Responding to the illegal alien invasion and the crime wave it's fueling

 

A few days ago I published an article titled "The real danger of the illegal alien invasion".  If you missed it, I suggest you click over there and read it before continuing with this one, because I won't waste space or time repeating its contents here.  This article takes up where that one left off.

There's no doubt whatsoever that cities are faced with a crescendo of crime, made worse by millions of illegal aliens who can't (or won't) find work.  It's getting worse just about everywhere.  Ignore the "official" statistics that try to claim this, or that, or the other crime is actually decreasing.  Remember, city authorities have a vested interest in trying to make their towns appear to be low-crime areas, because that attracts business, residents and visitors.  As a result, many law enforcement agencies are under orders not to record all crimes in specific categories, or to ignore them when they're encountered.  How many police departments have announced that they will no longer respond as an emergency to reports of burglary, car theft, and so on?  They don't have the time, the money or the personnel to cope, so they're copping out - you should pardon the expression.

No, if you want to know what crime's like in your area, ask business owners whose stores open onto the streets.  A whole lot of them are reporting that crime is on the increase.  They're speaking of groups of young men congregating on street corners, all unemployed, all just "hanging around" with nothing better to do.  Many of them appear to be dealing drugs.  Others flash money at each other.  Cops drive past, but can do nothing to break up these groups unless they're seen to be breaking the law.  Business owners report that they recognize some of them as having shoplifted or stolen goods from their stores, but they daren't point them out to the cops, because if that becomes known there will be violent retaliation against them.  Some cities have private citizen crime reports online, such as HeyJackass in Chicago.  Look to them for real crime figures, rather than official sources.

The illegal alien invasion is doing nothing but add to this crime wave, as discussed earlier this week.

So, the question becomes, what can we do about it?  Any number of Web sites offer "prepping" solutions about stockpiling necessities, hardening your house against criminals, and so on.  I endorse such steps, and I've taken them myself.  What we're specifically interested in here is crime.  How do we prepare to deter it, and if necessary deal with it?

First, get to know your neighbors.  In an apartment, that can be a problem, because renters tend to be transient.  They may not stay around for long.  Some of them are also not as trustworthy as we wish they were.  Those who own their own homes are in a better position in talking with fellow home-owners nearby, because they all have a stake in the neighborhood and a vested interest in keeping it a good place to live.  Find a few of them who think as you do, and if necessary act as a sort of "anti-crime evangelist" to encourage others to investigate the problem for themselves and join you in planning to deal with it.

The point is to form a small group of people who will help each other.  You'll all undertake to keep an eye on each other's homes during the day, when many people are at work.  You'll agree to come to each others' assistance in emergency, including offering mutual defense and protection where necessary.  (That largely depends on where you live;  some neighborhoods will need that more than others - but there is no neighborhood that can say with certainty it'll never need it.)

That, in turn, implies that each member of the group should be armed, and sufficiently well trained to use their weapons defensively if needed - without shooting each other in the process.  This isn't just a matter of buying a gun.  It's learning to use it, finding out how often the cops patrol your area, asking your local cops for their impressions of crime and/or dangerous areas nearby, and so on.  When it comes to training, why not ask your local police department which instructor(s) they recommend?  Why not approach [an] instructor(s) in a group, so that you can all train together at least occasionally?

We're talking defensive weapons here, not hunting or target firearms.  Right now, you can buy an entry-level AR-15 for under $500 (before tax, of course).  At the time of writing, Buds Gun Shop lists ten models below that price:  CDNN Sports lists three:  and Palmetto State Armory has ten.  (If you'd prefer an AK-47 model, Palmetto has some "blemished" ones available for $620 - the lowest price I've seen on a decent AK in a long time.). There are any number of other dealers online if you look for them to compare prices.  Your local gun shop probably has more expensive models, but even if you pay shipping and a transfer fee, your total cost to buy an AR-15 from one of the three vendors I mentioned should be below $550-$575.  Magazines and ammunition will cost you a couple of hundred more to begin with.  Let's say you shouldn't have to spend more than $750 to put together a usable basic personal defense rifle outfit.  (If you live in an area that doesn't allow the sale of such weapons, a lever-action .30-30 or pistol-caliber carbine will cost you a bit more, but you can still equip yourself with a very effective weapon for under $1,000.  A shotgun - less useful at longer ranges - will cost much less than that.)

Bear in mind, too, that such rifles may not remain available if the progressive left gets its way.  President Biden made that clear in his State of the Union address earlier this week.  The facts of the matter aren't important to such people.  They blame the instrument for the crime, not the perpetrator - and that's a fallacy and a mistake in every single circumstance.  They'll happily disarm honest people and leave them at the mercy of criminals, knowing that many honest people will hand in their guns while the criminals won't.  If you need such a rifle, get it while the getting's good.  I think every adult in your family should have one, and if you have responsible, reliable teenagers, they should have their own as well.

I'll go further.  Those of us who are armed and trained should make a concerted, active effort to "spread the good news" and encourage others to do likewise.  I'll publicly undertake, here and now, to see to it that this year, 2023, at least a dozen families - one per month - are equipped with at least one personal defense rifle and trained to use it.  I've already made a start on that;  January's family is provided for, and I'm in the process of arranging to help February's.  I can't pay for all that myself, of course - I'm on a rather limited income - but I can help the poorest families, I can show them how to assemble and maintain and use their weapons, and I can provide training.  What I can't do, I'll try to do with the help of others (including generous readers, who've stepped up to the plate in the past to help those in need of protection buy what they need).  How about you, dear reader?  Can you - will you - commit to helping at least one other family in need get what they need this year?  If we all did that, we could transform a lot of lives.

Of course, part of the problem is that the left-wing administrations in this country - federal, state and local - are trying to make it as difficult and expensive as possible for us to defend ourselves.  We've spoken about that often in these pages.  As Tucker Carlson pointed out on Thursday, "Self-defense is becoming illegal".  We need to fight back against that as well.  How many of us are aware that District Attorneys - our local and regional prosecuting authorities - are often elected by less than 20% of the electorate?  Most voters don't bother to turn out for such local contests.  Why not motivate your friends and family and acquaintances and co-workers to turn up and vote for a solid law-and-order candidate?  We can nullify the pernicious influence of progressive election funding if we stand together and vote accordingly.  Let's do it!

Let's also make sure to offer our support to individuals and families who are targeted by the authorities for defending themselves.  We can contribute to fund-raising efforts for them;  try to help their families if they're in financial difficulties;  and show public support to counteract left-wing demonstrations against them.  If, for example, each of us donated a couple of cans or packets of food, we could make a serious dent in their food budget, which might be very helpful if their breadwinner is locked up.  There are many practical ways we can be of assistance.  Let's look for them, and use them.

Finally, let's make sure we are visible in our neighborhoods - not as vigilantes, armed to the teeth, walking menacingly up and down, but as normal, law-abiding citizens who keep our eyes open and make sure we're seen doing it.  Look for vehicles you don't recognize cruising up and down your street.  Watch for idlers, people walking along looking at houses without any recognizable need to be there, that sort of thing.  Ask your local cops to pay more attention to trouble spots, and make sure they know where to look.  If the cops get to know you as solid citizens who support law and order, they're a lot more likely to pay attention if you call them in emergency.  The smaller and more intimate your community, of course, the likelier that is.  In the town where I live, many of us are on first-name terms with our officers.  We eat breakfast at the local diner with them, we see them driving our streets on patrol and wave at them, and generally we interact with them frequently and positively (such as the time cows were eating our neighbor's rose bushes!).

As individuals, we can't solve the big problem of border security.  That's for federal and state authorities to tackle, and we should make our voices heard in urging them to do so.  In the meanwhile, let's focus on what we can achieve, which is to make ourselves as secure as possible against the crime wave that the illegal alien invaders are escalating every day.

(If you can't do that where you are, maybe that's a sign that you need to move somewhere else!)

Peter