Posted on 10/16/2020 11:26:44 AM PDT by karpov
Tapping on his cellphone with a sense of purpose, Kevin Mathewson, a former wedding photographer and onetime city alderman in Kenosha, Wis., did not slow down to fix his typos as he dashed off an online appeal to his neighbors. It was time, he wrote on Facebook in late August, to “take up arms to defend out City tonight from the evil thugs.”
One day earlier, hundreds of residents had poured onto the streets of Kenosha to protest the police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake. Disturbed by the sight of buildings in flames when he drove downtown, Mr. Mathewson decided it was time for people to arm themselves to protect their houses and businesses.
To his surprise, some 4,000 people responded on Facebook. Within minutes, the Kenosha Guard had sprung to life.
His call to arms — along with similar calls from others inside and outside the state — propelled civilians bearing military-style rifles onto the streets, where late that night a gunman scuffling with protesters shot three of them, two fatally. The Kenosha Guard then evaporated just as quickly as it arose.
Long a divisive figure in Kenosha, Mr. Mathewson, 36, who sprinkles his sentences with “Jeez!” and describes himself as “chunky,” does not fit the typical profile of a rifle-toting watchdog, although he said he supported President Trump on Second Amendment grounds. The rise and fall of his Kenosha Guard reflects the current spirit of vigilantism surfacing across the country.
Organizations that openly display weapons have existed for decades, with certain hot-button issues like immigration or Second Amendment rights inspiring people who think the Constitution is under threat. Anti-immigrant and Islamophobic sentiments are rife, and some militant groups, like the Oath Keepers or the Three Percenters, train together under established hierarchies.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
He is the best. I thought Reagan was awesome, but Trump just LOVES the fight.
We needed him, for a long time.
I'm running out of room to store all the standard size 30-round magazines I'm thumbing rounds into.
Got them for all but the 7.62 x 51 mm.
They are magic, because you can fill A LOT of 5.56 x 45 mm magazines VERY quickly and your thumbs are deeply appreciative.
My next favorite is probably the .45 ACP, because yeah, it is only 8 rounds, but they are big rounds against a stiff spring.
LOL! Finally got one for the 9’s with multi round double stack mags. Uh, I mean if I needed that. Wheel guns, no probem. :-) Have a great weekend.
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