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Brother, you've got THAT right, ESPECIALLY the part about letting a potential X to learn what you've squirrel'd away.Back when "preparing for the worst" seemed important I and others in my "social circle" did this with weapons particularly. So when I got something I really really liked and it liked ME.. the Rule of "One is None and Two is One" came into play. This didnt carry over into my collection thank heaven. But, Mini-14s (had five of those puppies before I wised up and dumped 'em), AR's, AK's, 7.62X51 BR's, BHP's, 1911 .45's, extended mag "patrol shotties", various knives and assorted "Other" gear... It was part of a learning process or "curve" and I don't regret it, taught my kids a lot and likewise others who got to know me well.
My "feeding frenzy" has abated some as my perceived needs have lessened over time. A divorce and also covering the bases of preparation over the years have slowed it down...
Should you be serious about preps, make point of keeping what you are about, or why, private and secure. Impress the need for privacy on your family and anyone else you may choose to trust. Be sure you CAN trust (and how far) those you trust. Oh, and what the wife doesnt know you have she can't claim or have her lawyer grab off should she become the "X". Just sayin.
I'm going to get a bit off-color probably, and I've said most of this before, and I'm sure I'll say it again. Too much of prepper culture is about acquiring bubblegum, and talking down to other people who spend their hard earned money on bubblegum that doesn't have a survival purpose.
I'm not an octopus, I don't need 20 guns to survive, I don't need guns to give out to friends and family or random people I meet when SHTF. I want to have guns that I enjoy, that are part of my life, just like if I were to own an RV, or a boat, or a vacation home. In fact, by spending less money on guns I'll probably never use just for the sake of having a second one in case something happens to the first one, I'd rather take that vacation with my wife, or have that vacation home.
Survivalism is great, but it's too easy to mix it up with pseudo-religious asceticism that leads to going without certain things in life, so when a random event that hasn't happened to anyone you know happens to you.
In short, don't be so busy packing all of your spare guns into the car when the world is collapsing you die in your driveway. You are way better off spending your time and money on a tuned system then you are by having extra crap. How do you tune your system? By trying it out! Take your BOV out to the cusp of nowhere and shoot your guns, take your wife, take your friends, sit by the fire under the stars, take some pictures, make some memories, and when you get back and realize something broke or didn't work, replace it, and do the same thing again next week.
Survivalism/Prepperdom never seems to acknowledge the fact that on a long enough timeline the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
DunRanull--Yeah, I only do it for firearms that are for long-term or shtf use; not everything. It is expensive, but I've built it up over time and it probably has prevented me from just chasing the latest/greatest things out there!
TargetShooter--There's no weapon, no matter how well crafted or designed that will NEVER fail/break. But, I admit, it is definitely costly!
I don't intend to prep for a long-term survival situation at all. I CAN see that the possibility of a short-term period of social unrest would require sheltering in place with enough groceries and water to keep you from having to brave the idiots out terrorizing people.
In the US we live a good life, we have plenty of clean drinkable water (most places anyways) that's available at the turn of a knob, we have almost limitless electrical power available at the flip of a switch, and with the swipe of a credit card at the gas pump (or paying cash) we can travel thousands of miles without question, and with a little device in our pockets, we can literally make contact with any other human on the face of the planet that has a similar device.
I think we need to be smarter about how we use some of our resources, so that we can have more drinkable water, more electrical power, and more communication, and we need to create the conditions where these things can be made cheaper so that more of the world can afford them.
As a society, there are tremendous benefits to maintaining the status quo, however the same technology that allows us to do these things combined with a lot of very bad leadership is creating a situation where technology is becoming a tool of oppression. It is by mastering the technology, understanding it's limitations, as well as it's power, that we can turn the technology to our benefit.
It's incredible how many people don't realize how good we have it. I've had friends accuse me of looking forward to a revolution, civil war, or a SHTF event and all I can do is stare at them blankly. I've heard of people who say they do look forward to that (on the internet, of course) and all I can deduct is that they haven't thought it through. Not that I wouldn't fight for the constitution if need be, but I quite like my simple, comfortable life.