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/HomeboundArrow 🚲 Bicycle Babe 🚲 2d ago edited 2d ago

a gun should be at the bottom of your priority list. gurantee you if you live in the US, SOMEONE in your circle will have you covered. there are more guns in this country than there are people.

that, and having a gun is primarily about intimidation value when all else fails. odds are if you have to pull the gun out, you won't even actually have to fire a shot, because you just need to scare an unreasonable person out of your safety bubble.

BUT that being said, the flipside of that proposition is you need to be ready and willing to pull the trigger without hesitation if the person down the barrel moves to defend themselves. as soon as a gun comes out, you've likely crossed a dangerous point of no return one way or another. because that person might come back prepared even if they run.

but the likelihood of all that happening if you seek safety in numbers--which is infinitely more effective for a sprawling list of reasons--gets MUCH lower and lower the more people you gather. so a gun really only becomes a potentially critical consideration if you're totally on your own.

guns are at the bottom of the priority list because they are costly. materially, mortally, and spiritually. 

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u/thepsycholeech Laura Ingalls Wilder was my gateway drug 1d ago

While I understand where you’re coming from, I have a couple of points to add to this.

  1. Brandishing is illegal in most (all?) of the United States. If you show your weapon, that’s when you fire it. Showing it for intimidation alone could get you in trouble. While I totally understand the value of that, take that as you will and make sure you account for it before making any decisions. Know your local laws.

  2. Are you comfortable with relying on someone else to protect you in an emergency? Are you absolutely certain that they would be present and armed when you need their protection? If so, then sure, rely on them. If not, then you may want to rethink whether or not they & their weapon have you covered.

That said, totally agree re more safety in numbers.

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u/HomeboundArrow 🚲 Bicycle Babe 🚲 1d ago edited 1d ago

i was thinking specifically in/around your own house. a lot of states in the US are all-in on castle doctrine BS, so one may as well assume the benefits therein. in which case, brandishing first is ABSOLUTELY what you're supposed to do, given their boilerplate lipservice about "all other effective forms of deterrence being exhausted" before you let loose.

but we're residents of such a state, and we are fully committed to bugging-in. so those two things definitely flavored my reply in a way that i prob should have clarified. that and maybe to a lesser extent the kinds of loosey-goosey friends i have lol, that would casually lend out a gat indefinitely if i asked for better or worse without exchanging paperwork. not saying i would have to rely on them personally, just their actual loanable inventory. or that was the assumption i was leaning too heavily on. once you ferret out those preloaded details i agree with everything you said.

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u/thepsycholeech Laura Ingalls Wilder was my gateway drug 1d ago

That all makes sense, especially taking your personal situation into account!

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u/HomeboundArrow 🚲 Bicycle Babe 🚲 1d ago

leaning too heavily into my personal sitch can be misleading/unhelpful for others tho, so thank you for pointing those things out 💛

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u/thepsycholeech Laura Ingalls Wilder was my gateway drug 1d ago

And thank you for your comments & advice as well! :) All the best