{"id":2865,"date":"2024-01-29T18:12:17","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T18:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/?p=2865"},"modified":"2024-01-29T18:12:17","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T18:12:17","slug":"how-should-gun-owners-respond-to-the-threat-of-the-united-states-vs-itself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/?p=2865","title":{"rendered":"How Should Gun Owners Respond To The Threat Of &#8220;The United States vs Itself&#8221;?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"td-post-featured-image\">\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Police_BLM_Riot_shutterstock_1796220283-scaled.jpg\" data-caption=\"Shutterstock Photo\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"696\" height=\"464\" class=\"entry-thumb td-modal-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Police_BLM_Riot_shutterstock_1796220283-696x464.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Police_BLM_Riot_shutterstock_1796220283-696x464.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Police_BLM_Riot_shutterstock_1796220283-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Police_BLM_Riot_shutterstock_1796220283-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Police_BLM_Riot_shutterstock_1796220283-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Police_BLM_Riot_shutterstock_1796220283-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Police_BLM_Riot_shutterstock_1796220283-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Police_BLM_Riot_shutterstock_1796220283-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Police_BLM_Riot_shutterstock_1796220283-1068x712.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Police_BLM_Riot_shutterstock_1796220283-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Police_BLM_Riot_shutterstock_1796220283-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Police_BLM_Riot_shutterstock_1796220283-560x373.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" alt=\"Police stand against a riot in the United States. BLM\" title=\"Police_BLM_Riot_shutterstock_1796220283\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shutterstock Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-next-post-navi\">\n<p>\nNext Post Coming Soon&#8230;\u25b6\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>There\u2019s no shortage of doom and gloom to be found online. Every election year since at least 2008, there have been people who stoke fear of a coming civil war. Obama was going to take everything over, enact martial law and kick off the apocalypse. Again, in 2012, we were told that unless Mitt Romney won, Obama would kick his plans for tyranny into high gear because he wasn\u2019t facing another election. Again, in 2016, similar predictions were made about both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. It got to the point where predictions of election-related civil war lost all credibility and even became cliche.<\/p>\n<p>But, 2020 was a whole different animal. We actually had some pretty apocalyptic scenes that probably were a low-level form of civil war. COVID lockdowns, race riots, burning down police stations, the possibly related closure of a Chinese consulate and even a communist \u201cautonomous zone\u201d all came and thankfully went. Then, we had a disputed election with its own unprecedented riot that as a country we\u2019re still talking about and arguing over to this day.<\/p>\n<p>Given the radical departure from the norm that 2020 presented, we\u2019re pretty well into uncharted waters, and it\u2019s hard to say who\u2019s making crazy predictions and who\u2019s being reasonable in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>But, earlier this month, Ian Bremmer, a mainstream-respected analyst waded into civil war prediction territory, showing us that this idea has gone from the fringes right into something a serious political scientist would discuss on TV:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><noscript><\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"CpaWSRLCx44\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The US vs. Itself \u2014 and Other Top Global Risks in 2024 | Ian Bremmer | TED\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CpaWSRLCx44?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><\/noscript><\/span><\/p>\n<p>In the video, Bremmer explains why he thinks \u201cThe U.S. vs. Itself\u201d is the No. 1 risk of 2024. In short, the United States has a very strong military and a very strong economy, but the political system is at a crisis point where it cannot ensure a peaceful transition of power. Worse, whatever transfer of power does occur, he says it seems unlikely that even a bare majority of people would think the winner was a legitimate one in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>He gives several reasons for this crisis of stability and legitimacy this election year.<\/p>\n<p>Long before the winner (or the stealer) gets into office in early 2025, the cloud of uncertainty would hang over the globe. He rightly recognizes that once Trump appears to have the nomination cinched (that has basically happened since he was interviewed), he would become a major political player despite not being in office yet. Having a sort of shadow president during a time of weak leadership would generate a lot of uncertainty and strife earlier than most experts predict.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve gotten to the point where instead of having a unifying set of facts and differing opinions, we have segments of the population that can\u2019t even agree on the facts anymore, and everyone (including the people scrolling down to the comments to tell us how right they are about their favorite pet issue) thinks their set is the one true set, and that all other sets are not only wrong, but dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>Another element that makes the 2024 election and transfer of power particularly dangerous is that people on both sides fear legal persecution or imprisonment if they lose. That fear and desperation can drive people in both campaigns to do things they otherwise would not do. Larger efforts to steal the election, spread misinformation and convince the public that the system is illegitimate would all be on the table.<\/p>\n<p>Worse, nobody is both willing and able to fix the crisis. He points out that Biden has had years to inspire legitimacy of the system, and has obviously failed at doing that (it has only gotten worse). Trump thrives on uncertainty, so he\u2019s not about to tell people that they should trust an election in which Biden is the apparent winner (rightfully or otherwise).<\/p>\n<p>So, the bottom line is that this problem will not go away.<\/p>\n<h3>It\u2019s Time For Us To Get Real About This, Too<\/h3>\n<p>If serious experts with reputations to uphold and businesses to run are now warning of the danger of domestic conflict, then it\u2019s time we get serious about discussing this problem, too. After all, we\u2019re the ones with most of the guns in such a conflict, right?<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start with a dose of realism, and point out that Red Dawn was fiction. I loved that film as much as anybody, but fantasies about running into the hills and fighting off Joe Biden\u2019s fighter jets are not worthy of further discussion. Civil conflicts have not resembled nation state vs nation state warfare for almost a century. Instead, we\u2019re more likely to see John Robb\u2019s \u201cBazaar of Violence\u201d, which <a href=\"https:\/\/globalguerrillas.typepad.com\/globalguerrillas\/2009\/01\/mexicos-bazaar.html\">looks a lot like Mexico<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, expect a diminished and disrespected government to result in something that looks a lot more like a crime wave than a civil war. The talking heads will still talk about elections, congress and the courts while the reality on the ground becomes increasingly disconnected from the politics. With the narcissism most politicians display, we can expect them to resort to increasingly desperate and extreme measures to try to appear relevant and maintain control.<\/p>\n<p>Whether it\u2019s the failed state or your most idiotic neighbors, people are going to try to bait you into doing dumb stuff as the bazaar of violence emerges. Even people who agree with you (in or out of the failed government) want others to do violence on their behalf, while people who disagree with you want you to do something stupid to excuse revenge or crimes, depending on how desperate and\/or political they are.<\/p>\n<p>My biggest recommendation in such an environment is to have a lot of self control and restraint. Whatever is happening, take a deep breath before you bring a gun into it. Letting other people push your buttons means you\u2019re their robot, their radio-controlled flying monkey. Don\u2019t let people use you like that.<\/p>\n<p>The best way to stay in control is to be mentally and spiritually well, and I\u2019m not talking about megachurch religion or holier-than-thou checklist morality. I\u2019m talking about having some inner peace, being able to pray or meditate, or even doing something <a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/balance\/what-is-box-breathing\">as simple as box breathing<\/a> to stay sane in an insane world and make better decisions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-next-post-navi\">\n<p>\nNext Post Coming Soon&#8230;\u25b6\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/how-should-gun-owners-respond-to-the-threat-of-the-united-states-vs-itself\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shutterstock Photo Next Post Coming Soon&#8230;\u25b6 There\u2019s no shortage of doom and gloom to be found online. Every election year since at least 2008, there have been people who stoke fear of a coming civil war. Obama was going to take everything over, enact martial law and kick off the apocalypse. Again, in 2012, we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2865","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reviews"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2865\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}