I hope that this post does not seem in bad taste, because in a disgusted sort of way I actually mean this.

I feel like I owe the people of New Orleans... well I don't know what to call it really. It's not just pity, and it's not really gratitude- I guess you'd call it awe; The sort of thing you'd feel for somebody who was unknowingly between you and the path of a stray bullet.

I'm 22, so naturally I've been invincible for the past 10 years or so. That age for men being what it is, I've generally been pretty cavalier about the fact that I could get in my car and literally stand directly on top of the San Andreas fault line in 10 minutes if I wanted to. From my old work place a few miles down the road I could actually see a little palm oasis that sits on the fault every day that I worked there, right out the window.

That has changed a bit since Katrina. I've never considered myself the boyscout type, but I went from the kind of guy who perpetually runs gas tanks empty to the kind of guy who always keeps the second tank completely full and refuels when the first tank gets down half way. I've also made it a point to stash a little water and ammunition in the garage.

Who ever would have believed that anything could go so badly with a week's worth of warning? It really scares the hell out of me to imagine what would happen if a major earthquake were to strike. Then we're talking zero warning, and Palm Springs isn't exactly going to be the first priority if LA takes it too.

If something were to happen, I think my chances would be pretty fair, and I guess I owe that to the people who paid the price when FEMA showed its true colors.

Well said.

We must always learn from those who have had their lives sacrificed, so that their deaths were not in vain...

However we must continue to aid those who survived - those who have been exiled from their homes...

Dont forget them...

I think it was a wake up call we all needed. Myself I had always thought of people who prepared for catastrophic events to be more of the survivalists type. Katrina changed that for me. The weather seems to be getting a little strange and anything can happen. Now where is that can opener...

I know that feeling completely. I lived in New Orleans a long time and a lot of bad things happened to me there, but nothing made me buy a firearm until I watched the LA riot on the TV. I had no experience with a pistol, but I went out and bought one and using my Marine Corps rifle training and by reading nearly everything I could about pistolcraft and firing some 5000 rounds, I got more than a little comfortable with my piece.

Vagabond, if you have not joined the National Rifle Association or some other Second Amendment advocacy group, I suggest you do so post haste. Get a life membership. It will be the best money you ever spent. Without a Second Amendment, you will be unable to protect yourself and those you love and with someone pressing the flesh in the halls of Congress, you won't have a Second Amendment.

[edit on 2005/12/9 by GradyPhilpott]

That really is a good point Grady. I happen to live in CA, so I've sort of learned to live with the idea that the day will eventually come where only criminals will have guns, at least in my neck of the woods. That doesn't particularly disturb me as much as it should because I know where the criminals live and I'll just buy one of their guns when that happens.

But I am planning on looking at what kind of handgun my bankroll will afford (seeing as I almost found myself in over my head the other day for intervening in a domestic violence incident, only to have the cops show up 30 minutes later, make no arrests, and say "what do you expect in a rough neighborhood".)

Seeing as the social contract under which I am supposed to be gaining the protection of law is dead (and has probably been dead longer than i've been alive for that matter) it might be a good idea for me to join some smaller society such as the NRA in hopes that there will be some mutual protection of our rights there at least.

If you are mechanically inclined and don't mind the maintenance required, a semiautomatic pistol is the way to go. I have never owned one, but I have fired a Glock pistol and I have read extensively about their durability and reliability and I cannot recommend a better pistol for anyone. I pains me to say that since I am such a lover of Rugers, but the fact is that the "safe-action" trigger of the Glock makes it the easiest of all the pistols to learn to fire and carry safely. The S&W Sigma used to have a similar firing mechanism, but while that pistol is still in their inventory, I'm not sure if it is as good as Glocks. Glock took S&W to court over that issue and I don't remember the outcome. I recommend the .40S&W caliber.

If you want to own a handgun without all the maintenance issues of a pistol, a double-action revolver is the way to go. A revolver can be loaded and kept in a safe place for a long time without any problems with function when an emergency arises. The double-action trigger pull is harder to master, but with practice you will get the hang of it and when possible the revolver can always be manually cocked and fired in single-action mode. I recommend the .357. Again, this caliber is difficult to learn to control, but it is a round that means business. This caliber pistol will also accommodate the milder .38 Sp. and with moon clips 9mm rounds, so it does have flexibility. I recommend a four inch heavy barrel model, unless concealment is an issue. Rugers are very durable and reliable. S&W has the reputation for the best trigger pulls, but be wary of a too light trigger. A negligent discharge is a disaster. For self defense, some may argue that it is better to master a heavier trigger and leave the light triggers for the shooting range. Whenever possible always go for stainless steel.

[edit on 2005/12/10 by GradyPhilpott]

Thanks for the advice. I haven't really had a chance to check prices yet, but I'm not planning on spending much given my current income, so my relatively uneducated guess at the moment is that I'll end up with a sub-standard revolver of the highest calliber I can afford, then invest in enough rounds to overcome any shortcomings in its design.

At the moment all I need is something that can be kept loaded, accessed quickly, and used easily in closed quarters in the event that I should wake up to the sound of breaking glass.

In the event of the kind of anarchy we saw post-Katrina, a little accuracy with the .22 carbine my grandpa left me would be sufficient for keeping trouble a safe distance from my home.

Edit to add: Really is a shame to have to think about this kind of stuff. I'd have called it paranoia in the past. I remember laughing at my stepdad when he started stocking up on ammo after 9/11. Who would have guessed that the authorities would showed their butt the way they did in N.O.

[edit on 10-12-2005 by The Vagabond]

[edit on 10-12-2005 by The Vagabond]

I saw the title of this thread and immediately went into defensive mode, but I misunderstood. Had an argument prepared an all.

Let this be a lesson to us all, this country and this world. Don't let your city end up like this one people, if you even think something bad is coming your way, don't hesitate to act.
Better safe than sorry is right. I know I'm feeling pretty sorry right about now....

--Kit.

why not just move to britain. no earthquakes,no hurricanes and definitley no guns.

Originally posted by FredH
...and definitley no guns.

That's the number one reason not to live in Britain.

Originally posted by FredH
why not just move to britain. no earthquakes,no hurricanes and definitley no guns.

Correction- no guns for the law abiding.
Given the choice between having to rely on unarmed police against a relatively few armed criminals, and having to rely on myself against a large population of armed criminals, recent experience dictates that I choose the later.

Also, if I may quote a certain movie which centers around considerable gunplay in London... "Yes, London! Fish and Chips, Cup o' Tea, Bad food, worse weather, Mary-bleeping-Poppins- LONDON!" So yeah, no thanks.

As for the sentry gun- we all saw how that worked out in Congo right? First they go nuts on a non-hostile target, then the hostiles knock them over and the guns lay waste to the camp.

The problem now is not the criminals...
It is the police and government...
There the ones you should watch out for...

Its not just stubborn old ladies who get the "enter your home and seize your weapons and property" treatment as we all saw in that fox news clippet.

Grady...
Why did the LA Riots make you get a gun?

Arent you in New Mexico? Maybe lived out there at the time?

[edit on 12/12/2005 by theBLESSINGofVISION]

Originally posted by theBLESSINGofVISION
Grady...
Why did the LA Riots make you get a gun?

Arent you in New Mexico? Maybe lived out there at the time?

I lived in New Orleans.