There’s been a lot of new coverage of the 5-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and all the problems it caused in New Orleans. Like the original go-round, the plight of the areas where the hurricane actually hit got much less coverage. So go check out this post I wrote back at the time on Murdoc Online showing many photos of the effects of Katrina east of New Orleans.

Something else that must not be forgotten about Katrina and its aftermath was the eagerness with which the local New Orleans law enforcement agencies tried to confiscate legally-owned firearms. At a time when people were on their own more than ever, the police spent an awful lot of effort to disarm law-abiding citizens when they should have been protecting them.

If you have only a passing knowledge of those events, I heartily recommend reading The Great New Orleans Gun Grab by Gordon Hutchinson and Todd Masson.

M.D. Creekmore at The Survivalist Blog – a survival blog dedicated to helping others prepare for and survive disaster – with articles on bug out bag contents, survival knife choices and a wealth of other survival information is giving away a 1,000 round case of 9mm – 124 Grain FMJ (a $200 value – donated by LuckyGunner)! To enter, you just have to post about it on your blog. This is my entry. Visit The Survivalist Blog for the details.

Ninth member arrested; attorney general says they intended to ‘levy war’

This is NOT why Murdoc hasn’t been posting much lately.

I don’t know much about this situation. It sounds fairly extreme, but then the story’s going to be told that way in the press no matter what the facts are.

Now this is a multi-tool that stands out:

Brook & Hunter Mo-Tool Axe

I spotted the Brook & Hunter Mo-Tool Axe in Popular Mechanics this morning. Besides the hammer head and axe, it’s got:

• Screwdrivers
• Blades
• Knives
• Can Opener
• Wire Cutter
• Pliers
• File
• Wrench

I’m not exactly sure how big this thing is. If it’s large enough for the axe to be really useful, it would be fairly large, wouldn’t it? If it’s small enough to strap on your belt, I wonder if there’s enough heft to it.

Recently, I posted a pic of this good stuff:

I didn’t have much info on it at the time, but now Glenn Reynolds has linked to some details.

Says Reynolds:

I think of this as more of a Strategic Bacon Reserve.

You can never be too prepared.

Discussion over at The Survivalist Blog.

Via Uncle, who says There’s not just one.

Murdoc agrees. If you had to pick just one, I guess I’d make the safe bet say the best all-around weapon for a post-apocalypse scenario is a 12-gauge shotgun and a variety of ammo. But there would clearly be the potential for other types of weapons to be called for.

Today is your last chance to enter your tale of beating the odds in Outdoor Life’s Survival Story Contest.

Blackhawk HawkHook

This rescue tool features a belt/cord cutter, serrated cutting edge, glass breaker, pry tip, bottle opener, and wire stripper. Murdoc’s been carrying one for a week and it’s come in handy a few times. Done some cutting, though not in a rescue situation. (Though the opener has rescued a fair number of beers from being unappreciated…)

Blackhawk HawkHook
Blade Length: 2.250”
Overall Length: 3.2500”
Blade Material: AUS8A stainless steel
Blade Finish: Matte bead-blast finish
Edge type: Combination plain/partially serrated
Handle Material: 420J stainless steel with textured plastic scale
Pocket Clip: Right side, tip-down carry
MSRP: $39.99

A reviewer on the Blackhawk site writes:

Bigger, heavier tools may complete some of these tasks more easily, but at 2.4 ounces and only 3.25″ closed, the Hawkhook will probably be on your person or close to you when those other, larger devices are unavailable. If I were still a street cop, it would be clipped to my visor.

That pretty much sums up Murdoc’s take on this tool. It’s a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, but that’s what you want for a general purpose stand-by tool. For instance, I wonder how effective the glass breaker really is on a small, light tool like this. The wife won’t let me try on the minivan, so I’m left to speculate that it’s not ideal. If I know I’m going to need to break a window, I’m taking something heavier. But odds are that if I ever really, really need to break a window right now, I won’t have had any warning or time to prepare. If the HawkHook is clipped to my belt, it can probably fill in just fine.

I can see this being part of a grab-and-go or survival kit, too.

Five arsenals covering a broad range of tasks, needs and budgets.

Over at The Next Chapter are some great photos and background on this baby:

Browning Semi Auto .22 Takedown Rifle in Case

I’ve always wanted one of these. Via Rummel, who notes the rifle, case, and stuff you can fit in there make a neat emergency gun kit.