Let's face facts here, these are uncertain times. The stock market has gone to hell, bringing the economy with it, or vice versa. There is uncertainty in politics seemingly at all levels. We are in a war with no plans to end it any time soon. Being in that war means our once powerful and mighty military is now spread thin around the world, so to some extent we are unprotected.


So do you feel safe? I am not talking about 'hey its time to go to bed, so lock the door safe', I am talking about more of a 'what if all hell breaks lose' kind of safe. If you think about all the turmoil the country has right now, it can be a scary thing. I think people have gotten complacent [again]since 2001, and complacency breeds a state of being naive.


In these troubled times, I think it best to protect yourself. How can you do this? A few ways. 1. Make sure that you save money. I would wager that most people don't. 2. Try as hard as possible to have no debt. I would wager that most people can't 3. Make a few plans in case something goes wrong at a civil community level. I would wager that people won't. 4. Buy some guns!.


Number 4 in the list is perhaps the easiest of all, and very well could be the most important. A wise man once said "The gun you have is better than the gun you don't have." If all hell were to break loose, and someone made an attempt to invade your property for some reason, to take you out, or to take some of your fancy shit, it might be wise to have some firearms handy. What if all hell broke loose, and you had to fend for yourself for food. It might be wise to have a few guns on hand. I could go on and on, but you see my point. If you have no gun, you'll have no food, or if you have no gun, you'll have no shit. The examples are endless.


This being the case, I have launched a gun buying initiative. So far, I have purchased a Mossberg 500 Model 50579 8-shot pump shotgun. This is a great all around shotgun. It can be used for tactical defense, as well as hunting. I bought the weapon at a gun show and I got a great deal.


My next gem was a Beretta FS92 9mm semi-automatic handgun. I got a real steal on the gun since I had a $100 Cabelas gift card on hand. This gun is supreme. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up, it is so choice. On a whim, I decided to gain a better understanding of how the handgun operates, so I found a website on the world wide national intertubes that shows detailed videos with explanations of how to take the weapon completely apart. I did so. The gun has about 50 pieces, and I broke it down to about 46. The last 4 pieces were irrelevant, and Beretta recommends that no one takes them off, so I didn't. Here is what the gun looks like when it is broken down completely.




As you can see, the damn thing turns into a bunch of parts. Some were difficult to work with, some fell right out with no effort. I think it is important to do this at least once, in case you ever are forced to do it under more stressful conditions.

And.. here is what it looks like after I put it all back together


I put 130 rounds through this gun today and it performed like a true champion. The sights were accurate, the mechanics were completely smooth, and there were no issues. I have upgraded the gun since I took these pictures by adding a set of Hogue rubberized cobblestone grips. I will also be switching out the main spring, with a lighter one, so that the double action is lighter, requiring less pressure to activate.

Six months ago, I never really even considered buying some weapons. Now I have two, and I am in the market for a few more. The way I see it, if I prepare, and you don't, you lose. It is as simple as that.