Less than three years ago, America was burning. Yet some people seem to forget.
A perfect storm of political-cultural unrest and the worst pandemic in a century combined to produce deaths and injuries among months of rioting, arson, and looting. Liberal mayors and governors, eager to demonstrate solidarity with the “protesters,” did little or nothing to quell the violence in Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle, and elsewhere. National figures in the Democrat Party were largely silent, although the current vice president said that the “protests” needed to continue and would continue.
Spurred by controversial police use of force, political partisans and hell-raisers seized the opportunity to run rampant in extremely permissive jurisdictions.
Nationwide riots followed George Floyd’s May 2020 death in Minneapolis, spurred by emotionally-charged video of a white police officer kneeling on the black man’s neck. Aside from at least 25 ensuing deaths, the national mayhem was estimated at $2 billion by insurance companies although many businesses were uninsured or underinsured. Some of those—operated by black and other minority owners—would never recover.
Caught in the political crossfire are minority police officers who, like their uniformed brothers and sisters, are vilified and heartsick as their cities are torched and trashed, and a precinct house was burned in Minneapolis, ground zero for the riots. Meanwhile, at least two reports by CNN and MSNBC featured reporters commenting on “mostly peaceful protests” while stores burned in the background.
More recently some focus shifted to abuse of Asian Americans, as if it’s something new. In March 2021, six Asian women were among eight killed in three Georgia massage parlors. Some media assumed the gunman’s motive was racial when subsequently it appeared that he was spurred by conflicting religious and sexual beliefs.
Meanwhile, a California State survey in 2019-2020 reported nearly a 150 percent increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans. The presumed reason: devastating effects of the Chinese-Wuhan-Corona Virus.
In fact, the trend was widely covered nearly 20 years ago during the Los Angeles riots of 1992. Four LAPD officers were acquitted in the prolonged beating of Rodney King, a black parole violator captured after a highspeed drunk driving spree. Eventually two of the cops went to prison.
Public response to the acquittals was immediate and violent. Four days of arson, looting and vandalism left about 50 people dead and perhaps 1,000 injured. Monetary loss was reckoned at $1 billion with more than half sustained by Korean-American or Korean immigrant businesses.
Left to fend for themselves, store owners’ family and friends took turns standing guard and patrolling rooftops—popular antigun imagery in the mainstream media. Missing from reports was that many of those business outlets doubled as residences, often on the second story. Gun-toting citizens were protecting their homes as well as their livelihoods.
Last June a St. Louis couple, both attorneys, brandished an AR-15 and a handgun in the face of a mob that broke through their community’s gate, intending to protest at the mayor’s nearby house. Instead, the crowd confronted the homeowners with threats of violence and arson. The city attorney announced charges against Mark and Patricia McCloskey, saying, “We must protect the right to peacefully protest, and any attempt to chill it through intimidation or threat of deadly force will not be tolerated.”
Missouri’s Republican governor quickly stated that if the couple were convicted for defending their home, he would issue a pardon. Eventually the attorney and her staff were removed for conflict of interest in linking personal agendas to the case. Apparently no charges were filed against any trespassers but the case against the home owners was resolved when they received probation for a year.
Whatever the circumstances, when business or home owners defend themselves with police absent or overwhelmed, armed citizens are branded “vigilantes.” The media, almost universally lacking in knowledge or context, apparently neither knows nor cares about San Francisco in the 1850s. Absent adequate law enforcement, and amid obvious civic corruption, “committees of vigilance” filled the vacuum. The comparison between Then and Now are readily apparent.
Politics is not the only reason for large-scale riots. Look no farther than Detroit “celebrations” of the Tigers’ World Series victory in 1984 and the Pistons’ NBA win six years later. Mobs numbering thousands caused multiple deaths, rapes, arson, and property destruction.
Regardless of the timeframe, facing a determined, unarmed attacker can be high risk. Year by year the FBI Uniform Crime Report shows 600 to 700 people killed by blows from fists or feet. (Youtube has numerous videos of gangs stomping victims on the ground.) So what are the odds of escaping a swarm of enraged assailants? Or those armed with pipes, bricks or skateboards? (Google for Kenosha and Skateboard.)
Whether the police or DA would acknowledge the “unarmed” threat is of course another matter.
So: assume that everything you do will be filmed—that’s the world today. It could be a Good Thing if it shows you had to defend yourself, although remember this is the XXI century, and often facts do not matter.
A new option for armed citizens is body cameras. They’re usually affordable (up to $250 online) and can provide valuable context in court. The problem with body cams, as often seen on police videos, is limited field of view, sometimes mainly showing the officer’s hands and bottom of his pistol grip. In those cases, audio can take up some of the slack.
Perhaps of more relevance to citizens is the potential shooter’s perspective. Viral video from the St. Louis incident only shows the home owners holding firearms. Viewers did not see through their eyes, facing a hostile, trespassing crowd. So consider withdrawing inside the doorway, limiting a mob’s ability to surround victims, and clearly showing criminal trespass at the entrance or inside a home.
Train for muzzle awareness. The St. Louis couple was prosecuted partly for pointing guns at the mob. Check your state laws on “brandishing.” If you have a long gun, maintain low ready until-unless you reach your trigger decision. With a sidearm, certainly low ready is an option but consider “holster ready” with hand on the grip because you know how long it takes to draw and shoot.
As for “nobody needs 30 ‘bullets’” consider facing a vicious mob with 10 rounds in your firearm. You’re surrounded by urban jackals with no cops in sight—and the Supreme Court has twice declared (1989 and 2005) that police have no obligation to protect any individual.
Be sure to check state and local laws. For instance, here in Arizona, trespassing charges usually require a knowing violation of posted or spoken notice to offenders. Meanwhile, arson of an occupied building justifies lethal force—not necessarily valid elsewhere.
As the ancient wisdom notes, there is strength in numbers. Consider the case of Kyle Rittenhouse in August 2020. He was armed with an AR-15, voluntarily patrolling the troubled streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, reputedly to protect a car dealership. Other citizens also augmented the overwhelmed police. In the turmoil Rittenhouse was separated from his partner—a significant factor. A rioter grabbed the AR’s barrel; the teen shot the assailant and retreated, pursued by an enraged crowd. Eventually Rittenhouse killed another attacker who struck him from behind and wounded a third who threatened him with a handgun. Over a year later Rittenhouse was acquitted of criminal charges, but a “wingman” might have averted or at least reduced the violence level.
Ultimately, avoidance is the preferred tactic whenever possible. You can still contribute by serving as an observant, objective witness. But sometimes that option is unavailable, and you become your own first responder.
