I have seen a lot of posts, a lot of posts, about how it’s time to sell your extra ARs and buy NODs, IR lasers/illuminators, a can, mags by the case, and so on.
See, you can only carry one rifle so having more than one AR is stupid.
You need to liquidate your collection to gussy your one AR up like you’re a motherfucking elite operator.
Of course, implied in all of this is if you’re not carrying a recce rifle identical to some Knight’s Armament gun porn or what some Delta operator carries, you’re gonna die.
This is feels a lot like Gun Culture 3.0’s version of the old and obnoxious CCW “you still carry a snub nose revolver, you’re just gonna get yourself killed on the streets if your not carrying [favorite plastic wonder 9] with three reloads.”
So here are my counter points.
First, the practical:
Anytime you buy new gear you need to practice with it. If you add new optics, especially something like NODs, and you don’t practice, it becomes a liability.
Ammo is stupid expensive right now. If you can’t or don’t want to spend the money on practicing with all your new gear your were convinced to buy, you’re not really helping yourself.
If you do have the money then post your lottery numbers in the comments. Because if, on top of the price if gas and food for a family of four, I added an adequate ammo budget to cover practice with NODs, whatever money I had left will become alimony for ex-wife.
If you are familiar with your equipment, don’t change it unless you really feel the need to upgrade.
Second, the legal:
This blog coveted the Kyle Rittenhouse shooting and trial in detail. I also recently addressed the Jake Garner shooting in Omaha.
So imagine you are caught in a Leftist riot gone to hell.
It’s late at night, these riots don’t get really bad until after dark.
You slot some rioter(s) with your registered 12-inch SBR, with a can, IR laser, and night vision optic.
You are going to fucking prison.
I hate to be the barer of bad news but popping a dude in the dark with NODs will be interpreted as intent to commit murder.
ARs and red dots are probably common enough that with sufficient exculpatory evidence, you can avoid a guilty conviction.
NODs and IR lasers, that type of stuff will be used against you.
“You put the same accessories on your gun as a NAVY SEAL. Do you think you are a SEAL? Were your preparing for battle?”
Then your beloved recce rifle is going to walk out of the evidence locker and into some police chief’s gun safe while you are doing 20 to life.
Now, let’s say that society has gone to hell so much that you have no fear about a post-shooting prosecution..
Then I will stipulate that there will be plenty of NODs available already mounted on select fire M4s, and you will have free reign to pick them up off bodies or out of abandoned armories.
Under those circumstances I’m going to get myself an abandoned Stryker.
If you want to own that stuff because it’s cool, fine. That’s your prerogative.
But I’m going to say the same thing about recce rifles as I will about guys who tell you that you need to practice with your AR out to 300, 400, 500 yards:
Having been through major natural disasters and social unrest, I have never witnessed a situation that required a civilian to take a shot in self defense outside of 25 yards that on anyway could be legally justified.
Buy and practice however you want, but when the shit hits the fan you need to remember you are responsible for every bullet you send downrange and will be required to justify it in court when it’s all over.
Couldn’t agree more J.Kb. The only thought I would add is…if rioters shoot at people from long distances and you are pinned down behind solid cover…at the outside area of a parking lot you attempted use in order to flee the main riot area you drove up on while attempting to get home–rioters have been known to shot at people attempting to flee their violence. It’s rare but it could occur. In any case I would not need night vision to affectively protect myself in this case, my non-night vision PCC 9mm would suffice.
However, night vision devices are a very good tool at seeing criminal activity before it becomes an immediate threat at closer distances. Determining the real threat from a non-threat demonstrates ‘reasonableness, proportionality and even avoidance’ factors in a potential self-defense event. And attempting to determine real threats prior to any form of engagement from people trespassing your property, again clearly demonstrates a state of innocence, which is an essential factor in a lawful case of self-defense.
But the ‘wild-card’ factor which a jury represents, is that twelve people might just feel I was cheating by using night vision. After all, all they wanted was food for their children and those guns they were carrying were just to protect themselves from white aggression and privilege.
So, buy a bull horn, and warn the nighttime visitors from 200 yards away that you will defend ‘yourself and property’ and that you are watching them and have already called 911. Then continue to use your night vision in order to act lawfully if the need should arise–make sure to tell the 911 operator you are the guy without black clothes and have the rifle with the night vision optic on it and a bull horn in your hand.
I’d also add this well-known axiom: two is one, and one is none. So it might behoove you to have more than one rifle. Just in case, y’know?
For the price of nods you can install some effective solar and hard powered light pointing OUT from your property…. A good 1000 lumen flashlight is 40 bucks. Light, shoot, move… gun culter has gone the way of “big truck, little wee “ crowd. Social media, isnt…
Whether or not you are going to answer for something in court depends on how bad you think that things are going to get. If it’s going to get to riots followed by stability, you are right. If it’s going to get to night riders and death squads it may be a different thing. If an area becomes unorganized, then the courts are iffy. Even if they exist, they will reflect local preferences, as will the police. If shooting looters is locally acceptable, then it will stand in court. There’s a reason that “regulators” in the 1700s and “vigilance committees” in the 1800s were rarely prosecuted in the US. It’s been 40 years since Ken McElroy was killed, but if things get bad enough, the courts won’t matter.
But the key here is not what weapon you use. It’s the community you live in. If one truly believes that things are going to get really bad, then the wise investment is not in accessorizing your weapon. It’s in organizing and getting to know your neighbors and developing a local support structure. It’s nice to have a generator. It’s better to have a community where multiple people have generators and fuel and will help and protect each other. It’s good to have a garden, but it’s better to live in a community where everybody produces some food. It’s good to have a reliable weapon when facing off against some bad guy. It’s better when it’s you and your 20 best friends have reliable weapons facing off against him.
The most important organization may not be your police force or courts, but your church. I live in the south, so my experience will be different than many. I am part of the AV/streaming team at my church. I was running the audio mixer last Sunday. They guy next to me running the streaming software is a retired cop. We started talking and it turned out that *every person* at the back of the sanctuary was carrying a concealed weapon. After the service, I spoke with my pastor and asked him how many people he thought came to church armed. He estimated between 100 and 120 people per service.
The thing that has really amazed me about some of the people I’ve talked to is that they are happy to spend a thousand dollars on optics for their rifle, but can’t be bothered to learn the name of their next door neighbor.
There are always those who are junk jocks… They have to impress with the latest and greatest ‘toy’ and love to play the ‘look at what I’ve got’ game at the range. Where they may pop five or six rounds down range and go home. The old men down on the other end shake their heads, get back down on those old M-1s and 30-06 rifles and take out the bull at 300, pack up, and go home and clean the rifles. THEY will be the ones still standing in the end. Just sayin…
There are plenty of You Tube gear heads out there who will tell you what what the latest cool stuff to put on your rifle should be. I won’t name any names, but 1 or 2 in particular have sponsors that send them ammo and gear and they make money off the traffic to their videos. Totally fine and more power to them. Up to you whether you want to chase the gadgets.
I agree with the sentiment that if you use your equipment in defense of your life, you will lose it. I would advocate that you keep guns for this purpose fairly simple and inexpensive. Red dots are common, LVPOs are all the rage these days, and with both, you can find affordable, capable versions that if confiscated, won’t break your heart and your bank. I would also say that, funds permitting, you have maybe some higher quality/capable options for a WROL or long term grid down scenario. Train with everything, so you are capable on everything you own.
One comment on training at distance, as this was mentioned above by J.kb. If you own a rifle, you should probably be proficient to at least the longest open distance on your property or in your neighborhood. You may never need to take a shot like that, but if things ever got really bad, you want to be responsibly accurate for any shots you might take. Or if you have to team up with others, don’t be a liability in a group setting. Think minuteman requirements – basic gear and skills to be of service if needed.