Mike Adams|Posted: Nov 08, 2019 12:01 AM
Back in August of 2001, I made a trip to Walmart to pick up some items for the house. In those days, I always picked up one box of ammunition whenever I went to a store that sold it. I did this until both of my gun safes were completely full of guns and ammo. That day, as I was putting my ammo away, my girlfriend got a look inside one of my gun safes. Thus, she discovered for the first time that I had thousands of rounds stored away. She was appalled and asked why I owned so many guns and stored so much ammunition. I calmly told her that I wanted to be prepared when we were hit with the first large-scale terrorist attack on American soil.
Much to my disappointment, this revelation caused my girlfriend to scoff at me and accuse me of being “paranoid.” She even told family and friends that I was crazy. But just eleven days later, 9/11 happened. She later apologized for questioning my judgment. She realized what I already knew: It could have been much worse.
Make no mistake about it, folks. Terrorists will hit America again. There is also a serious prospect of either civil war or a Soviet-style breakup of America into nation-states in my lifetime. Indeed, it is exceedingly unlikely that America as we know it will exist when our children reach our age. If you think I am crazy, quit reading this column and return to playing your video games. The rest of the column is for those of us who live and operate in the world as it is but also prepare for drastic changes in our circumstances.
As we think specifically about which three firearms are best for dealing with large-scale civil unrest, it helps to imagine hypothetical situations. Imagine, for example, that a mob of Antifa “anti-fascists” decided to converge upon your town. In other words, imagine a typical weekend in Portland. Imagine further that the mob moved into your neighborhood and that they crossed your property line. Finally, imagine they were holding Molotov cocktails. Now entertain a question:
If you were to come walking out on your front porch to defend your home and family holding one firearm with another strapped to your shoulder and a sidearm, what would those three weapons be?
I’ve given this a little thought. Here are my choices:
Springfield Armory M1A .308. Many readers have been contacting me throughout this series to ask when I will recommend some sort of an “assault rifle.” I put scare quotes around “assault rifle” the same way a “progressive” puts scare quotes around religious liberty. There is no such thing as an “assault rifle.” Any rifle can be used to assault someone. And leftists cannot differentiate between an “assault rifle” and a normal one. So let us stop legitimizing their terminology.
In addition to those who are recommending “assault rifles,” many are urging me to recommend the AR-15. I am sorry but I do not own one. The closest thing I own to one is a Ruger mini-14. But I will not be recommending that firearm. It is the least accurate rifle I own by a long shot (pardon the pun).
Instead, if visited upon by a violent mob, my semi-auto rifle of choice is Springfield’s civilian version of the M14. It can be fed with a 10 or 20-round magazine. I prefer 10-round magazines. This keeps the weapon light and maneuverable. Plus, it is all I need. I also prefer the 18-inch compensated barrel version of this rifle rather than the 16-inch version. It is loud and it kicks. Be forewarned: This is a man’s weapon.
Benelli M4 Tactical 12 gauge semi-auto. Please do not assume that I am going to go for the M1A first in a crisis situation. I am likely to reach for a semi-automatic 12-gauge tactical shotgun in order to create my own little safe space. If I do, it won’t be a Mossberg 930. I am sparing no expense and instead going for the more reliable Benelli M4. I cannot say enough good things about this shotgun. If you ever shoot one, you will understand why the price tag is so high. It is worth every penny.
Glock Model 20 10mm. Many readers were expecting that this slot would be filled by the Browning hi-power chambered in .40 caliber. Indeed, that would have been an excellent choice. However, that weapon is no longer in production. So I am defaulting to a favorite of mine. It has enough power to drop a black bear. It can even be used to hunt wild hog. Indeed, its knockdown power is similar to that of the .41 mag revolver. Best of all, it has a 15-round magazine capacity and is offered in a compensated barrel version, which helps to manage recoil. Some will say that this selection, like my first one, is overkill. But you won’t see me taking any chances if I have to reach for any of these weapons.
Hopefully, this column series has provided a useful example of using the First Amendment to preserve the Second. We must do that in order to delay as long as possible the necessity of using the Second Amendment to preserve the First.
I can’t really argue with his choices for him. They wouldn’t be mine, for a number of reasons that I’ll layout for you.
Springfield Armory M1A .308 coming in at around 2k, I can’t justify it for a SHTF gun for a number of reasons in my case. It’s heavy, (good for recoil, shit for carrying any distance) I’m not 20 anymore and I’m not humping a M1A and it’s ammo. For a fixed position defense gun that’s another story. .308 is going to be hard to find in the Mid Atlantic, plenty of military here but it’s not a common round in areas that don’t allow centerfire rifles for hunting due to population density. SHTF guns need to be in a readily available calibers unless you have a pallet or two in your personal bunker. My first choice would be an accurate AR for the reasons I stated above, weight, recoil, ammo availability. Second choice would probably be a lever action JM Marlin in 357 magnum, if for some reason I couldn’t have a semi auto.
Benelli M4 Tactical 12 gauge semi-auto, it’s a maybe for me. I have shot one, they are a good well made gun. My pick, probably not. I get to shoot some fairly high end shotguns and while this might be on my list, I can think of a couple I would prefer over the Benelli. My first choice would probably be an outfitted 870, it’s DFS, rarely breaks, will cycle any 12 gauge ammo you could put in it and so simple a caveman could clear it in a jam. If the 870s had a magazine stop it would be just about perfect in my opinion. I’d set it up about like this.
Glock Model 20 10mm , this choice is the one I have the least problem with but care the least for as a SHTF gun or urban uprising defense weapon. 10mm is a handful for anybody, even experienced shooters. You’re not Kurt Russell in Tombstone holding off Curly Bill and the lynch mob. If you know what you are doing with the long gun, you would never have to reach for the handgun. At the point you have dumped the long gun for the hand gun, you better be looking for better cover. 15 rounds of 10mm is a potent argument for ceasing hostilities, but since they just came through 20 rounds of 308 or 8 rounds of 12 gauge to get to you, a high pressure handgun is a life saver (yours hopefully) not a crowd pleaser. I’d prefer to be more accurate with a more manageable caliber, either a full size 9mm with 124gr JHPs or possibly a 40 cal with steel frame and slide. There’s probably 100s of good 9mm designs that would work as long as it’s reasonably accurate, 15+ magazine capacity and dependable. My gun would probably be a CZ 75B or a Glock 35, when your target is close enough to engage at handgun fighting distance, you need to put rounds on target, shooting a hand cannon and missing is still a miss. Go lighter, shoot faster and be more accurate, your life will depend on it.
So what do you think about his choices, and mine?
— Mr Wizard — 05 July 2020
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