That's a bit of a curious reply to my post Bill. I know you are trying to help here
This will be long, as you made many points. My replying to reach is not a case of me "getting excited". It is just me taking the time to answer all the points you bring up
Let's ask a few other questions in regards to preparing...
- Do you have all cordless phones in your house?
...(they don't work in a power outage)
I actually received a call from a telemarketer during the power outage on my home phone
I have a base phone, which does and did work during a power outage, as well as a satellite cordless phone for that phone. Obviously, since that phone works on a satellite base and has no jack, it must 'talk' to the base and won't work.
- Is your phone service via an internet provider (VoIP)?
...(Doesn't work in a power outage)
No. And I understand how my phones work... You feel I am quite, how can I say this politely...ignorant of how some basic things work.
- Do you have an alarm system?
...(Does it have a battery back-up?)
No. This is not my house; I rent one floor- the ground floor. Although I have alluded to the term "homeowner" here in reference to the re-loads, it was strictly because the term "homeowner" is convenient to type and perfectly illustrated my point. I know renters put in alarms..ask me some time about how hard it was to convince my landlady to let them put a hole in the wall for cable TV
This power outage should be a rare event, we hope. Some suggestion follow, which may or may not be appropriate in your case - you decide.
I would say a scheduled outage is quite rare. This was not a 'bang bang, out go the lights' situation. Letters went out about this on May 1, legitimately from the power company
1. Why did you need to load all three mags? Isn't one ready to be used in the event of an intruder? Keep one loaded (preferably two) even in "nice" areas.
A better question- why would I
not load up all three?
I have had mags fail to feed at odd times at the range. These ones always have worked. But why am I relying on that to be a rule of the Universe? I would certainly like to drop a mag and grab another in the absolute pitch black darkness rather than try to fix a mag feed issue. Granted, it's a small chance that swapping mags could fix an issue with feeding in that circumstance...but some chance vs no chance...you decide
I am curious though- what Rule did I violate by loading all three reliable mags? I'm not playing some game or reading a rulebook here, if you'll pardon my bluntness for a moment
2. I live near two major highways and hear sirens often. Most pass by. Those that don't get me curious. Purchase a scanner from Radio Shack and learn to listen to the calls. It'll keep you updated on crime in your area. Better yet, become a HAM radio operator (ask me in PM) and pick up a portable HAM radio that also picks up police radio frequencies.
Although this is a good suggestion, I will go on the standpoint that any Police communication is reactive to things that have
already happened. I will
not be able to plot criminal activity and see if its about to come my way in the situation I describe. The Police are not going to give me a 'heads up' on whether or not I'm about to have a break-in. True, I will get a feel for the general level of crime in the area, but..after living here for 9 years, I already know that. I am not preparing for a riot
If
that was going to happen, I'd hop in my car and leave the 7 year old TV and my 19 year old stereo to the looters (but I'd take my guns)
3. If you have cordless phones, replace at least the master bedroom phone with a standard one that works in power outages. Better, since you have a PC, obtain a UPS (battery-backup) for it and plug the phone base into it.
Hint: These can be used to recharge batteries too.
Good idea on the UPS for the phone base
4. Talk to other cellphone users around your area to see if they had any trouble with cell service after 6-8 hours. This will tell you how long your cell phone will work in a simlar event.
Don't have me one of them fancy things. Long story, but all I see is folks
married to their cell phones, it's like they are some Alien face-hugger implanting eggs into everyone's ear. My home phone works during outages as long as there is phone service- the power can be out, but the phone still works. It's why I bought that phone, and it's why I bought one for my parents' house, too.
5. Buy yourself an inexpensive "paddle" style holster for occassional uses like this. Even a Fobus holster will work. This will reduce your preparedness time and allow you to have the gun on your person, but easily removeable if needed.
As I indicated, my WWII relic belt rig was
not for parading around like some daffy kid playing Magnum PI, it was to hang on a chair so that the thing was in reach if I actually would somehow need a place to park the pistol or I needed another mag. The GI belt attaches to my person in about 3 seconds flat and does not need a belt or even pants. I could wear it buck naked in fact, which I doubt is true of the fobus- but that said, the pistol was not in the holster, at all, so the pistol in the holster was a non-issue anyway
I'm not describing a situation in which I am laying in wait for trouble; if that was what I thought would happen, I would not have stayed here to have trouble find me. I am describing a situation in which I wanted to go to bed! I'm not wearing a fobus to bed. On one hand, it might pull down my boxers, and on the other, if I was that afraid I would just leave, like I say. I could not justify leaving my person in danger for the mere fact that I was armed
6. Learn to distinguish between police, fire and ambulance sirens and how they're used. Fire trucks often blast an air-horn too. Fire/Ambulance don't generally turn sirens on/off like the police do.
Bill, I'm a 37 year old man with my share of life experience, good, bad, and horrible. I am not a panicker by nature or a dummy. Let us assume for a moment that I know what a police siren sounds like.
Also, I would argue that
any siren is a sign of trouble. Short story- a few months ago, two blocks from where I sleep, a store was robbed at knife point. I shop there, actually. I was walking by, the bloody owner stumbled out of the shop as the ambulance was coming by. NO COPS
AT ALL. I capitalize and underline that to emphasize that the Ambulance siren was the
sole siren. So I do not take a lack of a 5.0's whoopa-whoopa as evidence of anything at all. I've also seen, not 200 yards from where I sleep, the Fire Department show up before the BPD did, when there was a drug bust on a passed out addict. Life's a funny thing, but I'm the guy that got the junkie nabbed. I thought it was odd that a man was sleeping on the sidewalk at 3 pm next to a church, and I guess I'm a busybody when I see a guy in a black leather jacket passed out in public in the middle of August...
7. Get yourself a very bright flashlight. Maglites are okay. Tactical lights are better for "social encounters".
I have one
Lastly, chill out a little bit. Last time we had a serious outage out here in CA, I chatted with the neighbors in the dark with my snubbie under a light jacket just in case.
That one's kind of patronizing, Bill. You don't know me and you shouldn't be so ready to assume what I'm like; nowhere do I indicate even
anxiety. If we were to meet, you'd find I'm one of the least jumpy folks you'll say hello to. You're behaving as if I'm here raving. Pardon me Bill, but where do you see
any excited behavior on my part? I loaded up some mags, put out the pistol rig so as to reach it, left the pistol out, ready for use...and then, in a panic, I went to sleep! That doesn't seem like somebody who needs to chill out, to me.
As I have noted, I cannot carry concealed in my location without breaking the law. Concealing under a jacket is illegal for me. I hold a Class A High Capacity license to carry firearms, but Boston will
not issue for concealed carry. They will only issue for sport/target and hunting; its the law and its
wrong that that is the law but I'm not getting collared for it
