Bullets, buttons, and the pillars of our country.

[Martin12]

When I'm sitting in my yard, smoking my pipe, I sometimes think about what's going on in the world and how it affects me. Now, I try not to read or listen to news so much – a great deal, probably even a larger part of it is trash and poison. But I know that there are some things that tell me things are afoot – Russia is making moves in Europe, the Chinese are sending their ships into Japanese waters, etc. Similarly at home – I talk to my neighbors and people I interact with in everyday life to find out how they're doing. Their pride and joy of family or a hobby that they're keen on, whether they feel safe in their neighborhood, if crime's going up, or what. Take that together with some statistics provided by reputable and independent institutions, and you can get a pretty good picture of what's going on in the world.

And I can tell that the times are bubbling over – this is when history gets thick, you know? I want to be sure that me and mine are in safety, and I think it's downright stupid of our government – not unconstitutional, just plain stupid! - to try to take away from us the means by which we safeguard our freedoms, our lives, and our democratic country! I came across AR Mag Magnet, who sell tactical supplies and AR-15 accessories (like the much-maligned “bullet button”), and I thought – these guys get it. We're not going to shoot ourselves to death and rip apart America, but we have to make sure that outside aggressors don't try to undermine our way of life. The Russians, the Chinese with their cheap slave labor and police states will try to work us from all angles – including the domestic.

If we don't keep up our guard, they just might succeed, too. The Japanese said that if they tried to invade America, there would be a rifle behind every blade of grass. This is one of the pillars of our sovereign nation – that there are armed “minutemen” who are ready to defend their home, family, and neighbors at a minute's notice from threats “both foreign and domestic”. If we don't have that, it won't just be a strategic defeat – it'll be a blow to the very pillars of civic consciousness of citizens and patriots of the United States of America! Which is why these control freaks who want to regulate, restrict, and nanny us get on my nerves so much. They're not threats – they're just misguided, persistent idealists. That's what I think, at least.But I can't be the only one, right?

 

[hso]

You're in the minority if you think that our firearms have anything to with preventing Russian or any other nation's troops off of U.S. soil.

OTOH, the question of whether they serve as a deterrent to abuses by our own government is something that you'll find agreement on.


Gotta ask what the point you're making about "bullet buttons" since they're not needed in the free states and they're only relevant with respect to working around the laws trying to keep normal firearms out of the hands of the populus.

 

[Doc7]

The blade of grass quote is not correctly attributed, or a real quote at all, as far as I have read.

 

[Trent]

You're in the minority if you think that our firearms have anything to with preventing Russian or any other nation's troops off of U.S. soil.

Makes entertaining TV though.

If we ever went toe to toe with Russia the US population would be reduced by 90% in the first 30 minutes of conflict. They still have enough operational nukes to hit every city in the United States with population 25,000 or more, twice. People have grown complacent of that threat since the "Cold war ended"; but it's still there.

Proxy wars for control of regional resources? More likely to continue.

If one thinks Ukraine is an accident... wrong. It is a fertile land and in the top 10 food exporters globally.

Does it mean we're going to be invaded by the "reds"? Not frigging likely. There are far easier targets for them to go after bordering their own country.

OTOH, the question of whether they serve as a deterrent to abuses by our own government is something that you'll find agreement on.

Both are valid long-term (multi-generational) possibilities, but one is far more likely than the other. Eventually, barring some fantastic change in technology, or a radical reduction in population from some cause, resources will get very scarce. Things will get nasty but it'll evolve slow.

Armed civilians are the final check and balance to abuse of authority. This fact cannot easily be denied or disputed.

 

[WestKentucky]

People feel a false sense of security with the US Star Wars systems in place to shoot down ICBMs. There would be a whole bunch of nukes going both ways, and a bunch of them would slip through. The thing that keeps the peace between the big boys is knowing that a fight will make both sides much weaker. Even the side that "won" would still lose.

 

[Old Dog]

Even the side that "won" would still lose.

Funny, I just listened to that old song by Bobby Bare, "The Winner" on Outlaw Country this afternoon ... And "Red Dawn" was playing on one of the Encore stations today ...

 

[Hondo 60]

You're in the minority if you think that our firearms have anything to with preventing Russian or any other nation's troops off of U.S. soil.

Really? I would think that any one dumb enough to consider invading America would have to give thought to how many of us own firearms.

Whether Isoroku Yamamoto said "there would be a rifle behind every blade of grass" or not, the sentiment has to be a question.

 

[taliv]

the conversation is a bit outlandish if you look at some simple facts. nuclear strikes aside, russia totally lacks the means to project force. their navy isn't up to the task. Russia and China combined sure have a lot of people to throw, but they can't throw them very far. If they did manage to get them over here, i think the 2A militia would still be a valuable, formidable resistance.

 

[medalguy]

This. ^^^^^. I'll try to keep politics out of this post but it borders on political however you look at the situation. Russia invaded Ukraine but couldn't manage to put together more than essentially a division of troops, reportedly about 15,000 invading Crimea. Try to guess how many experienced veteran combat troops would be required to invade the USA. In its current financial situation, Russia simply doesn't have the huge army it has fielded in the past, nor a navy.

No, I'm not worried about Russian troops landing in the schoolyard reminiscent of Red Dawn. There are enough Patrick Swayzes in this country that we would make it pretty apparent they were not welcome. No, what I fear most is the creeping socialism we have been seeing lately. The standard mag capacity restrictions, black rifle bans, demonizing of the gun owners. The schools are teaching that guns are evil and Johnny better not take a bite out of his graham cracker and pretend it's a handgun, or throw a pretend grenade in the recess yard. Zero tolerance, remember?

The ultimate goal is to make us gun owners feared so the sheeple will continue to vote for the representatives who want to protect them from every imaginary danger, and continue to give them their daily bread and gruel, keeping them dependent on the System. This is what we need to counter today.

 

[MtnCreek]

You're in the minority if you think that our firearms have anything to with preventing Russian or any other nation's troops off of U.S. soil.

Maybe I'm not understanding what you mean by this. In my uneducated opinion, I would think the insurgencies (non-traditional warfare) that we've dealt with over the last decade would make this a real concern. Pulling down the statue in Bagdad was a long time ago and turned out to be just the beginning. JMHO.

 

[medalguy]

Nah. If there's an insurgency revolution in this country, it may come from patriots who want a return to the basics of Constitutional law, not a bunch of foreign fighters. They would hardly blend in here, now, would they?

 

[gunnutery]

I think as long as the world is financially linked to the US dollar, we're not as much a direct target from other nations. Unless an enemy nation completely shielded itself from the global market and didn't rely on exports. That doesn't hinder enemy forces that aren't affiliated with nations though.

Even if nuclear or EMP strike were on the table, they'd have to do it in a way that we financially collapse before we can strike back. Our nuclear armed ships can only stay afloat/sunken for so long before they have to return or rely on other ports (if they'll accept them). Mean while things in the US would deteriorate to the point that a massive invasion might not even be necessary.

I think the 'behind every blade of grass" concept HAS been true, possibly to the point where it has protected us for a long time. But as strong as the Maginot Line was, Hitler eventually just went round it. I think that's the point we're at. We're being attacked by other means now.