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Guest Post: Insights Into Cultural Shifts From A Visit To A Hardware Store
Submitted by Pete Kofod of Casey Research
Insights Into Cultural Shifts From A Visit To A Hardware Store
"So this is what it looks like when a society is starting to collapse," the man standing behind the counter at the hardware store said matter-of-factly. The remark had been directed at no one in particular, but generally at anyone standing nearby. As I was among that audience, I looked at him inquisitively, eliciting in return a look indicating that his observation should be intuitively obvious to even the casual observer.
"We should not be this busy," he continued. "People are normally out Christmas shopping for the latest tech gadgets for their kids, but instead they are spending their hard-earned money here." I had to agree with his observation, because the place was packed, and it was obvious that his inventory was disappearing from the glass showcases and from the wall behind the counter quicker than the store could replenish it.
"We have manufacturers that aren't taking any more orders. We even have a manufacturer that has shut down production and furloughed the entire workforce. I guess when we run out, we run out." He excused himself and joined his staff to help restock the shelves as well as operate the register.
As I surveyed the store, I noticed no discernible demographic pattern among the customers. They included elderly ladies, young couples, construction workers, police officers and hipster techies as well as people from virtually every ethnic and socio-economic background. They would have made the perfect tapestry for a politician's campaign stop.
"So this is what it looks like when a society starts to collapse," I reflected on what the man behind the counter had said. As melodramatic as his words were, they would be understood by any student of human history.
But it raised questions in my mind: "Does social decline precede economic decline? Does the decay of social graces, the protocols that define civilized interaction, the written and unwritten laws of the land, precipitate the ruin of a nation, or is it the other way around? Is it a vicious cycle where one feeds the other, and if so, can the destructive feedback loop be reversed?"
Based on what I observed in the store, I'm inclined to believe that people are concerned about social collapse, in whatever form that may take. Publications such as The Casey Report implore its readership to hedge against inflation (as well as deflation) by dividing their portfolio into balanced thirds spread across asset classes and political jurisdictions, but what does the erosion of a fiat currency really mean?
I would suggest that very much depends on where you live. In more resilient communities, in which economic actors all create value, the impact may in fact be little more than a moderate nuisance. Various South American countries have shown that, despite their governments' penchant for destroying the nation's currency at predictable intervals, life can go on. As a result, while people in those countries know that things can periodically get tougher, they also have become resolved to soldiering through the hardships, knowing that the latest challenging period will pass.
By contrast, with their advanced – and leveraged – economies and large urban centers that are highly dependent on government subsidies as well as consumer supply chains that are extended, the social impact of a fiat currency collapse in the US and Europe could be far more profound.
Such an event would likely be even further exacerbated, and significantly so, by the absence of such experiences to most Western nations in recent memory. In the United States, a small but emerging subculture known as "preppers" focus their resources and attention on developing personal resiliency in response to the perceived deterioration of both financial and social infrastructure. While the theories and actions of "preppers" range from the sublime to the ridiculous, it is undeniable that the financial, social and logistical fabric of the United States has been stretched very thin.
This tenuous position in turn manifests itself as a palpable level of stress readily observed in many people. There is no longer a sense that "everything will be OK." In conversations with people, I get the sense that people feel very uncertain about the future, and not in a hopeful way. They see their prospects as having limited upside with virtually unlimited downward risk. There is a prevailing belief that this is as good as it is going to be for a long time. It is this subsurface tension that was palpable among shoppers in the hardware store.
You see, the hardware store I was in was a gun store. What on earth would compel me to visit a gun store so close to the horrible tragedy in Connecticut? As some readers know, firearms played a significant role in my former professional life in the military. The truth is I wanted to get a sense for what's actually going on in the gun industry, as opposed to the manufactured "reality" presented by the mainstream media.
Having returned from serving a customer, the owner of the gun store continued his observations.
"It's different this time. The last time, with the Clinton gun ban, people knew that it would be temporary. The economy was good and people didn't really care. This time… well, it's different." He then elaborated on the reason that one manufacturer had shut down its fabrication facility: Apparently it was unwilling to be stuck with inventory that at a stroke of a pen will become contraband.
In reply to my follow-on question as to what he meant when he said society was starting to collapse, he answered, "People talk about debt, a recession that won't go away and how we are on track to bankrupting the country. This is all true. But they are all part of a bigger problem."
"What problem is that?" I asked.
"Respect," he said, with just a hint of bitterness. "Treating people with disrespect has become a way of doing business, a way of life. When a culture ceases to demand respect for life or livelihood, anything and everything is fair game."
At this point another gentleman joined the conversation, adding, "You know, these tragedies are a politician's best friend. It allows them to take the public's eye off issues like financial woes and cutbacks in benefits."
In my view, the spectacle in the gun store, which apparently has played out nationwide, is a clear indication that people are doing the equivalent of "shorting" social stability. This is clearly concerning, because the extent to which we can plan our future is directly related to the faith we can reasonably place in social stability.
It may be presumptive, but in my view, people who rush out to purchase firearms in anticipation of gun-control measures are not part of the "gun culture." The "gun culture" already has its arsenal stocked up. The "last-minute shoppers" are people who believe that one day they may need a gun and may not be able to buy one. These are the same people who clean out the grocery store before the first big winter storm hits.
As for the logistics of controlling access to firearms, I suspect that in short order, it will prove to be an academic point anyway, perhaps even more futile than the War on Drugs.
The relevant agents include: crypto currency, open-source hardware, 3D printing, and Dark Net exchanges like The Silk Road.
On the topic of technical limitations to keeping guns out of the hands of the citizenry, let me direct your attention to the following article on a gunsmith who "printed" a gun. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? I don't know, but I do know that it is inevitable. The first group that will make a go at it will likely be people who are legally prohibited from owning firearms, yet their livelihood depends on access to weapons; in other words, members of criminal organizations. Shortly behind them will be technically gifted people who, one can only hope, are imbued with decency and respect for human life.
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The prosperity of gun makers varies greatly by brands and holding company. FN has been doing well. Ruger. I'm personally amazed that people kept buying Bushmaster stuff after the DC Assassin bit. Lately it seems to be the creeps' favorite gun (Aurora, Newtown). Buying one when there were so many better built items out there without the creep legacy, seems odd to me. As for the post above: It became tedious immediately after the "why are they in a hardware store" bit. Made no sense. Immediately had to be a gun store. Time waster. A gun is a gun unless you're Hollywood, where its strictly a fetish. I'm not surprised people ran out to buy them blindly. Don't much recommend the AK thing either unless its a money issue.
Let's say CONgress brings this up on the floor, even something resembling Feinstein's Bill, ALL Representatives and Senate Members will be given political cover and the masses will be none-the-wiser:
Voice Vote
Game. Set. Match.
The assault on The Second Amendment is no different from all the other assaults on our Constitutional Rights. So what if they take your guns? They ALREADY took your wealth and future earnings, including that of your own children. I mean how much worse can that be?
No one did shit, no one will do shit.
The ONLY way my mind changes is when we see politicians, lobbyists, bankers, etc. hanging from lampposts, but since it hasn't happened by now in light of egregious injustices upon us ALREADY, it isn't happening period.
I'm sure they'll try the voice vote move, pretty sure that's how they got the '86 Hughes amendment though.
However... this is such a huge issue to try and make a voice vote fly would likely do the opposite of political cover.
It won't happen everywhere, but in certain areas where the [D]s committed to the 2nd amendment to get elected, I imagine we'll see recall movements the likes of which haven't been seen before. Example would be AZ's district 1, which covers about half the state, won by a woman [D] who made very public commitments to the 2nd during 2010, and she's waffling now; I'm nearly positive she'll face a recall if she votes for the Feinstein's crap unmodified.
I wonder if they'll have a thousand page bill ready the next day, which nobody will know what's in it.
You really dont understand Senate rules, do you?
Patience. As the people still working earn less their resentment for those on the dole and the enablers of them will increase. As the economy keeps tanking the resentment will keep rising until the breaking point comes. The masochists haven't reached their threshold of pain yet. Everyone that knows better needs to stay vigilant against the predators that would like to take advantage of the situation to become the next Hitler or Stalin and at the same time make sure they keep preaching the message who the real dangers are. Remember information cuts both ways...
Consumer Distress - How Are You Feeling? http://chartistfriendfrompittsburgh.blogspot.com/2013/01/consumer-distre...
you first
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/one-stabbed-another-sexually-assault...
It ain't safe out there anymore, hardware store, retial, malls, ...you name it. People are turning into animals.
Guess since they knifed one of the victims we better confiscate all knives. and since they sexually assaulted one of the women all of you men line up for castration...
Where have you been? I and my circle of friends and family have been discussing the increasing lack of respect in society for decades now!!!
"Various South American countries have shown that, despite their governments' penchant for destroying the nation's currency at predictable intervals, life can go on. As a result, while people in those countries know that things can periodically get tougher, they also have become resolved to soldiering through the hardships, knowing that the latest challenging period will pass."
As a native and resident of one of those countries, having lived currency and government collapses, one thing is clear in contrast with how Americans see it: guns didn't make a difference. People didn't resort to Mad Maxing nobody. I never had a gun, most of the people I know don't have guns, and they all made it OK.
Guns aren't really about physical safety, they're about psychological security. Gun nuts are sick with fear. Why else would they buy more guns than they have hands?
So who do we kill with these guns? Trespassers who come to steal our women and our food, or just jack boots and their ilk.
Or both?
I'd start with anyone at corporate for B of A.
Boycott CNN. That is a start.
ThisIsBob asked: So who do we kill with these guns?
I recommend: Find (1) 'taker', minimum. One 'Taker' can reproduce up to, say, 15 times. Those 15 additional 'takers' may have, conservatively, 5 takers of their own. Already you're up to 91 takers. If those 5 takers (from the 15) have just 3 additional takers each, you're now up to over 200 takers. One more round of 'anchor takers' having only 1 each and you have some 500 additional targets.
1 HAS
15 THAT HAVE (5 EACH)
75 THAT HAVE (3 EACH)
225 THAT HAVE (Just 1 each)
225
-------
541 . By removing (1) taker, you potentially eliminate (541) down the road. Now, imagine removing a dozen or so takers. . . .. .....
The debasement of our culture was not by happenstance, it was by design. However if you speak of the architects of that designed gutter culture and the rest of the issues, gun control, unlimited 3rd world immigration, worthless $$$, political correctness, etc. then you are a "hater" and will be watched and listed by the "oldest civil rights group" sic in the world. America, under their guidance and workings, is now unrecognizable from what it was just 50 years ago. Thanks to the internet more and more people are waking up to what was DONE to them, the reason for this is becoming more widely known, each and every hour. :o)
I notice that the NRA membership jumped by 100,000 in the last 18 days, good idea to join I think
http://www.nraila.org/obama/
Excellent post. I'd give you a hundred up arrows if I could.
I used to like MTV when they had music videos on...80´s....when they were new..they showed rock n roll....sure they had the pretty boys bands...but it was music.....then almost overnight...they changed to RAP....then to strange shows...I never knew why...but now I do...it was planned to promote this Urban Lifestyle...lower the bar....you used to have to play music..an instrument..not now...its manufactured by some producer..your look..your sound..your style...
Argentina shows that Latin America does not follow the pattern the author describes, which is not surprising if you have ever been to Buenos Aires, where the air ain't so buenos
Amish - prepping since 1682.
I'll file this entire story under fiction. If you have something to say, just say it, no need to create some dialogue that never happened.
I knew it wasn't just me. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-01-11/guest-post-insights-cultural-sh...
ZHers,
Cabela's has some PPU 7.62X39 in stock. ammoclip.com still has some Mec-Gar Beretta 92F magazines in stock.
Thought this one might fit in well:
From the latest issue of the Proceeding of the Royal Society:
Can a collapse of global civilization be avoided?
Flak, thanks for link.
however I find it strange that of the many causes of collapse described, climate, food, chemicals... The author cannot see the most likely, an economic contraction at a time when the vast majority of population has no ability to grow food. starvation is an ugly way to die. Long before death, the loss of civilized behavior will speed population crash.
The devil is in the details... Or as the Bard might put it, A collapse by any other means would still be as complete....
Imagine an economic collapse brought about by 2 or 3 consecutive major crop failures, hell, world grain inventories are at historic lows...
From CT: A gun store had a sale today, M&P 15. About 300+ people showed up. The ran out of stock. Unreal.
I stopped at 3 gun stores today very few had firearms left this panic has spread into long guns.I did buy a sig sauer p250 45 but all the employees i talked to said this is beyond anything they had ever scene. Most of them all said we do not know when will get new products in, and they are hearing maybe by Spring of 2013. 1 store sold 2000 PMAGS in 3 days. "I sense a big disturbance in the Force."
k-var.com has a few high quality AKs for sale, along with some ammo, though they are out of high cap mags at the moment.
What good does a ban do when those backward fucks in the mountains of Pakistan make AK47's by hand without even power tools. Assembly line construction caveman style, if there is demand it WILL be met.
The same thing will be done here the backward fucks in the mountains, of Idaho,Utah and many other states will make AR and AK47 mags.I will have my starbucks coffee,ipad caveman style, if there is demand it WILL be met in comfort .I'm not making fun of the hill people so that's my disclaimer.
couldn't read the whole shit coz THIS IS ROMANCED MARKET MANIPULATION !
who the fuck wrote that shit ? GS ? JPM ? come on !
"You see, the hardware store I was in was a gun store. What on earth would compel me to visit a gun store so close to the horrible tragedy in Connecticut? As some readers know, firearms played a significant role in my former professional life in the military."
this has to be the most assinine comment....so you wont go near a mental hospital either? if a plane crashes you will never go to an airport?
so the gun store was some how involved in a crazy person hurting people?
"It's different this time. The last time, with the Clinton gun ban, people knew that it would be temporary. The economy was good and people didn't really care. This time… well, it's different." The understatement of the year. I watched a site sell out of 150,000 rounds of 5.45x39 in less than 2 days. The common calibers were already gone. Unreal. In 94', it was just the "gun nuts" concerned about the situation, and the ensuing buying spree. It's obvious that many of the people buying now are completely clueless. A good example of that is the prices being paid for an AR. Not only are the guns very expensive, but people must then buy mags at double or triple the pre-crisis prices. The ammo? It's now .70 to over 1$ per round. Gun people know that AK variants can be had for less than a thousand, and the ammo is much cheaper. If you want a rifle for protection, investment, etc. and you are new to the gun world, don't buy an AR. An AK won't give you MOA accuracy most likely, but you can afford to practice with it since the ammo is 1/3 the price. Yes, I'm speaking from experience. The advice is sound. Take it for what it's worth to you.
Well said. I agree, though I would recommend the versatility of owning one of each if funds permitted.
All AKs are not equal. I would like to mention that some AKs are made from receiver template kits combined with used parts kits that some slob slapped together at his kitchen table. Others are virtually worn out but have a few new US made parts substituted. I have seen them at gun shows. The oddly painted(or in the white!) receivers are the easiest way to identify them at a glance. Stay away. I recommend only buying an AK that was imported/manufactured by a reputable company! I have no connection with K-Var, except that I purchase products from them, and can recommend them as the purveyor of the finest AKs and accessories that money can buy.
Spot on. Every word. I recommend a Remington 870 to the uninitiated buyer that just wants something for home defense. You really need to take the time to train if want to know how to effectively use an AR....just my opinion.
Melinda Herman fired a six-shot revolver at the intruder, hitting him five times, in his torso and in his face. Surprisingly, he managed to flee.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/10/us/home-invasion-gun-rights/index.html?hpt...
I have all manners of hammers and nails. Some hammers were passed down from a previous generation, some hammers were gifts and some hammers were investments. Some of the hammers can shoot nails at much faster pace than others while the slower ones never mistrike and bend the nails but that depends on who is doing the hammering.
While cleaning up my deceased Mother's estate this summer I came across an old rusty scythe in the garage. I decided to keep it as both a remembrance piece as well as a statement piece. We live in an upscale apartment complex because I have never malinvested in a house and never intend to. While I was bringing the scythe into the complex a younger couple happened to be heading out and they saw me carrying the scythe. The look of shear terror on their faces was priceless and their eyes were as large as saucers. I laughed at them mockingly because of their interpretation of what the scythe meant and asked them something along the lines of "Are you terrified of combines too?" and walked on.
There have been a lot of great thought provoking posts on this thread and some have dealt with the perception of what a tool is. A scythe, as a tool, is simply meant to be a tool of crop harvesting but it has been demonized. The scythe has now become metaphor for the manifestation of death but it could also be seen as a way to a prosperous life. The scythe can symbolize whatever you want it to and you can attach all of the metaphorical meaning you want to it, but in the end what a scythe really is, is simply a piece of metal with a long curved wooden handle and nothing more.
They need to round up all the guns so that y'all have nothing to make your case when you realize they are out of flu vaccine. Welcome to Socialist Utopia 101.
I'm always amazed at the capacity for writers such as this one to recall exactly what was said by multiple individuals, presumably a good bit after the conversation transpired. Inevitably and invariably, these conversations are also just as tidy as the essays into which they become so perfectly embedded.
How neat.
The writers was, in my opinion, simply trying to relate an experience that he experienced personally. I also do this. Do you require audio documentation? The best writers write what they know from their experiences. What did I see with my own eyes? I have experienced many things in the past five days by talking with hundreds of people at a four day trade show. I had some experiences with some panhandlers last night on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. I am not ready to write about it just yet and I do not have any physical documentation as to what happened actually occurred. But I can assure that what happened did occur.
I wrote about a scythe on this thread and that experience occurred a few months ago. Are you saying that because I did not instantaneously blog about it, that the event did not happen, or that I should jam that experience into a ZH HFT Algo thread because you need to know right away?
"I'm always amazed at the capacity for writers such as this one to recall exactly what was said by multiple individuals, presumably a good bit after the conversation transpired."
Did you know that some writers use a program called MS Word to write and do not always blog or publish right away. There is also open source word processing software out there. We write something and then let it sit for a while. Eventually we read what we wrote to see if what we wrote was any good or germane to anything. If it was good we might proceed, or if crap, it goes to the recycle bin.
I am in agreement with what you say but memory is not as accurate as an audio clip and after a period of time what was really said and later interpreted by a writer may not be accurate.
What we get from the post is a general idea of the prevalent mood, if he captured it accurately. The writer may be swayed by personal bias.
It is like so many other things we read about, is the writer so desirous to make a point that he or she unconsciously slants a story?
I don't doubt people are fearful of losing their rights and freedoms, I too have watched them erode in my lifetime for no good reason whatsoever, although big bro would have us think there was a good reason for enslaving us as it were.
However, my opinion and veracity in writing are two different things
(+ for using the word veracity)
Consider our old freind Mr. Hyperbole.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbole
I don't see you post much on ZH but I like your tone and style and appreciate your thoughtful comment above. My point was that I have to write things down as they are fresh in my mind on paper or Word Perfect...ooops, MSWord 2000. And that is not hyperbole. That is how cheap I really am. Or was that hyperbole? Politicians?
Jesus H Christ are you all really arguing about whether the conversation was verbatim or if slightly different verbage was used? Nitpicking fruitcakes, I'm glad you have your priorities in order.
You start with this gem:
Oh really? Did you pick that up on your own, no help? What's your address, I'll send you a ribbon. And don't worry, I'll make sure the safety-pin is retarded-proof so you don't stab yourself in the eye.
Then you went on to write a bunch of stupid stuff about yourself as though I might care. On second thought, I'm not retard-proofing the safety pin on your ribbon. You should stab yourself in the eye.
Good god, man. Listen, in order to condescend, first one must be higher on the intellectual totem pole; and second, the condescension should strike a point against the opponent in some manner. Your attempt doesn't qualify on either count. Worse yet, it doesn't even compensate by being the least bit funny.
In summary, please read my comments and their implications more carefully, without creating the strawmen of your pathetic mushpile of a brain, or else keep your fucking mouth shut.
Cheers.
Man, I am tired and bored. That was total weak sauce.
Given that rant, I must conclude that you must have other issues than with myself? Why don't you tell everyone what you really want to say? I will let you know the day I start making money writing and you can let me know the first day you start becoming profitable being vitriolic.
I'm a Caged Monkey, man. Rattle my cage, I throw feces in your face and make strange noises.
Well, given your command of the language in the first post I doubt that you would have misinterpreted what it is that I always say. I have had a screen name for many years now on a few websites and what I have written about under that screen name over the years is consistent. So what is your problem with me specifically? I am willing to walk away from this if you are. We are clearly not on the same page or even reading the same book.
Are you projecting?
In the not too distant future: Say hello to Wildey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JS9BdSChngE#t=47s
Another home invader get a lead sandwich... http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/10/16449815-911-tape-shoot-him-a...
And yet another!
Great "mug" photo!
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/Naked-Man-Who-Was-Choking-Dog-Shot-by-Homeo...
My grandparents generation use to buy their guns from hardware stores. They use to bring their long guns to school during hunting season. Put'em in the back room with their coats before roll call.
http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/archives/7305
or
http://www.trunews.com/Audio/1_8_13_tuesday_trunews2.mp3
from 12:30
interesting interview
Here's a hypothetical scenario. My new smoking hot Mexican girl friend doesn't tell me about her psycho gang member ex because she doesn't want to scare me away. Then one day, I'm sitting on my front porch cleaning my AR, and a low rider pulls up with four gang bangers inside. Even though they only have the standard ten round mag in their nines, instead of the ridiculous thirty rounders you see in the hood I'm still out numbered round wise by ten! And to boot my rifle is in six pieces! Fuck me!
*scratching head here* Umm, in that case, how about racking the spare, when it comes down to life or death, AK platform or riot shotgun or both? You don't need the AR for a 600 yard shot in this scenario; you need spray.
"I got's to know". Did they?
grenade. problem solved.
I walked into the local "Ace Hardware" to buy a Philips head, screw driver today.
A Robertson will beat a Phillips any day but I hear US stores don't carry them which is sorta odd.
Yep....Robertson wins out every time. It's the Canadian health care of screwdrivers...which explains why the US doesn't carry them.
Apologies in advance if someone's already posted this.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDnEkFSMRik&feature=youtu.be
funny ! thank you
"In my view, the spectacle in the gun store, which apparently has played out nationwide, is a clear indication that people are doing the equivalent of "shorting" social stability."
Mr. Kofod is spot on. I've been to my local hardware store four times since the latest atrocity.....no, it wasn't a tragedy...a tragedy is when people die a tornado.
Anyway, my local hardware store is nothing but assholes and elbows....packed to the front door, within 30 minutes of opening time. And yeah, almost all the hardware is gone, especially the really good stuff.
I wish I wasn't sooooooo freakin pessimistic, but nothing, nothing this dictator/president and gov't does will surprise me. They see this as their chance to bring America and it's citizens to it's knees. And sadly I see no one that will stop them save a few brave governors in maybe 10 states, 15 at the most....the rest are set to roll over.
The fat lady is about to sing, and when she does and the SHTF there will be no more time to prep or get your shit together....the game will then begin for real.
William H. Bonney: You remember the stories John use to tell us about the the three chinamen playing Fantan? This guy runs up to them and says, "Hey, the world's coming to an end!" and the first one says, "Well, I best go to the mission and pray," and the second one says, "Well, hell, I'm gonna go and buy me a case of Mezcal and six whores," and the third one says "Well, I'm gonna finish the game." I shall finish the game, Doc.
I own a hardware store and have not noticed anything like this.
Well, you know what they say. There are 3 locked in tenets of a successful business.
Location, Location, Location.
Cultural insights:
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/MfgContent.aspx?mfgId=126&fmp=Y
Sandy Hook was a staged false-flag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvq2zABOtL8
First thing is the States are already active in making laws against firearms and their owners since the Hook incident.Their WILL be importation bans against certain firearms,notably,the AK,Saiga 12's and various others.Some states might allow them in certain capacity mags,like 5 or 10,some states will outlaw them altogether.Sad thing is,they will make you the criminal when roving gangs are eating faces off due to a dollar crises and you will be stuck with minimal resources for protection,esp urban areas and surroundings.One thing to do and do well,learn to tacticle reload while shooting,which one should be doing anyway.Be fast.
Ask the Hurricane Sandy survivors if they wish they had "prepped" with extra food, water, etc. and a firearm to resist the f-ing looters that showed up.
I live in the "Live Free or Die" state and I thought it could never happen here. But with the election of all female Democrats in our last election, we may be fucked. Tactical reloading may be nice, but if I've already gone through five 30 round clips on my rifle and four 15 round clips on my sidearm, I'm probably screwed anyway.That being said, practice makes perfect, you wanna toughen up your thumbs for pushin those suckers in there.
"Respect"
what a read, thanks