"Snag" wrote in message
...
Ed Huntress wrote:
"Snag" wrote in message
...

I live in a "bad" neighborhood (four different gangs claim my
street) in Memphis . If you see me , count on my being armed (I
also have a carry permit) . Within reach of my side of the bed
are an assault rifle and 100 rounds in strippers , a 12 guage
shorty pump , a .45 auto with spare clip , a 20 guage bolt loaded
with #2 3" mags . And a couple of hold-outs ... I also have two
large dogs , whose main job is to wake me up ... and harass you
until I get there . Oh and Hawke - I'm also a 'Nam Vet , and no
stranger to dead gooks .

Holy cow. No claymores? No howitzers loaded with cannister shot?

They make a nice conversation piece in your foyer, aimed out the
door. d8-)

Well , they didn't useta all be loaded . Until the second time the
gangbangers tried to kill me . I don't call the police anymore . I
just make sure when a new face shows up they get warned that I'm
armed to the teeth , have trained "attack" dogs (actually , family
pets that are very protective) , and would love to introduce them to
their maker . "Don't start none , won't be none ..." is the
operative phrase here .

Snag, if you're comfortable needing to have three long guns and a
handgun "within reach of your side of the bed," so be it. Personally,
I'd move to a better neighborhood. I'd certainly sleep better.

Another thing: if you've ever let it be known online what your real
name is or where you live, telling the whole world what firearms are
loaded and sitting in your bedroom is not a wise thing to do. It's
like posting your social security number or the combination to your
safe.

The thing is , our neighborhood wasn't like this a few (OK , 18 is more
than a "few") years ago when we bought this house . Section 8 housing and
the criminal element did us in - a couple of killings and a crack house or
two on a street will absolutely kill your property value . Economics keep
me here for now but we're working to change that .

I can appreciate that. I'm fortunate that I haven't faced anything like
that, but it's not hard to imagine having trouble creep up on you.

FWIW, I agree with the proposition as Jeffrey Snyder laid it out in his '93
article, "A Nation of Cowards." We have to take care of our own defense and
the defense of our families, and if that means defense with a gun, then
that's what we have to do. What sticks in my craw is that a lot of people
seem to relish having an excuse to be armed to the teeth. And some of them
don't have the sense to put themselves and their families in a safer place.
Life is too short for that, because, no matter how well you're armed,
intentionally putting yourself in such a situation is just pushing up the
dials that determine when your number is going to come up. You can't
outshoot them all and somebody is going to get lucky.

For comparison I live in an ordinary middle-class town of 14,000 people. Our
last murder was 23 years ago and that was a domestic dispute. Before that,
going back to 1906, I think there were two murders. I'd much rather live in
a place like this than in one where people have to put a pistol in their
pocket to take a walk.

--
Ed Huntress