this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2025
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Since Trump's election, gun groups catering to progressives and people of color report a surge in interest as they look to defend themselves in a country that, to them, feels increasingly unstable.

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[–] PhilipTheBucket@piefed.social 0 points 1 week ago (19 children)

Which is why if ICE is knocking at the door, the situation is already escalated and it’s better to die and try to take a fascist with you than go to a second location.

I mean, after a certain point, yes. Solzhenitsyn talked about it, also I think some of the founding fathers had things to say about it. In our current situation, absolutely the fuck not. For one thing, it'll get you killed obviously, for another thing, it'll give them the pretext they're looking for to start with all kinds of shit to all kinds of people that they can't get away with right now. They are praying for something like this to happen. That's why they play up anything which looks vaguely like it into something it isn't.

Every day that goes by where ICE is the illegal mother fuckers and the people of the country are the innocents, is another day they lose a little more backing of the courts, the military, the city police, all kinds of stuff like that which is their pathway to power. I know it sounds like I'm just backing down from fighting back... all I am trying to say is that starting gunfights with the secret police is about like starting a fistfight with your abusive spouse: You're not wrong. But also, you're not going to win through that method.

Here is some extensive information about what does work after quite a lot of research: https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/126900/8008_FDTD.pdf

[–] 13igTyme@piefed.social 31 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Every day that goes by where ICE is the illegal mother fuckers and the people of the country are the innocents, is another day they lose a little more backing of the courts, the military, the city police, all kinds of stuff like that which is their pathway to power.

Fascist don't care what is or isn't illegal. You sound just like the average German citizen in the 1930's. Tell more about all the power they are losing while continuing to do the bad things.

[–] PhilipTheBucket@piefed.social 8 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Read the book. It's based on a lot of research and it's been actively used in practice in defeating a whole lot of governments a hell of a lot more repressive than Trump's.

Whatever the merits of the violent option, however, one point is clear. By placing confidence in violent means, one has chosen the very type of struggle with which the oppressors nearly always have superiority. The dictators are equipped to apply violence overwhelmingly. However long or briefly these democrats can continue, eventually the harsh military realities usually become inescapable. The dictators almost always have superiority in military hardware, ammunition, transportation, and the size of military forces. Despite bravery, the democrats are (almost always) no match.

The maintenance of nonviolent discipline against violent opponents facilitates the workings of the four mechanisms of change in nonviolent struggle (discussed below). Nonviolent discipline is also extremely important in the process of political jiu-jitsu. In this process the stark brutality of the regime against the clearly nonviolent actionists politically rebounds against the dictators’ position, causing dissention in their own ranks as well as fomenting support for the resisters among the general population, the regime’s usual supporters, and third parties.

Emphasis is mine, that's the answer to your question. He actually says later on that there are circumstances where violence is needed, I couldn't quickly find that quote, but he basically just lays out the history of where and how different types of resistance action have worked.

I realize it's not convincing when I just quote it out like that. Read the book. There are strong reasons and historical examples for everything he's saying in those quick summaries.

[–] CubitOom 20 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Gene Sharp has a lot of great points. I also recommend his book The Politics of Nonviolent Action which has a lot more detail.

However, in the end I asked myself what would Picard (of Star Trek) do and I realized he would be armed and capable and use violent resistance as a last resort.

So I bought a Mossberg 500 and am training with it once a week. I even feild strip it and put it back together. I also started training in Brazilian jiu jitsu which is a pretty fun way to get into shape. I am getting good at grappling and choking big guys out. I'm also learning a bunch about radio.

Another book I recommend is Full Spectrum Resistance which has examples of why it helps to have both nonviolent and violent resistance.

So if you don't feel right with a gun, I think that's ok. As long as we are doing something productive while we can. And it doesn't hurt to level up some skills that you can use to help your community if the unthinkable does happen.

[–] PhilipTheBucket@piefed.social 8 points 1 week ago

I also started training in Brazilian jiu jitsu which is a pretty fun way to get into shape. I am getting good at grappling and choking big guys out.

Honestly everyone should take some kind of self-defense classes. I know something about it but I am horribly out of shape right now, which probably isn't a good idea.

And it doesn’t hurt to level up some skills that you can use to help your community if the does unthinkable happen.

This is very sincerely a really good point. I might do some first aid classes and things, it does indeed seem like shit will get quite a lot wilder before it ever gets unwild again.

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