Shootin' it Straight - Preparation Preaching

It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. With the current conflict with Iran in full swing, many of us are casually keeping track of what we see as a bombing campaign on the other side of the globe. Things are stable stateside, so we stay in our lull, calmed by a steady stream of media nonsense. We seem to learn slowly.

During widespread rioting, you couldn’t buy enough guns and ammo as people sought to protect themselves from potential chaos. During the COVID panic, people were convinced we were nearing a new season of The Walking Dead and geared up accordingly. Locally, we had a shooter take up position and spray I-75 before disappearing, which drove people to gobble up lethal protection as if he was on their doorstep. If Iran either retaliates by striking a U.S. city or activates sleeper cells stateside, you will see the same panic buying we’ve witnessed before during every conceivable cycle of violence. 

The solution is to be prepared well in advance. While we hope the reality of warfare never reaches our shores, we’re foolish to think it’s out of the question. Preparation for general unrest and the possibility of defending one’s well-being was once a common virtue among able men of this nation. As with the generator we stashed in the shed before the ice storm, being ready brings comfort.

You can assure yourself that being armed and skilled in the use of weapons is a great deterrent, because even the staunchly anti-gun politicians are guarded by such means. It goes without saying that we would all greatly prefer to never engage in violence, but we must be willing to do so if it spares our loved ones. To the naysayers, take a look at the Ukrainian fighters over the past few years. They are toting an absolute smorgasbord of weaponry and holding serve, to an extent.

The fear of jihadists shouldn’t be the spark that pushes you to prepare to defend your family. The basic principles of defensive living should be a widely accepted routine. When bad things happen, most of us will either fetch a weapon or call someone who will.

We are arguably in the golden age of firearms. Quality firearms and ammunition are available as cheaply as they’ve ever been. Training is widely available from a variety of reputable sources. There is no logical reason why a person would not take steps to use the most efficient and affordable option to truly protect themselves.

You may wholly disagree with the idea of it all. That doesn’t change the fact that much of the world around you is perfectly fine with forcing its will upon you. The very basic act of self-preservation is the ultimate human right, and we are all fools if we don’t take advantage of it while we can. Many around the globe have given up that right, only to regret it as lethal consequences followed.

Apply the same logic to preparation as you do to insurance, generators, clean water, and canned foods. The hope is that ticket never gets cashed in, but it’s kept in the back pocket just in case.