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Guns for the International PT Man

Posted on May 1, 2009

In another guest post from Grandpa, author of The Invisible Investor (ByeByeBigBrother.com) Grandpa talks about the PT and expat aspects of personal guns for self defense.

Guns are all around us everywhere we go in the world. The freedom loving libertarian crowd has much in common with PTs. We share many of the same ideas and ultimate goals. Many Libertarians – especially Americans – consider the right to bear arms to be a basic freedom. They want the right to keep guns at home and carry hand guns with them at all times for self defense!

According to the National Rifle Association, millions of crimes are stopped every year when storekeepers and others simply brandish firearms at would be attackers. The average criminal or gang member has no training in firearms handling or shooting. They are scared of guns in the hands of their victims. All they know how to do is to ’spray and pray.’ They are no match for a trained marksman, experienced hunters or even someone with target shooting experience.

IS ‘PACKING HEAT’ COMPATIBLE WITH BEING A PT?

Our opinion? Yes, it can be. This chapter is about how and where you can legally own and carry guns, if guns are your thing.

Being a PT means keeping a low profile and staying out of trouble. We generally believe that if we need to have a gun for self-defence, we must be in the wrong place, the wrong business – or hanging with the wrong crowd. Either way, for this writer at least, it would be time to move on. We don’t want to live in the kind of environment where we are likely to need to use a gun. There are plenty of safe environments in the world. We choose to hoist all our PT Flags in civilized, non-violent communities.

Many of our readers (Americans in particular) want to have an arsenal of automatic weapons at home, and carry guns in their cars. The reason they usually give is that (besides preventing crime) Big Brother will think twice about bothering them if they have lethal weapons at their disposal.

The basic PT theory: if what you want to do is illegal where you are, move to a place where your ‘thing’ is legal! If smoking dope is important to you, go to Amsterdam. If carrying guns is important to you, go live in rural Texas. There you can have an armory in your home and shotguns prominently on display in the back window of your pickup truck.

In most places (outside of Texas), police are very paranoid about guns. Too many of their brother cops get shot. Having a gun in your possession makes you an immediate threat in their eyes. PTs don’t want to be considered an opponent of authority. However, there are exceptions. In certain US states, for example, cops think of people (usually private security guards) who are legally carrying concealed weapons as potential allies in a firefight. Thus, it depends on who you are, and where you are.

We heard an interesting reason not to carry a gun from a PT who lives in Papua New Guinea: “The fastest way to get shot here is to carry around a handgun! They’re hard to obtain here. Guns are a big prize for any street gang. The local kids won’t hesitate to kill you for your gun!”

WHAT IF YOU HAVE NO CHOICE?

What if you are settled in somewhere? You can’t or don’t wish to move. Crime and the threat of violence have come to your neighborhood.

One acquaintance told us this story. We retell it here because we think this is a good example of a situation where carrying heat might be compatible with being a PT.

Our friend commented: “I was once simply unable to realistically imagine a situation where I would need a firearm in self-defence. Then I got a threat one day: I was going to being beaten up and maybe shot in the knees by persons ‘representing’ a certain criminal underworld organization’s interests.”

“How did I find myself on the receiving end of such a threat?  I was the successful bidder on a real estate deal that the bad guys wanted. They did not ask me to sell to them, or make any demands. I had, by simply bidding on that property, offended some hoodlum. The ‘unknown’ people had already put my business partner in hospital with a fractured skull, broken legs and arms. Not surprisingly, he’d had a nervous breakdown after being beaten with baseball bats. Their objective, it appeared, was to show a legitimate operator that they would close us down if we dared to bid at ‘their’ public auction. There was nothing to be negotiated.

“The police told me they could not supply me or anyone with protection, but if anything beyond ‘mere threats’ happened, to report it. Sure, I needed to report the name and address of the person who shot me or broke my skull. The forces of ‘Law and Order’ were quite unable to protect me from an inevitable, possibly fatal injury.

“My reaction was that as a law abiding, tax paying member of society – with no criminal record – I should be able to carry (even concealed) a weapon to protect myself if I chose to do so.”

“As a practical matter, I did not particularly wish to walk around every day with an illegal hand gun. Yet I did want to feel that I had a chance of defending myself in my own home. Particularly at night. My world had unexpectedly become a dangerous place.”

We hope that you, dear reader, will never have to conclude that because of an absence of arms you are basically, a lamb ready for slaughter. Shouldn’t a law-abiding member of the public be allowed to defend himself? We will get back to our story in a moment.

TRAINING IN THE USE OF GUNS

This author would not like just anyone, to be able to buy guns and ammo without having at least some training! A gun owner should know how to aim and shoot with some chance of hitting the target! As bullets can be dangerous to neighbors and bystanders, we feel that gun owners should also know how to use and stow weapons safely

Still, facing an immediate direct threat most of us (like the guy in the story) would like to have the legal right to have a pistol or shotgun handy. For example, in case of a break in. How else could you confront and discourage someone (or more than one) determined to do you harm?

There is so much controversy surrounding guns, it’s easy to forget the basics – especially about handguns. They are designed to kill, but pistols are effective only at close quarters. Citizens don’t need rockets, bazookas, machine guns, tanks, or even automatic weapons.

But a handgun or shotgun is perfect as a weapon to try to keep yourself alive when if ‘baddies’ are breaking down your door.

What happened to our real-estate friend?

He figured there were several options:

1. Leave the area and disappear

2. Have himself locked up by the state – if indeed they would even take you into protective custody. {In fact, this is not even an option unless one is a witness in a high profile pending case.}

3. Be ready to defend himself, to fight and to kill his opponents. Self defence with a gun is illegal in his country (England).

As it turned out, his response was not what you would see in a movie. He just decided to leave the area with his family. This prudent course caused much economic hardship. His vacant home was burned by ‘unknown arsonists.’ The insurance company would not cover the loss because the property had been vacant for over thirty days when it was burned down. Our hero relocated in another town.

Months later, he still did not sleep soundly. He fears for himself and his family. What would you do? In England it is legal to purchase a shotgun for sport purposes. It can be kept at home. Our friend is planning to take up the sport of clay pigeon shooting. Simply having a gun handy for self-defence will give him some peace of mind. It will not really protect against an ambush or assassination by a careful professional. Our recommendation would be retreat. Move, perhaps to another country and start over. It might be more heroic or brave to single-handedly take on a criminal organization, but the odds are not good. The payoff is more likely to be personal disaster. How will the cops protect you? Not at all, thank you.

DON’T RELY ON THE STATE FOR PROTECTION

Some naïve people believe that the state will protect them. But you – and you alone – are the first, last and only line of defense against criminal or other violent attacks. To be realistic, even some crazed serial killers have been able to operate for decades before they are apprehended -if they ever are.

There really are evil thugs, crazies and criminals in the world. These germs typically prey on elderly, unarmed or otherwise helpless people. If there is an attempt to enter your premises in the wee hours of the morning and it is met with a shotgun blast, the criminals (if they escape injury) will probably move away from you and on to softer targets.

If you are retired and happen to live in Monaco where video surveillance is everywhere and there is one armed cop for every 19 residents, you won’t need a gun. Monaco exists to be a safe haven for the very rich. It protects its residents from both Big Brother and from Petty Criminals. Likewise, if you live in a gated, guarded community or high security apartment building, you are far less likely to be burglarized or assaulted. But not having the luxury of such protection leaves the majority of the world’s population – and maybe you –vulnerable.

It is up to you to protect yourself and your family. You can do that by installing alarms, heavier doors and shutters or in our opinion, last choice – by acquiring a gun. Our first choice would always be simply moving to a safer locale.

GUN POSSESSION IN THE THIRD WORLD

In the Third World, gun possession is common, but usually illegal. It is always illegal for foreigners to carry or transport any firearms without officially issued paperwork. Don’t even think of taking your guns along on vacation!

Mexican authorities, for example, are very strict on gun ownership. Some Texans decorate their pickup’s rear windows with a rack of rifles and shotguns. There have been cases of drunken Texans crossing the border unwittingly. Finding themselves on Mexican territory, they are arrested and jailed. The guns and trucks are confiscated. After a large bribe is paid, the Texans are usually released.

CONCLUSION: KEEP BELOW THE RADAR

PTs in conversation, if not in practice, often talk about activities that if acted upon could get them into serious legal trouble. The average PT is constantly challenging the status quo in his mind.

“How can I find a way of circumventing that law or regulation?”

There are also times when our younger adherents’ macho nature over-rules common sense.

“Heck, I’ll just get a gun and point it at those suckers and tell them to ‘Quit bustin’ my balls or I’ll blow your head off.’ ”

This is ‘Assault with a deadly weapon’ – a serious felony.

Sometime our goal seems best attained by crossing the line and doing something clearly illegal. Not a good idea! This impulse is to be resisted!  It contradicts what PT is all about.

But remember, the guy on the receiving end of any threat needs to prove it with at least one witness. Otherwise it is ‘his word against yours.’

The US government, as well as most other Western governments, wants its citizens to leave personal defense strictly to the authorities. They tell people ‘even if you are being robbed or burglarized, do not resist. Just give the criminals what they want.’ Numerous court decisions have held private citizens criminally and civilly liable for the injuries they cause criminals. The right of self-defence has been curtailed. At the same time the cops won’t help you if you are robbed or assaulted. It has been stated time and again that the police forces are not there to protect any individual, no matter how threatened he may feel. They might investigate only after you are dead.

Under the circumstances, retreat is the safest and most logical way to deal with a threat. If retreat is not possible, it is best to do what must be done. Protect yourself. Then stay below the radar to avoid trouble with Big Brother.

We won’t spell out exactly how to do it. We think you can figure it out. Big Brother is very good at convicting innocent people of victimless crimes, but not so good at anything else.

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