According to the ’94 AWB criteria, this M1A was still OK since it only had a threaded barrel and a detachable mag. 10 round AWB “acceptable” mag in gun. 20 rounder below it.
I haven’t written anything “Politics” related in a while. It’s mostly because I’m sick of feeling as if I’m beating my head against a brick wall in trying to convince those who might read what I write that certain things (like history) are important in weighing your present decisions.
Decades ago, I used to be involved with a group that was pretty squared away. We leaned towards training for offensive “Take it to the bad guy” type missions, instead of my present Survivalist defensive mindset. I realized in my late 20’s that all that “Offensive mindset” would do, as civilians, is get us killed needlessly and thus, I corrected my direction in preparedness and training. The situation described below was during my participation in the group mentioned above.
A training pic circa 1993 before the ’94 AWB was implemented
Here’s the situation. The House of Reps passes the “Federal Assault Weapons Ban” in May of 1994. My friends and I thought we could read the writing on the wall, so we started preparing for what we thought was the inevitable “war”. Over the course of the Summer of 1994, I purchased about $2,000 worth of gear, weapons and ammo.
Hell, I remember making thirteen hundred dollars worth of purchases in one day from Centerfire Systems and Classic Firearms, that summer. This purchase involved two RPK type AK’s, 5 cases of ammo, and five 75 round drums. The group I was involved with at the time used the AKM type rifle as the standard, and well, you get the picture.
Some other things that impending (and what we believed was coming with it) ban brought about was a need for caches and a recon of areas to set up base camps and RON’s. We systematically went about checking and designating those areas in a 50 mile circle, and putting “under” (reports and all), excess/extra gear and needed equipment.
What were we thinking? Well, first we believed the Senate would pass the AWB (it was close like the House vote was) when it got to them (I think we were figuring the end of Summer). Second, we knew Clinton would sign it. Third, many of us were under the impression that Slick Willie would be more than happy to bring in UN troops to assist in a more draconian firearms ban that he was rumored to be floating with the help of certain Gov officials.
A training pic after the ’94 AWB taken in approximately 1996.
Were our preps in vain? I don’t believe so. The purchase of those firearms and mags at that time, paved the way for better purchases later after a few were sold for 3x the cost. Besides, that activity by the government PROPERLY motivated us to do something we should have been doing in the first place. Was the rumor (#3) correct? Who knows. It didn’t happen, but everyone knows he was definitely considering something like that. Keep in mind what Feinstein said about her gun ban opinion. She said she would ban every firearm from civilian possession if she could get 51% of the vote.
Good things that came from the AWB? The concentration on designing reliable, compact pistols like the Glock 26 and 30 because 10 round mags….. An appreciation for only having to pay $15 for a quality AR mag. Being able to easily find a large assortment of quality semi auto mil type rifles without having to drive 2 or 3 hours to that obscure, out of the way gun shop, then payin’ $1500 for a “Pre Ban” rifle that was only $350 four years earlier.
I tell you that story from exactly 25 years ago to tell you this. Don’t panic (unless you don’t have anything gun related). Keep calm. Make a realistic purchase plan if you haven’t already, and concentrate on the basics (solid, reliable rifle with 7 mags, reliable pistol with 3 mags, and ammo for both) . I told you almost three years ago that President Trump’s election was nothing more than a brief reprieve. If President Trump does what many believe he wants to do on gun control, it was a little more brief than I believed.
Here’s the thing though. He hasn’t done it yet. He talks a lot of smack, then usually backs off the rhetoric a little. We’ve been at this point a few times in his last three years. Yes, he banned bump stocks. So what? Reagan banned the production of new machine gun receivers made after 1986. My personal belief is that bump stocks are an effeminate affectation of someone who wants to play, but isn’t serious about realistic weapon’s usage. Kinda like the “Operator” selfies by “Never Been-But Wannabees” on social media.
Regardless, I don’t believe he should have done anything to their availability or legality, useful or not. I personally think he banned them as a token on the alter of the “Commie Gun Grabbers” so he could calm the BS after the Vegas shooting, but, who knows. He wheels and deals so it’s anyone’s guess.
The bottom line is that “SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED” is pretty cut and dried for those with a moderate education in the English language and some common sense. Will you go to war over a Federal “Red Flag” law passing? No, you won’t. For the three of you it will be a noisy version of suicide. Will “Red Flag” laws make a difference? NO, THEY WON’T! Why? Well because the institutions who are supposed to report things to the Feds for NICS can’t even do that or do it right. The Air Force was one of ’em, and people died in a church in Texas because the AF “employees” were criminally incompetent.
As an AP Staff member mentioned to our group the other day, “Conservatives” and the liberty minded are a lot more pissed off than they were 25 years ago. I agree. One of the reasons is that the last three years, if not the last three decades, have shown us what utter contempt, Gov elites like the Senior Executive Service members have for the working American.
They define the “This is for me and not for thee.” mentality. This is just a small issue in the “Mountain of Crap” the DC crowd is doing. Do I think those in President Trump’s Administration are trying to find, fix and eliminate the problem? I really don’t know. One step forward and two steps back seams to be the norm these days, and I haven’t seen any gas leak, let alone a gush, out of “The Swamp” that is the District of Criminals. It appears as if it’s just a big distraction from the economic “balloon”, and that “balloon” is leaking badly when you know what figures to look at.
The President has weaponized his Twitter feed, but even while the things he tweets about appear to point out a real problem, which the MSM dutifully and immediately calls “mean”, they still only end up as “fluff” and the follow on “substance” is generally, non existent.
So to the problem at hand, gun control/background checks/gun confiscation/weapons bans,….etc., etc., ad nauseam, and what to do about it. Just like 1775 at Lexington and Concord, YOU are not gonna start a war unless it is a reaction done in self defense to being attacked/fired on. As risky as letting it go that far is, you won’t start it because you/we don’t/won’t control the narrative, and most will not start a conflict with a narrative they can’t control.
On a side note, and speaking of “the narrative”. During a convo with friends and associates the other day, one of them asked why no CCW holders engaged and fired on the shooter in the Texas Walmart, with Texas being the firearms mecca that it is. The implication was that if you can carry it and have it on you, you should engage the bad guy. I mentioned that I have one prerequisite in that instance, to get those I care for, and am responsible for, to safety.
I will not draw my weapon until I see the shooter and he appears to be a DIRECT threat to me and mine. As a civilian I will not run to the sound of the shooting if I have others in my charge. If I don’t have them with me, I definitely will not run around with my weapon drawn and possibly be engaged by LEO’s or Armed Security and/or be labelled as “Shooter #2”. I don’t like it, but this is common sense in the day and age in which we live.
If they pass Fed “Red Flag” Law they pass it. If they pass another Assault Weapon Ban, they pass it. I don’t believe they will pass a total ban because they don’t have the personnel and logistics to deal with that kind of overt and deadly grief. Regardless, plan accordingly NOW! You should have read that writing on the wall three years ago, but that’s water under the bridge, isn’t it? So let’s try to be constructive.
Keep things like price in the aftermath of the ’94 AWB, and the Newtown shooting in mind. Glock 21 .45ACP 13 round mags were $80 in 1999 during the AWB, and even .22LR ammo went through the roof after the Newtown shooting as examples. Buy 20, 30 and 40 round box mags and drum mags for your weapons while they are cheap. Buy as much ammo as you can to feed those weapons while it’s relatively cheap. Buy at least one or two “Assault/Battle” rifles. Buy a couple pistols while you can. Buy the gear needed to carry a fighting load for your weapons, and related survival equipment. Check in with John at UWGear for quality equipment that does the job well. Buy spare parts for all the weapons you have so you can maintain them after a ban. Buy and learn how to use reloading equipment, then stock up on components. Buy gear to cache your excess or back up equipment.
Things to get now if you don’t have them. 20, 30 and 40 round mags for your rifle. Drum mags if you can get them for your rifle. Standard and large capacity mags for your pistols. Gear to carry your mags, pistol and supporting equipment.
Finally, get training on not only how to use those weapons, but how to use them and survive in non permissive environments. Both Brushbeater/NC Scout and I (MDT) offer classes on small unit tactics, operating as a small team and survival. The time is coming when you will have to make a decision. Will you stand up and fight when attacked, or will you grovel at the “master’s” feet hoping for the scraps of “Rights” he gives you?
As a Nation, we’ve been at that juncture before. There is a good chance we will eventually be there again. Steel yourself to that eventuality by making your course of action decisions now. “In the moment” will be too late, and a falter on your part will only be survivable due to Divine Providence.
The bottom line is this. You don’t have a crystal ball, but you do have historical references to guide your decisions. Prudence, tempered with realistic, historical reflection creates it’s own path to sound decisions. Good luck.
JCD
"Parata Vivere"- Live Prepared.
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If I bother to post somewhere, it is because I care about a topic, and respect the author. I could be a bit off topic, or goofy, but the intentions are good and supportive of the author’s agenda, in general. However, if it should not some how meet with the editor’s approval, and my post is not posted, it is, perhaps, in the heat of passion, my post was somehow offensive? No way. I am not disrespectful, but a fan, an admirer. There is no other reason I can discern for being excluded. James Wesley Rawles likes what I’ve done to promote and support his blog so much, that he sending me a signed copy of his book. I asked for nothing. He contacted my. We are undoubtedly like minded. I post freely at his place. I would do the same for your site, because it support patriots and their conversation. Y’all might wonder why you do not have more traffic? Is it because you would exclude those who would support you? This makes no sense. Is it an over sight, a mistake? No, there are two posts that have been censored. If not intentional, there is certainly the appearance. In this season of tyrannical, and arbitrary censorship, is your blog being tampered with? They have done great damage to the patriot movement via their aggressive censorship. This is widely recognized. I do truly hope that is the case and this is why I look for censorship. Please let me know via private email. Thank you sir for what you do. TR [email protected]
No need for email, I’ll respond right here.
“I could be a bit off topic”
You were and that is frowned upon here at AP. This isn’t the “ADHD Tactical” blog, it is American Partisan.
“There is no other reason I can discern for being excluded.”
Try harder, see above.
“James Wesley Rawles likes what I’ve done to promote and support his blog so much”
Good for you. I’m sure you’ll be very happy together.
” I post freely at his place.”
And you can keep right on doing that, but this isn’t Survival Blog.
” Y’all might wonder why you do not have more traffic?”
We don’t. We’re at 1.2Mil in a little over a year, and we’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing.
“This makes no sense. Is it an over sight, a mistake? No, there are two posts that have been censored.”
See comment #1…..again, and this isn’t a “Free fire zone” where you do as you like in comments without moderation. We’ll let other sites carry that “torch”.
BTW, a comment made by another AP Staff member was, “Why is he commenting and not doing?” is also my question. Thanks for the kudos.
Read the writing on the wall 3 years ago,Ok,am a bit old(double nickels soon in the rear view!) but feel I saw that writing 3 decades ago(if not longer),no panic,but does get one to think what the hell,a few more extra parts ect. along with other items,and,check a bit more is the rest of house in order to best of ability.
The only thing I have noticed this week as I check sites just to get a feel/pulse of buying is SG a bit lower in stock then usual and the weekly PSA Magpul gen 2 10 for 79 shipped not up this week(there is a surprise).
My guess is excepting kids just coming of age and folks in tight finances(help a friend if you can)most folks on the firearm end have gotten at least a basic stock together and trying to get better with what they have.The folks who bought a hand gun and keep it in the bedside table,get out and use it on the range ect.,the 100 rounds you have better then nothing but you need more.
I will say did my empty the old gas cans in vehicles and resupplied with fresh a bit earlier then usual,but,this due more to economy in general and my feeling how that will play out short term.
Anyhow keep at it,and the smalls add up.
JC, it is beyond my paygrade to determine how easy it is to hide online information concerning Feinstein’s comments if she ever said that she wanted to get rid of all guns, but kids are warned today that once something goes online, it is out there forever. Somebody, somewhere has it on their hard drive, or it exists in print in some interview by some news source. If it can be found, it would be the “pot at the end of the rainbow,” and it would be extraordinarily useful to the pro-gun side of the debate to show just how extremist the anti-gun views actually are. It would be extraordinarily clear to the middle-of-the-roaders that while they are asking for inch now, they won’t be satisfied until they get that mile.
I don’t want to be seen as carrying water for anti-gunners, but, again, to make my point, unless a reader has the evidence to back up the assertion that Diane Feinstein (who famously carries a gun in her purse) said that she wants to get rid of ALL guns, a reader would be giving Lib anti-gunners a “gotcha moment” during an argument. It is better for our side of the debate we don’t walk into that trap.
Here’s what we’re not gonna do. We’re not gonna have an argument about whether “ANTI-GUN” Senator Diane Feinstein said she would ban “All gun” or just “Assault” Weapons. I neither have the “Google” time, nor the “Give a Damn” to bother looking. I know what I heard and saw her say in an interview. Whether she was actually talking about “Assault Weapons” or “All guns” at the time of that specific interview (which I saw well over 20 years ago) doesn’t really matter does it, because we know her end goal intent, which is control. She is one of the biggest ANTI-GUN Congress members there! Do you doubt her end goal? Is she, “who famously carries a gun in her purse” all about others in San Fran being able to carry? “For me and not for thee” is their mantra. Forest….trees. BTW, there are a number of things I’ve heard Leftist Gov types say that are not to be found by “Googling”. Whole departments on social media are there to scrub bad or embarrassing info into the ether.
ERPO (‘red flag laws’) warrants, federal or state, will be issued by local magistrates. ERPOs, will be enforced (o’dark thirty pounding on the door) by sheriff deputies and local police. These people should be influenced Pastor Chuck Baldwin style, first using ‘soft’ proactive measures. Only if appeals to their patriotism do not work should other harder measures be taken. This must all be done using the first leg of any insurgency–clandestine underground. In the mean time I’ll continue to work on Intel measures (among other critical areas).
An excellent article!
There is one point I want to make, however. In public debate, when a person makes a factual error and his opponent can seize on that and point that out, it gives the other side an “aha moment.” Curious about the author’s statement that Feinstein wanted to seize all firearms, I searched online. I found this clip in which Feinstein said that she would have been willing to have seized all assault rifles if she could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate. https://youtu.be/Mj4AcjyuV38
She didn’t say that she would have seized ALL firearms. (Of course, I am suspicious that this was her privately held opinion.) If she actually did say that elsewhere, maybe someone can point that out, as it will help our side of the battle.
If you don’t let the anti-gunners ever get a “scalp” in an argument by going “a bridge too far,” it will make it more difficult for them to get their way and to convince others.
The time I saw it she said all guns. That was why it was more disconcerting. Sayin’ “Take all assault weapons” is expected, sayin you’d take “all guns” was showin her ass and true intent. There’s a lot of things the left has said that you can’t find on line. Is it’s “findability” really a criteria concerning if it happened or not?
President Trump has already enacted gun control. There will be more before elections then he will completely turn his back after elections when you no longer needs his support “base”.
Best thing ever happened to me during the AWB was the Army sending me to Germany where them Austrian 17+2s were easily had for $20 and the giggle sticks were $30.
El Paso is one of the 3 liberal hearts of Texas. Legal guns mighta been hard to find that day. Real men even harder and there is zero reason women shouldn’t have been armed. Being a woman doesn’t make you exempt. After all equal rights and all that.
Blue on Blue is very real. Even for myself as a LEO. I’m not a cop so they don’t know me. I have very little interaction with other LEOs. So if you do act be willing to give it all because you might get killed “So Others May Live”. My first duty is to my family but then I gotta go back. I’ve discussed this with them for years. We all gotta make our choices. You choose to lay there you’ll hear them kids screams the rest of your life. Ask the Broward County Deputy who “held the perimeter” as trained to.
No one shot the firefighter at the other Wal-Mart where he held the nutjob. No one shot the 2 regular guys at lake Hefner right here in my home that were actively engaging the bad guy. I live with survivors guilt already, not because of inaction but because I made it, and you won’t enjoy it. I can’t live with anymore. We all gotta make our choices.
WTF y’all training for anyway? When you go shoot do you put your back in a corner? Do you practice from under a chair? You shooting over your shoulder as you run off the range?
Great essay. Everybody on this forum I am going to assume already has surpassed the minimum requirements given above. That means we need to focus on things like comms, food storage, water supply, and area recon for dealing with a number of possible scenarios.
“Prudence, tempered with realistic, historical reflection creates it’s own path to sound decisions.” Excellent advice J.C.
Every time the 2A political atmosphere get’s charged with UNCERTAINTY and FEAR like it is currently, I am reminded of a parable my late Grandfather used to tell my dad and me:
“Two Bulls, one Old and one Young, are sitting on top of a hill watching a herd of heifers. After a while the Young Bull says “Hey let’s run down there and Screw those two good looking heifers!” The Old Bull smiles and replies “How About we just WALK down there and screw them all?”
Lesson Learned: Always get the high ground for the best perspective and EXPERIENCE and WISDOM will always trump Youthful impatience.
I think the best mentality for the Martial Citizen right now is Guarded Practicality.