You’ve stopped in the post office to get your mail after returning from a camping vacation with your family. A city councilman happens to see you and asks your opinion on a drainage project. After a brief conversation with him you head home, getting smiles and waves from everyone you pass. People like and admire you. You have respect in your community. You are a Community Hero—a person who uses your life to make a positive difference in the lives of others. You’re also a Prepper—a person with food and supplies stockpiled in case of an emergency or disaster. If anything should happen, you know your family will have what they need. You’ll also be able to help others in your community who are not as well prepared.
The councilman asked your opinion because he knows you have knowledge and skills about how things work and how to get things done. People in your community know you are the go-to guy when it comes to problem-solving and how to handle things. You don’t worry about the future because you are actively working in the present to make sure things go as well as they possibly can.
That is what the life of a prepper should be.
A life of joy, quality time with family and friends, freedom from fear, and the confidence that comes with knowing what you know. An active life, being involved in your community, volunteering in schools and mentoring programs, going to city council meetings or just helping in small ways that make a difference in the lives of others.
The alternative is to hunker down, never going out, hoarding food, supplies and gear, living in fear of a failed future. Or worse, sitting in a prison cell, thinking about your family home alone and fending for themselves. That’s a miserable way to live. And it’s all because of one very basic flaw many Preppers miss in the prepper philosophy.
I am a doomsday prepper, a fifty-one-year-old white man with the intention of providing safety and security for my family in a time of crises. I had all the supplies, food, gear, and skills. I studied, trained, and forged friendships with retired veterans who gave me private Army Ranger training. I was prepared for natural disasters and social upheaval.
It started with sound bites—about FEMA Camps, Continuity of Government, riots exploding in cities across the country, and how the prepper movement was all about getting ready to face these huge issues. I tuned in and listened to the news stories, I read everything I could get my hands on, and it all scared me half to death! I jumped into the prepper movement and took my family into it with me.
I had the knowledge, the gear, the training, and at one point I joined a local militia group where I was promoted to a position of overseeing state-wide member training. I chose to buy two unlicensed and unregistered fully automatic AK-47's. Experience shared with me by two former combat veteran army rangers led me to believe in the importance of such a weapon.
I had everything a true prepper should have. At least I thought I did.
It ended with a visit from the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) and my subsequent arrest for having machine guns. I knew, on some level, that having machine guns without a special license is illegal. First, I am not an army ranger, second, we are not at war, third if I really wanted to own them I should have sought the appropriate licensing. This type of weapon is extremely lethal and should be controlled. The actual federal statute that I broke was 922 o, possession of a machine gun by a restricted person. However, I justified having them because in my mind, those guns were for defensive purposes only, and for some future point in time. It never really registered to me that they were a problem—I never thought of them as a concern in the present—they were a precaution for the future. This thinking was what ultimately led me to failure as a prepper. I am currently awaiting sentencing by a federal judge and the sentence range is 0 to 120 months. That is 10 years!
There is a fundamental problem with the prepper philosophy that I missed. From personal experience, there are many preppers who make the same mistake. The flaw is in HOW we interpret and apply the information we get. The sound bites, the alternative news coverage of big issues in this country…those are not to scare us into hunkering down with artillery and paranoid scenarios of a failed future. That is preparing for a battle we can never win.
Those news stories are there to show us what is going on,
to highlight issues that need our attention now.
If you are hunkering down with your hordes of gear and supplies, waiting to be attacked, you are not being effective to your family, your community, or to yourself. If you are hiding from the present, hoping someone else is going to deal with the issues and the problems, or maybe the next generation will “fix” it, you are not being a true prepper. You’re not being a hero.
Take a hard look at why you aren’t getting involved in your community now. Are you nervous about speaking to other people? Are you too lazy? Too unconcerned? Do you think preparing for some great “what-if” is more important than paying attention to a smaller matter going on in your town now? Maybe you don’t think one person can make a difference…
How effective is all your prepping? How effective are YOU?
Are you are prepping for a future of survival after catastrophe? A future where every decision you make and everything you say might be uniquely significant? If you don’t have the courage to volunteer at a school function, how do you think you are prepared to be a leader in a failed future? Can you make comfortable shoes? Decent toilet paper? A simple Q-tip?
I encourage everyone to be a prepper—to a degree. Being prepared in any sort of emergency is a good thing. It makes you and your family self-sufficient, allows you to help others, and keeps you from being a burden on those who are trying to help the victims of the disaster. But there must be balance in your life. Living in fear, putting all your family’s finances and resources into gathering more supplies, more gear, more items of defense…it’s a dark and unhealthy way to live. if you have machine guns and get caught you will lose your ability to take care of your family. If a true emergency happens now my family will suffer.
I moved my family to a very remote part of Kentucky nestled within the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Being self-sufficient preppers, we have no modern furnace. The winters can be long and cold. While I am sitting in a federal detention center my duties have fallen to my wife and daughter. They must chop wood and run our farm now, and my skills, abilities and insights are of little use to them. This is just one example of what happens if you choose to own unlicensed machine guns.
It comes down to making correct decisions.
If we all put as much energy and focus into facing the problems of the present, we might not ever need to worry about facing a failed future and the much bigger problems that come with it. Be prepared, certainly. But don’t ignore the present moment. Don’t miss out on your children growing up and the wonders of living a joyful life right now. I suggest that if you have unlicensed machine guns you should make sure that you are in full compliance with all federal, state, and local firearms laws. Destroy them according to ATF specifications. If bump stocks become illegal, destroy them as well. This is the only way you can insure true victory. There are no heroes in prison and never will be.
Stop planning to be a hero—Be a hero right now.
You don’t have to do anything that sweeps the nation. Small acts make a significant difference in the lives of others. Help by mentoring someone with your skills, pick up litter and make the parks a more beautiful place to be, volunteer to help coach a team, go to a city council meeting. These things may seem trivial, but they start conversations and help you get to know people in your community. Small activities that build relationships and get positive changes accomplished are a start that, when combined with the small acts of others, make an enormous impact on our world.
Machine guns are illegal in America.
If you have unlicensed machine guns, place them next to your wife and family and choose, because in today's America you can't have both. Working for a life where machine guns are never needed is a much better way to use your time and talents and skills. Get involved in the present. Be a hero now.
The councilman asked your opinion because he knows you have knowledge and skills about how things work and how to get things done. People in your community know you are the go-to guy when it comes to problem-solving and how to handle things. You don’t worry about the future because you are actively working in the present to make sure things go as well as they possibly can.
That is what the life of a prepper should be.
A life of joy, quality time with family and friends, freedom from fear, and the confidence that comes with knowing what you know. An active life, being involved in your community, volunteering in schools and mentoring programs, going to city council meetings or just helping in small ways that make a difference in the lives of others.
The alternative is to hunker down, never going out, hoarding food, supplies and gear, living in fear of a failed future. Or worse, sitting in a prison cell, thinking about your family home alone and fending for themselves. That’s a miserable way to live. And it’s all because of one very basic flaw many Preppers miss in the prepper philosophy.
I am a doomsday prepper, a fifty-one-year-old white man with the intention of providing safety and security for my family in a time of crises. I had all the supplies, food, gear, and skills. I studied, trained, and forged friendships with retired veterans who gave me private Army Ranger training. I was prepared for natural disasters and social upheaval.
It started with sound bites—about FEMA Camps, Continuity of Government, riots exploding in cities across the country, and how the prepper movement was all about getting ready to face these huge issues. I tuned in and listened to the news stories, I read everything I could get my hands on, and it all scared me half to death! I jumped into the prepper movement and took my family into it with me.
I had the knowledge, the gear, the training, and at one point I joined a local militia group where I was promoted to a position of overseeing state-wide member training. I chose to buy two unlicensed and unregistered fully automatic AK-47's. Experience shared with me by two former combat veteran army rangers led me to believe in the importance of such a weapon.
I had everything a true prepper should have. At least I thought I did.
It ended with a visit from the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) and my subsequent arrest for having machine guns. I knew, on some level, that having machine guns without a special license is illegal. First, I am not an army ranger, second, we are not at war, third if I really wanted to own them I should have sought the appropriate licensing. This type of weapon is extremely lethal and should be controlled. The actual federal statute that I broke was 922 o, possession of a machine gun by a restricted person. However, I justified having them because in my mind, those guns were for defensive purposes only, and for some future point in time. It never really registered to me that they were a problem—I never thought of them as a concern in the present—they were a precaution for the future. This thinking was what ultimately led me to failure as a prepper. I am currently awaiting sentencing by a federal judge and the sentence range is 0 to 120 months. That is 10 years!
There is a fundamental problem with the prepper philosophy that I missed. From personal experience, there are many preppers who make the same mistake. The flaw is in HOW we interpret and apply the information we get. The sound bites, the alternative news coverage of big issues in this country…those are not to scare us into hunkering down with artillery and paranoid scenarios of a failed future. That is preparing for a battle we can never win.
Those news stories are there to show us what is going on,
to highlight issues that need our attention now.
If you are hunkering down with your hordes of gear and supplies, waiting to be attacked, you are not being effective to your family, your community, or to yourself. If you are hiding from the present, hoping someone else is going to deal with the issues and the problems, or maybe the next generation will “fix” it, you are not being a true prepper. You’re not being a hero.
Take a hard look at why you aren’t getting involved in your community now. Are you nervous about speaking to other people? Are you too lazy? Too unconcerned? Do you think preparing for some great “what-if” is more important than paying attention to a smaller matter going on in your town now? Maybe you don’t think one person can make a difference…
How effective is all your prepping? How effective are YOU?
Are you are prepping for a future of survival after catastrophe? A future where every decision you make and everything you say might be uniquely significant? If you don’t have the courage to volunteer at a school function, how do you think you are prepared to be a leader in a failed future? Can you make comfortable shoes? Decent toilet paper? A simple Q-tip?
I encourage everyone to be a prepper—to a degree. Being prepared in any sort of emergency is a good thing. It makes you and your family self-sufficient, allows you to help others, and keeps you from being a burden on those who are trying to help the victims of the disaster. But there must be balance in your life. Living in fear, putting all your family’s finances and resources into gathering more supplies, more gear, more items of defense…it’s a dark and unhealthy way to live. if you have machine guns and get caught you will lose your ability to take care of your family. If a true emergency happens now my family will suffer.
I moved my family to a very remote part of Kentucky nestled within the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Being self-sufficient preppers, we have no modern furnace. The winters can be long and cold. While I am sitting in a federal detention center my duties have fallen to my wife and daughter. They must chop wood and run our farm now, and my skills, abilities and insights are of little use to them. This is just one example of what happens if you choose to own unlicensed machine guns.
It comes down to making correct decisions.
If we all put as much energy and focus into facing the problems of the present, we might not ever need to worry about facing a failed future and the much bigger problems that come with it. Be prepared, certainly. But don’t ignore the present moment. Don’t miss out on your children growing up and the wonders of living a joyful life right now. I suggest that if you have unlicensed machine guns you should make sure that you are in full compliance with all federal, state, and local firearms laws. Destroy them according to ATF specifications. If bump stocks become illegal, destroy them as well. This is the only way you can insure true victory. There are no heroes in prison and never will be.
Stop planning to be a hero—Be a hero right now.
You don’t have to do anything that sweeps the nation. Small acts make a significant difference in the lives of others. Help by mentoring someone with your skills, pick up litter and make the parks a more beautiful place to be, volunteer to help coach a team, go to a city council meeting. These things may seem trivial, but they start conversations and help you get to know people in your community. Small activities that build relationships and get positive changes accomplished are a start that, when combined with the small acts of others, make an enormous impact on our world.
Machine guns are illegal in America.
If you have unlicensed machine guns, place them next to your wife and family and choose, because in today's America you can't have both. Working for a life where machine guns are never needed is a much better way to use your time and talents and skills. Get involved in the present. Be a hero now.
