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A TTAG reader writes . . .

As I sit here writing this, I am forced to decide what firearm I should sell to come up some extra money to pay my mortgage this month. It pains me to sell any of them, not because they are high-end, not because they were handed down (they weren’t, for the most part) or even that desirable, but because they are mine.

I didn’t think about guns that much when I was a kid. I went thru my state’s hunting program as soon as I was old enough, but my stepfather took me only once. As I grew a little older, the normal interests of a typical teen got hold of me, too….cars, girls, you know the deal. Firearms weren’t even close to catching my attention.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I began to realize that I needed to decide on what to do with my life after I graduated. I decided on the military. According to what I’ve been told ( yes, I know recruiters will say anything) my ASVAB scores and my grades would qualified me for most any job. To everyone’s astonishment, I choose the infantry…I even picked the longer enlistment.

Basic training was rough, but not the hell I expected, and it was my first real training with weapons. I remember gaining more respect for my rifle than my first car. I was hooked and I needed more. More types of rifles, more knowledge about how they function and their limitations. Just more.

We were scheduled to go to the range and learn to shoot the M60, but a hurricane came thru and the higher-ups rescheduled the training. I was pissed. We were supposed to be infantry. Tough, able to go into any element and get the job done and they were afraid of some rain? I guess the 60 would havre to wait.

My first duty station was at Ft. Hood. I loved it there and my company had some great NCO’s, but the thing that stuck out the most — for me at least — was that here I was, smack-dab in the middle of the biggest base on American soil, ready to put my life on the line and we soldiers weren’t allowed to have our weapons.

I remember thinking that if anyone were to declare war and attack the U.S.,a direct attack on military installations would make sense. I brushed that thought off as I figured that A) an attack against us would be suicide, and B) I was just a private. I was sure the brass would’ve thought about that and have an SOP in place. I was pissed as hell when I learned of the shootings at Ft. Hood a few years later.

I subsequently got out of the Army and moved back home. It turned out that the infantry didn’t give me the skill set that serious employers were looking for, so I got a job as a dishwasher. Making minimum wage was tough, but I scrimped and saved…just enough for my first concealed carry permit and my first gun.

I bought a nice, slightly used Smith & Wesson .357 magnum revolver with a 6″ barrel. Yes, I know, that’s hardly a concealable gun, but I was still learning the ropes. I ended up selling it and buying a GLOCK because, well, GLOCK and it’s considerably easier to conceal.

Since then, I’ve gotten better jobs, but life always managed to throw a wrench in my plans. That rifle I was saving for? Too bad, my car died. The Barrett I had my eye on? Maybe after I get another job because I got laid off.

I don’t mind so much anymore because since my daughters were born, I realize that they need me more than I need a safe full of guns. I only really need three. A rifle, a pistol and the .22 I bought to teach my daughters what life has taught me.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

92 COMMENTS

  1. Welcome to reality. Been self-employed for 30 years & now sorta retired. Sold a plethora of gats. Yep to keep going. Such is life!

      • I strongly recommend having a 3-6 month emergency fund for the unexpected troubles life sends you.

        I know life sometimes knocks people down. I also know that Biden is destroying the economy.

        On the other hand, a lot of people waste a lot of money on eating out, fancy coffees,. drinking beer, iPhones, streaming subscriptions, and expensive vehicles when they are broke and don’t have anything in savings. Where possible, trim fat to build savings. Then you will be able to have more than three guns. 👍

        • Gosh, maybe he’s already done all that and he’s still on the edge. Why do you feel the need to say something as inane as “starve your kids and you’ll have more money”? If someone is living paycheck to paycheck (like I have at one time) then THERE IS NO FAT to trim and its insulting to see you suggesting the guy doesn’t know what he’s doing.

        • response to J,
          I do not know the particular details of the author’s life, so my comment is directed more towards the typical reader of the article.

          I do suspect that the author hasn’t always been quite as poor as he suggests since he talked about wanting to buy a Barrett (a $8000-10,000 rifle). Even the fact that he has had midrange S&W and Glock firearms rather than lower end Rossi and Taurus type stuff indicates that perhaps he hasn’t always been totally broke.

          A few people are so impoverished that they really struggle to meet basic needs. Sadly this group is growing larger because of the profoundly destructive economic policies promoted by our government. Society wide downward economic class migration is a real phenomenon. As our society continues to decline, we all need to become more resilient.

          Most people suffer from lack of fiscal discipline. A little Dave Ramsey advice goes a long way. I know it has really helped my wife and I. We have also gone through some very lean financial times and careful budgeting really helped.

          A lot of people are broke, and live paycheck to paycheck, in spite of the fact that they have generally adequate incomes. They might be broke, but still somehow have car payments, iPhones, Netflix, Nintendo Switch, a Starbucks cup in their hands, and frequent trips to McDonald’s for the kids. They think cooking at home means cereal boxes, frozen chicken nuggets and tater tots rather than flour, eggs, potatoes, oatmeal, rice, beans, and whole chickens. Their hobbies are video games and television rather than vegetable gardening, cooking from scratch, and overtime shifts at work.

          The AVERAGE American does have some ways to save money, and should save money.

      • And PedoHitler can take those plans, carefully roll them up like hunter does with a C-note for that fantastic nose candy, and carefully slide it up past his sphincter, with a vigorous twisting action….

        When all our liberties have been outlawed, I will be the best outlaw I can be.

    • I can remember when a denizen of the flatwoods and river swamps could do no better than a 25-35 lever action, a Browning A5 12ga and SW 38 revolver (for social activities).

      All were essential. To sell one was an admission of old age and impending death or a move to town – pretty much the same thing.

      But that was when netting mullet, trapping hogs and shooting fish was a viable life. No more.

      People who can read will notice I said nothing about moonshine, nothing at all.

      • Hell for thousands of rural Americans, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, it was the “Farmer’s Friend” ie. a single shot 16 gauge, it served duty for everything from squirrels to turkey to waterfowl and deer besides being employed for self-defense.

        • Moonshine is defined as the nighttime glint from the moon shining on the bare butts of 100 million defiant gun owners, as seen from the perspective of the front portico of the White House…

  3. Been there, forced to make the same choices. For me, pre CCW was a 3 inch 38 revolver for home defense and open carry, a 22 rifle for fun and a 20 gauge shotgun for home defense. After CCW, I added a snub nosed airweight 38, later a subcompact 9mm for concealed carry. Personal defense doesn’t have to cost a fortune; money spent on practice ammunition and training classes is a better investment than the latest wonder gat.

  4. Sir, I can empathize on several levels. First I scored 174 on my ASVAB. I thought my recruiter was going to pull his hair out when I insisted on Infantry as an MOS. Second, you didn’t say where you did basic, but the brass probably did you a favor when they cancelled your 60 qualification. A hurricane is not a joke and more than a little rain. If you were 11B you know the Army has no problem throwing you in the field during inclimate weather. Here’s you a war story. A friend from battalion became a fire fighter after ETS. He lived in upstate NY. A rare New England hurricane was headed his way. It was only a Cat 1, but I gave him a PX and told him what to expect. He said, and I quote, “A little wind and a little rain. Nothing to worry about.” I just smiled and said, “Ok”. He was incommunicado for a few days. When I finally heard from him he said, and I once again quote, “This place is fucked up! It takes me four hours to get to work! (Usually 30 minutes) All days off/vacation cancelled.” Now, if your not from the SE I can understand your consternation at not being allowed to go the range to get paid to shoot free ammunition. I did it for almost 30 years. However, you should understand, a hurricane will kill you and you don’t have to be on the coast for that to happen. During Michael a communication officer I worked with husband was killed when a tree fell on their house. We’re sixty miles inland. I worked every hurricane the Sheriff sent us to from Opel to Katrina. The brass did you a favor. Besides the M-60 GPMG is not a very good machine gun. When I was in basic on the 60 range I saw a range NCO shoot himself in his right hand with a 60. A feat not easily accomplished. That’s a story for another time.

  5. Back when I was young and poor I went through a fair number of guns that some here would drool over. Still have a few but finally learned the latest greatest pistol is usually not all that much better than what I already had, Hared the HK P7. Still tend buy a something new ever now and again, but paying the mortgage, the kids college, the 401k, are much more so.

    Good luck with finding a job.

    • Rusty, I hope you still have that P7. They’re great pistols. I’ve been through a couple. Preferred the M8 variation. U.S. style mag release. Kinda. Mine has factory hard chrome. It’s nice.

    • when you go through a good deal of difficulty to acquire a gun ….[not saying what kind]…you’re somewhat loathe to sell it…even though i’m at the age where I should be thinking along those lines….

  6. Oh, and you are correct. The centerfire rifle that best suits your needs is #1. A quality .22 rifle is #2. A centerfire handgun is #3. Unless you are in an urban environment. In that case I would substitute the CF handgun for the .22 rifle. For a very short time.

      • Victor, maybe I wasn’t clear. In an urban environment I would select the CF handgun over the .22 LR caliber rifle in a three firearms battery because of convenience. A CF handgun is easier to carry in an urban environment than a long gun. Conveince is the only reason to carry a handgun. (They’re weak for what we want them to do.) However, a .22 rifle would be on a very short list as a fourth weapon. A .22 handgun on an equally short list after that. A shotgun a very distant sixth after that.

      • Victor,

        There is additional merit to Gadsden Flag’s suggestion of a centerfire handgun rather than a .22 rimfire rifle in an urban environment. In a societal collapse scenario, walking around with a highly visible long gun makes you an IMMEDIATE target for bandits who will not hesitate to off you in order to take your rifle. (The fact that acquiring that rifle will condemn them to the same fate never seems to dawn on them.) In that case, a concealed handgun is better. (Bandits are much less likely to expend limited ammunition on some person walking around with no visible resources.)

        As always, of course, the above wisdom totally depends on your use cases (a.k.a. “threat scenarios”).

    • Assuming you don’t live in restricted states where you may need to start with a shotgun or lever action rifle for what you can buy without a permit then fill in what makes sense once you legally can…….and even that order will change for NY/CT/MA/NJ as each have a mountain of legal “quirks”. 22 rifle is always good to have for a lot of reasons though. But for free states your list is a great starting point.

    • I respectfully disagree. A personal protection handgun should be your first purchase and kept with you 24/7. If you can’t protect yourself from immediate deadly threats, your rifle isn’t going to do you much good.

      • Ideally I would agree but often we are stuck with what we can get. Pre Bruen a permit from my county (just to buy/own forget carrying) would take about 4 months and could usually be upgraded to unrestricted within a year or so. The Covid/riot era doubled the initial time and still trying to find out what post Bruen looks like timewise but still seems to be around a year (if only to find a slot for that absurd 16 hour training course). So having something even just for home immediately is often the best that can be started with (here in NY) and obviously each of our states (counties/cities depending) has a different process and wait time.

      • It depends whether you are talking about defense or hunting, urban or rural.

        That compact 9mm isn’t much of a deer, elk, hog, or coyote gun.

        I’m suburban and don’t hunt, therefore I agree that a handgun is my first pick. I also love plinking, so a .22 rifle is probably gun #2. The AR15 is probably #3. Fortunately I have more than a dozen firearms that cover all the bases. 😉

  7. The only thing I’d really toss on to that setup is a basic pump 12ga and a few rounds ammo. Wholly adequate overall. Even a 10/22 with a few BX25s wouldn’t make me feel wholly underarmed for a bump in the night unless it was that guy with the black bear from a few days back.

    • I agree. If you’re gonna add anything to the two gun roster it’s a good 12 ga pump. A Rem 700 or Mossberg 500 have always been the go to’s. I will say the newest Beretta 12 ga semiauto at sub $1000 is a heck of a deal. It’s a beast.

  8. Welcome to bidenomics, you may have helped if you participated in bashing POTUS DJT in 20. If POTUS DJT were at the helm today there would not be the biden food lines, bankruptcies, high crime, high gas prices, drama, dog eat dog, penny pinching, etc.

    Nonetheless when money is tight In the Gun World and you know how to stretch a dollar bill around the block with perhaps hundreds of dollars left over then below solves a problem in style. That is providing you are not a bigot using their Made in China device to berate Made in Turkey…

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=F3Hik705mvY&feature=share

    • Is this woman a shill for the pistol? That was nothing but an ad for an inexpensive Turkish pistol. Yawn. It’s almost 2100 hrs. 0530 gets here early. See you guys tomorrow. Out.

      • gadsenfag…That’s right cut and run you Gun ignorant gutless a-hole.
        If you knew a damned thing about firearms you would not be waving around $4000 asking people on this forum for a Wilson 1911 over a silly production lead time. You’d be assembling a 1911 from select components yourself.
        You present a better quality, better price, better performing firearm with the tweak potential of a Sar9 or go eatsht.

        • performance/ value, all yours.
          even still, virtually no one here wants one. try to deal, fembot.

    • That’s hilarious considering the fact Trump himself filed for bankruptcy multiple times. And they weren’t bankruptcies, high crime or “food lines” in 2016-2020 when he was POTUS? You’re completely delusional and brainwashed, leave the cult asap!

      • mt…Did POTUS DJT file for bankruptcy between 2016-2020? No he did not nitwit. If you are prospering with bidenomics then are you going to vote for DJT or are you going to vote for Jim Crow Gun Control democRat biden?…The cult needs to know where a jackazz like you stands.

  9. if my carry gun was not an alloy framed pocket 9mm, I’d only have 3 guns. A shorty AR in 223, with a 22lr conversion unit, night sights, trigger job and silencer, the P938 and the M21 Beretta with its silencer. However, the pocket 9mm would probably not survive 5000 rds before its frame cracked and Sig wont sell just a frame. So I do most of my centerfiire practice with an alloy framed 9mm Commander variant of the 1911. I’ve got a 22lr conversion unit for it and for the pocket Sig, too.

    • an AR with a conversion kit and a silencer is about as quiet as you’re ever going to get….especially with sub-sonic ammo….sounds like you’re dry-firing the gun…just a “click” and then a “thwack” when it hits something….

  10. I do think, tho, that soon I will need a 10 ga auto shotgun, converted to using 8-10 rd box mags, with 20mm grenade rds, launched from cut down .50BMG cases. 3 oz frag warhead, 800 fps, 200m of range, and most importaintly, a shaped charge variant, for dealing with armored robotic attackers.

  11. I agree with this fella. In almost any situation all you can carry is a rifle and a pistol. Other firearms would be impractical and somewhat unnecessary. Yes, it would be nice to have “that gun” for every possible situation, but….

    And yes, this economy is killing us. Thanks Joe! Feast to famine I swear…. I know how it feels. My AR has been in and out the pawn shop so many times I could’ve remade it 3x over. Ugh. You gotta do what you gotta do. No government handouts for me please, I’ll figure it out.

    • The bust-boom economic cycle we keep experiencing is due to government intervention. It’s the exact opposite of what they tell us their control will provide. Is it a coincidence that government cronies always make out like bandits?

  12. If you can’t swing your mortgage payment then you bought WAAAAY too much house. .Selling a gun won’t get you out of your basic mistake. Next month or the next reality will rise up its ugly head again ajd.bite you all over again. Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses. Pay yourself first -stop wasting resources and spend your cash on what you NEED and not on the showy BS that only impresses your idiot neighbors and false friends. Aquire real valuand wealth –guns, ammo, long-term storage food, tools, adequate shelter and armor. If you are selling guns then you are definitely doing it wrong.

      • Which is why the Haz fam paid off the mortgage and retired that debt. Now it doesn’t matter, and supporting our house is certainly “cheap”.

        • Now if only you had gotten one of those 2.5% interest mortgages, invested it into the stock market, and bailed before it tanked. The wealthy play that game. Do you ever wonder why they all have mortgages?

    • Nikita Tesla,

      While I certainly agree with your commentary, it is entirely possible that someone buys a very modest and inexpensive home, implements all of your strategies, and then “life happens”. At that point said person is in a serious bind even though he/she did everything right.

      Kind of an example on point:
      I have been operating a small business for about 18 years now. The demand for the product/service is always there and keeps increasing. And I operate my business so lean it is almost impossible to describe. Translation: this is a great business to be in from a fundamental standpoint. Nevertheless, multiple factors which are totally out of my control and absolutely not foreseeable have occurred throughout the years and seriously messed-up my income from said business at various times. If I were single–or married and my spouse lost income during one of those unforeseeable events–I/we would have been in a world of hurt.

      • We have an antique/decorator business. If you don’t keep up with what sells you’re screwed. And I’m old & tired. My wife is getting there. We both get SS but in no way is it “enough”. I can’t pawn my AR either. ILL annoy made it illegal. I did it once but never ever again. All this talk of “what I can carry” is silly. I’m training my wife to be competent with gats. She’s an astonishingly good shot🙄

  13. 1) 12 gauge pump shotgun
    2) .357 revolver, 3-4″ barrel
    3) .22 rifle, either semi- or bolt action.

    • AR’s are pretty cheap these days…still the best thing to have in a pinch….and you’re never likely to be outgunned…..

      • I understood these choices to be concerned with self-defense in the current political, economic, and cultural environment, not a SHTF scenario. ARs are not legal in every jurisdiction, and, at this point in time, have bad optics. Greasing one of the usual suspects with several rounds of .223 looks bad, very bad, to a jury. Better to use a shotgun with a wood stock or a revolver. Such firearms don’t have the “scary” factor.

    • Johnny Leblanc,

      I posted two comments here (about “which three guns”) and in both of those comments I listed a centerfire handgun as a must. The really fun question, if opting for a revolver, is what caliber? I will contend that the answer depends on the person and the scenarios that they are concerned about.

      My immediate gut-reaction is a revolver chambered in .38 Special with a 3-inch barrel. Loaded with the right ammunition, that is a very respectable self-defense platform–against humans anyway. But what if you want to have a viable platform for self-defense against four-legged animals? While .38 Special will do the job for animals under 150 pounds or so, .357 Magnum becomes the absolute minimum caliber if you expect to be among larger animals with .44 Magnum being even better. I am thinking that a revolver with a 4-inch barrel chambered in .44 Magnum is the “best” compromise (the best of a bunch of awful possible compromises)? (You could load it with .44 Special to defend against humans and animals under 150 pounds and .44 Magnum for larger animals.) Of course that gets difficult to conceal if you need it for everyday self-defense or civil unrest.

      Blah, being limited to one single handgun sucks.

      • With .357/.44 magnum you can also load .38/.44 special, showing remarkable flexibility.

        If it’s a SHTF / civil unrest scenario, I’m with at least one other person, and we are both carrying a rifle and have the center fire handgun as a backup. No one will be moving around alone in such an environment; those who do will be the first to perish. People will relearn, very fast, there is safety in groups, and will make the necessary sacrifices to fit in. The current level of obscene individualism will disappear like smoke in the wind.

    • ^^^^This^^^^ What Johnny LeBlanc says. Not the happiest choice but limited to three that’s about it. I would cheat a bit if possible and have multiple changeable barrels for a 500 or 870. A rifled “deer barrel” and short “riot gun” barrel with extended mag tube, 12 ga.
      S&W 66 .357 4″. Ruger 10/22.
      All would be effective, and ammo scrounging would be easiest with these.
      One could make do, and do better than NOT.

  15. Which three guns should you keep (or acquire if you don’t already have them)?

    If you want to be ready for a societal collapse, a concealable handgun is preferable over a long gun when out-and-about scrounging for resources. (The more visible and valuable resources you have while out-and-about, the more of a target you become to bandits. And a long gun is both very obvious and very valuable. So carry a concealed handgun instead.) Of course a handgun is handy for self-defense in everyday life as well as minor civil-unrest scenarios as well. Thus, a centerfire handgun is a must.

    A rifle is preferable to defend the homestead from bandits in everyday life, simple civil unrest scenarios, and societal collapse scenarios. Therefore, a centerfire rifle for the homestead is a must.

    A third firearm is a toss-up and is a function of whatever else you want to do. If you want something for fun, a rimfire handgun or rifle is hard to beat. If you want the ability to hunt small game for food, a rimfire rifle or a shotgun tops the list. And if you want the ability to shoot birds on the fly for food, a shotgun tops the list. Of course a shotgun can be an excellent inside-the-home defensive firearm as well.

    So, my “list of three” would be a centerfire handgun, centerfire rifle, and shotgun. The only remaining question is whether my single centerfire handgun would be a revolver or a semi-auto pistol. That is a topic for a separate discussion.

    Choose wisely.

    • To my understanding, shooting birds in midair is a modern conceit of “sport” (and low probability). See also: no shooting the bad guy in the back (Hollywierd westerns).

      If you’re hungry, are you actually going to flush the bird so THEN shoot it with a 12ga? Just use the .22 and shoot it where it sits.

      • neiowa,

        Shooting a bird in flight is definitely challenging although plenty of duck and geese hunters do it with remarkable regularity. And friends of mine went on a mourning dove hunt in Tennessee and bagged over 100 birds without too much trouble. What isn’t obvious, though, is that you often need a retriever dog to find/retrieve those downed birds.

        I personally like the idea of just using a pellet rifle to take small birds and rodents and relatively close ranges. The ammunition is a LOT less expensive and weighs next to nothing. Plus, a pellet rifle is a LOT quieter than even a rimfire rifle much less a shotgun–and that is critical to maintaining a low-profile during civil unrest or, worst, societal collapse.

  16. Inflation has very little, if anything, to do with Biden or Trump, it’s global and it followed one of the worst health crisis in recent history.

      • “The reaction to a virus that is turning out to be a bad flu”

        Really? With a death rate almost double that of influenza:

        “The death rate at 30 days was 5.97% for COVID-19 and 3.75% for influenza, with an excess death rate of 2.23% (95% CI, 1.32%-3.13%) (Figure). Compared with hospitalization for influenza, hospitalization for COVID-19 was associated with a higher risk of death (hazard ratio, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.29-2.02]).”

        https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2803749

        The risk of death decreased with the number of COVID-19 vaccinations (P = .009 for interaction between unvaccinated and vaccinated; P < .001 for interaction between unvaccinated and boosted). No statistically significant interactions were observed across other subgroups“

        • Before or after we counted everything that died with Covid positive tests (faulty) regardless of mechanism of death as a Covid death? Looking at total deaths and excess deaths the pre vaccine Covid pandemic saw the same average death rate as any typical year with a flu season.

        • My sister died of a stroke. She was dead before the ems got to her house. From a stroke. Official cause of death was covid. How many more deaths were falsely id’d as covid?

          I had the covid. It was a bad flu. That’s all.

        • Miner is still defending the Russia Collusion scam as well as the Russia Disinformation scam, both of which have been proven to be lies. Heck, he’s still saying that Biden doesn’t have open border policies! Of course he’s highly invested in the Covid scam as well. At this point, one has to assume that he just isn’t very bright.

    • @MT

      “Inflation has very little, if anything, to do with Biden or Trump, it’s global and it followed one of the worst health crisis in recent history.”

      A load of BS. This sounds an awful lot like the past Miner49er false BS on the economy, completely void of context and research.

      Inflation in the country has everything to do with Biden. His ‘BidenNomics’ ignored and increased core-inflation. The numbers he gives are not core-inflation and core-inflation is what causes prices to go up and once they go up they stay.

      And stop it with the ‘health crisis’ and ‘global’ excuse. Typical left wing excuses. Yes, ‘Bidennomics’ has ruined the economy and inflation in the country has everything to do with Biden.

      • “‘Bidennomics’ has ruined the economy and inflation in the country has everything to do with Biden“

        Actual facts:

        “In Europe, inflation rates rose quickly in 2022 due to a combination of high natural gas prices and the restart of the European economy after tight Covid restrictions during the Delta and Omicron waves. Conversely, over the course of 2022, the United States saw substantial improvement in inflation, while European inflation rates continued to rise. Of course, energy prices in Europe have been hit particularly hard by Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine. Excluding energy and food, core inflation rates (on a harmonized basis) are running under 4 percent in the United States, whereas they are nearly 6 percent in the United Kingdom and over 7 percent in the Euro area.[1]“

        https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/the-us-economic-recovery-in-international-context-2023

        • actual fact:

          i’m talking about the United States you idiot, not Europe.

          The annual core inflation rate for the 12 months ending in June 2023 (when its calculated for the previous 12 month period) was 4.8% and previous to that it was 5.3% when Biden started screwing around with implementing his ‘Bidennomics’.

          The effective price rate hike rate of a 4.8% core-inflation rate is ~40% – ~50% of most ‘life core items’ items (e.g. foods, utilities, gas, etc…).

          Once again Miner49er, learn what context means …. and stop posting under other names like ‘MT’

        • “‘Bidennomics’ has ruined the economy and inflation in the country has everything to do with Biden“

          “Actual facts:”

          Quoting from government stats, Liar69er? The same ones that will be “unexpectedly” adjusted downwards at the next fiscal update?

          “Actual facts?” Sure, happy to oblige.

          Voters are correct: Biden is to blame for inflation — the Hill, 11-11-21

          Joe Biden to Blame for High Levels of Inflation, Majority of Americans Say — Newsweek, 11-2-22

          Biden Urges Americans to Blame Rising Prices on Putin. Many Do, for Now. — NYT, 01-22-22

          Biden’s insulting response to our inflation crisis — NY Post, 04-12-22

        • and in further context…

          Anything from a ‘pandemic’ fall out impact on the economy or from ‘global’ is in addition to our own core inflation rate.

          Literally ‘Bidennomics’ has ruined the economy and inflation in the country has everything to do with Biden, period.

        • “substantial improvement in inflation”

          That’s Miner/Obiden speak for bad inflation that isn’t rising as fast as it was the last time we checked. 4.8% inflation is well over 100% higher than the fed’s target rate of 2%. Is being off by over 100% good? You sound like an MSNBC propagandist preaching to idiots. Stop projecting. Just because you believe it, doesn’t mean everyone else does.

          Why do you enjoy being lied to Miner? Why do you emulate those liars? How does that benefit your life? How does it benefit humanity?

  17. This is a fun column! It reminds me of being young, married, broke, and under-gunned! Good times, but life gets better. Hang in there!

    If forced to have only 3 (life be like that sometimes):
    1. Concealed pistol of choice for Every Day Carry (EDC)
    2. Home defense weapon of choice that the wife is comfortable with OR EDC weapon for her if she wants to carry.
    3. Ammo or training or both depending on proficiency levels of me and wifey
    4. no 4… dang it!

  18. Someone has their priorities straight. If I had a wife, young kids, mortgage, two cars the last thing I’d ever consider buying is a Barrett.

    • My wife and I sadly have no children. The house is paid off. We are totally debt free, and have a huge emergency fund. I have 20+ firearms.

      I have never seriously considered by a Barrett. I would love to have one, but it is way down the list.

  19. I definitely have bought and sold way more guns than I needed to. If I could have done it over, I would have done it smarter but poor is a mentality and buying a thing every time you have that much extra funding is one of the symptoms.

    I’m probably never buying a gun again unless we hit some sort of insane tech breakthrough in my lifetime. Optics? Probably. Ammunition? Definitely. But I don’t see a good reason to buy more guns unless I really find a reason to sell myself on the need for a .30 semi-auto platform of some sort.

  20. My house looks like a storage unit for a really, really good gun store. Haven’t had to sell a gun before and can’t think of the last time I did but I do give them away as gifts from time to time.

  21. New Gun Control Order Pending… Giffords.org cheering IMMINENT RELEASE FROM WHITE HOUSE… In tonight’s video, we break down the expected release from the Biden Administration regarding reclassification of who is a gun dealer. This opens the door to your bank records, rent and lease agreements, and more. (More rule by fiat through executive order – or in other words tyranny and dictatorship)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBfUCDxCNgo

  22. I find it most interesting that someone with such experience would feel the need to ask such questions publicly. It is the mere fact that this must be asked that leads me to wonder about the validity of the article to start with.

    If you are that close to having nothing to pay mortgage then there are other issues at work. The only reason selling guns would make sense in such a situation is if there are large numbers of them to begin with. A person with these kinds of personal and professional experiences should already be in a good place to know what they need to keep. Otherwise, nothing was learned going through all that.

  24. Mossberg 590, Smith and Wesson 629, Ruger 10/22. If I’m not worried about killing small critters for food, substitute my AR for the Ruger.

  25. The statement “you only need three guns” is correct, but the details could use a little adjustment. The 3 are a 300 BLK pistol (CQB), AR 410 (Things in Air or Around house), and a 6mm ARC (up to 1,200 yards away). All on AR15 lowers that can actually be shared. The recoil and weights are low for those with personal limitations. If you want a backup Pistol, then Springfield XD. Its tactile features are essential.

  26. I’ve gotten rid of a couple of interesting guns over the years:

    My first gun, an Auto Ordnance 1911 in .45 ACP. Learned to shoot with it. Barrel bushing fractured and failed on the range, repaired under warranty, immediately traded it in on a —

    Smith & Wesson 645 stainless, .45 ACP — the “Sonny Crockett” gun (after he ditched the Bren). Nice pistol, but traded it in on a lightly-used Rossi M68 .38 cal. 2-in. 5-shot. Still have it, looks nearly new.

    Got rid of a Taurus PT111 that failed on the range after about 100 rounds. Sold a Colt 1911A1, 1943. I’ll probably regret that one later.

    • You traded a S&W 645 for a used Rossi 68! 😂
      Nothing but poverty would cause me to make such a trade (and I like the Rossi 68). Over the years,. I’ve had two Rosdi 68s. They are perfectly acceptable budget defensive revolvers (assuming you get them for around $200 or less).

  27. Just to add a bit to the “three guns when SHTF”, if you really want to outlast every one, you make sure you have a decent quality .22 caliber air rifle. You don’t need smokeless powder, brass cases, primers, or heavy bullets to knock down some small game for decent meat. You can get thousands of “rounds” for a few bucks to store, they don’t go bad, and they’re compact to store. After taking a few survival course in Colorado many years back, I was sold on having at least one of these in the closet. You can get a decent one new for $150+ or a nicer one for around $250 that’ll last forever. Another added bonus is being able to practice in my backyard in an urban area (check you local ordinances first). I’m not sayin’ it’ll substitute for a firearm, but it will supplement one to save on valuable ammo when needed.

    • Agree 100%. The air rifles we have today are not the ones we had back in the day. When ammo was impossible to find I bought two. One for my house and one for me grandkids house.

      Mine are .177, practice and small game are very doable.

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