Shooting can absolutely be fun - not just a tool to fight oppression. "Can I shoot something smaller and further away?" is a question you can keep asking yourself!

I come from hillbillies, so technically I owned a rifle and a shotgun before I was ever born.

But I never went thru the hassle of getting a CCW and small pistol to carry.

But shits fucking crazy these days. Like I've lived in some rough areas, and had plenty of people show me their gun as intimidation since I was a punk teenager. But I was never seriously worried about getting shot, people had something to lose and I was never doing something that was worth it.

Nowadays people with a good job and family are just firing off over incredibly minor shit.

Everyone is just willing to throw it all away over nothing.

I really think we're gonna find out COVID caused similar issues to lead poisoning even among minor cases with no symptoms. People just have no chill, and everyone and their mother is strapped here now.

I also got my gas mask with NATO cartridges

You really don't need it. Tear gas in an open environment is not bad, you move 10 feet away for a few minutes.

People will tell you tennis rackets is the move, but that could lead to serious charges if used to hit one back at cops.

What you need is buckets. They fire a can, you cap it. If you do have to retreat, someone will likely (completely on accident and without any malice) knock it over releasing the tear gas and slowing the cops.