All of us eventually come to face our own fragility and mortality. For some, it comes in an instant and they never know--knew--it came. But most of us have a reasonable amount of warning. We get older, develop conditions, and generally get weaker. "Infantry is a young man's game," my recruiter told me when I at age 35 decided to enlist, and for some crazy reason considered Cavalry Scout for my MOS. We reach a point where the prospect of grabbing our civilian fighting rifle (TDF 126) and joining in with others in the field becomes less a practical option for a Federalist 46 event than it is a well-wishing for those for whom it's feasible. Hell, even Guderian himself would have thought twice before wasting a Volkssturmgewehr on one of us.
As we see this day approaching, one might be well advised to refocus their RKBA planning--and their likely role in a Federalist 46-type situation--on things less ambitious and more... fuddish. This is not about constitutional rights, nor even necessarily about political realities focusing on your condition (though fudd baselines are always valid: TDF 25, for example). Rather, it is about maintaining heritage in the face of sheer practicality.
And that brings us to an item I've discussed before: The .45/.410 revolver. I've discussed the iconic value of .45 caliber in TDF 55--and the .45 Long Colt in particular in TDF 7--and the revolver in TDF 27. And I have noted the connection between .45 revolvers and the .410 cartridge in TDF 120 and elsewhere (see that link), as well as the link back to the 1688 English Bill of Rights Right to Arms (that link).
Now, consider this actually plausible scenario for the Patriot--especially, frankly, WHITE Patriot--in the future: He's older and of limited working capability. He'll never (again) march off to the field for battle. Indeed, the America he knew and worked to make great again is perhaps merely a shell of its former self. He's living in an urban-type environment not necessarily the most hospitable for his type--livable, but not the most welcoming. He's down to basic--not subsistence, but basic--living in a small basic-amenity room, just him and the cat (remember the source blog of this article). There are no legalities or building policies preventing him from possessing arms, but discretion in the regard is certainly the better part of common sense around there. Yet, for practicality, principle, and heritage, he WILL maintain the RBKA tradition of his people.
In such a setting, long guns are very low in utility, due to his limitations. Even a small home-defense shotgun might (unfortunately--see TDF 43/44) set off unfortunate looks when he has to move his meager possessions to another equally-low-end room in another building. Yet his simple CCW piece is simply insufficient.* When thugs try a low-grade home invasion, more power is called for.
This is where a full-size .45/.410 revolver comes into its own: Very discrete compared to a long gun, readily packable, Heller-protected as a handgun (outside of California at this time), shotgun-type-ish in concurrence with some anti-"assault weapon" advocates' recommendations, and carrying a politico-heritage message as a .45 and a revolver. Plus, frankly, a hell of a lot of power: .45s put people down.
And of course, should the time come when Patriots again stand for their heritage, this physically limited man can do his part--that unmentionable role that we all know most lack the stomach for, but which must be done in such an uncivil war.
To address a few downsides:
1. Though .45 Long Colt is better for revolvers, some of these combo weapons will fire .45 ACP, to access stocks of that caliber.
2. 9mm is still the prime pistol caliber, yet in the societal situation described, such ubiquity may be of little concern.
3. Slower reloads over automatics are an issue with any revolver, but in the scenario here, that frankly will likely not be a factor (see video at TDF 31)
The idea here is a compact, yet oddly versatile and capable, firearm of particular heritage value. Other things fit in around it: The CCW for everyday use, a home-defense "blunderbuss" (shotgun or carbine), a long gun for some weird change of situation where the man is part of a static collective defense, etc. But at the center of it all would be this multi-faceted yet symbolic expression of American RKBA.
But of course, no one knows what societal changes hold for the future. One shift might eliminate .410 in handguns completely. I have suspected that the NFA regulation on short-barreled shotguns might hold up in court (TDF 71), and unless narrowly tailored, such a finding would likely open up these revolvers to the same restrictions. One might argue then that a .45-only revolver, despite its limited capabilities, would be a more secure choice than one with the .410 capability. True enough... But it just doesn't have the same spin. 😛
And that's the caveat. That is where everything RKBA strikes political reality. It's the reason for this entire TDF series. And it's why things still come back to an uber-basic, utterly practical baseline: small carry piece and, if feasible, a carbine or shotgun, with "Militia" arms a blessing. Symbolism is huge, and firepower is huger(?). But reality has to rule. As stylish as something may be, as symbolic as something may be--indeed, as effective or iconic as something may be--always keep the fudd.
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* This isn't to say a larger-frame pistol can't serve the CCW role. There are CCW versions of .45/.410s, and even some utterly non-fudd people see value in more, uh, traditional choices for their carry pieces: Cats, Guns, and National Security: THE DAILY FUDD: E31: "Fudding in real life: Swapping a Glock for a Vaquero for CCW." (catsgunsandnationalsecurity.blogspot.com)
TDF INDEX: Cats, Guns, and National Security: THE DAILY FUDD index. https://catsgunsandnationalsecurity.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-daily-fudd-index.html
