If someone told you that a major city in the United States could descend into anarchy all of us would have probably dismissed them as a nutty survivalist that we might need to be careful around. If he went farther and declared that because of this possibility we should all make sure we not only had weapons but knew how to use them we would probably, even if we agree with the 2nd amendment, declare that a pitiful way to make the argument for owning and being trained to use firearms.

NEW ORLEANS — When night falls, Charlie Hackett climbs the steps to his boarded-up window, takes down the plywood, grabs his 12-gauge shotgun and waits. He is waiting for looters and troublemakers, for anyone thinking his neighborhood has been abandoned like so many others across the city.

Two doors down, John Carolan is doing the same on his screened-in porch, pistol by his side. They are not about to give up their homes to the lawlessness that has engulfed New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

"We kind of together decided we would defend what we have here and we would stay up and defend the neighborhood," says Hackett, an Army veteran with a snow-white beard and a business installing custom kitchens.

"I don't want to kill anybody," he says, "but I'd sure like to scare 'em." With generators giving them power, food to last for weeks and several guns each for protection, the men are two of a scattered community holed up across the residential streets of the city's Garden District (search), a lush neighborhood with many antebellum mansions.

I suspect that many of us are having a different reaction right now. Anti Gun Zealots are going to have a real problem for a few years trying to convince people that they should leave their security to the police. The people in the Superdome left their security to the police, the people at the Convention Center left their security to the police and the city in general left the security to the police because aside from a few isolated instances of terror in Los Angeles no police departments in any major US city had every collapsed completely. Indeed there were many reports of the police joining in on the terror. Fun fun fun….welcome to the 21st century.

Obviously the argument that may be advanced by those trying to take our weapons away will be well no other city will be hit with such a deadly hurricane. Which completely forgets the small fact that we are at war with a group of people who think it would be peachy dandy to reduce several other cities to levels below that of New Orleans. Police protection in those instances would also be nonexistent since obviously they would be dealing with the disaster itself. For a short time at least you will be on your own and standing in front of your house with your finger pointed at a looter/thug is not going to be nearly as effective in convincing him to not steal your generator, food and water as my Stainless Steel Springfield GI-45 with a 5" barrel loaded with Winchester FMJ 230 gr and High Standard 20 gauge with the 18.5 inch barrel and #4 shot. Welcome to the brave new world of self reliance...something our grandfathers knew a bit about.

FOXNews.com - U.S. & World - Residents Stay to Protect Neighborhood From LootersWelcome to the 21st century!

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