Zombie Cliche Lookout: Panic Fire
Let me get this out of the way first: I like guns. I’m a big fan of the Second Amendment. However, I’m also a realist, and I realize that a lot of people who own guns – or who might pick one up in the midst of the chaos at the beginning of the zombie apocalypse – might not have the first clue about using them safely. Add in lots of stress, lack of sleep, and you’ve got a recipe for friendly fire, or at least panic fire that could draw in the zombies.
Having a gun could indeed save your life, but being stupid with a gun would be just as dangerous in the zombie apocalypse as it is today. Also, it’s hard to hit things when you shoot from the hip like that.
About this Episode:
This wasn’t my originally scripted Episode 411, however Louis made such an awesome comment in the last episode, that I absolutely had to use it. Hence, this little detour.
Discussion Question:
This one comes straight from the comments, courtesy of Nom Zoms: “How would diversities (Langauge or religion disagreements, etc.) play out in the apocalypse?”
Since I didn’t come up with the question, I’ll play along. I think diversity could be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, language and cultural barriers could very well prevent people from cooperating when they really need to. Old habits, as they say, die hard. On the other hand, having a bunch of people who all come from the same community makes coming up with new ideas harder. People with different backgrounds are going to have different ways of looking at things, sometimes radically different.
If we can get past our own prejudices and find some common ground, we might just make it. The language thing might be tough though.
I suppose Brent is going to be amazed if whatever he just shot gets back up and keeps walking! Like a zombie that just won’t stop! 😀
Hopefully he’s got another round or two in the tube.
Oh my, I hope Murphy is wearing a bullet-proof vest 🙂
I myself am not a fan of guns. I understand your reasoning though. I guess by now this could be seen as a cultural difference. I grew up and live in the Netherlands. ‘We’ have different opinions on some matters. I myself will never have a gun in my house. And take a stand in the middle of understanding; the pro- and contra-arms people all have valid (and stupid) reasons for believing what they believe and in the end I think it comes down to a personal opinion.
Concerning diversities; there has to be at least something in common for the group to stay together (and this could be as easy as survival). But the rest depends on the (personal and cultural) differences….
Language is a difficult one. If I didn’t speak English and I was alone and met an English group that was doing great, I would do everything I to prove myself of use. If I wasn’t alone and had a decent group, I think the two groups would most likely split up.
Even if Murphy is wearing Type IV body armor (Ultra High-end military stuff) the blunt force trauma of a 12 gauge shotgun at 10feet is going to jack him us really good.
Haha, Okay…. Well that’s something I have absolutely no knowledge about. If I look at all kinds of movies… for all I know he should be okay when the bullet accidentally hits his badge 😛 🙂
That always cracks me up. Of course, depending on the material the badge and bullet are made of, maybe it’s plausible. I’m not really sure.
Murphy might get a bruise. but that’s about it, even with level IIIA armor (the most common concealable armor type). Level IIIA armor will stop a 240 grain .44 magnum round traveling at 1340 feet per second (https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/223054.pdf#page=17). Comparing that to 00 buckshot in the 2 3/4 inch load, the listed velocity is 1,325 fps for a 59 grain ball (http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu91.htm). A level IIIA vest would have no problem stopping shot.
Maybe we need to have a discussion on body armor on the forum.
Oh, well there you go.
I’m buying a Mehler Vario vest from my nearest military surplus store when I can. It can provide ‘ballistics and edged weapons protection’ and costs about £50. It’ll go well with the Riot helmet and Doc Martens I now own. I recently purchased a Fire Axe, so I’ll be paying for that for a while.
We need a photo of this ensemble. Seriously.
I’ll have to do a bit more research into this. I’ve read that Brit armor is generally offers some degree of stab and ballistic protection, where on this side of the pond it’s either/or. Law enforcement armor offers ballistic protection, where corrections armor is stab resistant. That makes sense, considering job roles and expected hazards in the working environment.
I have a concealable IIIA vest that I seldom wear. If I were to bug out it would come with me; but I don’t know how much I would wear it in an according-to-Hoyle zombie apocalypse.
In any other kind of SHTF event with societal breakdown, though, it’s on.
Things left to buy:
-Mehler Vario Vest
-Ex-Police Shin Pads
-Brooklyn Smasher Baseball Bat
-Quality Backpack (Any suggestions?)
-Mountain House ‘Just In Case’ Pack
Mountain House is good. They require hot water, though. For your purposes, some kind of MRE (whatever the royal army/marines equivalent is) is likely better. All you need is a spoon; and many of them are actually more palatable cold than hot.
I’m intrigued by the shin pads. I keep knee pads in my Line 1 box (the stuff I keep close and don when it hits the fan) with my LBE and such. Are the shin pads to protect the gap between the bottom of the riot shield and the deck? It seems like riot gear to me.
If you do get one of those Cold Steel polypropylene bats post up a review. I’m genuinely curious.
You’re talking multiple pellets, which would distribute the force over a bigger area. I think body armor would stand up just fine, although he’d probably have a hell of a bruise and maybe a broken rib. Not a fun day, at any rate.
“the pro- and contra-arms people all have valid (and stupid) reasons for believing what they believe and in the end I think it comes down to a personal opinion.”
Well said, sir, well said.
I’m of the opinion that I think people should get to make the choice for themselves. If they’re not comfortable with guns, that’s fine and I respect that.
I am not against anyone that says he’ll never have a firearm in the house. I am only against people that tell me I can’t have a gun in the house.
Huge difference.
Rule four: Identify your target, and what is behind it. Never shoot at anything that you have not positively identified.
Brent should lose his firearms privileges with the group forever. Before anyone interjects, yes, I believe he has a natural and unalienable right to own, possess, and carry a firearm; but anyone that performs so foolishly in my group will either give up their gun, or leave the group. Frankly, I would prefer the latter. It reminds me of Jed in the 1984 Red Dawn: “You want to go so bad. Here, haul ass. Take your shit.
That goes for the rest of you. This is your chance. Get walking.”
Murphy needs to have that conversation with Brent, right the hell now.
As for the question, a group has to have something to tie it together. Without some strong common thread the group is more likely to fail. I am not implying something compulsory, like a drafted service or any such nonsense. I think that more a group has in common, the more likely it is to work well together. Think about a group of friends that go to school together, or to church together. They’ll work better together than an ad hoc group.
I took a wild-ass guess as to where you wanted the bolding to end, let me know if I was wrong.
I completely agree on the safety rules. That was always big growing up. I don’t know how many times my dad said “A gun is always loaded” and “You’re responsible for every bullet”. It’s ingrained into my mind, and I’m going to make damn sure I do the same with my kids.
You are a gentleman and a scholar.
Murphy needs to whip Brent’s ass, like a kid. I recommend a coal shovel or a willow switch, or his belt, if it’s leather.
That’s my old man, I’m just trying to follow a good example.
Diversity and individuality is a very important thing that should be considered in just about all situations. I myself live in an area where diversity is pretty big, but I’ve come to one single mind set about it all; healthier that way.
People are those who do for themselves, sentience is the first step to humanity, and the capability to learn and willing to learn should exist even to the grave of old aged death.
Excellent thoughts here, sir.
Gotta love that old shoot then ask questions later. What if that was Murphy?
What indeed.
Hopefully he didn’t just kill off a main character :/
With any luck.
No one is protected from the writer’s pen…
Good job, Brent. Ya probably just took out your buddy there.
In my mind, having some diversity in an apocalypse survival group could be good, like having a person who could make and repair weapons and a guy who can cook anything from anything, but too much, like language barriers and difference in temperament could become…problematic. Our heroes at the moment probably have the right mix, just not enough time together to become buddies.
Now someone get the shotgun away from the jumpy moron.
So in your estimation, we need to strike a Goldilocks zone in terms of diversity?
“This one is juuuuuuuuust right.”
Yep. That may be hard to achieve, but with a little interaction and determining who exactly the expendables are, it won’t be too bad.
When you figure who the expendables are, let me know. I haven’t figured it out yet.
One thing concerns me, though. Brent let that shot off in an enclosed room. The chances it didn’t hit anything that wouldn’t splinter or fracture are less than the chances of a snowflake surviving in hell. Also, since he let it off at an upwards angle seeing how it’s positioned in the comic, there should be an accompanying return sound that indicated it hit something.
I’m expecting next episode something representative of a piece of ceiling or wall will fall down near Brent, since this shop doesn’t seem that big! 😀
One thing to consider is how setting off a room broom indoors would affect his hearing.
So much for hearing the zombies sneaking up behind him for a few hours or so.