The death toll for Hurricane Laura has climbed to 14 in the U.S. and more than 800,000 people are without power. Remnants of the storm headed north into Arkansas before heading east today, bringing heavy rains and wind across the Mid-Atlantic states and parts of the South.
The 12th named storm of the year, Laura came ashore earlier than any other L-named storm in history. Future storms are still possible and could target vulnerable sections of the Gulf or East Coast. Prep now, before it is too late.
Country Braces for More Protests
There were protests in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, last night. A largely peaceful protests turned violent after marchers refused to obey a 10 p.m. curfew. There was some graffiti and vandalism and police arrested 14.
Unlike riots in late May, downtown was largely boarded up, preventing the smashed windows, looting and arson that were part of the prior protests.
Protests also continued in Kenosha, Wi., and Portland, where protestors camped out in the mayor’s building, and Seattle, where a new concrete barricade has been erected around a police station. Yes, we’re returning to the siege tactics of the past and turning police stations into forts.
More protests are expected in Chicago this weekend. Chicago has been ripped apart recently as looters ran rampant through some of the city’s best-known shopping districts. This time, police have advance notice. It will be interesting to see if that changes anything. Hopefully businesses there are boarding up, too.
Protests are also scheduled for Oakland, Calif., Asheville, N.C., Columbia, S.C., Chambersburg, Pa., Ann Arbor, Mi., Gainseville, Texas, Atlanta, Iowa City, and many other cities.
Increasing my Concealed Carry Loadout
Several years ago I was standing in line behind an older fellow in a store and I could see the stock of his double-barreled derringer sticking out of a pocket down the side of his pants. Since I carry, I know the challenges of keeping your concealed weapon concealed, so I casually suggest to him that he might want to zip that pocket closed. He did, and casually confided in me that he’s carrying three guns today because he had to travel to “the city.” I remember being amused because I didn’t think the city was that unsafe. It was certainly much safer than it was 20 years before, and I was comfortable carrying a single gun.
Now I carry two when I go near the city, and one always has a large magazine. So maybe that old feller had a point.
When we travel long distances by car, I usually carry the two concealed pistols on my body and an AR pistol in the car. I think the AR pistol is a great car gun because it offers 30 round capacity but is legally a pistol. That means I can conceal it and travel across state lines with it loaded, as long as the other states have CCW reciprocity with mine.
Why do I suddenly feel the need to be more heavily armed? Because these protests can spring up pretty randomly and you never know when they will spill out onto an Interstate and try to shut down traffic. If I’m going to be threatened by a mob while stuck in my car, I want more firepower than a compact pistol or revolver.
Avoiding Cities
About the only reason I go to the downtown area of our nearest city is to eat at a nice restaurant or possibly go to the theater, and with COVID-19, we’re not doing either. The courts are downtown as are the museums, but I try to avoid both. In fact, my guess is that unless you live or work in or near downtown, there’s not much reason to go there these days.
Protests, riots, and looting just add to the problems of expensive parking, homeless looking for a handout, and petty crime that already plagued many of our cities.
Large cities run by progressive politicians are going downhill, and I doubt there is much that can save them.
COVID-19 By the Numbers
On the coronavirus front, cases in the U.S. continue to drop, with the exception of colleges and universities, many of which are seeing outbreaks among their student populations. Cases in Europe are also on the rise.
The U.S. reported 42,333 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours and 1,127 deaths. This brings the total to 5.88 million cases and 180,700 deaths. Globally, there are 24.78 million deaths and 838,086 deaths. The world is likely to reach 25 million cases late today, a significant mile stone.
