Firearms considerations:
By Tyler Woods the11hr.com
Civilization affords the luxury of not having to assume complete
responsibility for everything. Meat comes from the market after the animals
are raised, slaughtered, butchered and wrapped. Produce is farmed,
harvested, transported and displayed for us. Fire departments stand ready
to drive trucks that cost more than our home and help to put out our fires.
Police patrol our neighborhoods to keep us safe from those who won't play
by the rules.
For “thin spots” in our civilization, where these systems prove inadequate,
we may raise our own food, install smoke detectors and fire extinguishers
and employ security devices and personal firearms. If civilization as we
know it were to collapse, the full burden of its services falls upon the
individual. Mike Arnold of Staying Alive, Inc. puts it this way: “The reason
I carry a gun is because they are easier to carry than a policeman.”
Preparedness is about self reliance. Learning how to use the tools necessary
for self reliance is part of it. Firearms are a necessary tool to that end.
Firearms serve us in two major areas. They provide a means of taking
game for food and they keep us from becoming victims of an outside threat.
This is a serious issue and in the event of a major national crisis where the
infrastructure of society fails, protecting our property and life may demand
a lethal response. I'm not sure who originally classified people into the three
types: sheep, wolf and sheepdogs, but it's a good illustration. Sheep are the
personality types that depend on others to protect, feed and care for all their
needs. Wolves are the predators that victimize and feed on the sheep.
Sheepdogs are the protectors who guard the sheep and slay the wolf. It is
interesting to note that the sheep don't often appreciate the sheepdog until a
wolf appears. For sheep, the thought of having a gun or using one for
taking game or personal protection, may not be a happy thought... they need
to get over it. Sheep end up as victims. A wolf is occupied with searching
for its next victim and doesn’t worry about much. For the sheepdogs among
us, this chapter comes easy because we already understand the need to get
food and the need to protect ourselves and the sheep under our care. I am a
sheepdog and there are grade-A predators among us.