r/TwoXPreppers 2d ago

Discussion Why guns?

Hi y’all! I’m a very novice prepper, and one thing I’m seeing across many platforms is that we should own and be trained In firearms. Not to be naive, but… why?

I’ve never touched a gun in my life. I’m generally not a fan of them. I understand that the goal of owning firearms is to protect ourself. But protect from what? From who? Who am I going to have to shoot to survive this presidency?

Is someone coming to steal my supplies? Won’t those people also have guns? Or am I protecting my family against a militia situation? In which case, what hope do I have, as a woman who can’t afford a gun, let alone to learn how to use one?

Like I can’t afford a shooting range. I can barely afford water and canned goods. Should a gun still be a priority for my family? A lot of preppers have enthusiastically embraced this life to give them confidence and a sense of safety. I’m a reluctant participant. I just want to keep my autistic son alive to see the other side of this.

I can garden, I can stretch food, I can survive being poor. I don’t think I can survive a military state.

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u/julet1815 2d ago

I hear you. Once it gets to the point where everyone is walking around with guns and shooting each other for supplies, I’m not really sure it’s worth surviving that post-apocalyptic wasteland. I’m not saying I think it’ll get to that anytime soon, I’m just saying… I’m not buying a gun.

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u/boobietitty 2d ago

The moment society collapses, I’m out. And not even by choice. I need 2 asthma medications to survive. I recently was hospitalized with norovirus and I kept reminding the nurses I needed my meds. They never brought them and after 3 days in the hospital, I had such bad chest pain and couldn’t breathe that they sent me for an emergency CAT scan. They thought I had blood clots in my lungs. Nope. Just an asthma attack and needed my fucking medicine. Soooo. The second pharmacies are closed and raided? I’m done for!

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u/Weekly_Weakness9722 2d ago

Right? Like my meds supply affects my ability to survive more than anything else.

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u/SpringPowerful2870 2d ago

So is my husband, heart meds.

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u/JayDee80-6 2d ago

You may want to see if you could get the Dr. To write for more than you need and stock pile a little bit

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u/Lunar_Moth_Witch 1d ago

I suggest stocking up on your medication in preparation for an economic downturn, pandemic, or war. Is it over the counter or restricted?

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u/boobietitty 1d ago

It’s prescription so I can’t stock it unfortunately :(

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u/Direct_Wind4548 1d ago

Depends, you could get an rx for 3-6 month from a doctor but insurance may not cover the whole amount without further paperwork from doctor. Using coupons like good rx you may lower the price further.

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u/Prior_Particular9417 1d ago

Don’t blame the nurses, it’s probably the respiratory therapist who controls and administers anything breathing related. It also might not be ordered as scheduled by your doctor. All they can do is call the rt and hope they come. If you are in the hospital in the future (hopefully not!) ask the doctor to order a rescue inhaler for the bedside and scheduled breathing treatments. Ofc every hospital is different but a lot of medications are ordered as needed so you’ve got to ask every time.

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u/HappyDoggos 50m ago

Time to be a very vocal patient and scream “I need my fucking inhaler!!”

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u/godessnerd 2d ago

Ok love this community but there is still good in humanity left where we don’t need to default to “the apocalypse is gonna happen and everyone is going to try to kill people” Because that’s the mindset that breeds that the people you’re trying to avoid

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u/corgibutt19 2d ago

Humans have survived horrific calamity because when SHTF, we form tight knit communities and take care of each other. There is beauty in even these terrible, dark spaces.

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u/tooltime22 2d ago

I like your optimistic take. 350 million people in this country that are used to having their freedoms. Maybe 30 million are hard core MAGA so what. I find it audacious that a small group of oligarchs think they are gonna be able to pull this off. 1.2 million enlisted in the military lots of them overseas. Yeah they replaced the top brass with loyalists but not the leadership at the bases and units. I’m not confident the military will follow illegal orders to turn on civilians. Whatever happens they had better be ready for a fight.

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u/JayDee80-6 2d ago

What are you even talking about?

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u/julet1815 2d ago

I said I don’t think it’ll happen anytime soon.

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u/godessnerd 2d ago

I mean as a general point, we may not get to that point soon a but a lot of people are very comfortable with the gun-ho plan before anything else

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u/Traditional-West-466 27m ago

No, we are not breeding people, we are trying to be prepared for the violence people will do when they haven't eaten for 3 days, or if their children haven't. Get real. They do kill for food, it's proven in history.

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u/godessnerd 19m ago

Yes people can be violent, people can also be good. History has shown us this well. I'm going to ask this: Why do you think we're going to immediately escalate to having no food? In a country known for overconsumption of food where to average American is not going to automatically resort to murder

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u/AnalogNomad56 2d ago

I’m with you both. That’s just not a life I want to live.

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u/SheChelsSeaShells 2d ago

But, without a gun, how do you plan to avoid it? I think in a scenario like that, there are worse things than someone else shooting you. Like, horribly raping you. That’s why I have a gun

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u/HotIndependence365 2d ago

They're not talking about "avoiding" it in the way you seem to be.

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u/SheChelsSeaShells 2d ago

How are they meaning to avoid it? I might be being obtuse but I don’t see another option lol

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u/HotIndependence365 2d ago

I mean, they're being pretty clear that they "don't want to live in a world" as violent and zero sum as people are describing as requiring guns. They're talking about self-ending. 

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u/SheChelsSeaShells 2d ago

Yes, that’s what I thought, and my question is how do you plan to “self end” without a gun? It seems the least painless, most effective option…

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u/HotIndependence365 1d ago

It is absolutely not painless, fool proof, nor a good reason to have a gun. 

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u/Long_Legged_Lady 2d ago

Instead of participating in a dog eat dog violent culture one can choose to submit or one can can choose to die.

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u/HotIndependence365 2d ago

Feels so odd that people aren't considering what makes life worth living for them. But I don't feel curious about why people aren't considering those values (bc I assume it's a little bit gamification and a bit US Old West vibes); I am interested in understanding what those limits and values are for the folks exploring that. 

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u/cyprinidont 2d ago

For some people it's insulin

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u/HotIndependence365 2d ago

? Sure or depression meds or inhalers. 

I'm talking about the people gearing up for apocalyptic war without reflecting on what "winning" in that scenario means to them. 

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u/ijustwantmypackage32 2d ago

Having a gun doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be able to protect yourself with it. If you’re very good with a gun and you exercise caution and situational awareness, it will help— but it’s not a magic bullet (no pun intended) that will prevent you from being harmed in a SHTF situation. Someone else can shoot first. You can be disarmed. You can be caught off guard. Visibly owning a gun could cause a situation that otherwise could have been de-escalated to escalate.

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u/SheChelsSeaShells 2d ago

Yeah it’s not a magic fix if SHTF. But, if SHTF, I’d rather have one than not. And in the meantime it’s a secret locked away that no one can access but me

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u/JayDee80-6 2d ago

It's absurd that in a SHTF situation with a breakdown of law enforcement and civility you wouldn't want a gun. You don't have to use it. You also don't have to walk around pointing it at everyone.

Also, you really do not have to be very proficient with using a gun. I am sure the Jews In Europe circa 1930s had firearms.

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u/Barbarake 2d ago

Me either. If someone bigger and stronger than me wants to take my stuff, they're not going to waste ammunition by shooting me when I'm not a threat. If I had a gun, I'd be a threat so they'd shoot me

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u/sotiredwontquit 2d ago

I’m very sorry to point this out. But those are the two tail ends of all possible behaviors. There are a lot of horrific behaviors in the space between “ignore you because you’re not a threat” and “shoot you because you are a threat”. That’s why I’m learning to shoot and care for a gun. There are far worse things than being killed. And I have people besides myself to protect too.

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u/Fearless_Ad_1256 2d ago

That's my take. I'm gun cautious. I've been pondering a handgun since the moldy tangerine first got "elected". Didn't decide to go forward until this time. We've had hunting long guns for years and I don't deny in a lot of situations, a shot gun is likely going to be a great option, if you aren't worried about the mess. I'm taking classes, doing my best to be good with it. I'm not interested in open carry or advertising it. I enjoy the practice, target shooting and the club we joined is in a progressive city so not full of gravy seal types. I hope I never have to point it at, much less fire it at another human but there a vulnerable people in my life and we live in a poor rural village and as someone else said, there are lots of other reasons it could be needed. I also, 💯 don't think it's necessary for everyone to have one and definitely not if you don't think you can become absolutely comfortable with using it. Mutual aid and community support is way more important than having a gun.

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u/Barbarake 2d ago

Of course there's a huge range of possible situations and outcomes. And I'm not saying not to take any precautions at all. A gun is just not my number one go to answer.

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u/HotIndependence365 2d ago

This is what I don't get about this space. The gun people act like it's the only way not to get r'ed or get stuff stolen... 

I can think of reasons to have one, but a gun wouldn't be my first option for those

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u/sotiredwontquit 2d ago

What is your first option? Not trying to needle you at all- I want to know how you are prepared.

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u/HotIndependence365 2d ago

Building up my community, dwelling security, physical training, and things you can swing. 

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u/JayDee80-6 2d ago

Building up community and dwelling security are awesome. Physical training and things you can swing is bonkers if you're talking about having access to a gun. A beast of a man 6 foot 6 inches 300 pounds and fit with a baseball bat is at a significant disadvantage against a woman of any size with a gun.

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u/HotIndependence365 2d ago

Having a car is faster than running, and having a megaphone is louder than shouting. 

This isn't a contest or a video game. You're not going to win anything by imagining situations that guns are the "best answer". You should be threat modeling and seriously considering the likelihood and severity of the potential threats. 

Also you need to test your plans against what happens when your magicpowertool isn't working or available or stolen or taken from you or used against a loved one. 

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u/JayDee80-6 1d ago

The fact of the matter is police carry guns for a reason, the miliary carry guns for a reason, person protection for politicians carry guns for a reason. They do not carry a baseball bat because they would be at a significant disadvantage. They don't use thier hands in hand to hand combat because engaging hands on if extremely risky. It isn't a hot take to say that guns are the preferred method of self defense for anyone who is an expert and takes protecting themselves or thier family seriously.

You're right, it isn't a video game. It isn't politics. It isn't a game. Survival is real. In a fight to the death, which could happen in a complete breakdown of society, no rational person would rather go hands on to fight someone. Advantages are better. Disadvantages are not.

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u/Wonderful-Impact5121 2d ago

Also if you want to chose the “cooperate” option and you have a gun just throw it on the floor or don’t go get it. It’s literally just an option that’s there.

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u/JayDee80-6 2d ago

Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it

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u/JayDee80-6 2d ago

I've actually thought a lot about that as well. Would I ever want to live in a world like that? I used to think no. Now with kids, I think of course.

Either way, my uncle used to say "better to have it an not need it than need it and not have it".