JWR:
I read with interest the recent letter that included this:
“I fully realize what a hungry man will do to feed his family and have even been told by a law enforcement officer that he don’t need to store food. He said that he could take it for his family so they don’t starve. I know he has a large arsenal and I get his drift.”
This fallacious and frankly un-Christian belief that the writer encountered is not unique. I was discussing the need to obtain an emergency food supply with a couple of lads who work at the local shooting range. I told them that the hard times that are fast approaching and they needed to make some preparation now while there is still time to do so.
They laughed and said they had plenty of ammunition and weapons and figured they could “take what they needed” when TSHTF.
I told them: “There’s one problem with your ‘plan’. The people you could take from won’t have what you need. The people who do have what you need are in all probability going to be a lot better prepared and organized than you are, and you aren’t going to be able to take anything from them.”
Anyone foolish enough to think they can easily prey upon their fellow citizens to make up for their failure to prepare is going to be in for a rude awakening. Living in this country several million very hard ex-military and current military or law enforcement, not to mention rural farm boys and girls who literally grew up shooting. They are not going to be easy to victimize.
In conclusion, anyone planning on looting their fellow citizens when the Crunch comes, should probably consider a Plan B. That, in and of itself, might just ensure their own survival. – Brad in California
Sir;
The writer mentioned that a LEO with a large arsenal stated he did not need food storage because he was well armed, implying he would shoot innocent people and take their food, or at the least, threaten with the use of deadly force to acquire food. I worked in a gun store for almost three years, selling directly to and interacting with all sorts of customers. I would make it a point to mention how uncertain the times were and encourage them to stock up on food as well as ammo. The answer I got 90% of the time was to the effect of: “I don’t need to do that, that’s what guns are for.”
Sadly, the majority of gun owners I met carried this mentality. So should worst come to worst, we cannot simply rationalize that there are a hundred million gun owners in the country, so we will be able to resist any threat to our nation. If the elite allow this country to starve for a few weeks during a hyperinflationary collapse, or prior to a foreign invasion, the fact is that the majority of gun owners will begin killing each other off while fighting for resources. The minority will be prepared to weather the crunch period. We will need to be prepared to defend ourselves against well armed, potentially well-trained (LEO/Military) who want our supplies.
This is why I always advocate having equipment that gives you a complete advantage in a firefight. Body armor, night vision, [registered] sound suppressors, good optics (like ACOGs) that allow you to:
1. Identify threats at a distance
2. Engage accurately at a distance
3. Engage day or night
4. Remain concealed
5. Not draw attention to yourself.
I believe it is likely that if you are not geographically secluded from population centers, as am I. you will need to be able to fend off numerically superior foes who come at day or night. Range, stealth, and armor, multiply your ability to defend yourself, and go offensive if needed. Good luck, – R.R.