I see at least one AR-15, an AK-47 and a SKS. If they all were set to fire 7.62x39 mm Ammunition, I would keep them together. but while the AK-47 and SKS uses 7.62x39 mm Ammo, the AR-15 uses 5.56x45 Ammunition (Through some AR-15 have been made with 7.62x39 mm Ammunition and AKs have been made with 5.56x45 mm Ammunition, the SKS was only made in 7.62x39 mm Ammunition.
In any military action, you want to minimize your supply problems, and one way is to require as many troops as you can to fire the same Ammunition. In the weapons in this group that is to pick either 7.62x39 ammo or 5.56x45 mm Ammo. Don't have weapons in both caliber not because one is better then another, but just to keep the supply line easier to keep up with the unit (thus the US tendency to give its allies 7.62x39mm Weapons, even while the US uses 5.56x45 ammunition, other then where American Weapons dominate the ex-Soviet 7.62x39 mm dominates and thus it is easier to feed those weapons then to send in new weapons with new ammunition).
Thus the first thing I would do is strip these idiots of they weapons and re issue them one of the three types, depending how which one I can get ammunition for.
Second, none of these weapons have magazines. The Ar-15 and AK47 use detachable magazines, and thus to use them you have to have at least 19 magazines (and most times more). Without the Magazines these weapons are useless.
Now the SKS has a NON-detachable 10 round magazine, thus all you need for it are ammunition on stripper clips. The Military issues a lot of its ammunition with Stripper clips so to rapidly refill magazines. Thus Stripper clips are common when it comes to military ammunition. Without the Stripper clips, even the SKS is nothing better then a 10 shot gun with single shot capacity after those first 10 rounds are fired. With Stripper clips it can load 10 round stripper clips all day long. In many ways the SKS is a better Militia weapon for it does NOT depend on having detachable magazine and can be loaded quickly if speed of loading is required. the AR-15 and AK47 use detachable magazines which must be filled BEFORE put into the weapon. You should NOT store magazines with ammunition in them for it weakens the springs needed for the magazine to feed ammunition to the rifle. Thus when quick loading is needed stripper clips are used even in these two weapons, but to load the Magazines not the weapons themselves. In most Combat situation you know something is up so it is the rule to load detachable magazines when a combat area, but unload when NOT in a combat area.
The final problem with this group is when you are dealing with true leg infantry (which is what most militia will be), the second most important item after a soldiers weapon is his entrenching tool. No entrenching tool, no spade of any type. How can they prepare their positions if they have no entrenching tools? Sorry, in many ways a Spade is a more important weapon is combat today then an assault rifle.
Now, I have seen reports from the march of Baghdad that called the entrenching tool useless in today's "Mobile Combat" but that claim was made in the 1800s and was found to be in error. When both sides of a war are a lot closer in Military capacity then the US and Iraq were in 2002, you get areas where it comes to soldiers on foot against soldiers on foot and in such situations the need to entrench is most important.
First Aid kits are also missing, people get hit in combat and if treated most will survive (especially given modern anti-clotting medications).
Uniforms I am less worried about, people can wear what they want in an emergency situation (Which is when the Militia is generally called into action). Body armor is also less important, through a helmet, even an old fashioned steel helmet, will provide enough protection in most cases (the better the Armor the better protection, but the real big jump in protection was from no armor to some armor during WWI, the same holds true today, some armor is better then no armor, and the best armor provides the best protection, but the real big jump in protection is from no armor to some armor, not from some armor to the best armor for that jump in protection is NOT that much).
This group is a joke, it would have to be reequipped to be any form of actual military threat to anyone. In many ways it is an insult to the Second Amendment for that Amendment does NOT permit people to have guns to intimate other people, but to arm the Militia in times of need. It would be more effective if this group went into the woods without any weapons and did cover and movement drills. In the parking lot, do cover and movement drills (again without weapons). That is Militia in its true military role, not as a bunch of good old boys hanging out together.
Now, if you studied the Militia during the 1700s and 1800s you will quickly see this is NOT the Militia that defeated the French and the Native Americans, instead this is the Sheriff's Patrol which were formed starting in the 1600s to patrol certain intersections and to prevent any slaves from running away. In the South the Sheriff's Patrol was more important then the Militia, through the same people were in both (all white males between 18 and 45). The Sheriff's Patrol were noted for intimidating anyone coming through the intersection they were patrolling. It was a once a month duty, and you ended up with the same friends month after month. It was more a meeting of like thinking people who were told they had the right to beat up anyone who came through that intersection for any reason they saw fit. The Assumption was honest people traveled during the day.
With the abolishment of Slavery the Sheriff's Patrol ended, but it survived both in the natural of the first KKK and in that it was where local males would meet and talk with their friends. The Sheriff's patrol was when most southern males socialized prior to the Civil War, and similar groups reformed after the Civil War and ended up doing what the Sheriff's Patrol did before the Civil War. It was a social meeting, little of no military training took place for it was a social meeting not a training meeting. In the North the Militia did little Sheriff's patrol (few slaves) but did no actual military training. Thus in the Revolution the New England Militia was considered as good as any regular force, while the Southern Militia was considered worse then useless.
I bring up the Sheriff's patrol for when I started to write this thread, I wanted to concentrate on the weapons and how that made this group a joke as a militia unit, but as I went on it became clear it was more like a meeting of men assigned to do a Sheriff's Patrol rather then train as a true military unit. It became clear this group is more like the Useless Southern Militia of the Revolution rather then the effective New England Militia. It is a group of people getting together to intimidate others, that is what the Northern Militia of the Revolution never did, but it was what the Sheriff's Patrol element of the Southern Militia saw as its main job.
= new reply since forum marked as read
so I posted the above on facebook and nothing but gun nut laughter back. saying it was a posed photo. well duh it was. what does one call intimidation ?? no brains in how that might look for 2 hours
- /fixed
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