Arming the Neighborhood: What's YOUR plan?

[cleardiddion]

I found a picture with a caption on my computer the other day that kinda reflected my views on arming neighbors.

'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Give a man a pole and he starves to death because he didn't have a sinker.'

What I mean by this is that even in crisis where your neighbors are lined up around the block and beg for whatnot, what makes you think that they even know which end to point at the threat?

 

[JMusic]

My rural neighborhood would be like walking into Faluga in 1994.

 

[Sky]

The article on Argentina was very well written.

We were going to Buenos Aries and Rio a few years back but a friend from there told me about people getting robbed, hurt, and killed so we passed.

Like the article said it does not happen over night but one day you wake up and find out that over time things have changed and your life is not like it was last year.

 

[Cearbhall]

Judging from the amount of gunfire I hear every New Years Eve and July 4th, I'd say my neighborhood is already pretty well armed.

 

[staggerlee213]

Judging from all the gunfire, my neighborhood is armed enough.

 

[staggerlee213]

Cearbhall: I wonder if we are neighbors!

 

[stevelyn]

Neighbors are already armed. Getting them to fight cohesively would be another matter. Hell, most the VFD members can't even operate in a coordinated fashion.

 

[one45auto]

I've had similar remarks directed toward me from co-workers and acquaintances, comments about how they'll all come to my house when things go south because I've got all the guns, food, and water..yada yada yada....however I tell them all the same thing - don't even waste your time. They've had the same opportunity as myself to think ahead and make preparations. If they didn't then oh well, that's thier mistake. I simply will not suffer fools - or parasites. Family and loved ones I'd look after, but everyone else would be on their own. I'm not arming anyone.


Besides, given the general political climate (with respect to guns) of the area I live in, and the actions and attitudes of my neighbors, I'd say that the vast majority of them either don't own a firearm or if they do, they know next to nothing about it and simply bought it and tossed it into a drawer to be forgotten. More than likely they'd be lining up to sleep on some Red Cross cot in a gymnasium somewhere or waiting around for someone in authority to tell them what to do and/or rescue them from their predicament.

 

[ChCx2744]

Besides immediate family and a chosen few friends that live close by, I would not arm my neighbors. If I had a bunch of extra guns that I could not take with me (If on the move) I would, but I don't. Speaking from what would happen in MY situation to ME and MY home, I physically wouldn't be able to provide anything. Not trying to sound greedy, but I gotta cover my own 6 first.

 

[Erik M]

I don't know most of my neighbors. I don't particularly like most of the ones that I do know. I'm not arming any of them.

R

This is my opinion as well. When the wind blows, creek rises, and SHTF I am packing wife and weapons up and heading to my dads retirement house, a ridgetop cabin in the middle of nowhere.

 

[smallbore]

My wife and I are prepared, as are our children/their spouses. The rest of our family members are scattered are prepared to fend for themselves. There are also a good number of others in my neighborhood that are just as prepared as the misses/myself. As for the rest of 'em. .good luck.

 

[therewolf]

Arm the neighborhood?How about feed and logistically support them through the crisis as well?Everybody plans it out with guns beforehand, but thinks nothing of a defensive location with interlocking fields of fire, or enough food or water for a siege, or how to generate power or heat. Or a structurally enhanced home,etc.

It appears that we are hedonistic, rather than realistic, about true survival, should the SHTF in actual terms. Yeah, we have guns, shoot,hoard ammo,etc. But that's as far as it usually really goes.

One sad fact is that if the SHTF there ARE going to be two types of people:
The ones shooting, and the ones getting shot. I guess I can only hope I'm the former, and not the latter.

I CCW, but I'm really only a range shooter,anyway. There I said it.

 

[RDak]

Most of my neighbors are armed and those who aren't will get my help in a heartbeat.

They are my friends.

A couple of close unarmed neighbors have asked me this question jokingly (but with a serious undertone) and I told them they have nothing to worry about, I will provide them with firearms to protect themselves and their families.

One of the wives ran up and hugged me the next time she saw me and I had to ask what that was all about. LOL! (They are raising one of their grandchildren and are not gun saavy.....but not against guns for anyone else.)

 

[Wedge]

One neighbor will get help in a heartbeat. I don't know for sure if he owns anything, he is pro 2A for sure though. We already look out for each other on a very regular basis and are good friends. Come to think of it, I should have the defensive conversation with him. I don't see a protracted siege taking place, but a week long supply disruption and potential for non-residents to make their way into our subdivision would necessitate looking out for each other.

All of my other friends live too far away, one in particular I would like to see get armed before there is an emergency.

Neighbors in general, no. Close friends, yes.

 

[skwab]

It is difficult and expensive enough to prepare for yourself and for your family, the rest of the neighborhood is on their own. If we find ourselves in a major SHTF scenario, I don't think arming my neighbors and forming a posse is a good thing. If they haven't seen the writing on the wall and have failed to make preparations for themselves and their families, there's just not much I can do except hope that FEMA gets to them in time.

 

[mcdonl]

Love this line.... lol

From the article on Argentina....

And this guy is a firearms instructor?… probably the kind of guy that will say that a handgun is only used to fight his way to his rifle… and his facial night cream…

 

[Red Cent]

Some of us live in states that if a state of emergency was posted we could not transport firearms. I believe if a state of emergency was posted based on the thoughts of some posterss, martial law would be declared. It will get really interesting to see if they would attempt to disarm us.

 

[Caleb4387]

I live in North florida. if it got bad I would try to make it to my friends place in missippi. he has 485 acres of heavy forest rolling hills and swamp. Plenty of Deer, rabbits, squirells, coons turkey hogs and stray dogs for food as well as a lake with bass bream and catfish. He has the edvantage of knowing the place and has an ar 15, 1911, 357, 243 and many othe guns stacked up plus tons and tons of ammo. beetween his and my weapons i think we could hold out for awhile against the average rioters and looters.

 

[2ndAmFan]

Since I live out in the boonies and I have some...um, interesting neighbors I'm not sure a neighborhood plan is really all that feasible. None of my neighbors lives closer than 1/2 mile away. Of my closest neighbors, one is rabidly anti-gun, the others seem to have a great many more guns and a lot more ammo than I do judging by the amount of firing I occasionally hear on weekends. The anti informed me that both the M1 Garand and SKS are selective fire weapons and therefore illegal,(?) but was kind enough to tell me that as long as he didn't see me or any of my family/friends with them he wouldn't call the Sheriff's Dept. I don't own a Garand and I was holding an SKS at the time he told me it is an illegal weapon . Since he had no idea what kind of gun I was holding and hasn't shown any inclination to listen to me when I've talked about guns with him I pretty much just try to be polite if he decides to stop and pontificate on firearms with me anymore.
I spoke with one of the weekend shooters once and he was of the opinion that he could take care of himself and his family. My attempt to speak with one of the others was less successful (He was decidedly unfriendly) so I figure my family and I are on our own. No big deal, but I wonder if it occurred to the neighbors I talked to that since my place is closest to the County Road, if some BGs get through us they are likely to head for their places next. It would be nice to have a plan with my neighbors but it doesn't seem to be in the cards.

 

[wally]

Talking to the neighbors in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, seems like our neighborhood could arm a respectable banana republic, so I doubt I'd need to worry about it

 

[Shadow 7D]

Sorry, but, if non family (and some of the family...) come to my place, it's a pay for play sort of arrangement, might get me a nice platoon out of it, and if they don't like it, well there is the door, and soon the gate if you lazy bums ever finish the palisade.

 

[goon]

Arming my neighbors? Not a chance. I simply don't have the money to even arm myself as I would like to.

One thing I am willing to do though is spend $2 or so on a box of .22 ammo. I have introduced a lot of people to shooting (mostly other college students) that way and consider that an investment. If that $2 causes them to become comfortable with guns, own a couple, and take an active interest in their own well-being, then it was money well spent.
Additionally, our conversations about guns or shooting on the weekend make it to other people. Those people sometimes say something like "I've never shot a gun". To which I reply, "We can remedy that next weekend if you're not busy..."
If the people in question are not rabidly anti-gun, you'd be surprised how far a little curiousity can take you.
Later, they might say something like "I don't see why people need AK-47's." This gives me an opening to explain precisely why such guns are among the most important type of weapon you could own. They may not agree at first, but it gets them thinking. I know a lot about history and can generally sling out some cases when unarmed people were killed for lack of the ability to fight back. I also cite "Night" by Elie Wiesel a lot - in particularly, how no one believed the Germans were coming to murder everyone until it was too late. It gets wheels turning.
So I guess this is how I go about arming my neighbors.

 

[daorhgih]

2ndAmFan, here's a hint.

I rcvd. a nice "survivalist" catalog some time ago, and a lot of items seemed useful, although a bit pricey. So I made my own. My favorite is a "sounding device" made from a shotgun shell, a strap hinge, a wood-screw, and some lay-about springs and parts. If anyone / -thing trips the wire, I am alerted. These are not placed to kill or injure, although they could be. And one might also dispense various gases if required, at the same time. I am quite comfortable with my wife and kids in our house, but I do like to know when "company" is coming.

 

[Sport45]

I am amazed that this SHTF thread is still around. I figured it was one of the Halloween exceptions to the rule.

 

[mustang_steve]

No firearms for them....My collection was designed to fill specific needs in.

Anywho, most of my neighbors don't even know I own firearms. I don't advertise such things, as in this area it can lead to a far higher risk of burglary.