and Security
Many people begin their preparedness journey with or because of weapons. It is common for people that enjoy shooting to think of the need for self-defense. In the training world the concept is expressed with the saying, if all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
Many preppers should spend less money on firearms and spend more on training and practice ammunition.
Photo by the author.
I started my preparedness journey through firearms. I became a firearms instructor and taught self-defense for years before I started thinking about other types of disasters. I cannot tell you how many people think they are well prepared because they have x number of AR-15s and y thousands of rounds.
Unfortunately, many of these would-be preppers have no food, and little training. When bluntly asked, many of these people admit their plan is to take what they need. Preparing to be a bandit is not the way to prepare for disasters.
Basic preparedness should not be an arms race, or an excuse to engage in fantasies of world domination. I have worked dozens of large-scale disasters, and can only recall one time that weapons were needed. That was when state troopers were used in shelters because gang members from Louisiana decided to threaten force to get additional meals.
This does not mean that firearms have no place in disaster preparedness. Actually, I believe that one cannot be prepared for any disaster if they are not prepared, equipped, and trained, to use force for self protection. Firearms are a vital preparedness tool; without them, you have no chance against the prepper bandits with tricked-out AR-15s and no food.
However, it is my experience that almost all disasters will involve a functioning government, and such a government will come down brutally hard on individuals that take the opportunity to dress in military-style uniforms and openly carry weapons larger than a typical handgun.
My get home bag does include firearms, but they are all common to hunters and the average citizen, my clothes are normal blue collar worker garb, and my boots and pack are common and well broken in. Imagine how you would react to seeing a single man or a small group of strangers walking though your neighborhood in camouflage utilities and AR-15 and AK-47 rifles? Personally, I would take up a covered position and put my crosshairs on the group until they either left or I confronted them.
Weapons and security are important, but common sense and balance are even more important.
Own a gun, and get some training. Store more ammunition than you have firearms. Buy more food, better tools, warm clothes, and some communication equipment. Then, once the basics are covered, buy a better gun, take more training, and store more ammo.
Prepare in steps, stay balanced, and think about all aspects of your plan and how it would work in real life.
Think about common calibers that are always available, get guns that are compatible. I no longer lust after the newest, coolest gun; I try to buy common firearms.
9mm Glocks, .38/357 revolvers, 12-gauge shotguns, AR-15s (or AK’s for those inclined) hunting rifles in common hunting calibers (.308, 30-06, 270, 30-30, for example) are also good.
Get spare parts, get good training, and practice. This is much more essential that having a $3,000 AR rifle that you can’t shoot accurately.
Personally, I try for 1,000 rounds of ammunition for each disaster gun I own. This isn’t enough to go to war, but it should be plenty for common use with a little extra for training. This is a bare minimum number as you need to realize a single class with a quality instructor will use that much ammunition.