Monthly Archives: April 2016

resistance

Upcoming Class: Guerrilla Resistance Support Operations

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by Kit Perez

A mixed unit that included 7 Jewish partisans.
Photo taken in November, 1943 in Drahichyn, Belarus.
The photo includes members of the Shish branch of
the Molotov Brigade (Otriad Regiment).
(source)
While advocating for gun rights (and hopefully training with your firearms) it’s easy to get caught up in the ‘run and gun’ mentality. We stock up on ammo and spare parts, we dry fire practice, and we spend all kinds of money on gun-related things. While doing all of those (awesome) things, we often miss one of the most critical parts of being a partisan–cultivating the skills and the support infrastructure necessary to be successful.

When you think of the word “patriot group” you probably think of the myriad bands of folks typing away on social media. The word “militia” may conjure up images that aren’t all positive, or at least pretty niche. What they all have in common is guns. The problem is that there is far more to a successful guerrilla movement than guns–or even the skills and will to use them. Understanding how to set up and maintain those networks and infrastructure is the difference between a stagnant movement and a liberty resistance.

World War II resistance cells did a great deal more than ‘run and gun.’ They wrote propaganda pieces in secret and distributed them to millions of people. They engaged in acts of sabotage all over Europe, wreaking havoc on German efforts. They had one of the best-developed intelligence networks imaginable. They forged papers, smuggled supplies and people across borders, and saved countless people destined for the gas chambers. They housed spies and other resistance members, ferried information to the Allies, patched up injuries in makeshift places with no real supplies, and provided a host of other badly needed services.

Not all of them carried a gun. In fact, some of them never did–yet they were every bit as important as those who did. Being a support member was not always glamorous, and yet it was amazingly dangerous. Resistance members paid with their lives over and over. Sophie Scholl, her brother Hans, and their friends gave their lives for simply publishing a secret newsletter that spoke of liberty and the evils of the Third Reich. All of them, regardless of their location or function, had two things in common: They believed in the cause, and they were willing to do whatever they knew how to do, whatever their skillset was, to help.

Being a resistance member is not just carrying a gun. It’s not getting together with your buddies every so often in the woods to practice combat techniques. It’s taking your skillset and finding a way to use it for the cause—or learning new ones.

Thankfully, there are those in the community who can teach us how to do just that.

John Mosby, former Special Operations soldier, author of several must-read books on partisan operations, and well-known expert on a host of guerrilla topics, is teaching a class in Western WA May 3-4. It is a weeknight class spread out over two days, during which you will learn how to set up and maintain the networks and infrastructure needed to successfully operate as a resistance member. This is effective whether you have an established group or are simply an individual trying to create the networks you need.

All participants in this class will be vetted and appropriate security procedures will be followed for obvious reasons. Once you have passed vetting you will be given information for payment, location, etc.

If you want to be more than a Facebook typist—or even a run and gunner—then you need this class. Don’t just be part of a movement. Be part of the resistance.

Email audax0@protonmail.com for more information—don’t miss out!

Don’t be this guy.
 

Ed. note: This commentary appeared first on TZP’s weekly email alert. If you would like to be among the first to see new commentary (as well as to get notice of new polls and recaps of recent posts), please sign up for our alert list. (See sidebar or, if you’re on a mobile device, scroll down). Be sure to respond when you receive your activation email!

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authoritarian swine, Elsewhere, gun control

Russia: History repeats itself

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Cross-posted at the Liberty Zone with slight modifications.

I’ve been trying to find this article in English, but for some reason, all I find is really crappy translations of what is actually written. Those of you who read Russian can head over to the first link.

Does this look a bit Big Brother-ish to you?
Does this look a bit Big Brother-ish to you?

Bottom line: Russian President Vladimir Putin has created a “National Guard” (Нацгвардия), but it’s not like the National Guard we’re accustomed to. While Putin claims this armed force, which incorporates some of the Interior Ministry troops, is created specifically to address terrorism, transnational organized crime, and arms trafficking in the country, it as a way to continue consolidating power in the presidency. It is a ministry-level organization that falls directly under the control of the President.

“If you have noticed, this decision is not simply related to detaching the interior troops from the Interior Ministry. But this has been done so that this new structure will now concentrate all that is connected with firearms. This refers to various kinds of security provision and the authorization system [to get the right to possess firearms], ensure oversight of private security firms and this also refers to interior troops proper,” Putin said.

Yes, I know the translation sucks, but think about this for a moment. The Russian president, who already has been well on the path to grabbing power, censorship, stringent nationalism, and violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of his country’s neighbors, is now creating himself a little army that’s focusing not just on terrorism and TOC, but also firearms trade. By the way, the Russian Federation in November 2014 eased firearms restrictions to allow its citizens to carry firearms for self defense, but now Putin is controlling some pretty powerful military troops who focus internally.

Call me crazy and untrusting, but I wouldn’t want any government – especially not an authoritarian crap weasel like Putin – having control of his own little army that can be used against the citizenry, and given Russia’s pivot back toward statism in the past few years, this Нацгвардия is more than concerning.

We view the right to keep and bear arms as a bulwark against tyranny. The fact that Putin has now created an armed entity, controlled solely by him, to focus on “all that is connected with firearms” should tell you everything you need to know about where that nation is headed internally. No, it is not becoming a free nation. Those of us who were mildly surprised and gratified when the Russian government loosened gun laws a year and a half ago can go back to being disgusted. Russia is still ruled by a cunning authoritarian with the aim of subjugating those around him to his will. And the best way to do that, is to use the military (I don’t care what you call them – internal troops, security troops, national guard, whatever) to ensure that the people’s right to keep and bear arms is tightly regulated and controlled.

Because as the Russian economy swirls the drain, and as Russia becomes a more and more aggressive force toward its neighbors, you can be sure that the regular people’s lives will be more controlled and more miserable. And the Russian government needs to ensure that the people don’t use their right to remove the source of their misery with armed force.

Everything old is new again.

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gun control, gun grabbers, spirit of rebellion

Happy Patriots’ Day

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Celebrating Americans resisting gun grabbers at Lexington-Concord.

minuteman-statute

Oh.

Wait.

Town of Lexington Voting To Ban Commonly Owned Firearms & Magazines
For the record. The basic premise of Rotberg’s Article 34 is an insult to all law abiding gun owners. His logic is also flawed in that he insinuates that a gun is inherently “dangerous”. A firearm is an inanimate object incapable of doing anything on its own. The only thing that has the potential for being dangerous is the person and there is nothing in any of the versions of Article 34 which addresses this. It’s just more bigotry, harassment and blame of lawful gun owners.

Never mind.

-sigh-

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Poll

Poll: skillz

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apocalypseI’ve been watching a lot of post-apocalyptic shows and movies lately, and reading dystopian literature. It seems there are more and more out there – The Walking Dead and its offspring Fear the Walking Dead, Contagion, The 100, Revolution, Hunger Games and others.

The one thing they all have in common is a breakdown in society and the complete destruction of government structures. You let it go a while, and tyranny ensues, but in the meantime, survival skills are critical.

So what happens? How do the survivors survive? In the absence of government to help them, the survivors have to turn to their own skills and ingenuity to survive in mini-societies that organically form in the aftermath of an apocalyptic event.

This is what gave me the idea for this poll. In the event that society completely deteriorates, what skills become critical? Obviously, one needs to be able to handle a weapon and to protect him or herself and those around them. But what else? What skills are important aside from being able to handle yourself around firearms?

There is likely an endless array of answers, but I had to limit myself to several, so hit “other” if you feel your best choice is not included, and tell us in the comments.

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gun control

“Not statistically significant”

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Oh, look. Another Johns Hopkins study examining the effects of recognizing human/civil rights.

Changes in state policies impact fatal and non-fatal assaults of law enforcement officers
The researchers looked at the relationship between assault data involving law enforcement officers and changes in three policies at the state level: three-strikes laws, which impose mandatory decades-long sentences when a criminal is convicted of a third crime; right-to-carry or concealed-carry laws, which reduce restrictions for individuals to carry concealed firearms in public; and permit-to-purchase measures, which require prospective handgun purchasers to obtain a permit or license after passing a background check.

And what did they find?

The authors found that three-strikes laws were associated with a 33 percent increase in the risk of fatal assaults of law enforcement officers and a 62 percent increase in fatal non-handgun assaults.
[…]
“In the case of three-strikes laws, it appears that chronic offenders may be killing officers to evade capture and possible life imprisonment,” Crifasi says.

Surprise, surprise. Back when I was a peace officer, we predicted exactly that.

What about right to carry/concealed carry?

Previous research has examined the link between right-to-carry or concealed-carry gun laws on fatal assaults in the general population. The Bloomberg School study is believed to be the first to examine the effects of these laws on both fatal and non-fatal assaults of law enforcement officers and found no associations between the laws and either type of assault against officers.

Probably because lawful carriers are usually the type…

Oh. Wait.

“Many of those most likely to commit firearm violence are prohibited from possessing firearms and therefore unable to obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun.”

Who’d a thunk it? People who go to all the trouble of background checks and licenses don’t attack cops.

And permits to purchase?

The number of officers who died in Missouri is too small to make any conclusions about fatal assaults.
[…]
[Connecticut’s] association was also not statistically significant due to the rarity of these deaths.

Again, the folks prone to shooting cops (see above re:three strikes) don’t bother with permits they couldn’t get anyway. Now, if they’d been honest and tried to correlate straw purchase prosecutions with officer attacks, they might’ve seen something. But probably “not statistically significant.”

For the anti-gun Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, even allowing for the spin, that’s an amazing admission. They can’t possibly leave it at that, right?

Right.

Although the rates of fatal assaults on law enforcement officers have declined over the past several decades, their homicide rates are consistently higher than that of the general population and higher compared with other public service occupations. Most of the fatal assaults against law enforcement officers are committed by firearm.

In fact, the civilian homicide rate for 2013 was 4.6 per 100K. The cops? 5.3 per 100K. As Reason notes, 3.3/100K if you exclude two accidental shootings. For 2014, the CDC says the overall homicide rate in the US was 5.19 per 100K. Frankly, any difference between civilian and LEO homicide rates is “not statistically significant.”

If Johns Hopkins was honest, that press release would have been titled,“Most changes in state policies DON’T impact fatal and non-fatal assaults of law enforcement officers.” But being Johns Hopkins, they had to lump in restrictions on honest folk to demonize gun owners by association.

Your tax dollars at work.

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Poll

poll: most effective strategy to protect our rights?

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wethepeopleMany of these strategies are important. Social media is a great tool. Education is critical – we must teach young people the importance of natural rights, personal responsibility, and defending one’s life. We must not allow petty tyrants to take power!

Ultimately, in the long-term, the answer to the question in this poll is probably a combination of all these strategies, but in the short term, which one is the most effective tool we have?

Got another idea? Hit “other,” and tell us in the comments!

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Israel, Media, mindset, Politics, self defense, So Much Stupid!, Terrorism

What about the protectors?

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There was recently an incident in Israel that has really sparked controversy. Two peaceful palestinian Arab terrorists approached and pounced on a young 20 year old soldier at the guard post adjacent to the Tel Rumeida neighborhood and both stabbed him. They were “neutralized”, not killed, but “neutralized”. One of them was wearing a heavy coat despite the warm weather. And what, oh what, dear sheepdogs would that make one think? Well, if this isn’t the first thing that goes across your radar, pieceful palestinians are known to enjoy detonating bombs and themselves. Heavy coats cover such things. The pieceful palestinian terrorist that had just stabbed a young soldier began moving and several bystanders began saying “watch out, he has a bomb”. In fact the military WAS worried he had a bomb and had already placed a call for the sappers who had not yet arrived.

Now, how did this get to be such a big deal? There are LOTS of terrorist stabbing attacks in Israel these days. Well, this one was filmed by the anti-Israel, anti-semitic leftist NGO B’Tselem. Interestingly, without sound. Equally interesting to me, is how B’Tselem has been reported to be at the site of several of these attacks to film them. But that’s just me. But since it was filmed without sound, you don’t hear the bystanders warning he’s moving and might have a bomb. A soldier shoots the terrorist in the head. There is another video,

Politicians, and very sadly to me, the upper echelon of the IDF were quick to pounce on the young soldier. B’Tselem had released their video and version of events to the media and rather than investigating, politicians do what politicians shouldn’t do before investigating, they open their mouths and crap pours out. The young soldier was initially charged with murder, that has been downgraded to manslaughter. And he is still in custody.

Would you like to know who is siding with the soldier? Magen David Adom , emergency medical services in Israel, has said their rules were followed by their personnel on the scene. Their rules state that their medical crew does NOT approach a wounded terrorist until it has been cleared by security forces. Originally someone in the IDF had said the terrorist had been checked and there was no bomb. If that is the case, no one seemed to know it. Not MDA, not the bystanders and not the soldiers or the young soldiers commander who has also said there were concerns. Who else? Ramle Mayor Yoel Lavi

“The strategic security establishment of the state of Israel is dealing with a large number of stabbings and car ramming attacks, and instead of giving the response they are passing off the judgement and responses to a lone soldier,” said Lavi. In his comments he noted how the government has not put down the Arab terror wave, and instead left soldiers to deal with the threat on an individual basis.Lavi told Arutz Sheva, “when you pass along the judgement from the Chief of Staff to a soldier, mishaps are liable to occur. They aren’t succeeding in dealing with the terror, and instead pounce on an outstanding soldier and place him in handcuffs.””Instead of embracing the soldiers they put them in handcuffs, that isn’t how an establishment that loves its soldiers acts. The soldiers are acting in a complicated reality and the commanders aren’t giving any response.”

Who else? A whole lot o’ ticked off Israelis that are very tired of going to the market and seeing 60 year old women stabbed, or young fathers trying to stop a stabber being killed. Some of these attackers are young girls and boys.

So why am I, here in America writing about it? I’ve been thinking about Sally’s story in A Walk On The Dark Side. How Sally felt so vulnerable walking to her car and the group that started smashing car windows just as she got there. There is a thin blue line here in America that is suppose to separate and protect the innocent in society. That line of protectors is something that is world wide. Well, mostly. In civilized countries anyway. But it seems that the protectors are under attack. In Israel where the IDF and innocent civilians are the target daily of pieceful palestinians the soldiers are tasked with protecting themselves, each other and civilians. In America the Police, Sheriffs office and Highway Patrol the same.

But it seems the world has lost sight of values and what is important. Just in the last few years we’ve seen more than once politicians open their yap with things like “The Police acted stupidly”. Really? Report of a burglary? The rush to condemn the officer in Ferguson who shot a thug who was charging him? Gov. Jay Nixon opening his yap with “Justice for __________”. The young thugs family went to the UN to demand justice. The UN is quick to condemn Israel when she defends herself and her citizens. Even senile old communist Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders lied in his lament about Israel killing 10,000 pieceful palestinians. Apparently “The Bern” is unaware they use schools and hospitals to launch rockets. I guess anyone who has heard his speeches promising free goodies to everyone is aware he can’t do math. In case you don’t know it, the IDF has a “Purity of Arms” code they have to abide by. This article does a really good job of explaining what that has got them at this point.

The UN and the politicians are so concerned about the rights of terrorists and thugs. I want to know who is concerned about the innocent people affected by these criminals? Who is concerned about the Fogel family asleep in their beds and slaughtered? Who is concerned about the baby who had it’s head smashed in with a rifle butt? The family out shopping or standing at a bus stop? Who is concerned about the people that go to work, take care of their lawn and their families and just want to live out their lives? Apparently not the politicians, the upper echelons of law enforcement or military or the UN. Why aren’t they?

There was already a lack of law enforcement available in Sally’s part of town, how will this work out when the continued focus is on protecting the criminal and good people don’t want any part of making law enforcement or the military a career? Why do the job when every day in addition to the dangers you face, you face the danger of becoming a scapegoat in some politically correct blame game when some ignorant politician opens it’s yap. Will there be a fatal hesitation introduced into the response by law enforcement or the military because of political correctness at the expense of their lives or the lives of the civilians they are charged with protecting?

In Israel there has been a public outcry in defense of the soldier. In America I haven’t seen so much of that in defense of our law enforcement. Perhaps we are now going to be in a position where we need to defend our protectors.

But what I really sorrow over? Is when and why did the focus leave the innocent to favor the guilty.

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gun control, gun grabbers, guns

Dear California – As if you already weren’t a national embarrassment…

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What in the everloving blue Hades is a “bullet button” loophole? Seriously?

SECTION 1.

It is the intent of the Legislature to effectuate the intent of the Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control Act of 1989 and to close the bullet button loophole by redefining “detachable magazine,” as used in Section 30515 of the Penal Code, to include an ammunition feeding device that can be readily removed from the firearm with the use of a tool.

The odious trolls in the California legislature have really outdone themselves on this one. With zero knowledge about firearms and zero comprehension of Constitutional rights, they are on a rampage to destroy the right to keep arms in that statist hole of a state.

(h/t Ammoland)

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gun grabbers, Uncategorized

[Update 3] – I’m fairly sure that “iPhone gun” is a hoax

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You’ve seen the hype over the Ideal Conceal “phone gun.” Who hasn’t?

But I’ll bet you haven’t seen a photograph of it. Every picture I can find is a computer-rendered image taken from the company web site.

Like this one:

ic-pocket-street

Now look closely at that hand gripping the “gun.”

ic-pocket-street-closeup

Try it yourself. Hold your phone (or paperback book, or any rectangular thingie) by the corner like that. It’s a poor photoshop. Even the street scene.

stock-photo-dark-street-in-tel-aviv-israel-38249383

Look familiar?

I emailed Ideal Conceal (and why do you suppose he’s using Gmail, instead of a more professional-apppearing idealconceal.com email address?) to ask for a photograph of the actual prototype; the idea being to establish that a real, physical product exists. Or not.

Kjellberg sent two more renderings. No photographs. Interestingly, the two image files are named “phun-gun-img-003e.jpg” and “phun-gun-img-004b.png.”

Phun = Fun? How professional.

When I pointed out that I wanted a photograph as a response to those who doubt the existence of the Ideal Conceal, he replied:

Unfortunately we don’t have a prototype that we are showing to the public. I have told every news agency and persons who contact us that info.

We will be releasing video etc when it is ready.

Doubters with doubt….

Thanks Kirk Kjellberg

Kjellberg  claims he’ll be building these guns. That’s real interesting, because the ATF only shows Ideal Conceal having a Type 01 dealer license. More interesting is the address given for Ideal Conceal: 4300 SCHOOL BOULEVARD

It’s currently up for sale, according to that link. An office building, not a factory.

A whois on the domain idealconceal.com shows:

Updated Date: 29-jan-2016
Creation Date: 16-aug-2015
Expiration Date: 16-aug-2016

A one year registration? Expiring before he plans to start shipping in October?

Whois also shows a different street address than that in the ATF records: 9127 Highway 25. I doubt that he’s manufacturing an oversized, stupidly designed derringer there, either. Since he claims he’s already taken 4,000 preorders, he’d better find — and equip… and man — a factory fast.

Especially if he’s taken money in advance on those preorders, someone might want to talk to the Minnesota Attorney General about potential fraud.

Or not. Maybe he isn’t accepting payments yet.

So if it isn’t a financial scam, what might be motivating the guy?

kjellberg-fb

Thanks to Mitchell Boone for finding that F******k post. If you’re having trouble reading that, it says:


Kirk Ennis Kjellburg
December 19, 2012
Dear Gun Lovers, let me introduce you to playground rules. When enough stupid kids can’t play say king of the hill nicely, they take away the hill. Use your brain, somehow this has to stop. Shouting for gun rights when the bodies of 20 children lay dead is about as selfish as it gets…

Yep. He wants to punish everyone who didn’t do it for the actions of Some Asshole who killed his mother and stole her guns to go on a rampage. Some pro-gun advocate.

I think we’re looking at the same sort of anti-RKBA action as the bogus RNC open carry petition. An attempt to embarrass gun owners and make us look bad.

Perhaps my guess is incorrect. If Kjellberg wishes to correct any misconceptions, I’d like him to answer some questions, and provide a little data.

Unless and until we hear from Kjellberg, I certainly wouldn’t advise anyone to preorder an Ideal Conceal pistol.

Update, 4/12/16: Aha! I found an article that I missed in the last round.

“Right now there isn’t a firing prototype all I have is a plastic model of it so once there’s a firing prototype people will feel more comfortable about how it deploys, how it shoots and that kind of stuff”, said Kjellberg.

I was right: No prototype; just a nonfunctional plastic model. Since he claims he’ll be shipping in five or six months, that motivational speaker/claims adjuster/microwave salesman better hurry up and get a manufacturer’s license, not to mention someone capable of designing a working gun since his LinkedIn page doesn’t suggest any engineering experience or training.

And no, Kjellberg has not contacted me to answer any of the above questions.

Update 2, 4/14/16: Kjellberg is now admitting that he is not a licensed manufacturer.The current story is:

“He isn’t properly licensed to manufacture such a weapon, though, so he connected with a friend at a Big Lake engineering company that has federal clearance for weapon design.”

I see three type 07 FFLs in Big Lake:

Interestingly, Bondhus Arms is marketing its own .380 concealment pistol, the CL380.

bondhus-arms-cl380

While there does seem to be a working prototype, and they have a real approved patent, it doesn’t seem to be for sale yet (“later this year”). I wonder if Bondhus Arms would actually build its competitor’s .380.

I’ve sent messages to MPI and Bondhus asking if they are the manufacturer Kjellberg mentions. I’ve also contacted the ATF with some general inquiries (AOW, etc.).

Nope; nothing from Kjellberg yet.

Update 3, 4/15/16: Still nothing from Kjellberg. But the ATF responded. A company has problems when it’s response time is worse than a federal bureaucracy.

Basically, since Kjellberg doesn’t have even a prototype, and apparently hasn’t submitted anything to the ATF, they couldn’t answer most of my questions. I got the extremely vague answer I expected.

Mr. Bussjaeger: Thank you for your inquiry and concern in regards to the pistol that appears to be a cellphone. As ATF understands it, the proposed manufacturer of this firearm does not even yet have an operable prototype. If the company chooses, it can submit to ATF for determination the classification of the firearm. The ATF enforces two primary Federal firearms laws: the Gun Control Act (GCA) and the National Firearms Act (NFA). Based on the information ATF currently has on this proposed firearm, it would be lawful to manufacture under the Gun Control Act (GCA). So, to address your concerns: Based on what ATF knows of this proposed firearm at this time, it would be both lawful to manufacture and own/possess under Federal firearms laws. Again, ATF’s responsibility is to enforce Federal firearms laws as they exist and as stated, based on what ATF currently knows about the proposed firearm it would be lawful under current Federal firearms laws. Thank you.

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Inspiration, self defense

A Walk On The Dark Side

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by MamaLiberty

(Previously appeared at The Price of Liberty.)

Sally had worked much later than she intended, and hurried as she crossed the dimly lit lobby to the front. The old security guard shuffled toward her to unlock the door, wishing her a good evening and admonishing her to be careful. She stepped outside and listened to him lock the door behind her, wishing she could have requested an escort to her car a block away. He was too crippled, and couldn’t leave his post anyway, but she still wished someone was with her.

Standing in the small pool of light from the doorway, she looked carefully in all directions. The old fashioned street lights were close to the ground and gave only a warm glow, but she could see that many were no longer working. A full moon peeked out from behind scudding clouds now and then, but the moonlight seemed to result in more shadows than anything else. A damp wind carried a promise of rain, or snow.

The street to her left sloped down to the river and abandoned docks, where rumor had it gangs were hanging out these days. The whole area had deteriorated in the ten years she’d worked there, and she noticed especially that more buildings than ever were dark and closed tight. Looking to the right, she could only see about a hundred yards to where the street crested the rise and vanished over the other side.

Tucking her big purse firmly under her arm, under the good Berber coat she wore, she set off with far less confidence than she normally felt, trying to look in every direction and beginning to feel more apprehensive the farther she walked. Maybe she should have called a cab? But that seemed silly to go just a block, and she walked a little faster.

There were no restaurants or bars in this particular stretch of commercial and office buildings, and no traffic this time of the evening. She suddenly realized she was very alone, and far too vulnerable. Her stomach felt like a rock in her belly, and the hunger that had finally driven her to quit for the day was forgotten. They had just completed a very important project, one that would ultimately allow the company to find better quarters, and the deadline had been tight, but all that lost it’s importance as she contemplated the lonely walk to her car. She gave a fleeting thought to her decision not to use the company parking garage behind the building. The fact that it was dark and gave her an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia had been reason enough in the bright light of the morning. Not that it would have been much safer, of course. Several cars had been stolen there over the last few months, and one woman had been mugged early in the morning as she came to work.

Her footsteps echoed faintly from the concrete walls as she walked down the hill. She wished she’d brought a pair of walking shoes with her, since her stylish 2 inch heels had already reduced her toes to a painful mass over the long day. And then, contemplating a stretch before her with no streetlights, she wished she’d brought a flashlight as well. Coming closer, she could see in the moonlight the sparkle of broken glass on the roadway and sidewalk, telling her that the lights had been destroyed rather than just burned out.

Walking carefully, she watched her footing instead of looking around her, and was startled to feel something brush her leg from the rear. Absolutely unable to decide whether to stand still or run, she turned and saw a scruffy cat vanish into the gloom between two buildings. Her mind knew that the cat posed no danger to her, but her heart rate remained high and she began to sweat under the fine silk of her best blouse. Then she could feel it on her face and in her hair as the breeze freshened.

Her steps quickened, and she avoided the larger chunks of glass while the smaller ones grated under foot, once almost causing her to slip. She was fortunate to catch herself on a nearby bus bench, and scraped the glass off her shoe bottom on the curb. Only half a block to go to reach the municipal parking lot, but she was dismayed to see that only a few lights remained intact there either. She re-positioned her purse under her arm and discovered that her fingers were painful from the tight grip she’d held on it.

Suddenly aware of a police siren in the distance, she was dismayed to realize that it was at least a block or more away and fading fast. She thought about how she had always assumed that the police would be there to protect her if necessary. And then she knew that she needed to revisit that assumption soon, just as soon as she got to somewhere safe. She realized that she was the only person in the world right then who could do anything about it, and this was a very new and disturbing reality. She remembered all of the conversations her brother had tried to have with her about it, and how he had urged her to take some self defense classes, but she’d always put him off with assurances that she was perfectly safe in the city. It hurt her to admit it, but she had been wrong.

Sally had put her keys into her coat pocket before she left the building, and she was grateful that she didn’t have to fish in her purse for them as she approached her car. Unfortunately, it was parked under one of the broken lights and she peered anxiously into the back seat as she unlocked the driver’s door. Sudden shouting nearby made her hurry to get in and lock the door, but she hadn’t even gotten the key into the ignition before several young men rushed toward her. One had what appeared to be a baseball bat, and he swung it in a wide arc that ended with the smashing of the windshield of the car sitting next to her. Terrified, she twisted the key and the engine roared.

Grateful that the lot was mostly empty, she backed out of the slot wildly, changed gears and then floored the accelerator, trying hard to watch where she was going while not losing sight of the men who were obviously rushing toward her from several directions. The utter chaos of smashing windshields, screaming and cursing people, and the sudden downpour of rain had her reduced to near hysteria by the time she turned the car onto the road. Whatever shred of reason she retained caused her to turn up the hill rather than down toward the docks, her usual route. The presence of the gangs was obviously no longer merely a rumor.

Behind her she saw the flash of police lights and heard sirens again until she crested the hill and descended into an area with strip malls and more traffic. The sight of people and vehicles helped her to calm down some, and by the time she reached her own neighborhood nestled in the foothills, she was ready to think about her experience and do some serious reconsideration of long held beliefs about who was responsible for her safety and what she might do about it. She recognized fully that she had been incredibly lucky, and that if she’d left the office just a few moments later she might well be dead, or worse.

The apartment should have seemed warm and safe, she thought, but after hanging her coat and turning on the light in her home office, she looked out the window that overlooked a wide swath of the city below. For perhaps the first time, she truly noticed all of the areas that had gone dark in the last few years. She could see flashing police lights here and there, distorted by the rain, and a police helicopter hovered in the distance, quite possibly over the parking lot she’d come from. She had avoided listening to the “news” for a long time, immersing herself in her work and her narrow world of research. And now she realized that much of the world she’d thought she inhabited had never actually existed.

Booting her computer, she opened an email blank and began to type:

Dear Derrick,
I’m taking some vacation time next week and, if it’s ok, will fly down to stay a few days with you. I want to talk to you about this self defense thing, and I want you to take me to buy a gun and show me how to use it.

Your loving sister Sally

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