to put on the poll. Having a legal firearm of a type that would be useful to me isn't an option - I'm living in Australia, one of the world's great "nanny states" when it comes to firearms. If I had an illegal firearm I certainly wouldn't be admitting it on this forum. But I have a variety of equipment at home which would be useful in a survival situation; Australian military backpack and a South African Army tactical load bearing vest, climbing gear, MREs, a bunch of camping stuff, non-firearm weapons of various kinds etc. I am also professionally qualified to manufacture and handle explosives.
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kato13 04-22-2008, 05:56 AM It is funny I chose not prepared at all yet I am currently living in one of the most likely places for conflict in the realm of 1st world nations, South Korea.
Back in the day 1984-89, when I was a teenager I had everything planned out. I even had food supplies buried along the route to a friend's cousin's house out in the boonies of Wisconsin. I guess nothing will ever scare me like Ivan the Bear did.
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pmulcahy 04-22-2008, 07:58 AM Gee, General, I never get to vote in your polls! :p
I do think we're sliding into the collapse of our present world civilization -- but I'm damned sure not prepared in any way for it. :(
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jasonlips 04-22-2008, 08:06 AM I chose 'good prepared'. I have a half-dozen firearms, with a decent stock of ammo for my SKS, and a couple boxes for everything else. My wife and I have a nice brick house, and she always keeps our walk-in pantry well stocked with canned goods/pasta/rice/cans of tuna, etc. We have gas heat and a gas stove to stay warm and cook, and for backup we have a propane grill and a few extra tanks of fuel. We have a decent first-aid set up in our house, and our vehicles.
However, we do not have much water stored, and we live in the center of a decent sized city. We do not have stockpiles of our medications :(. I guess we are prepared for the most 'common' disaster-type scenarios in our region. A major blizzard or tornado are the most common worries, but there was a midwest earthquake recently.
We plan to increase our preparedness in 2008. We are also going to join a gun club this summer! :):):).
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thefusilier 04-22-2008, 08:14 AM I'd say I am very well prepared. I have a stockpile of leather pants with metal studs, football shoulder pads, a miniature crossbow, a helmet with viking horns on the sides, etc. What? I use the post-apoc documentary "Mad Max" as a reference.
Ok fine. I used to be when I was in the army in Canada. But ever since I left for a much less stable and more populated country I am not.
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gstitz 04-22-2008, 09:21 PM Well, I own my home outright, so I don't have to worry about the bank foreclosing on it in the event of a 1930's type depression. I have enough room that I could grow a decent-sized garden if we needed to, and could even raise rabbits and/or chickens (or even goats, if it came to that). I'm planning to expand the privacy fence, which would give me even more room.
Thinking about adding some solar panels, but plan to put them at ground level, rather than on the roof...
In the event of a war involving nuclear weapons, I'm close enough to a target that I would probably get it in the second round and maybe even in the first (state capital / major USAF logistics hub), so I'm actually not terribly worried about the "aftermath"...
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pmulcahy 04-22-2008, 11:07 PM Thinking about adding some solar panels, but plan to put them at ground level, rather than on the roof...
I hope one day to be able to afford solar panels. It wouldn't be a good idea for me to mount at ground level -- I do have 5 dogs (including 3 males), after all...
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Targan 04-22-2008, 11:40 PM Thinking about adding some solar panels, but plan to put them at ground level, rather than on the roof...
My mum and her husband are environmental scientists who spend half the year wandering around the desert doing research. There are currently building a passive solar house in the hills that surround the city where I live. I'd probably head out to their place if the sh*t went down. Even if we all couldn't stay there as the situation degenerated, my mum has vastly more survival gear than I do as well as a pretty gnarly four wheel drive vehicle and a couple of quad bikes. My mum was a racing car driver when I was a kid, she's a pretty amazing and tough woman.
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Hangfire7 04-23-2008, 12:20 AM For me I have two viable options;
A.) Stick it out where I am at. A house in a isolated neighborhood on a finger with some good neighbors. Plenty of arms and ammo, plenty of camping gear. <the benefit of being inolved with scouts and having a garage and a large backyard shed> My backyard abuts a wildlife area with a decent sized river flowing through it. There is also a pond that has plenty of water fowl and could be used for aquaculture. And there are some wild hogs in the cane fields, a herd of sheep illegaly graze in the area and cattle are in the area. The road aproach to this area is two roads in, with a wide open space, the riverbottom aproach, well i am on the high ground.
I could sit tight, get water from the river, enhance my garden and expand to the wilderness area and surounding area.
If I am in the city, I sit tight in my boat, or motor out to the harbor and sit tight, or I drain the fuel from every car in the marina parking lot as well as unmanned boats in the marina, this is a Red Dawn scenario right?
Load up the boat with whatever I can, there are several stores near the marina and I have a good supply of caned goods aboard already, I load up my kayaks, my zodiak and one or two smaller rowboats from the marinas rack and sail out to Catalina Island or one of the other channel islands, all have wild game, fish and water sources and they are isolated enough to allow a person to lay low for sometime in the advent of something bad happening. And even setting up a small community if things didn't improve on the mainland. I have actualy discussed this topic with a few freinds of mine and we have all thought it was a good idea, alot more doable than trying to fight the hell that is LA traffic on a normal day let alone during a crisis. Roads would be usless. Thus, I would buy, beg,borrow and steal every drop of fuel I had to make the trip.
Another option, land on and take over one of the abandoned oil rigs off the coast of Orange County. You could survive decently on one. The supports are a haven for scallops, abalone and lobster as well as being a haven for fish, edible kelp is in the region and if one is willing to try sea lion or seal they are there too. If you could get enough soil you could even put several garden plots on such a rig, being on the water, but above you would have lots of dew and moisture and you could build a solar water condenser as well as a rain catch to provide you with water, toss on some solar pannels or wind turbines and you could live pretty well, get some folks who can bring the rig online to recover some of the oil in the pipe and you have a real power.....hmmmmm, this actualy sounds like a pretty cool campaign idea for California rather than the SUCKY City of Angels which was pretty weak....now I am thinking, maybe I should start writting campaigns again, start with a southern California series.
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General Pain 04-23-2008, 04:23 AM lots of funny,interesting and disturbing answers(u know who u r)
I reckon I would travel to my parents 600 square-meter house in Kristiansand - my dad is a doctor and he got a 8mm Mauser and a shotgun
and loads of food - I would have to travel with all my swords,knives and (1) kuhkri...(don't need no ammo) (just a sleeping enemy) hehe :smashfrea
but water seem's to be what people would have problems with ..luckily there are many freshwater lakes around where I live....
hmmm....should get some slaves for that part of the job hehe - and a generator would be cool to
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Headquarters 04-23-2008, 05:29 AM I thought about the scenario using the "GRIM" mod for campaign reasons.(nothing else I swear !)
The setting is an urban community not actually hit by acts of war like nukes or battles etc but still in collapse and chaos due to the global twilight of our civilization -a medium size town for instance
I came up with a season (weather) based timeline.It starts in the summer ,and gets worse as it gets colder -up to a point .If it starts later things will get worse more rapidly,but also improve more rapidly as the sheer number of peopl ewill drop more sharply
-briefly explained here it goes :
The first 180 days people would probably clash up here.Fighting over the best housing,food or just because they are bad people .But after the winter most would have perished.Surviving a Scandinavian winter were everything from public services food supply to power is gone without preparation is not likely .
0-14 days will have sporadic but increasing number of incidents like assaults ,accidents without EMR,fires but still some food etc left in houses and stores etc etc .the lawful mentality will prevail even if it diminishes every day .."resue will come.."
14-60 days food supplies will run out -taking becomes more viable than finding or producing for most people as we all survive by now useless office skills..fighting eachother for survival becomes commonplace .A free for all menatlity or hopelessness /grim desperation mentalty will take over
60- 180 days
many weak groups like infants ,elderly,disabled etc will not have made it this far.But many now ruthless ,or now unrestrained people that were already ruthless- will have .Resources are even scarcer and the fight becomes more desperate.Also winter is upcoming and everyone knows that hoarding is the only chance they have got . only the determined ,lucky or those who have planned far ahead will have mad eit to this point
180 days plus
either you have survived the winter or not. you have done it by planning/working for it or by killing and stealing for it -but there is probably alot less of you either way.Meaning there are fewer unprepared survivors left ,and less chance of chance encounters leading to fights .But the times someone do decide to fight ,chances are that both sides will have hardened individuals that have a degree of experience in fighting .(people that are weakened by illness or hunger will of course be the opposite -easier to take ).
all in all
I think sickness,hunger,dehydration ,poisoning from pollutants and fallout in the air and in the water/ecosystem , and dehydration will be the real killers-having alot of guns will be of limited use compared to waterfilters,geiger counter ,medicines,canned goods etc.
Of course -not having them when a hunger mob surrounds your house to kill and eat you, is when the limited use becomes an absolute necsessity.
Its better to have them and not need them than to not have them and need them.
Also I think having a gun in your house gives a sense of security that is more psychologically tangible than some other preparations .Its alot easier to get than an underground fallout shelter with food and water for a family of 5 .Or the 200 gallon extra water tank in your backyard .
(Not taking to account those of you who live in Oz downunder -were I gather guns are only for the military and police .What about hunting and competition shooting btw? Just get a studded leather jacket and the mini crossbow as someone said -the only thing important about a gun is after all that it is better than thine neighbour`s :)
hhehe
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Targan 04-23-2008, 05:43 AM (Not taking to account those of you who live in Oz downunder -were I gather guns are only for the military and police .What about hunting and competition shooting btw? Just get a studded leather jacket and the mini crossbow as someone said -the only thing important about a gun is after all that it is better than thine neighbour`s :)
There is bugger all firearms legally in civilian hands down here now. Its a friggin' tragedy. Makes me a bit ashamed. Part of the reason (i think) that ANZAC troops did so well in the two world wars was that a large proportion could already shoot, and well, before they joined the military. I have a number of friends that were into competition shooting before but don't do it now. The requirements are just too hard, the allowed weapon and ammo types too restricted. I suspect that quite a large number of people in Australia who reported their guns stolen in the past decade actually just buried them.
I can shoot well and I'm pretty ruthless when it comes to combat (although I've never been in a shootout). If I could get my hands on firearms you can bet I'd be putting lead in the air if the shit went down. I'd do anything necessary to save my friends and those I love. Anything.
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pmulcahy 04-23-2008, 05:47 AM I have a problem with being able to own a firearm for a different reason -- being mentally ill, I cannot legally own a firearm in my state (Texas). Which brings up another point (which we've gone into at several different times on this board) -- those of us who require regular medication would be in a lot of trouble if the Big Balloon went up.
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akula_au 04-23-2008, 04:40 PM [QUOTE=Targan]There is bugger all firearms legally in civilian hands down here now. Its a friggin' tragedy. Makes me a bit ashamed. [QUOTE]
Funnily enough it makes me proud to know we don't need them. Christ knows with 2 small boys the last thing I want in the house is a firearm.
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Brother in Arms 04-23-2008, 05:06 PM Akula
Two small boys in the house is a great reason to have firearms!
I first shot at age 4...and by 9 I had my own firearm. I learned safe handling and use of firearms. Shooting has become a major part of my life. So much so I eventually decided to go to trade school and now I am a gunsmith and work on firearms everyday and I don't take that for granted.
You should never be proud to be disarmed. Because it means you have no real freedom, at least no way to safegaurd the "freedom" you do have. You are at the mercy of criminals or a criminal government whenever they decide to exploit you.
Brother in Arms
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akula_au 04-23-2008, 05:40 PM You should never be proud to be disarmed. Because it means you have no real freedom, at least no way to safegaurd the "freedom" you do have. You are at the mercy of criminals or a criminal government whenever they decide to exploit you.
Brother in Arms
Brother
Thing is I don't feel I am threatened by criminals because most of them don't have guns either. Guns are for the military, the police, farmers and hunters. I don't do any of those things so I don't need them. As for a criminal government well I can't see that happening here so I don't see that as a threat.
If guns where freely available then yes I would probably feel threatened like you do in the US but here in Australia, nope it's not like that despite the BS the NRA put out in the US about us.
Cheers
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thefusilier 04-24-2008, 03:05 AM You are at the mercy of criminals
Where I come from we pay taxes to ensure we have a capable police force and justice system to ensure we are protected. I am not anti-gun, I just don't think its a necessary means for protection. People should have confidence that those employed with public safety have a handle on things. Maybe American society thinks differently, but the idea that everyone should be allowed to be armed is not a universally accepted one.
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Targan 04-24-2008, 04:23 AM I have confidence that if the Police are on hand they will protect me but response times for Police here in Perth are dismal. And lately there has been a disturbing increase in the number of violent crimes that have resulted in deaths.
Eh, I dunno. I guess it is good that Akula and I live in a country where we can have opposing points of view and neither of us thinks any less of the other for having a different opinion on the matter.
I do see where you are coming from BTW Akula.
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thefusilier 04-24-2008, 04:26 AM Well like I said. I am not anti-gun. I just think many people owning guns for the purpose of protection causes more problems than its helps.
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jasonlips 04-24-2008, 09:27 AM Well like I said. I am not anti-gun. I just think many people owning guns for the purpose of protection causes more problems than its helps.
I cannot argue against your point. I am pro-gun, but I rely on the police to protect me. I own guns because; some are hand-me-downs, some are WWII collectors items :), and my SKS is just plain fun to shoot (at a legal range BTW). All my firearms are kept locked in a gun safe, which is inside a locked closet. My wife keeps her firearm in a safe in our bedroom, due to the fact I work an overnight shift four nights a week. My wife decided she would use lethal force to protect herself in my absence, after calling 911 of course.
You are correct though fusilier. There was a recent tragedy here in Omaha, Ne when a young man killed 9 people (including himself), at Westroads mall.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westroads_Mall_massacre
The 19-year old gunman stole the semi-auto AK-47 from his step-fathers closet. The firearm was not secured in any way, and the step-father was on vacation; the shooter had full access, despite a history of mental illness. This is an all to common occurance in the U.S. Criminals steal guns to commit more crimes. That is why all firearms and ammo should be secured.
What a thread-jack! Ask an American if he is prepared, and he will include firearms as integral.
@pmulcahy-I am going to ask my Dr. for a one month back-up supply on my med, and maybe she will give me some samples(free!). Near the end of the month, I only have a few pills left. If I was unable to get my meds filled for a few days, it sure would be nice to have some in reserve. Going without my meds for a few days woiuld not kill me, but it would stress me out, and after a few days I would need it.
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chico20854 04-24-2008, 10:20 AM I'm partially ready. I work a few blocks from the US Capitol, so it's really impractical to prepare for the full range of challenges that presents (i.e. I can't keep a NBC recon-variant BRDM or Fuchs in the parking garage at work to find a clean route home, maybe stopping by to pick up Jason and his wife, who are squeezed in between the Capitol and the White House). There are some other things I've done, including one or more firearms, so I'm more prepared than 85%+ of people around here (which is kind of amazing, given the threat situation in DC).
As for guns for personal protection, a few ancedotes: I've only had a gun pulled on me twice - once in Sofia, Bulgaria, when I was also carrying a gun (long story) and once in supposedly heavily-gun controlled Copenhagen. I live in a state that has some of the most severe restriction on gun carrying in the US (a civilian's gun is allowed off his owned/rented property if he is on his way to or from target shooting, hunting, a gunsmith or a gun store. Loaded magazines in transit are illegal. Concealed carry permits are only allowed for off-duty cops, judges, politicians and those who have survived previous recent murder attempts.) and work in DC (who's gun laws are the strictest in the nation - it has arrested people from moving assembled rifles and shotguns around in their own homes, and pistols are strictly forbidden). Those laws will be up for a change this summer, after the Supreme Court rules on the DC laws (arguments were in March and the judges were pretty sceptical as to the ability of the police to offer protection and seemed to think that assembling a rifle or shotgun while your home is being robbed isn't too practical). Along the lines of "When seconds count, the police are only minutes away!"
Can any of you guys Down Under confirm what I've heard, that when there were ethnic troubles at the beach near Sydney a few years back that a number of (civilian/criminal-owned) guns suddenly showed up in an effort to threaten or intimidate others?
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O'Borg 04-24-2008, 11:02 AM I live in a densely populated area 25 miles from central London, 10 miles from a major seaport, and if I look out my back window I have a major oil/gas refinery and storage facility about 2 miles away across open fields with nothing to deflect a blast except the occasional cow.
In the event of an all out nuclear exchange, all that would be left of me would be a few heavily irradiated molecules.
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Badbru 04-24-2008, 02:52 PM Can any of you guys Down Under confirm what I've heard, that when there were ethnic troubles at the beach near Sydney a few years back that a number of (civilian/criminal-owned) guns suddenly showed up in an effort to threaten or intimidate others?
I don't recall any mention of guns, and those "events" were widely reported upon in all forms of media here for some time. Perhaps Sydney-siders closer to the events than I in Perth, on the other side of the country, had better coverage although most of our news is national these days.
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Hangfire7 04-24-2008, 03:56 PM Ah the gun debate! Love it! I think that is one of the main differences between we Americans and other parts of the world. We were forged on abuse and distrust of a distant government in England and we cast off the label of subject. As to many of us that the title has a negative conotation. Remember, in the US we do not have titles and no citizen can legaly have such. Part of what has made us unique.
Modern factors that make many pro firearms, crime. When the response time by many police agencies is 15 minutes to an hour sometimes even longer puts you for the most part on your own. This is important since most fights be their fist or gun last under 5 minutes, well do the math. When I went through the police academy a dozen years ago we were even told for the most part we will come on the scene AFTER the fact.
We must also consider that it is not uncommmon to have corruption in police and local governmental organizations. In the last couple months several mayors of major cities have been investigated or are under indictment.
And a prime example, the Katrina situation where the police abandoned their posts and left the city and their comrades on their own. <T2K they would could be considered marauders.> Or in some cases looted themselves beyond what was needed to sustain life, raiding a cadilac dealership, holding up in a hotel and looting its safe.
And prior to that well the New Orleans police was widley known to be corrupt, one gang within the police force was even committing armed robberies on duty. This was illustrated when one female officer committed an armed robbery of a Chinese restraunt and her partnet responded to the call where she ended up shooting and killing him.
I am not saying all, but there are enough bad actors to give the people a healthy dose of distrust.
And of course it is our culture and heritage. The 2nd Amendment is part of our nations foundation, to monkey with that and change it sets a dangerous precident for the other nine amendments in the bill of rights which would shake our foundation as a nation.
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Targan 04-25-2008, 12:19 AM Can any of you guys Down Under confirm what I've heard, that when there were ethnic troubles at the beach near Sydney a few years back that a number of (civilian/criminal-owned) guns suddenly showed up in an effort to threaten or intimidate others?Ah yes, the infamous Cronulla Riots of December 2005. That nasty series of events happened partly due to the post-9/11 anti-Middle Eastern backlash that I'm sure has affected many mainly caucasian populated western nations in recent years, and partly due to a number of specific events involving Lebanese youths intimidating and assaulting Anglo beach goers at Cronulla. The situation was made worse by the fact that South Sydney in general, where Cronulla Beach is located, is a very "working class" area where the Anglo inhabitants are notoriously intolerant, belligerant, pseudo-macho and often bigotted.
The news showed hundreds of screaming, drunk young Anglo males screaming things like "go back where you came from" to anyone of Middle Eastern appearance they could find. Funny thing is most of the people they were abusing were born in Australia. They tried to make it an anti-Muslim thing too but many Austns of Lebanese descent are Christians.
There wasn't any mention of guns being involved in any of the news about the events that I monitored (its my job, I'm a professional media monitor) and in any case the New South Wales Police turned out in droves and they all carry .40 Glocks so any rioter dumb enough to have flashed a piece would likely have found themselves suffering a nasty case of "oh bugger I've been shot".
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Headquarters 04-25-2008, 12:46 AM I live in a densely populated area 25 miles from central London, 10 miles from a major seaport, and if I look out my back window I have a major oil/gas refinery and storage facility about 2 miles away across open fields with nothing to deflect a blast except the occasional cow.
In the event of an all out nuclear exchange, all that would be left of me would be a few heavily irradiated molecules.
well prepared then:)
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Headquarters 04-25-2008, 01:16 AM Ah the gun debate! Love it! I think that is one of the main differences between we Americans and other parts of the world. We were forged on abuse and distrust of a distant government in England and we cast off the label of subject. As to many of us that the title has a negative conotation. Remember, in the US we do not have titles and no citizen can legaly have such. Part of what has made us unique.
Modern factors that make many pro firearms, crime. When the response time by many police agencies is 15 minutes to an hour sometimes even longer puts you for the most part on your own. This is important since most fights be their fist or gun last under 5 minutes, well do the math. When I went through the police academy a dozen years ago we were even told for the most part we will come on the scene AFTER the fact.
We must also consider that it is not uncommmon to have corruption in police and local governmental organizations. In the last couple months several mayors of major cities have been investigated or are under indictment.
And a prime example, the Katrina situation where the police abandoned their posts and left the city and their comrades on their own. <T2K they would could be considered marauders.> Or in some cases looted themselves beyond what was needed to sustain life, raiding a cadilac dealership, holding up in a hotel and looting its safe.
And prior to that well the New Orleans police was widley known to be corrupt, one gang within the police force was even committing armed robberies on duty. This was illustrated when one female officer committed an armed robbery of a Chinese restraunt and her partnet responded to the call where she ended up shooting and killing him.
I am not saying all, but there are enough bad actors to give the people a healthy dose of distrust.
And of course it is our culture and heritage. The 2nd Amendment is part of our nations foundation, to monkey with that and change it sets a dangerous precident for the other nine amendments in the bill of rights which would shake our foundation as a nation.
Its a poll about preparedness for a pseudo T2K scenario .But since the gun debate is on - We have many factors w the US in common over here .We were founded despite the immideate presence of a corrupt and dictatorial goverment -the Lords were actually here ,not only their German Mercs.
But there are other factors than fear of crime that have lead to the gun culture in the US.
One major factor is the gun lobby and the gun industry .After the American Civil war of the 1860s stockpiles were huge ,industry was militarized in production and the public susceptible to marketing campaigns that pushed weapons en masse.Ther were advocates for gun control even then ,and even during the civil war it ws against military regulations for enlisted men to carry sidearms other than bayonet in many divisions .(the revolver being mainly a means for officers and NCOs to defend them selves against unruly troops -OR the enemy So it has a long history .
The proliferation of weapons continued and increased in magnitude through marketing and in some parts of the US through culture .There is no doubt that some places warranted the carrying of guns -like pioneer communities etc.Today -overt carrying of a firearm even in big metropolitan areas is permitted many places-for instance in new mexico .(The supermarket clerk can legally carry a twin leather rig with 2 Colt 1873 SA revolvers w 7 inch barrels,mothet of pearl handles in .45 Long Colt heheh- -legally)So I guess things like that tend to stick .
But here is the twister -We (Norwegians) have a looong history of occupation by hostile and/or dictatorial foreigners. The Swedes,The Danes,Nazi Germany.
Also our cultural heritage is one of self reliance and opposition to unwarranted authority or use of authority .Also a certain streak of violence I guess runs in the blood here- we are not a especially forgiving or peaceful nation ..( just puny -but thats another story :)
Our weapons law are fairly lax.We have app.1,5 mill firearms among the population .That is roughly 1 firearm pr 3 citizens. That is a higher density of arms pr capita than the USA.
So how come the use of firearms in crime is so limited here ? Our police force is unarmed by popular demand , like the one in the UK.
Anyone who wants can get a shotgun,a WWII SMG or whatever with a little effort or money.Still shootings are few and far apart.
So I think that the real factors involved in gun politics are socio economic on the scale of getting rid of extreme poverty and economically unjust differences in society ,education and an overall overhaul of the whole gun mentality .
To end with an example - an American exchange student once told me of how he and his friends all had guns bought from the back of a van back in Michigan. I was 17 and went "oooohh.."
Then he told me that one time he and his friends had been riding their bikes when a grownup man came over and threatened them with a pistol to leave .He said " that guy was really stupid and being a dick about it " .I immideately thought of him as crazy /mentally ill threathening high school kids with a gun like that .
Big difference between considering someone mentally ill or just a dick.
Anyways - I have 8 guns my self ,and just applied for 2 more -a particularily nice Husquarna 1640in 6,5x55 Swede and a Ruger Mini .30 -
beware herbivores!..beware..
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Hangfire7 04-25-2008, 01:38 AM Well enough of the gun debate, since no matter what your stance I have kinda grown fond of you guys reguardless.
So, really what are some of your ideas to Prepare for T2K event? Who knows maybe something will inspire me to come up with an idea for a campaign or something?
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O'Borg 04-25-2008, 03:48 AM well prepared then:)
Exactly.
I have enough booze last the four minutes between the siren going off and my obliteration :)
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Headquarters 04-25-2008, 03:54 AM Exactly.
I have enough booze last the four minutes between the siren going off and my obliteration :)
one shot and one can of beer should do it :)
anyways - as I wrote before -there doesnt seem to be a big scientific consensus that survival is desireable in case of full scale nuclear war..something or other about that its better to be vaporized in a mili second than to rot for years or something .
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pmulcahy 04-25-2008, 03:45 PM Exactly.
I have enough booze last the four minutes between the siren going off and my obliteration :)
No booze in the house, but I do have lots of Vicodin...:p
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TrailerParkJawa 04-25-2008, 10:55 PM Am I prepared for WWIII? Certainly not, I wouldn't even try. As a resident of California am I prepared for a natural disaster? Yes, I am. I have a 3 weeks of water in the garage and about 2 weeks worth of food plus whatever is in the kitchen. I have extra stuff in the garage like soap, toothbrushes, blankets, first aid kit, matches, candles, etc.
All that stuff would come in handy for the first few weeks after WW3 assuming I didnt sucumb to conventional weapons, chemical weapons, biological weapons, riots, or a neighbor with a gun who notices that 2 weeks after the supermarkets run out of food I haven't lost any weight and comes to find out why.
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pmulcahy 04-26-2008, 05:00 AM ...or a neighbor with a gun who notices that 2 weeks after the supermarkets run out of food I haven't lost any weight and comes to find out why.
Well, if you want to use that as criteria, I do have ample stores of fat around my waist and butt...
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Targan 04-26-2008, 07:06 AM All that stuff would come in handy for the first few weeks after WW3 assuming I didnt sucumb to conventional weapons, chemical weapons, biological weapons, riots, or a neighbor with a gun who notices that 2 weeks after the supermarkets run out of food I haven't lost any weight and comes to find out why.
I guess in that case the neighbour would count as a biological weapon? Anyhow, this situation could be forestalled through preemptive psy ops - spread a rumour that you are a well armed cannibal.
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kcdusk 04-27-2008, 03:45 AM I'd do anything necessary to save my friends and those I love. Anything.
Better than guns, freash water, food ... more important than anything mentioned so far in this thread (i havent got to page 2 yet though). More than anything i think Targans line sums up what you need to really be prepared.
Attitude. With the right attitude, everything else will fall into place no matter how dire your circumstances.
.
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akula_au 04-27-2008, 10:48 PM I have confidence that if the Police are on hand they will protect me but response times for Police here in Perth are dismal. And lately there has been a disturbing increase in the number of violent crimes that have resulted in deaths.
Eh, I dunno. I guess it is good that Akula and I live in a country where we can have opposing points of view and neither of us thinks any less of the other for having a different opinion on the matter.
I do see where you are coming from BTW Akula.
No worries mate, I can see your point as well, personally I like guns I just don't see a need for them. I wouldn't want my kids to own one until they are old enough mentally to deal with guns and the responsibility of using them.
Having said that if I lived in a rural area then yes I would probably own a few guns. However I don't I live in an urban area where the only place I would be able to use a gun is at a firing range. I know that they are all booked out 12 months in advance by gun clubs who discourage new members, so my chance of actually getting to shoot is almost nil.
As far as the Cronulla riots are concerned I didn't hear anything about guns, surfers in Sydney have been having fights with non-locals since the late 60's. I can remember the same thing happening amongst my mates when I was a teenager. I live on the Northern Beaches the opposite area to Cronulla in Sydney and we used to get together to throw kids from the western suburbs of our beaches. I can remember on more than one occasion escorting "Westies" back to the ferry and telling them to bugger off & not come back. Aaah a mispent youth. Funny thing was I never really liked the beach.
Cheers
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kcdusk 04-28-2008, 03:09 AM As far as the Cronulla riots are concerned I didn't hear anything about guns, surfers in Sydney have been having fights with non-locals since the late 60's. I can remember the same thing happening amongst my mates when I was a teenager. I live on the Northern Beaches the opposite area to Cronulla in Sydney and we used to get together to throw kids from the western suburbs of our beaches. I can remember on more than one occasion escorting "Westies" back to the ferry and telling them to bugger off & not come back. Aaah a mispent youth. Funny thing was I never really liked the beach.
Cheers
I dont remember hearing anything about guns at the roits.
There was a well known (though i forget his name) surfer (45+ years old) who was king hit the other day (12-18 months ago?) out in the surf, wasnt there???
... i'll surf this beach!
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akula_au 04-30-2008, 10:13 PM Yep a former world champion up at Newcastle. I can't remember his name but it happened over a disagreement about who had right of way on the wave.
Cheers
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Headquarters 04-22-2008, 05:31 AM this is a bit morbid isnt it ?
I dont believe in that sort of conflict anytime soon..But I do like to prepare just for fun ..I once read an article by a work group of higlevel scientists saying that they did not believe that it would be possible for ordinary people to survive an all out nuclear war -not to mention that it probably wouldnt be desireable to do so
Anyways-given what the facts are onhuman nature its best to keep a couple of guns and loads of ammo in a strongbox somewhere in the house -at least thats a couple of guns that are not out on the streets or in the hands of bad people ..
see? I am a man of peace.
How come people who are prepared almost always come across like
right wing,gun crazy,racist surviva-freaks ?
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Targan 04-22-2008, 05:49 AM I don't know what to put on the poll. Having a legal firearm of a type that would be useful to me isn't an option - I'm living in Australia, one of the world's great "nanny states" when it comes to firearms. If I had an illegal firearm I certainly wouldn't be admitting it on this forum. But I have a variety of equipment at home which would be useful in a survival situation; Australian military backpack and a South African Army tactical load bearing vest, climbing gear, MREs, a bunch of camping stuff, non-firearm weapons of various kinds etc. I am also professionally qualified to manufacture and handle explosives.
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kato13 04-22-2008, 05:56 AM It is funny I chose not prepared at all yet I am currently living in one of the most likely places for conflict in the realm of 1st world nations, South Korea.
Back in the day 1984-89, when I was a teenager I had everything planned out. I even had food supplies buried along the route to a friend's cousin's house out in the boonies of Wisconsin. I guess nothing will ever scare me like Ivan the Bear did.
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pmulcahy 04-22-2008, 07:58 AM Gee, General, I never get to vote in your polls! :p
I do think we're sliding into the collapse of our present world civilization -- but I'm damned sure not prepared in any way for it. :(
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jasonlips 04-22-2008, 08:06 AM I chose 'good prepared'. I have a half-dozen firearms, with a decent stock of ammo for my SKS, and a couple boxes for everything else. My wife and I have a nice brick house, and she always keeps our walk-in pantry well stocked with canned goods/pasta/rice/cans of tuna, etc. We have gas heat and a gas stove to stay warm and cook, and for backup we have a propane grill and a few extra tanks of fuel. We have a decent first-aid set up in our house, and our vehicles.
However, we do not have much water stored, and we live in the center of a decent sized city. We do not have stockpiles of our medications :(. I guess we are prepared for the most 'common' disaster-type scenarios in our region. A major blizzard or tornado are the most common worries, but there was a midwest earthquake recently.
We plan to increase our preparedness in 2008. We are also going to join a gun club this summer! :):):).
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thefusilier 04-22-2008, 08:14 AM I'd say I am very well prepared. I have a stockpile of leather pants with metal studs, football shoulder pads, a miniature crossbow, a helmet with viking horns on the sides, etc. What? I use the post-apoc documentary "Mad Max" as a reference.
Ok fine. I used to be when I was in the army in Canada. But ever since I left for a much less stable and more populated country I am not.
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gstitz 04-22-2008, 09:21 PM Well, I own my home outright, so I don't have to worry about the bank foreclosing on it in the event of a 1930's type depression. I have enough room that I could grow a decent-sized garden if we needed to, and could even raise rabbits and/or chickens (or even goats, if it came to that). I'm planning to expand the privacy fence, which would give me even more room.
Thinking about adding some solar panels, but plan to put them at ground level, rather than on the roof...
In the event of a war involving nuclear weapons, I'm close enough to a target that I would probably get it in the second round and maybe even in the first (state capital / major USAF logistics hub), so I'm actually not terribly worried about the "aftermath"...
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pmulcahy 04-22-2008, 11:07 PM Thinking about adding some solar panels, but plan to put them at ground level, rather than on the roof...
I hope one day to be able to afford solar panels. It wouldn't be a good idea for me to mount at ground level -- I do have 5 dogs (including 3 males), after all...
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Targan 04-22-2008, 11:40 PM Thinking about adding some solar panels, but plan to put them at ground level, rather than on the roof...
My mum and her husband are environmental scientists who spend half the year wandering around the desert doing research. There are currently building a passive solar house in the hills that surround the city where I live. I'd probably head out to their place if the sh*t went down. Even if we all couldn't stay there as the situation degenerated, my mum has vastly more survival gear than I do as well as a pretty gnarly four wheel drive vehicle and a couple of quad bikes. My mum was a racing car driver when I was a kid, she's a pretty amazing and tough woman.
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Hangfire7 04-23-2008, 12:20 AM For me I have two viable options;
A.) Stick it out where I am at. A house in a isolated neighborhood on a finger with some good neighbors. Plenty of arms and ammo, plenty of camping gear. <the benefit of being inolved with scouts and having a garage and a large backyard shed> My backyard abuts a wildlife area with a decent sized river flowing through it. There is also a pond that has plenty of water fowl and could be used for aquaculture. And there are some wild hogs in the cane fields, a herd of sheep illegaly graze in the area and cattle are in the area. The road aproach to this area is two roads in, with a wide open space, the riverbottom aproach, well i am on the high ground.
I could sit tight, get water from the river, enhance my garden and expand to the wilderness area and surounding area.
If I am in the city, I sit tight in my boat, or motor out to the harbor and sit tight, or I drain the fuel from every car in the marina parking lot as well as unmanned boats in the marina, this is a Red Dawn scenario right?
Load up the boat with whatever I can, there are several stores near the marina and I have a good supply of caned goods aboard already, I load up my kayaks, my zodiak and one or two smaller rowboats from the marinas rack and sail out to Catalina Island or one of the other channel islands, all have wild game, fish and water sources and they are isolated enough to allow a person to lay low for sometime in the advent of something bad happening. And even setting up a small community if things didn't improve on the mainland. I have actualy discussed this topic with a few freinds of mine and we have all thought it was a good idea, alot more doable than trying to fight the hell that is LA traffic on a normal day let alone during a crisis. Roads would be usless. Thus, I would buy, beg,borrow and steal every drop of fuel I had to make the trip.
Another option, land on and take over one of the abandoned oil rigs off the coast of Orange County. You could survive decently on one. The supports are a haven for scallops, abalone and lobster as well as being a haven for fish, edible kelp is in the region and if one is willing to try sea lion or seal they are there too. If you could get enough soil you could even put several garden plots on such a rig, being on the water, but above you would have lots of dew and moisture and you could build a solar water condenser as well as a rain catch to provide you with water, toss on some solar pannels or wind turbines and you could live pretty well, get some folks who can bring the rig online to recover some of the oil in the pipe and you have a real power.....hmmmmm, this actualy sounds like a pretty cool campaign idea for California rather than the SUCKY City of Angels which was pretty weak....now I am thinking, maybe I should start writting campaigns again, start with a southern California series.
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General Pain 04-23-2008, 04:23 AM lots of funny,interesting and disturbing answers(u know who u r)
I reckon I would travel to my parents 600 square-meter house in Kristiansand - my dad is a doctor and he got a 8mm Mauser and a shotgun
and loads of food - I would have to travel with all my swords,knives and (1) kuhkri...(don't need no ammo) (just a sleeping enemy) hehe :smashfrea
but water seem's to be what people would have problems with ..luckily there are many freshwater lakes around where I live....
hmmm....should get some slaves for that part of the job hehe - and a generator would be cool to
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Headquarters 04-23-2008, 05:29 AM I thought about the scenario using the "GRIM" mod for campaign reasons.(nothing else I swear !)
The setting is an urban community not actually hit by acts of war like nukes or battles etc but still in collapse and chaos due to the global twilight of our civilization -a medium size town for instance
I came up with a season (weather) based timeline.It starts in the summer ,and gets worse as it gets colder -up to a point .If it starts later things will get worse more rapidly,but also improve more rapidly as the sheer number of peopl ewill drop more sharply
-briefly explained here it goes :
The first 180 days people would probably clash up here.Fighting over the best housing,food or just because they are bad people .But after the winter most would have perished.Surviving a Scandinavian winter were everything from public services food supply to power is gone without preparation is not likely .
0-14 days will have sporadic but increasing number of incidents like assaults ,accidents without EMR,fires but still some food etc left in houses and stores etc etc .the lawful mentality will prevail even if it diminishes every day .."resue will come.."
14-60 days food supplies will run out -taking becomes more viable than finding or producing for most people as we all survive by now useless office skills..fighting eachother for survival becomes commonplace .A free for all menatlity or hopelessness /grim desperation mentalty will take over
60- 180 days
many weak groups like infants ,elderly,disabled etc will not have made it this far.But many now ruthless ,or now unrestrained people that were already ruthless- will have .Resources are even scarcer and the fight becomes more desperate.Also winter is upcoming and everyone knows that hoarding is the only chance they have got . only the determined ,lucky or those who have planned far ahead will have mad eit to this point
180 days plus
either you have survived the winter or not. you have done it by planning/working for it or by killing and stealing for it -but there is probably alot less of you either way.Meaning there are fewer unprepared survivors left ,and less chance of chance encounters leading to fights .But the times someone do decide to fight ,chances are that both sides will have hardened individuals that have a degree of experience in fighting .(people that are weakened by illness or hunger will of course be the opposite -easier to take ).
all in all
I think sickness,hunger,dehydration ,poisoning from pollutants and fallout in the air and in the water/ecosystem , and dehydration will be the real killers-having alot of guns will be of limited use compared to waterfilters,geiger counter ,medicines,canned goods etc.
Of course -not having them when a hunger mob surrounds your house to kill and eat you, is when the limited use becomes an absolute necsessity.
Its better to have them and not need them than to not have them and need them.
Also I think having a gun in your house gives a sense of security that is more psychologically tangible than some other preparations .Its alot easier to get than an underground fallout shelter with food and water for a family of 5 .Or the 200 gallon extra water tank in your backyard .
(Not taking to account those of you who live in Oz downunder -were I gather guns are only for the military and police .What about hunting and competition shooting btw? Just get a studded leather jacket and the mini crossbow as someone said -the only thing important about a gun is after all that it is better than thine neighbour`s :)
hhehe
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Targan 04-23-2008, 05:43 AM (Not taking to account those of you who live in Oz downunder -were I gather guns are only for the military and police .What about hunting and competition shooting btw? Just get a studded leather jacket and the mini crossbow as someone said -the only thing important about a gun is after all that it is better than thine neighbour`s :)
There is bugger all firearms legally in civilian hands down here now. Its a friggin' tragedy. Makes me a bit ashamed. Part of the reason (i think) that ANZAC troops did so well in the two world wars was that a large proportion could already shoot, and well, before they joined the military. I have a number of friends that were into competition shooting before but don't do it now. The requirements are just too hard, the allowed weapon and ammo types too restricted. I suspect that quite a large number of people in Australia who reported their guns stolen in the past decade actually just buried them.
I can shoot well and I'm pretty ruthless when it comes to combat (although I've never been in a shootout). If I could get my hands on firearms you can bet I'd be putting lead in the air if the shit went down. I'd do anything necessary to save my friends and those I love. Anything.
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pmulcahy 04-23-2008, 05:47 AM I have a problem with being able to own a firearm for a different reason -- being mentally ill, I cannot legally own a firearm in my state (Texas). Which brings up another point (which we've gone into at several different times on this board) -- those of us who require regular medication would be in a lot of trouble if the Big Balloon went up.
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akula_au 04-23-2008, 04:40 PM [QUOTE=Targan]There is bugger all firearms legally in civilian hands down here now. Its a friggin' tragedy. Makes me a bit ashamed. [QUOTE]
Funnily enough it makes me proud to know we don't need them. Christ knows with 2 small boys the last thing I want in the house is a firearm.
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Brother in Arms 04-23-2008, 05:06 PM Akula
Two small boys in the house is a great reason to have firearms!
I first shot at age 4...and by 9 I had my own firearm. I learned safe handling and use of firearms. Shooting has become a major part of my life. So much so I eventually decided to go to trade school and now I am a gunsmith and work on firearms everyday and I don't take that for granted.
You should never be proud to be disarmed. Because it means you have no real freedom, at least no way to safegaurd the "freedom" you do have. You are at the mercy of criminals or a criminal government whenever they decide to exploit you.
Brother in Arms
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akula_au 04-23-2008, 05:40 PM You should never be proud to be disarmed. Because it means you have no real freedom, at least no way to safegaurd the "freedom" you do have. You are at the mercy of criminals or a criminal government whenever they decide to exploit you.
Brother in Arms
Brother
Thing is I don't feel I am threatened by criminals because most of them don't have guns either. Guns are for the military, the police, farmers and hunters. I don't do any of those things so I don't need them. As for a criminal government well I can't see that happening here so I don't see that as a threat.
If guns where freely available then yes I would probably feel threatened like you do in the US but here in Australia, nope it's not like that despite the BS the NRA put out in the US about us.
Cheers
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thefusilier 04-24-2008, 03:05 AM You are at the mercy of criminals
Where I come from we pay taxes to ensure we have a capable police force and justice system to ensure we are protected. I am not anti-gun, I just don't think its a necessary means for protection. People should have confidence that those employed with public safety have a handle on things. Maybe American society thinks differently, but the idea that everyone should be allowed to be armed is not a universally accepted one.
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Targan 04-24-2008, 04:23 AM I have confidence that if the Police are on hand they will protect me but response times for Police here in Perth are dismal. And lately there has been a disturbing increase in the number of violent crimes that have resulted in deaths.
Eh, I dunno. I guess it is good that Akula and I live in a country where we can have opposing points of view and neither of us thinks any less of the other for having a different opinion on the matter.
I do see where you are coming from BTW Akula.
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thefusilier 04-24-2008, 04:26 AM Well like I said. I am not anti-gun. I just think many people owning guns for the purpose of protection causes more problems than its helps.
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jasonlips 04-24-2008, 09:27 AM Well like I said. I am not anti-gun. I just think many people owning guns for the purpose of protection causes more problems than its helps.
I cannot argue against your point. I am pro-gun, but I rely on the police to protect me. I own guns because; some are hand-me-downs, some are WWII collectors items :), and my SKS is just plain fun to shoot (at a legal range BTW). All my firearms are kept locked in a gun safe, which is inside a locked closet. My wife keeps her firearm in a safe in our bedroom, due to the fact I work an overnight shift four nights a week. My wife decided she would use lethal force to protect herself in my absence, after calling 911 of course.
You are correct though fusilier. There was a recent tragedy here in Omaha, Ne when a young man killed 9 people (including himself), at Westroads mall.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westroads_Mall_massacre
The 19-year old gunman stole the semi-auto AK-47 from his step-fathers closet. The firearm was not secured in any way, and the step-father was on vacation; the shooter had full access, despite a history of mental illness. This is an all to common occurance in the U.S. Criminals steal guns to commit more crimes. That is why all firearms and ammo should be secured.
What a thread-jack! Ask an American if he is prepared, and he will include firearms as integral.
@pmulcahy-I am going to ask my Dr. for a one month back-up supply on my med, and maybe she will give me some samples(free!). Near the end of the month, I only have a few pills left. If I was unable to get my meds filled for a few days, it sure would be nice to have some in reserve. Going without my meds for a few days woiuld not kill me, but it would stress me out, and after a few days I would need it.
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chico20854 04-24-2008, 10:20 AM I'm partially ready. I work a few blocks from the US Capitol, so it's really impractical to prepare for the full range of challenges that presents (i.e. I can't keep a NBC recon-variant BRDM or Fuchs in the parking garage at work to find a clean route home, maybe stopping by to pick up Jason and his wife, who are squeezed in between the Capitol and the White House). There are some other things I've done, including one or more firearms, so I'm more prepared than 85%+ of people around here (which is kind of amazing, given the threat situation in DC).
As for guns for personal protection, a few ancedotes: I've only had a gun pulled on me twice - once in Sofia, Bulgaria, when I was also carrying a gun (long story) and once in supposedly heavily-gun controlled Copenhagen. I live in a state that has some of the most severe restriction on gun carrying in the US (a civilian's gun is allowed off his owned/rented property if he is on his way to or from target shooting, hunting, a gunsmith or a gun store. Loaded magazines in transit are illegal. Concealed carry permits are only allowed for off-duty cops, judges, politicians and those who have survived previous recent murder attempts.) and work in DC (who's gun laws are the strictest in the nation - it has arrested people from moving assembled rifles and shotguns around in their own homes, and pistols are strictly forbidden). Those laws will be up for a change this summer, after the Supreme Court rules on the DC laws (arguments were in March and the judges were pretty sceptical as to the ability of the police to offer protection and seemed to think that assembling a rifle or shotgun while your home is being robbed isn't too practical). Along the lines of "When seconds count, the police are only minutes away!"
Can any of you guys Down Under confirm what I've heard, that when there were ethnic troubles at the beach near Sydney a few years back that a number of (civilian/criminal-owned) guns suddenly showed up in an effort to threaten or intimidate others?
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O'Borg 04-24-2008, 11:02 AM I live in a densely populated area 25 miles from central London, 10 miles from a major seaport, and if I look out my back window I have a major oil/gas refinery and storage facility about 2 miles away across open fields with nothing to deflect a blast except the occasional cow.
In the event of an all out nuclear exchange, all that would be left of me would be a few heavily irradiated molecules.
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Badbru 04-24-2008, 02:52 PM Can any of you guys Down Under confirm what I've heard, that when there were ethnic troubles at the beach near Sydney a few years back that a number of (civilian/criminal-owned) guns suddenly showed up in an effort to threaten or intimidate others?
I don't recall any mention of guns, and those "events" were widely reported upon in all forms of media here for some time. Perhaps Sydney-siders closer to the events than I in Perth, on the other side of the country, had better coverage although most of our news is national these days.
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Hangfire7 04-24-2008, 03:56 PM Ah the gun debate! Love it! I think that is one of the main differences between we Americans and other parts of the world. We were forged on abuse and distrust of a distant government in England and we cast off the label of subject. As to many of us that the title has a negative conotation. Remember, in the US we do not have titles and no citizen can legaly have such. Part of what has made us unique.
Modern factors that make many pro firearms, crime. When the response time by many police agencies is 15 minutes to an hour sometimes even longer puts you for the most part on your own. This is important since most fights be their fist or gun last under 5 minutes, well do the math. When I went through the police academy a dozen years ago we were even told for the most part we will come on the scene AFTER the fact.
We must also consider that it is not uncommmon to have corruption in police and local governmental organizations. In the last couple months several mayors of major cities have been investigated or are under indictment.
And a prime example, the Katrina situation where the police abandoned their posts and left the city and their comrades on their own. <T2K they would could be considered marauders.> Or in some cases looted themselves beyond what was needed to sustain life, raiding a cadilac dealership, holding up in a hotel and looting its safe.
And prior to that well the New Orleans police was widley known to be corrupt, one gang within the police force was even committing armed robberies on duty. This was illustrated when one female officer committed an armed robbery of a Chinese restraunt and her partnet responded to the call where she ended up shooting and killing him.
I am not saying all, but there are enough bad actors to give the people a healthy dose of distrust.
And of course it is our culture and heritage. The 2nd Amendment is part of our nations foundation, to monkey with that and change it sets a dangerous precident for the other nine amendments in the bill of rights which would shake our foundation as a nation.
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Targan 04-25-2008, 12:19 AM Can any of you guys Down Under confirm what I've heard, that when there were ethnic troubles at the beach near Sydney a few years back that a number of (civilian/criminal-owned) guns suddenly showed up in an effort to threaten or intimidate others?Ah yes, the infamous Cronulla Riots of December 2005. That nasty series of events happened partly due to the post-9/11 anti-Middle Eastern backlash that I'm sure has affected many mainly caucasian populated western nations in recent years, and partly due to a number of specific events involving Lebanese youths intimidating and assaulting Anglo beach goers at Cronulla. The situation was made worse by the fact that South Sydney in general, where Cronulla Beach is located, is a very "working class" area where the Anglo inhabitants are notoriously intolerant, belligerant, pseudo-macho and often bigotted.
The news showed hundreds of screaming, drunk young Anglo males screaming things like "go back where you came from" to anyone of Middle Eastern appearance they could find. Funny thing is most of the people they were abusing were born in Australia. They tried to make it an anti-Muslim thing too but many Austns of Lebanese descent are Christians.
There wasn't any mention of guns being involved in any of the news about the events that I monitored (its my job, I'm a professional media monitor) and in any case the New South Wales Police turned out in droves and they all carry .40 Glocks so any rioter dumb enough to have flashed a piece would likely have found themselves suffering a nasty case of "oh bugger I've been shot".
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Headquarters 04-25-2008, 12:46 AM I live in a densely populated area 25 miles from central London, 10 miles from a major seaport, and if I look out my back window I have a major oil/gas refinery and storage facility about 2 miles away across open fields with nothing to deflect a blast except the occasional cow.
In the event of an all out nuclear exchange, all that would be left of me would be a few heavily irradiated molecules.
well prepared then:)
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Headquarters 04-25-2008, 01:16 AM Ah the gun debate! Love it! I think that is one of the main differences between we Americans and other parts of the world. We were forged on abuse and distrust of a distant government in England and we cast off the label of subject. As to many of us that the title has a negative conotation. Remember, in the US we do not have titles and no citizen can legaly have such. Part of what has made us unique.
Modern factors that make many pro firearms, crime. When the response time by many police agencies is 15 minutes to an hour sometimes even longer puts you for the most part on your own. This is important since most fights be their fist or gun last under 5 minutes, well do the math. When I went through the police academy a dozen years ago we were even told for the most part we will come on the scene AFTER the fact.
We must also consider that it is not uncommmon to have corruption in police and local governmental organizations. In the last couple months several mayors of major cities have been investigated or are under indictment.
And a prime example, the Katrina situation where the police abandoned their posts and left the city and their comrades on their own. <T2K they would could be considered marauders.> Or in some cases looted themselves beyond what was needed to sustain life, raiding a cadilac dealership, holding up in a hotel and looting its safe.
And prior to that well the New Orleans police was widley known to be corrupt, one gang within the police force was even committing armed robberies on duty. This was illustrated when one female officer committed an armed robbery of a Chinese restraunt and her partnet responded to the call where she ended up shooting and killing him.
I am not saying all, but there are enough bad actors to give the people a healthy dose of distrust.
And of course it is our culture and heritage. The 2nd Amendment is part of our nations foundation, to monkey with that and change it sets a dangerous precident for the other nine amendments in the bill of rights which would shake our foundation as a nation.
Its a poll about preparedness for a pseudo T2K scenario .But since the gun debate is on - We have many factors w the US in common over here .We were founded despite the immideate presence of a corrupt and dictatorial goverment -the Lords were actually here ,not only their German Mercs.
But there are other factors than fear of crime that have lead to the gun culture in the US.
One major factor is the gun lobby and the gun industry .After the American Civil war of the 1860s stockpiles were huge ,industry was militarized in production and the public susceptible to marketing campaigns that pushed weapons en masse.Ther were advocates for gun control even then ,and even during the civil war it ws against military regulations for enlisted men to carry sidearms other than bayonet in many divisions .(the revolver being mainly a means for officers and NCOs to defend them selves against unruly troops -OR the enemy So it has a long history .
The proliferation of weapons continued and increased in magnitude through marketing and in some parts of the US through culture .There is no doubt that some places warranted the carrying of guns -like pioneer communities etc.Today -overt carrying of a firearm even in big metropolitan areas is permitted many places-for instance in new mexico .(The supermarket clerk can legally carry a twin leather rig with 2 Colt 1873 SA revolvers w 7 inch barrels,mothet of pearl handles in .45 Long Colt heheh- -legally)So I guess things like that tend to stick .
But here is the twister -We (Norwegians) have a looong history of occupation by hostile and/or dictatorial foreigners. The Swedes,The Danes,Nazi Germany.
Also our cultural heritage is one of self reliance and opposition to unwarranted authority or use of authority .Also a certain streak of violence I guess runs in the blood here- we are not a especially forgiving or peaceful nation ..( just puny -but thats another story :)
Our weapons law are fairly lax.We have app.1,5 mill firearms among the population .That is roughly 1 firearm pr 3 citizens. That is a higher density of arms pr capita than the USA.
So how come the use of firearms in crime is so limited here ? Our police force is unarmed by popular demand , like the one in the UK.
Anyone who wants can get a shotgun,a WWII SMG or whatever with a little effort or money.Still shootings are few and far apart.
So I think that the real factors involved in gun politics are socio economic on the scale of getting rid of extreme poverty and economically unjust differences in society ,education and an overall overhaul of the whole gun mentality .
To end with an example - an American exchange student once told me of how he and his friends all had guns bought from the back of a van back in Michigan. I was 17 and went "oooohh.."
Then he told me that one time he and his friends had been riding their bikes when a grownup man came over and threatened them with a pistol to leave .He said " that guy was really stupid and being a dick about it " .I immideately thought of him as crazy /mentally ill threathening high school kids with a gun like that .
Big difference between considering someone mentally ill or just a dick.
Anyways - I have 8 guns my self ,and just applied for 2 more -a particularily nice Husquarna 1640in 6,5x55 Swede and a Ruger Mini .30 -
beware herbivores!..beware..
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Hangfire7 04-25-2008, 01:38 AM Well enough of the gun debate, since no matter what your stance I have kinda grown fond of you guys reguardless.
So, really what are some of your ideas to Prepare for T2K event? Who knows maybe something will inspire me to come up with an idea for a campaign or something?
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O'Borg 04-25-2008, 03:48 AM well prepared then:)
Exactly.
I have enough booze last the four minutes between the siren going off and my obliteration :)
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Headquarters 04-25-2008, 03:54 AM Exactly.
I have enough booze last the four minutes between the siren going off and my obliteration :)
one shot and one can of beer should do it :)
anyways - as I wrote before -there doesnt seem to be a big scientific consensus that survival is desireable in case of full scale nuclear war..something or other about that its better to be vaporized in a mili second than to rot for years or something .
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pmulcahy 04-25-2008, 03:45 PM Exactly.
I have enough booze last the four minutes between the siren going off and my obliteration :)
No booze in the house, but I do have lots of Vicodin...:p
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TrailerParkJawa 04-25-2008, 10:55 PM Am I prepared for WWIII? Certainly not, I wouldn't even try. As a resident of California am I prepared for a natural disaster? Yes, I am. I have a 3 weeks of water in the garage and about 2 weeks worth of food plus whatever is in the kitchen. I have extra stuff in the garage like soap, toothbrushes, blankets, first aid kit, matches, candles, etc.
All that stuff would come in handy for the first few weeks after WW3 assuming I didnt sucumb to conventional weapons, chemical weapons, biological weapons, riots, or a neighbor with a gun who notices that 2 weeks after the supermarkets run out of food I haven't lost any weight and comes to find out why.
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pmulcahy 04-26-2008, 05:00 AM ...or a neighbor with a gun who notices that 2 weeks after the supermarkets run out of food I haven't lost any weight and comes to find out why.
Well, if you want to use that as criteria, I do have ample stores of fat around my waist and butt...
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Targan 04-26-2008, 07:06 AM All that stuff would come in handy for the first few weeks after WW3 assuming I didnt sucumb to conventional weapons, chemical weapons, biological weapons, riots, or a neighbor with a gun who notices that 2 weeks after the supermarkets run out of food I haven't lost any weight and comes to find out why.
I guess in that case the neighbour would count as a biological weapon? Anyhow, this situation could be forestalled through preemptive psy ops - spread a rumour that you are a well armed cannibal.
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kcdusk 04-27-2008, 03:45 AM I'd do anything necessary to save my friends and those I love. Anything.
Better than guns, freash water, food ... more important than anything mentioned so far in this thread (i havent got to page 2 yet though). More than anything i think Targans line sums up what you need to really be prepared.
Attitude. With the right attitude, everything else will fall into place no matter how dire your circumstances.
.
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akula_au 04-27-2008, 10:48 PM I have confidence that if the Police are on hand they will protect me but response times for Police here in Perth are dismal. And lately there has been a disturbing increase in the number of violent crimes that have resulted in deaths.
Eh, I dunno. I guess it is good that Akula and I live in a country where we can have opposing points of view and neither of us thinks any less of the other for having a different opinion on the matter.
I do see where you are coming from BTW Akula.
No worries mate, I can see your point as well, personally I like guns I just don't see a need for them. I wouldn't want my kids to own one until they are old enough mentally to deal with guns and the responsibility of using them.
Having said that if I lived in a rural area then yes I would probably own a few guns. However I don't I live in an urban area where the only place I would be able to use a gun is at a firing range. I know that they are all booked out 12 months in advance by gun clubs who discourage new members, so my chance of actually getting to shoot is almost nil.
As far as the Cronulla riots are concerned I didn't hear anything about guns, surfers in Sydney have been having fights with non-locals since the late 60's. I can remember the same thing happening amongst my mates when I was a teenager. I live on the Northern Beaches the opposite area to Cronulla in Sydney and we used to get together to throw kids from the western suburbs of our beaches. I can remember on more than one occasion escorting "Westies" back to the ferry and telling them to bugger off & not come back. Aaah a mispent youth. Funny thing was I never really liked the beach.
Cheers
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kcdusk 04-28-2008, 03:09 AM As far as the Cronulla riots are concerned I didn't hear anything about guns, surfers in Sydney have been having fights with non-locals since the late 60's. I can remember the same thing happening amongst my mates when I was a teenager. I live on the Northern Beaches the opposite area to Cronulla in Sydney and we used to get together to throw kids from the western suburbs of our beaches. I can remember on more than one occasion escorting "Westies" back to the ferry and telling them to bugger off & not come back. Aaah a mispent youth. Funny thing was I never really liked the beach.
Cheers
I dont remember hearing anything about guns at the roits.
There was a well known (though i forget his name) surfer (45+ years old) who was king hit the other day (12-18 months ago?) out in the surf, wasnt there???
... i'll surf this beach!
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akula_au 04-30-2008, 10:13 PM Yep a former world champion up at Newcastle. I can't remember his name but it happened over a disagreement about who had right of way on the wave.
Cheers
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