Posted on 09/05/2005 11:26:31 AM PDT by nj26
Jeffrey Powell yanked the cushions off his living room sofa and arranged them on the bed of his truck. Then he got his shotgun, made himself comfortable, and spent the night in his driveway, protecting his hurricane-ravaged home and enjoying whatever breeze he could catch on a steamy night.
Powell is part of the Popps Ferry Landing neighborhood watch, a group of citizens trying to restore order and peace in their middle-class community a week after Hurricane Katrina brought her chaos.
We're not going to have any looters out here," said Dan Shearin, 56, Powell's next-door neighbor. "We have some burly men who are sleeping outside with guns. If the looters come, we'll take care of them."
They haven't shot anyone, but they had to scare off a few groups of people they didn't know in the middle of the night, Shearin said.
As stories of violent and desperate looters have made their way across Mississippi, people in communities where law enforcement has been overwhelmed are reaching for their guns to police their streets.
In Popps Ferry Landing, many neighbors had lived near each other for years but had never spoken. The realization that their safety and homes were vulnerable and police presence was scarce brought them together quickly. The Dollar Store up the road was looted and vandalized pretty badly.
"We haven't exactly seen organized law enforcement out here," said Hugh Worden, 53, who lives on the other side of Powell. "The first day after the storm, we saw law enforcement out here. After that, there's not been much patrol. I suppose police are protecting the main streets."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Indeed. In times of unrest, especially, armed citizens in their homes are the best safeguard a neighborhood can have.
That said, armed citizens out on patrol are very likely to be mistaken for bad guys, so patrolling is probably not a very good idea.
The National Guard soldier does not know which armed person is a thread and which is merely guarding property. Mistakes could easily be made.
However, sitting on your front porch or on your lawn, armed, is unlikely to be mistaken for anything.
"The 2nd Amendment at work... fostering self-reliance and providing security"
A Liberal's nightmare!
...and, of course, it was all food and survival provisions that were stolen...
(((MS PING)))
Great story re: armed self-defense against looters.
"We have some burly men who are sleeping outside with guns. If the looters come, we'll take care of them."
The great thing about guns is that it doesn't take a burly man to stop a looter. An 8 year old with an AR-15 and a steady aim is just as effective.
Thank you, bourbon.
Great story!
People are being self-sufficient, and taking care of themselves, and each other.
THAT'S the Mississippi I know, and love.
Yes, we're doing the right thing by training our guns on criminals rather than helicopters and the police.
FYI
http://www.freerepublic.com/^http://www.wabcradio.com
Come to live thread on Katrina. Playing all media bias clips and conspiracy theories by dems, great guests for today. Live Stream.
Viva the Second Amendment!
"Yes, we're doing the right thing by training our guns on criminals rather than helicopters and the police."
We were raised "right". ;o)
Thanks for the link!
I have to go for a bit, but will check the live thread later.
Thanks for the tip. I'm gonna "walk" over for a visit!
My tag line says it all.
I note that none of these fellows is crying about "where are the feds"
In fact they understand that they are the firstline of defense as the founding fathers had intended
Stories like this warm my heart. Americans doing what Americans do best, taking care of their rights and freedoms and protecting those near to them.
Self reliance ping thank you!
A firearm is like a fire extinguisher. You don't need it, until you do. And then, nothing else will work quite as well. If idiot liberals and stupid rabbit people would just get over their irrational fear of guns, this whole country would be a lot better off.
BTTT!
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