MacAvram: Muslims at the Gate

[MacAvram: from Scottish Mac ("son of") and Hebrew Avraam ("Abraham"); a son of Abraham by virtue of faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:29); a covenantal rather than genetic designation.]

Here's a bit of fiction I dashed off. I do not assert any connections to reality. It may be best to consider it total fantasy.

MacAvram was at war . . . 


He carefully removed the surface divots from the forest floor before he began to dig in earnest. He placed the divots aside and then deposited the earth from the hole on a tarp. 


After he dug down about three-and-a half feet, chopping away tree roots with a hand axe, he carefully place the waterproof package containing the AK-47 and three empty magazines in the bottom of the hole. Next to them, he put another container that contained the 90 rounds of ammo from the magazines along with 100 rounds he had picked up from the compound's ammo storage.


He filled the hole with enough dirt to make a small mound, then pieced the divots back into place as precisely as he could. As he had filled the hole, he put in odd pieces of scrap iron in hopes of fooling anyone with a metal detector.


Then he sprinkled pine needles and mold over the area to approximate a match with the surrounding ground. After he hauled away the excess soil, the average person would not notice the spot unless they were looking for it, and after the first good rain, only someone with the skills of an Apache tracker would find it at all.


Yes, MacAvram was at war. He had not initiated it, nor had he wanted it, but he was at war all the same.

**************************************************

It all started one morning just before dawn. In God's providence, Mac had awakened and, unable to sleep, sat down at his computer to begin sifting through the day's email.

The squeal of brakes drew his gaze up and out the window, where he saw an old three-ton truck rolling to a stop at the chain-link gate out front.On the back of the truck, he saw some figures with Islamic headgear and faces masked by scarves.

Mac immediately picked up his Remington 870 which already had two rounds of #8 shot in the magazine. As he headed toward the front door, he scooped up five double-ought shells and began feeding them into the weapon.

His hours of practice loading the weapon paid off, for he reached his front door in just a few seconds, as he completed the loading process. By now, the dog was barking, and he stepped onto the front porch to find that an intruder bearing an AK-47 had come over the gate and was more than halfway across the yard.

Mac fired through the porch window and scarcely noticed the wood and glass that exploded outward into his yard, as the intruder fell. Another sat awkwardly perched atop the gate, unsure what to do.

A bullet whizzed past Mac as he realized that a terrorist standing on the back of the truck had fired at him. Evidently he had been too excited to take careful aim. Mac's adrenaline was up, too, but he exhaled slowly as he sent a load of double-ought directly toward the shooter.

No sooner had he dispatched that attacker than he turned his attention to the one on the gate, who now attempted to bring his AK to bear. Mac fired at him, and as he tumbled over backwards, one pant leg caught on chain link material, and the sound of ripping cloth marked his slow, head-first descent to the ground.

No more than four or five seconds had passed since Mac fired the first shot. At this point, the truck engine revved as the driver began to let out the clutch. The rear window blew into the cab as Mac fired again. The truck lurched and stalled.

Somewhere in those chaotic seconds, MacAvram had noticed one last terrorist who had run along the chain link fence, using the vegetation that grew there for concealment. By now, Mac's wife had appeared behind him at the front door, carrying her Ithaca Model 37.

He called back to her as he headed toward the gate, "If any of them moves, shoot 'em." Keeping his eyes in the terrorist's direction, he slowly unlocked the gate and pushed it open with the muzzle of his Remington.

A full-auto hail of .30 caliber bullets sprayed past the gate as Mac jumped back. Figuring the shooter's magazine to be empty, MacAvram stepped out the gate and killed the terrorist just as his spare mag clicked into place.

Just a few minutes later, the terrorists' reinforcements arrived. They wore badges and rode in cars with flashing lights and sirens, but their words and deeds did not favor the man who had just defended his home.

Who fired first?


I did.


Why did you fire on them?


Men armed with automatic weapons were coming over a closed locked gate. In my book, that's a home invasion.


Do you have any idea why they would single you out for this alleged attack? 


(Alleged attack?!!)


Well, I've been outspoken on the internet against Islamic terrorist cells that train at more than 30 bases around the nation, including here in South Carolina. Maybe they wanted to shut me up.

After seemingly endless interrogation, the police confiscated his shotgun -- because department policy dictated that they take any weapon used in a homicide. When he protested that the homicide was justifiable, they said it was not for them to decide, and they were just doing their job.

When he pointed out that these terrorists might have friends who would want to finish the job they had started, the police asked if he had any other firearms in the house. At this question, MacAvram decided to just shut his mouth while he was behind, to keep from falling even farther behind.

Mac was not at home when ATF arrived, searched his house and confiscated all every gun there. They told his wife that, as a suspect in a homicide investigation, he was not allowed to own any firearms. They comprised the third wave of terrorist invaders.

MacAvram knew he was at war. The first wave of invaders had failed; their allies in the second and third waves had rendered him helpless for the next attack.

**************************************************

When he arrived home, MacAvram spread the soil from the tarp in his garden. Then he went inside and carefully cleaned his Bowie knife with laundry bleach to destroy any DNA that might hide there. 


He rinsed it thoroughly with distilled water to remove the corrosive bleach and then dried it and sprayed it with WD-40. As he worked, a crackling fire in his grill consumed two bloody arrows.


Later, as he clicked to the online news reports, his horse bow* leaned on the wall within reach, where he once kept his shotgun. The news video began to play.


The FBI reports that it is investigating a break-in at a rural Muslim community where three people were found murdered early this morning. One man's throat was cut, while two others' throats were pierced by what investigators speculate may have been hunting arrows . . . .


The report called it a "community" rather than a paramilitary training compound. It also failed to mention that all three "victims" were carrying fully automatic AK-47 rifles, but of course, before law enforcement arrived,  the training compound's leaders no doubt hid the two assault rifles that Mac had left behind.


Yes, MacAvram was at war. He had not initiated it, nor had he wanted it, but he was at war, all the same. He did not intend to lose.


*A short, powerful, recurve bow, such as used by the Mongols and other mounted archers.

Another Plug for the Shotgun

Yesterday, I read Richard Johnson's article in Guns & Patriots called "Guns for Disaster: What to Have When Katrina Comes to Your Town."

His comments on owning a shotgun make the perfect follow-up to my post on Monday:

A pump shotgun is probably the most versatile single weapon you can own.  With a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun you have a single tool that is well suited for taking birds, varmints, deer, bear and stopping bad people from doing bad things.

I like tactical guns as much as the next guy, but if money is tight, find a good condition, used Remington 870.  With a very small investment, you can get a second barrel to compliment the one it came with, giving you something short (18-20”) to protect the home, with something a little longer for hunting.

The Model 37 Has Arrived (Finally!)

Laura & I picked up our new Ithaca Model 37 last Thursday. It looks just like the picture I posted in my previous blog entry entitled Home Defense Shotgun.

The unfinished, black walnut stock eagerly drank in three separate rubbings with tung oil, and looks beautiful.

A young friend recently asked me about my suggestions for acquiring firearms, and I wrote back about why I put a shotgun at the top of the list. I thought you might be interested in my answer:

Why the shotgun first? Well, it's the ultimate home defense weapon. Last night on the phone, my barber informed me that in all the time they've been keeping records on such things, there has been only one gunfight in which it took more than one shot from a shotgun to end the fight. The single exception took two shots.

Compare that to the scores of horror stories you can find about multiple hits by handguns -- of any caliber -- that did not stop the aggressor.

When I lived in Texas, I became friends with a neat guy who had served with the Marine Corps in the South Pacific. He had carried a shotgun at Guadalcanal. Some of the deadliest Spec Ops people you will ever meet favor the shotgun -- not for long range, of course, but for the close-in kind of fighting that you're more likely to see inside your house or in your yard.

In addition, a 2 & 3/4 inch shell loaded with # 8 shot is relatively cheap, will stop someone in your house as certainly as #00 buck, and is much less likely than a handgun to penetrate a wall and kill your mom or sis in the next room.

Also, the general public along with many authorities do not view the shotgun in the same category with "assault rifles". Shotguns are for hunting pheasants and geese, and people tend to view them with less suspicion than some other weapons.

For that reason, when I ordered my Ithaca Model 37, I specified the wood stock rather than the synthetic. I don't want it to dress it up like an assault rifle, either. If someone sees it, I want their first reaction to be "Oh, do you hunt?" rather than "Oh my! Are you one of those?" The first question is much easier to answer: "I'm not really a hunter. I just keep it for snakes and varmints around the garden and chicken house."

Finally, let me say that although the shotgun is a great weapon, you DO need to train with it just as seriously as you would with a handgun. I've been running through the basics with my wife, along with a couple of suggested drills from my barber. I want to  make it a daily habit, just as we do with family worship. How to hold, load & unload (in the dark) and use with a flashlight.

The Home Defense Shotgun

My barber is not the only firearms expert to tout the shotgun as the best choice for a home defense weapon. Loads that will not not penetrate walls still have terrifying stopping-power.

Since my wife -- who is left-handed -- has recently felt the need for a long arm that she can use around the homestead, I've been looking around for a suitable shotgun. Here's what I've settled on:

It's the Ithaca Model 37 Home Defense Shotgun. It came into production in 1917 as the Remington Model 17, and after the patent ran out -- in 1937 -- Ithaca picked it up and marketed it as the model 37.

Some reasons for the choice:

1. Ejects from the bottom, so my left-handed wife and her right-handed husband can both use it conveniently;
2. Designed by John Browning, who also designed the Model 1911, the Browning Automatic Rifle and the Colt Woodsman Pistol along with a host of other excellent firearms;
3. Proven track record in the U.S. military, NYPD and LAPD;
4. My barber's hearty recommendation.

In an email, my barber said, "It's perfect . . . . Get the Ithaca!"

In more general comments about a home defense shotgun, he said:

ALL home-defense shotgunning should be done with low-base 8shot shotgun loads.  the cheap ones work as good as the expensive ones.  with this light load,and the weight of the shotgun,felt,and managed recoil is minimal.  that goes for big guys like us,too! 

So, it looks as though we'll be getting a Model 37. It's not cheap, but IMHO, it's top of the line in design and workmanship, which makes it a bargain for the price. 'Nuff said.

Firearms in Church

A couple of months ago, several people in our church got together & negotiated a nice discount on a  class leading to a concealed weapons permit. (I got sick that week, so I could not attend the class.)

:-(

My point is that several people who attend my church now have their CCW permits, in addition to two or three others who already had theirs. I don't know how many of these folks actually carry in church. I hope they all do.

Carrying in church is the subject of an article by Joel McDurmon entitled "Bring Your Pieces to Church" Sunday.

Here's how the article begins:

Imagine the following scenario: At church this Sunday, while reviewing the list of announcements and upcoming events for your church, your pastor added, “Oh, and don’t forget: on Sundays we have our regular target practice. Make sure to bring your rifles. Make sure to bring your pieces to church.” 

Absurd, right? Not so. It used to be the American way.

I hope that piques (not peaks, please) your curiosity to read the whole article. I know that some of you won't, so I want to quote a vitally important paragraph from it.

Today Christians are so brainwashed and affected by progressive propaganda that we have an uneasy feeling even broaching the subject of guns. Constant liberalism in the media and years of government-school indoctrination have eroded the foundations of liberty in this nation. Today Christians think themselves conservative when they back everything the military does. Conservatives think that to oppose the military is to be a leftist. They have no idea that 1) the tradition of imperialistic war grows out of liberal, not conservative, ideology, and 2) the Bible forbids nations to have standing armies or stockpile offensive weapons. The Bible calls for national defense through an armed populace and militia upon necessity. A standing army is an affront to God. But for some reason, alleged conservative politicians easily persuade Christian voters that the next military maneuver is of necessity an expression of conservative values, and the Christians cheer.

 It is true that many who call themselves Christians support any and every military adventure set forth by the power elite with the same mindless enthusiasm I've seen in middle-agers for their high school football teams. (My barber once told me about a local magistrate who actually threatened to send someone over to "teach a lesson" to a man who criticized his town's high school team -- insane!)

There is a long list of sins from which America in general and the Church in particular need to repent. Two of them are:

1)Remaining unarmed as individual Christian citizens in the face of imminent threats to our peace and security;
2) Supporting a military establishment that has enforced tyranny at home and abroad.

DoE Buys Tactical Weapons

The U.S. Dept. of Education has advertised that it is taking bids to supply them with 27 tactical shotguns. The weapons are to be fitted with 14" barrels. (Click here to see.)

The Remington 870's designated "are designated as the only shotguns authorized for ED based on compatibility with ED existing shotgun inventory . . ."

EXISTING SHOTGUN INVENTORY?

James Muncil of the Patriots of America Blog asks the appropriate questions:

Since when did the DoE become an agency that needed firepower? How do the Dems and Libs justify this purchase while passionately protesting for gun-free schools? Is there some sort of enforcement arm of DoE that we don't know about? Or is this just in preparation for the enforcement/expansion of the liberal agenda in our nation's school systems?
. . . .  In the grand scheme of the out-of-control spending by our government, 27 shotguns is a tiny waste of money, but it doesn't negate the irrelevance of the purchase by a non-law enforcement agency.

Yahoo News provides some answers. Unfortunately, the answers are at least as disturbing as the questions:

The department and other federal agencies have weapons because the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and some earlier laws empowered agents in their offices of inspector general to carry firearms.

More than just eagle-eyed numbers crunchers poring over records for waste and fraud involving federal tax dollars, special agents for the inspectors general actually hit the streets to round up the bad guys.

"Major (inspectors general) not only perform audits and review the efficiency of federal programs, they also conduct extensive criminal investigations," said Paul Feeney , a spokesman for the inspector general at the Department of Agriculture . "Many people may not be aware of the dangerous circumstances that agents may encounter."

All this underscores the fact that government-controlled compulsory education grows out of the barrel of a gun.

What's next? DoE SWAT teams to raid home school families? Oh, wait . . . that's already happened . . . more than once!

The Gathering Storm

CP, a former parishioner from Pennsylvania sent me this:

Humor: Don't Mess with Old People

My barber sent me the following story. I first heard it over 25 years ago, so it's old enough that it may be new to some of you.

An old prospector shuffled into town leading an old tired mule. The old

man headed straight for the only saloon in town to clear his parched

throat.

He walked up to the saloon and tied his old mule to the hitch rail. As he

stood there brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young

gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle

of whiskey in the other.

The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, 'Hey old

man, have you ever danced?'

The old man looked up at the gunslinger and said, 'No, I never did dance,

-- and just never wanted to.'

A crowd had gathered quickly and the gunslinger grinned and said, 'Well,

you old fool, you're gonna' dance now,' and started shooting at the old

man's feet. The old prospector in order to not get a toe blown off, or

his boots perforated was soon hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet

and

Everybody was laughing fit to be tied.

When the last bullet had been fired the young gun- slinger, still

laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.

The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a double barreled

shot-gun, and cocked both hammers back.

The loud, audible double clicks carried clearly through the desert air.

The crowd stopped laughing immediately. The young gunslinger

heard the sounds, too, and he turned around very slowly. The quiet was

almost deafening.

The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old timer and the

large gaping holes of those twin barrels. He found it hard to swallow.

The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man's hands.

The old man said, 'Son, did you ever kiss a mule's hind end?'

The boy bully swallowed hard and said, 'No. But I've always wanted to.'

There are two lessons for us all here:

1. Don't waste ammunition.

2. Don't mess with old people.

Gun Culture

There are pockets of gun culture in this country, and I think most WARSKYL readers would count themselves as participants in that culture. It is in the Middle East, however, that you will find the Mecca of gun culture (pun intended).

Back in the early '80's, I remember reading an article in Soldier of Fortune magazine about the arms trade in Pakistan along the Afghan border. Whole villages of gunmakers were turning out replicas of just about any firearm imaginable. And they were doing it mostly with hand tools.

Quality of steel seemed to be the only unknown in buying one of those weapons. Their raw material came from Russian tanks and other materiel destroyed during the occupation of Afghanistan.

Anyway, my barber sent me the link to this video that shows the continued thriving of the small arms trade in Pakistan. Notice the comment that these people "believe in many sons and a lot of guns." Ahhh . . . if only they were Christians.

New Year Evaluation

As seen on a gun forum:

I have the means, and the mindset. I will journey into Hell and darkness to protect the ones I love.

It's that annual evaluation time, again. My barber sent me the quote above, and it's one that strikes a chord with me. As I interpret it, it represents what I want to be as a warrior for Christ.

Not that I have attained to that high status, but it's what, in my best moments, I would like to be.

I have the means . . . .

I believe this includes both knowledge and training as well as weapons. And the former far outdistance the latter in importance.

Tony Blauer has spoken of the naked warrior. (As an aside, Pavel Tsatsouline has an excellent physical training book by that name.) It's a concept that means if you strip away everything from a true warrior right down to his skin, he's still a warrior. Heart and skill make the warrior, not the sword, not the firearm.

Have I grown in knowledge and training over the past year? Yes, but not as much as I wish I could have. Shin splints in August really put a crimp in my fitness training.

Although the condition is better, recovery has been slow. Both lower legs are still tender & swell if I don't elevate them. I resumed taking regular walks about six weeks ago, and have modified my knee-kick anaerobic exercise so that it does not require my feet to impact the floor. Started that just this past week.

I was experimenting with dropping energy when the shin splints developed, and I will not resume until I fully recover from the condition. It puts a lot of stress on the lower extremities.

I did practice the combat wedge for presentation at the WARSKYL conference in October. That's a skill which bears further practice & development.

I have also practiced my palm heel strike and judo chop. The other morning, I think I finally made a breakthrough in speed with both skills.

In October, after the conference, some of us had a shooting session at the house of deolexrex. For the first time, I actually hit clay pigeons in the air. I guess that's the beginning of a rudimentary shotgun skill.

My preparation for the WARSKYL conference pushed me into a deeper knowledge and understanding, as well. It forced me to into a needed review of some concepts and new research. Also, Seth's conference presentation on loving one's enemy provided new insights.

To be continued.

Lethality vs. Stopping Power, 2

Continued from "Lethality vs. Stopping Power"

I mentioned shotguns in my previous post on this subject. At closer ranges, they possess high levels of both lethality and stopping power. At medium ranges, with buckshot (and a gun that will fire by holding the trigger back as you work the pump) you can put more lead in the air in a shorter time than with a submachine gun.

Members of certain special operations units in Viet Nam carried shotguns for close-quarters work. I knew one old Marine in Texas (his soul now rests with his Savior) who said he carried one at Guadalcanal.

Yesterday's shooting at a Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville illustrates in a sad and most tragic way the devastating power of a 12 gauge shotgun. It could have been MUCH WORSE if, after the first shot, he had not been firing randomly, and if a small group of sheepdog church members had not tackled him as he reloaded.

CNN Video

I'm not saying anything you don't already know, but the carnage could have ended much more quickly if someone on the scene had been armed and able to take out the shooter.

Pray for those folks. If you know anything about Unitarian Universalists, they deny the deity of Christ, His virgin birth, His resurrection, the need for salvation from sin, etc. Perhaps God, in His grace will use this horrific event to turn them to true faith in the Gospel of Christ.