There are always the people who say, “Why do you have all of that survival gear, the worlds never going to end.” As of May 15th 2014, in my region of San Diego there are currently 9 different wild fires, closest one being about 5 miles away. 20,000 homes have been evacuated and many homes have already been destroyed. These are the reasons why I prepare for the worst. When the fires were at their worst I talked to a few neighbors of mine and asked a very casual question, “Do you have food and water for at least 3 days?” every one of them said no! Schools are being cancelled and houses are being evacuated within a few miles and some of us have nothing stored!
I am confident that I can pick up my Bug out Bag and a few other selected essential items and leave my area to survive anywhere. In disaster prone areas such as southern California it is important to have even BASIC essential items. There are countless articles and videos on bug out bag essentials all over the internet so I will go into a B.O.B breakdown in a later article. If you were faced with a major disaster whether it be an earthquake, tornado, or even an economic collapse, could you pick up and go? Have you ever rehearsed packing up everything and timed yourself? Simple things like this can either make you or break you.
One thing that is not talked about in the prepping community is OPSEC. For all you non military folk that means Operational Security. Who if anyone, can you tell that you have a bug out location or even that you have supplies? When I asked my neighbors if they were prepared I chose not to tell them that I have preparations, why? I’m not just a jerk who only cares for himself; I just don’t want to be put in the situation where I may have to share my goods with someone else other than my family. Someone I once knew said, “In a Shit Hit the Fan situation you would have to kill everyone you meet.” Do I agree with this? Yes and no, I think it comes down to the basic instinct of Fight or Flight. If people know you have many months worth of food they will come knocking once they can’t find any. In that situation you will have to either accept or decline. If you accept you are depleting your resources, if you decline you risk them coming back in larger numbers. That decision lies solely on you whether you will fight them or choose to kill everyone who comes knocking. I do not want to kill anyone so I don’t let anyone know I have a lot of preparations.
I once heard a statement that is very true. The only communication between humans is persuasion, you can talk to someone and persuade them to do something for you, or you can do it by force. This is very true in every aspect. We persuade people every day by exchanging money for goods and services, and criminals persuade people to do what they tell them by using force. I believe everyone should have a gun,(except those who are legally prohibited to of course) if I have a gun you cannot persuade me to do anything by force because I have the equal or greater advantage. You could still persuade me by means of monetary exchange or simply talking but never by force. It’s imperative that law abiding citizens have weapons so they can defend themselves. I have guns for self protection, hunting, and even sport. The type make and model all depends on what you think is right. For me personally, I have multiple rifles for protection and hunting purposes, on top of that I have two handguns for protection as well. At the very least every American should have one handgun or one rifle, preferably both.
I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying from the Japanese General “it is impossible to invade mainland America because there would be a rifle behind every blade of grass”. I have done research on that quote and it’s not actually verified from him however that doesn’t make it any less true. A rifle behind every blade of grass is a great defense from foreign invasion and of course tyranny. If a robber knew that every victim he chooses is potentially armed do you think he will go out and rob someone? There would be some but not on the numbers we see today. There is another old saying that I love and completely agree with, “an armed society is a polite society.” Even though national crime rate are on a decline it would continue to decline if we had more armed citizens.
In the Marine Corps we say “every Marine is a Rifleman”. This is a fact, however I believe every citizen should be proficient with arms in the event of a nationwide threat. You can have all the supplies and guns and top of the line mall ninja gear but in the end you still have to be proficient with it or someone who spent a little more time at the range will be taking it by force. This goes along with my previous statement about rehearsing your Bug out plan and having a set destination that you and your family can meet. Include your family in your training you can always make anything turn fun with your kids by your side! Of course they may dread it and say, “Why are we doing this again?” to which you can reply so we are prepared for the worse.
I prepare to protect my family and myself. Your reasoning can be anything you want. The only advice I can give is; if you haven’t started, START NOW.
Prepper101
I am confident that I can pick up my Bug out Bag and a few other selected essential items and leave my area to survive anywhere. In disaster prone areas such as southern California it is important to have even BASIC essential items. There are countless articles and videos on bug out bag essentials all over the internet so I will go into a B.O.B breakdown in a later article. If you were faced with a major disaster whether it be an earthquake, tornado, or even an economic collapse, could you pick up and go? Have you ever rehearsed packing up everything and timed yourself? Simple things like this can either make you or break you.
One thing that is not talked about in the prepping community is OPSEC. For all you non military folk that means Operational Security. Who if anyone, can you tell that you have a bug out location or even that you have supplies? When I asked my neighbors if they were prepared I chose not to tell them that I have preparations, why? I’m not just a jerk who only cares for himself; I just don’t want to be put in the situation where I may have to share my goods with someone else other than my family. Someone I once knew said, “In a Shit Hit the Fan situation you would have to kill everyone you meet.” Do I agree with this? Yes and no, I think it comes down to the basic instinct of Fight or Flight. If people know you have many months worth of food they will come knocking once they can’t find any. In that situation you will have to either accept or decline. If you accept you are depleting your resources, if you decline you risk them coming back in larger numbers. That decision lies solely on you whether you will fight them or choose to kill everyone who comes knocking. I do not want to kill anyone so I don’t let anyone know I have a lot of preparations.
I once heard a statement that is very true. The only communication between humans is persuasion, you can talk to someone and persuade them to do something for you, or you can do it by force. This is very true in every aspect. We persuade people every day by exchanging money for goods and services, and criminals persuade people to do what they tell them by using force. I believe everyone should have a gun,(except those who are legally prohibited to of course) if I have a gun you cannot persuade me to do anything by force because I have the equal or greater advantage. You could still persuade me by means of monetary exchange or simply talking but never by force. It’s imperative that law abiding citizens have weapons so they can defend themselves. I have guns for self protection, hunting, and even sport. The type make and model all depends on what you think is right. For me personally, I have multiple rifles for protection and hunting purposes, on top of that I have two handguns for protection as well. At the very least every American should have one handgun or one rifle, preferably both.
I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying from the Japanese General “it is impossible to invade mainland America because there would be a rifle behind every blade of grass”. I have done research on that quote and it’s not actually verified from him however that doesn’t make it any less true. A rifle behind every blade of grass is a great defense from foreign invasion and of course tyranny. If a robber knew that every victim he chooses is potentially armed do you think he will go out and rob someone? There would be some but not on the numbers we see today. There is another old saying that I love and completely agree with, “an armed society is a polite society.” Even though national crime rate are on a decline it would continue to decline if we had more armed citizens.
In the Marine Corps we say “every Marine is a Rifleman”. This is a fact, however I believe every citizen should be proficient with arms in the event of a nationwide threat. You can have all the supplies and guns and top of the line mall ninja gear but in the end you still have to be proficient with it or someone who spent a little more time at the range will be taking it by force. This goes along with my previous statement about rehearsing your Bug out plan and having a set destination that you and your family can meet. Include your family in your training you can always make anything turn fun with your kids by your side! Of course they may dread it and say, “Why are we doing this again?” to which you can reply so we are prepared for the worse.
I prepare to protect my family and myself. Your reasoning can be anything you want. The only advice I can give is; if you haven’t started, START NOW.
Prepper101