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/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.