Peter Grant at Bayou Renaissance Man has written an article about states looking for bailouts via coronavirus funding and the exacerbation of the possibilities for violence from dwindling government assistance in Bailing out the states: the momentum – and the prospect for violence – builds
…Essentially, many state and local governments are using the pandemic as an excuse to suspend constitutional rights and liberties, and govern by decree. They’re now trying to extend that to the federal government as well, by making it dance to their fiscally irresponsible tune. As the American Spectator points out, “Now that officials have learned they can suspend our civil liberties by edict, expect such “emergency” measures any time there’s another crisis, real or perceived.” I expect that’ll apply to bailouts as well.
I don’t think those agitating for a federal bailout, using the economic misery generated by the pandemic as a lever to apply pressure, have thought this through. If their residents find that government largesse is no longer flowing (at least in the amounts they want); and if they believe (or have been told, loudly and repeatedly, by their politicians) that they’re entitled to such largesse; then they’re going to get out of control and try to take what they want. The results are likely to be catastrophic for law and order, and civil society.
I think the ordinary people of America realize this. After all, that’s why they bought more guns in March than any other month in previous US history. They’re getting ready to defend what’s theirs – and I believe they’re right in anticipating the need to do so. Again, bold, underlined text is my emphasis.
“Simply put: I wanted peace of mind when it comes to the safety of my family,” Eaton said.
. . .
“To me, it’s all about protecting my family, and if a gun makes that easier, so be it,” Scott, a California tech worker with a wife and daughter, said.
Many of the new gun owners cited concerns about personal protection as states began emptying jail cells and police departments announced they would no longer enforce certain laws. Jake Wilhelm, a Virginia-based environmental consultant and lacrosse coach, purchased a Sig Sauer P226 after seeing Italy enact a nationwide lockdown on March 9.
“[My fiancée and I] came to the conclusion in early March that if a nation like Italy was going into full lockdown, we in the U.S. were likely on the same path,” Wilhelm said. “Given that, and knowing that police resources would be stretched to the max, I decided to purchase a handgun.”
. . .
“I think a lot of people were afraid of exactly what’s happening now,” Viden said. “They’re afraid if it continues to go on longer, things are going to get worse.”
. . .
The fear extended past the disease to how communities would bear the strain of job loss, lockdown orders, and law enforcement policies adopted in the wake of the spread. One Tampa inmate who was released over coronavirus concerns has now been accused of murder, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Brian, a 40-year-old living near Tampa, lost his full-time bartending job in March but was concerned enough about deteriorating public safety that he dipped into his savings to purchase a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield.
“My biggest fear is that our local police force comes down with the virus,” he said. “If the good guys are all out sick, who is going to stop the bad guys? When people have no hope, they get desperate. And we fear the worst is to come.“
You want to know why my friends want me to upgrade their rifles? You want to know why I’ve been warning about COVID-19 as a threat to personal security, and suggesting ways to keep your shooting skills honed, even during the lockdown? You want to know why I wrote my recent three article series about personal defense rifles? Look no further. To quote a sixties trope, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” As I pointed out a few weeks ago, the grasshoppers are already coming after the ants.
I expect that problem to become exponentially worse during the next two to three months. Other observers are even more pessimistic than I am. (Try this one as an example: “The economy is dead on arrival, the pin to the grenade has already been pulled, the majority of Americans simply don’t realize it yet.”)
I don’t think it’s going to be as bad as that, but it’s certainly going to be a very difficult few years ahead. I can only hope and pray that the worst expectations and predictions are wrong.
Click here to read the entire article at Bayou Renaissance Man.
Lower Valley Assembly 