<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>'If you do not have a gun, get one and get one soon' Ferguson cop warns <a href="http://t.co/3LSrgcZarw">http://t.co/3LSrgcZarw</a></p>— The Real Anonymous (@anon99percenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/anon99percenter/status/534809650257219585">November 18, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
For a good anti mob gun I would suggest Spoiler a battle rifle over my typical suggestion of an assault rifle. The increase in concussive blast will outweigh the loss of magazine capacity. For a backup probably a FN 5.7 with 30 rounds.
I'm aware of the rioting that some of the black population in Ferguson had done. And, I know some are planning to protest if they don't get an indictment, and that more rioting is likely to devolve from those protests. Last time, it was pretty spontaneous and no one could really plan for it. Protestors couldn't curb bad actors in their midsts, shop-owners couldn't protect their stores, and law enforcement couldn't stop illegal behavior. Now, everyone is prepared -- the good actors and the bad. But preparation in the black community favors peacefulness; protestors can train on nonviolent protest, community leaders can speak on the importance of respecting the law, and police and national guard can maintain a strong presence. Would-be riotors can be deterred by the strong show of force by peers, leaders, and law enforcement. But, there seems to be a white minority with a persecution complex who resent the rioters and believe the responsibility for the protection of their lives and property rests on their own shoulders. They in fact feel like the law favors an aggressive defense. And while they may have been caught flat-footed last time, they will be vigilant this time, looking proactively to defend themselves from threats real and imagined. They don't have peers telling them to show restraint like the protesters do. They don't have their pastors telling them that on Sunday morning. They only have the governor telling them to stay calm and the National Guard. So, yeah, absolutely I'm most worried about Zimmerman-wannabes.
Nothing beats a Riot Shotgun Spoiler It even fires "less lethal" 6 gauge rubber bullets so you aren't necessarily killing people.....just ruining their month. Of course if you aren't concerned about the safety of others, there's the Saiga 12 Spoiler
The angry people with nothing to lose are the threats to the peace. This is true 99.9% of the time. Preparation in the national guard and police force is process-driven, non-emotional, and sophisticated. Preparation in the black community is ad hoc, haphazard, and fueled by emotions at the moment. All but the most partisan can recognize where the threat truly is.
I guess you don't count terminal ballistics, accuracy, range, weight or follow up shots. A shotgun gets trounced in all respects.
When dealing with a crowd, fear factor trumps most other categories. A shotgun sounds horrifying, a shotgun with a drum magazine is even more horrifying. As a bonus, you probably won't have to shoot but once or twice before everyone starts running for the hills. Hell you might not even have to hurt anyone.....but if you do, shotguns make a hell of a mess that adds to the intimidation factor.
Seems like their protests are going to be met with violent repression no matter what they do -- and that they are going to be shot at if they are insistent. Eventually people need to start shooting back in order to create change for themselves.
JuanValdez is right. The business owners and homeowners who are prepared this time to defend their stores and their property are a real menace to society. The black community favors non-violence in this situation. That is to say, they don't want you to use violence to stop people from robbing your stores or throwing things at police or cars.
First of all, I would ask how you think you are an authority on what "the black community" wants, as if that was some monolithic thing that all has the same goals. Second of all, the only group that wants everyone to be non-violent except themselves is the police and the state, who want to be able to act as violently as they want without ever facing resistance, especially armed or violent resistance. Communities which have been targeted by police and state violence have every reason to become violent towards those organizations.
I'd say there aren't a lot of people who feel like they have nothing to lose. And, I don't think the threat is really there anyway. The threat to the peace comes when people think they can act with impunity. Last time, there was rioting because rioters believed (rightly for the most part) that they could get away with it. Next time, they won't feel that way. But, apparently 'law-abiding citizens' will feel they can act with impunity and even with moral justification. That's a threat to the peace. I'm not speaking of the National Guard, whom I expect will act with the utmost professionalism. I'm talking about the people who think of themselves as the family men or the business owners who are now afraid of the scary black people and trying to decide which shotgun will be most effective when the mob comes. Their preparations are not process-driven or non-emotional. They aren't even ad-hoc or haphazard. It's a bunch of guys telling one another you never know what's going to happen, you better get yourself a gun (no time to train with it!) just in case the black people congregate in front of your house.
I was sarcastically replying to the point made by the other poster about the black community favoring non-violence. Cool. Let the protesters/looters attack the police instead of the small businesses, liquor stores and grocery stores. If the community of Ferguson wants to rise up in arms against the totalitarian state that hunts them down and murders them at an alarming rate, be my guest. Instead, you have peaceful yet ugly protests and in their midst are violent actors who rob stores and tear up property. If the police aren't allowed to protect that property then the owners will. Yet somehow the people protecting their own property are the menace.
You make it sound like the lawlessness was a one night thing and since then there has been peace. There were breaks between the rioting and they consistently sparked back up. This is just silly. You're making the argument that these people are talking about arming themselves (allegedly) because of some phantom boogeyman that has not done anything (scary black people) when in fact property WAS damaged, stores were looted, businesses were destroyed and at least one individual was shot by a rioter. This isn't white guy at his country club worried about the black man raping his woman, this is EXTREMELY recent history suggesting that violence will break out and that businesses will be targeted.
I don't think the looting invalidates an insurrectionary movement (which is not what we have in Missouri yet, but it got close), but, otherwise, I do actually agree with most of what you said. As far as looting goes though, I really think people are using it as an excuse to dismiss the actual substance of the anger and violence of the people in Ferguson. The Founding Fathers looted before and during the American Revolution -- and we celebrate the fact that they did even to this day (Boston Tea Party). It is ironic that so many people who identify with the Tea Party are so morally outraged by looting in Ferguson. Now, that is not to say that every instance of looting is a pragmatically good idea for even the people doing the looting or the people also part of the riot movement in question. Often looting creates more divisiveness then it is worth -- but I don't think looting is an inherent evil either.
