I think the best route for anybody looking to buy right now is an SKS. They’re still, relatively, inexpensive, 7.62mmx39mm is a good intermediate cartridge and ammo is still, again relatively, inexpensive.

I sincerely and truthfully hope as a nation we can do a complete heel turn without having to gravely consider protecting ourselves in this manner, though.

I with you on this. I got rid of my AK back around the time Sandy Hook happened because it made me sick to my stomach to look at it but I didn’t get rid of all my firearms because I’m a believer in having one and not needing it rather than needing one and not having it. Now I’m looking to add a long gun to my collection and I’m considering something like the SKS or other 5-10 round semi-automatic in an intermediate or full powered cartridge because I didn’t figure on potentially needing something for armored targets.

It is abundantly clear that the majority US doesn’t want that

I disagree with you here. In part because humans have a natural sense of self preservation and this is counter to that.

I actually think it’s far simpler; I think the divide between the ruling class (politicians) and the working class (those that have to work to live) has grown too far. People are tired of feeling like they are not being represented or listened to and feel pushed to extreme action.

The ultra-wealthy benefit from the current system and use their means to keep the working class fighting against each other and the ruling class distracted from their actual constituents.

Yep, and you could shoplift food from a grocery store and donate it, or cheat on your taxes and use the extra money to buy food to donate, or donate the money directly.

Personally, I think it would be better to change the system. Perhaps a program that incentivizes a business to donate the food instead of charging it back or incentivizing the supplier/manufacturer to require anything usable they get a chargeback for from a business be donated or destroyed.

People shouldn’t have to forced to choose between doing the moral thing or the legal thing.

When I worked at a Hollywood Video (so a long time ago) we were told we had to discard expired concession products because of chargebacks. Part of the chargeback process was destroying the product because the business was getting credit for it from the supplier/manufacturer.

I believe if you process it as a chargeback and donate it, you’d be committing fraud.

Sorry, I was short on time and only glanced at your comment.

The Mosin is bolt action, as you indicated.

Hi-Point sells carbine pistols but I didn’t see any rifles, and I’m not familiar with Kel Tec’s offerings I’m guessing they’re like Hi Point? This matters because in some jurisdictions those are sold as ‘pistols’ and require the same permitting.

As for cheap AKs or Garands, I haven’t seen any of those since before Obama’s first term. They are less expensive than a Springfield or Colt made Armalite style rifle but not cheap. I’d like to know where you live because I’d be happy to snap up a cheap Garand.

The least expensive semi auto rifles are going to be .22 caliber. Then we could get into the argument of if a revolutionary force was armed with a bunch of semi auto rifles, how capable would they be. At that point it’s moot because in the US they’d be going against the US law enforcement and military which will be far better equipped, that big ol’ ‘defense’ budget at work.

Ultimately it’s a difference in wording. If the OP had said firearms then I’d have said 150 million is conservative.

Nearly 150 million adults in the USA can go buy a semi auto rifle right now

“Semi auto rifle.”

I’m speaking especially about the Americans that have the legal ability to buy these weapons.

I get that but there’s about 258.3 adults in the US 18 or older, 196.8 adults 21 or older (some jurisdictions require a buyer to be 21).

If we apply the most conservative estimate of 30% of adults living paycheck to paycheck that leaves 180.81 million 18 or over adults, or 137.76 21 or over adults.

Averaging the 2 numbers gives us 159.285 million which is right in the ballpark of your estimate but we’d still have to account for the 32% that already own all the guns (there will be some overlap) and anybody precluded from owning a firearm (criminal record, active TRO/OFP etc.) and anybody who has to get a government issued permit first.

That’s why, while I agree with your point, I think your estimate is high at 150 million.

Your point is valid but I think your figure is high.

There’s a handful of states you’d need to have a permit which you can’t get right away.

There’s also the cost. Depending on where you look anywhere from 30% to 75% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck or are one large unexpected expense away from catastrophe. They likely don’t have the expendable income to go spends hundreds on a firearm at any given moment.

This is why, even though there’s somewhere between 300-500 million civilian owned firearms in the US, those firearms are owned by roughly 32% of the adult population in the country.

Ah, yes, the massively mostly kind of not really at all successful D.A.R.E. Program.

Unless I’m mistaken, that’s a Canadian passport pictured and in Canada red (maroon) passports are diplomatic.

White are temporary passports for Canadian citizens outside Canada who require passports but their regular passport application is being processed.

Not Croatia, but yes, all others it seems.

However, in Canada, the country in question, diplomatic passports (red cover) are issued to high-ranking Government of Canada officials and diplomats, as well as representatives and delegates of the Government of Canada to international governmental organizations and international conferences of a diplomatic nature.

I believe red is usually reserved for diplomatic type passports.

Maybe, but I don’t really need it. I’ve got a 2U box mounted in the basement with a Synology DS920+ w/ 48Tb in SHR2 and a mini Asus running Ubuntu doing my heavy lifting.

assuming you aren’t on Windows

This is the tough part.

I had a 2011 MacBook Pro sitting around some years ago I had upgraded from and I offered it to my brother for his kids to use because of the built in child controls they could setup. He just told me a few weeks ago they were done with it and asked me if I could wipe it or tell him how to do it could be recycled.

I took it back, put Mint XFCE on it but I can’t give it away to anyone I know because it has Linux on it. I’ll probably get a display cable for it and run it as my torrent box.

I’m an ‘84 baby like you and recently I’ve been trying to remember when the last time I actually felt national pride.

I keep thinking maybe in the general upswell of national pride post 9/11 but that was probably mostly mob mentality and juvenile ignorance.

I am proud to be a Minnesotan though! When I’m abroad in the country the other Americans I meet seem generally decent but it just doesn’t feel like home if I’m outside of my state.