Condition Orange

On March 17, 2020March 20, 2020 By Tom LindsayIn Be Prepared, Gun Rights, Planning, RKBA1 Comment

In a state of emergency, like the current COVID-19 pandemic, things are already hectic and unpredictable, bordering on chaotic. In these times, one would think that the government would focus on helping citizens protect themselves, both from the stated dangers of the virus, and the dangers of those who would prey on the weak by taking advantage of the emergency.

Sadly, this is not the case.

In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the police went door to door and seized firearms from legal owners, and held them, until forced to return them three years later, after settling a lawsuit brought by the NRA-ILA.

So what should we law abiding gun owners expect, now that the White House and many states and cities have declared states of emergency?

Well, as with many things, this depends on where you live.

First, know that the US Government cannot seize your guns – legally – because of a state of emergency. See 42 U.S. Code § 5207.

In Georgia, the law used to allow authorities to seize our guns, but thanks to GeorgiaCarry, the law was changed, and now, while we can’t buy new guns, we can still carry the ones we own.

Georgia law O.C.G.A. 38-3-51 says,:

(c) The Governor shall have and may exercise for such period as the state of emergency or disaster exists or continues the following additional emergency powers:
…..
(8) Suspend or limit the sale, dispensing, or transportation of alcoholic beverages, explosives, or combustibles; provided, however, that for purposes of this paragraph, the terms “explosives” and “combustibles” shall not include firearms or ammunition or any component thereof; and
(Emphasis added)

For a summary of laws from other states, see this post from Bigfoot Gunbelts.

So, what should we do?

First, know your rights in the state where you live. Do research. Contact your local state gun rights group.

Second, print out and keep a copy of the law with you, in case someone you encounter does not know the law. For those in Georgia, here is a copy.

Then, take action. For those of us in Georgia, buy ammo, if you can. Here in Kennesaw, 9mm was gone last week. But that’s why I lay in ammo any way.

But always, stay alert. Stay in Condition Orange. And stay safe.

++++

NOTE – Section 8 of the Georgia law had been updated to the current correct version.

EDC as a Lifestyle

On August 16, 2016August 31, 2016 By Tom LindsayIn Be Prepared, Concealed Carry, Flashlights, Knife, Planning, Safety

I was reviewing my blog, and as it turns out, in the years I’ve been writing this, I’ve never done a post on my everyday carry. This seems strange to me, since most of it hasn’t changed in a long time.

To start with, I’ve carried a pocket knife for as long as I can remember. Starting in about the 7th grade, I carried a Boy Scout version Swiss Army knife, up until about the time I graduated from high school. Yes, in those days we could carry a knife with no comment from anyone at school. I even had a teacher borrow mine once or twice.

I changed knives in college, and then went back to the Swiss Army knife you see above, in 1992.

I added the Leatherman tool a few years ago after I received it as a gift. I particularly like it because it’s got tools I can use, like pliers and a file. But the thing I like best is that it doesn’t have a blade, so the TSA lets me take it on an airplane, and so when I travel without checking bags, I’ve got something, at least.

In the same vein, I’ve carried a flashlight for my whole career. As a chemical engineer, there are many times every day when I needed to be able to see something in a shadow or in the dark, and I started carrying an explosion proof flashlight. I still do, only this one is 200 lumens, and uses AA batteries. I keep about 6 rechargeable batteries in rotation, and when the last charged set of 2 go in, the other 4 go in the charger overnight. When I travel, I always carry a spare set of batteries, and I keep a set of 4 in the Get Home Bag.

Next is my wallet. All I carry in there is my various ID – driver’s license, Weapons Carry License, insurance cards, and the like – and my credit cards, and a few business cards. I haven’t carried cash in my wallet since I was in college, and when I do I carry it in a different pocket than the wallet. This has to do with avoiding pickpockets.

In fact, I always carry these things in certain pockets, for a reason. Here’s where:

Right front: cell phone, knives, car keys, cash, and a pen.

Left front: wallet, flashlight.

Left rear: a handkerchief.

Note I don’t carry my wallet in a back pocket, so I can avoid pickpockets. I also carry my wallet on the left side, so if I’m asked by a policeman for my ID, I’m not reaching on the same as my pistol.

I also carry my flashlight in my left pocket, so I can draw it and go to a Harries or other flashlight hold.

On a similar note, in my car I keep my insurance card and registration in a folder on the back of the driver’s side sun visor, since I can’t promise that I haven’t just been to the post office, which would mean my pistol is in the glove box. Again, no sense drawing attention to anything I don’t have to.

Now we get to the most recent addition – a pistol. In the summer I carry Liberty, my G19, IWB at 3 o’clock.

In the winter I mostly carry Bruce, my G17, on my belt OWB at 3 o’clock, with an open shirt or jacket or fleece vest over it.

Year round I carry a G17 magazine with a plus-2 extender on my left side at 3 o’clock.

So there you have it. Nothing that isn’t part of my life, for quite a while.

Having said that . . .

I will likely add a medical pack in the near future, now that Linoge has shown how to put it all in a cell phone case. Stay tuned.

My Takeaway from the Great Crusade – Be Prepared

On June 6, 2015 By Tom LindsayIn Be Prepared

I have been thinking today about this 71st anniversary of the D Day landings on the beaches of Normandy, June 6, 1944, and I’ve spent a lot of time reading social media posts about it.

One conversation with Jeff Anderson got me thinking.

Now, when the D Day scenes in Saving Private Ryan were shown to men who were there, it was so realistic to them that many of them walked out. But today I am struck by thoughts of the whole sensory experience –

The deafening sounds of incoming and outgoing gunfire

The sounds of the wounded

The sounds of the overwhelmed

The smells – of seawater, of blood, of exhaust, of burned gunpowder

More than that, though, I am struck by the fear, and thoughts of how I would react.

Like most people, I have had some experience with fear in my life. I know that feeling, that almost sickening feeling, and that urge to freeze. I have come to know, however, that if I am trained on the situation at hand, no matter how much fear I feel, I will be okay. (Well, I will be a lot better off than if I am not trained, any way.)

I have faced situations where I have, shall we say, not reacted optimally in the face of fear. I have frozen, either physically or emotionally, and I have been of little or no use to those around me. I regret those times.

But there are times when I have been in fearful situations where I have been trained in how to respond, and I have done so, rather well, in my opinion.

In truth, this should not be surprising. After all, even the Boy Scouts knew this, when they taught me to Be Prepared. And that, after all, is why we train.

So the difference for me comes down to training, to Being Prepared. The men on the beaches of Normandy were Prepared, and they responded with valor and determination. And that made all the difference.

For me, I take this remembrance of D Day, the thoughts of the fear those men faced, as an added resolve to seek more training, not just in the situations where it would seem obvious that training is needed, but in situations less obvious – carjackings, home invasions, mass shootings. Because I know, for me, that will make all the difference.

Be Prepared, Part 11 – Chaos

On September 9, 2013 By Tom LindsayIn Be Prepared, Planning, Safety, Self Defense

September is National Preparedness Month, so I thought I bring you at least one more installment in this popular series, Be Prepared.

As events like the Boston Marathon bombings, September 11, and Hurricane Katrina have shown us, our world can be thrown into Chaos any time. Keeping our families safe is always a priority, and in a time of Chaos, it becomes even more important, as it becomes more difficult.

Of course, the problem with Chaos, as Jurassic Park’s Dr. Ian Malcolm would tell you, is that anything can, and does, happen. It is, by nature, unpredictable. You cannot predict, with any degree of certainty, what will happen, or how people or systems will react to any given situation.

But that does not mean that we can’t make plans based on scenarios that we think are likely to happen. The best example of this is the reason every car comes with a spare tire and a jack. We can’t predict when or where, or even if, we will have a flat tire, but we can be prepared for it, and train for it by learning how to safely change a tire.

Most readers of this blog have also done that in a more specific way, by deciding that there is a finite probability, as Tom Givens would say, that we will encounter someone who needs to be shot. So, we carry a concealed weapon, we train ourselves in its use, and we prepare to deal with those consequences.

So, make a plan.

When we did our family plan, one thing we saw was that a lot of times we might not have a clear picture of what was happening – there would be Chaos. For us, the best way to mitigate that Chaos was to have everyone in the same place, preferably at home. So, in the event of Chaos, we need to know:

How is everybody? Are they injured? Are they threatened, or are they safe? If they are safe, are there threats in the area?
Where is everybody? If they aren’t at home, how can we get them home safely? Can they do it alone or do they need assistance?
What is the immediate situation, and what is the outlook for the foreseeable future? Do we need to move?

Then the plan becomes taking care of the answers to these questions – getting everyone safely home. In the course of this, here are some of the things our family came up with:

Every vehicle has a first aid kit, ponchos, food, and water.
My son goes to school with a first aid kid, poncho, food, and water. If has has to, he can walk home 5 miles. He knows the way home cross-country, avoiding main roads.
My daughter goes to college in downtown Atlanta, about 30 miles from where we live in the suburbs. One of the things we plan for is the possibility that she might need to evacuate downtown, but that she might be unable to do so safely by herself. As a result, I never leave my car at night without enough gasoline to get downtown and back.
I know 4 different ways to her college that don’t involve taking a main highway.
In the event of real unrest, communication is essential. For that reason, everyone in my family has a printed list of phone numbers of all the other members, plus others outside our area. We don’t rely on the phone list in our cell phones, since those may be lost, broken, or the batteries may be dead.
In real unrest, cell phones will be overloaded, as they were after the Boston Marathon bombing, and making calls will be nearly impossible. However, since the SMS text system uses the cell phone’s carrier signal to broadcast, if you have cell bars, you can almost always send text messages. Our family shares a text messaging plan, and we also know the codes to send emails to text messages. Look that up for your carrier.
Because it might not be easy or prudent to send a long text message, we all have a list of codes to use in text messages.
Family members outside our area are included in the system. Heaven forbid, “bug out” might get real.
In event of real bug out, we have a series of pre-chosen rendezvous points, depending on the direction we choose to go, which would be picked based on the threat and likelihood of threat in the direction we choose. We also have them picked based on how far we need to go.

In the end, you can’t plan for everything, but you can expect the Chaos that will come. Have a plan.