The Classic Liberal Blog

" ... most attractive to Americans, the possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave, it being the ultimate means by which freedom was to be preserved." -- James Burgh, 18th century English Libertarian writer, Shalhope, The Ideological Origins of the Second Amendment, p.604

Mr. Party’s Gun Bible

I’ve just read Boston T. Party’s Gun Bible and it transformed my thoughts and skills in the areas of liberty and self-defense more than any book I’ve read. William Buppert’s energizing article, Arm Thyself, left me scrambling to obtain a copy and I thank him for setting me on such a fruitful path.

My enthusiasm for the book came from being out of balance. Most of the effort of “Arming myself” in the past 15 years has been spiritual, intellectual or emotional. Like most, I place a higher value on avoiding physical confrontations than performing well within them. But, the time has come to bring physical preparation into line with the spiritual and intellectual. Mr. Party’s Bible has been the right “tool” for that job.

While no beginner to self-defense or liberty my premises and beliefs in the physical aspects of these areas were disassembled, investigated and reassembled into a higher state by reading (and acting on) the authors’ advice.

The book is an entertaining nonfiction reference book (yes, such a creature exists!) written by a guy with a knack for putting things simply. Take its 848-page size as an indication of its value. The author gets right to the point and covers a lot of ground.

"No Free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Proposal Virginia Constitution, 1 T. Jefferson Papers, 334,[C.J. Boyd, Ed., 1950]

ADVICE FOR TAKING YOUR GUN APART

When you buy a firearm, it generally comes with disassembly instructions. If you’re gonna shoot it, ya gotta clean it…and when it gets dirty enough, ya gotta take it apart to get it cleaned right.

Actually, taking it apart is the easy part. As so many of our experienced readers know, the challenge comes when you try to put the damn things back together.

Hint…leftover parts are NOT a good sign, and were NOT usually extraneous to the design ...

"All political power comes from the barrel of a gun. The communist party must command all the guns, that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party." -- Mao Tse Tung, Problems of War and Strategy, Nov 6 1938, published in "Selected Works of Mao Zedong," 1965

If I Only Had One Gun

My local supermarket has quite a magazine selection. Every category of interest has numerous titles, and the section on guns must have twenty different monthly periodicals, each thicker than Time, Newsweek, or US News and World Report.

There are obviously a lot of different opinions about guns.

To me, the main gun in one’s battery is a semi-automatic pistol, preferably with a fairly large magazine, in a common caliber and here’s why:

1. Even if state-inspired order breaks down, the state will remain. Unless I wear a uniform and work for the residual state, being visibly armed will be an invitation to trouble with what "law" lingers. Walking down the street with a rifle will not be an option for "civilians" and will still upset the neighbors. If limited to one gun, only the pistol can serve both at home and away.
2. Whether pursued while driving or accosted by three or more assailants, reloading is a two-handed, manual-dexterity luxury I might not enjoy. Starting out with more ammunition increases the chances that I reach the end of the fray without calling "time out" to reload.

A 9mm pistol like a Glock 19 is simple to use, reliable, launches a projectile that is arguably effective (hence all the argument about it), and can be kept in various states of employability based on safety considerations.

"US Senator, If I could have banned them all - 'Mr. and Mrs. America turn in your guns' - I would have!" -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), (Statement on TV program 60 Minutes, Feb 5 1995)

What Is Your EDC?

People should put some thought into what their EDC is (Everyday Carry) and I am not talking firearms. If a firearm is a part of your EDC then fine, not everyone has the luxury due to varying laws across the nation.

My everyday carry consists of a knife, micro light, keys, cell phone, wallet and hat. My truck is loaded down with a hell of a lot more than that but that is the subject of another post to come soon.

"The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing." -- Adolph Hitler, Hitler's Secret Conversations 403 (Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens trans., 1961)

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