What do you like about having extra ammo?

[Officers'Wife]

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[Warp]

Hi Warp,

Paper money is only worth what you can buy with it. Here in the midwest we have been warned since ancient times that the New Madrid fault is long overdue to shift. It is predicted that when it does the devastation will be massive disrupting everything from power generation to transportation. Thanks to the JIT procedure when the trucks and trains stop running food will disappear in hurry. When money is in good supply and food is rare or non-existent what is the value of the dollar? Now imagine a couple hundred cities, big and small, out of food and no way to get it in? Do you really think there are enough National Guardsmen and helicopters to supply an entire region?

One of my TOB's is writing an auto-biography and has allowed me to read what he has so far. One line that made an impression large on me was that during the "war years" money was easy to earn but there was nothing to spend it on.

And what will you get with your ammunition, in that hypothetical scenario? Will people trade you their rare or non existent food for your "extra" ammo?

 

[Officers'Wife]

redacted

 

[Trent]

And what will you get with your ammunition, in that hypothetical scenario? Will people trade you their rare or non existent food for your "extra" ammo?

My friends and I ran some numbers one day at my kitchen table just for fun.

Using the latest "herd estimates" for IL wildlife (mainly deer, which are somewhat reliable figures), the number of registered gun owners, and figuring each person who could hunt would be out hunting for game after a crisis (supervolcano, dirty nuke event, etc)... and a moderately decent success rate.

.. we figure deer would become extinct in this state within 3 days. A *lot* of hunters would also perish from "not so friendly fire", since there'd be far more hunters in the woods (many of whom have never hunted before), than deer/game inside of 24 hours.

So what you going to use the extra ammo for? It sure as hell won't feed you for long.

If you think the end is near and you've only stockpiled ammo, thinking it'll be the "new currency".. well, my friend, you are doing things wrong.

 

[Trent]

Probably not, but since the family is in possession of between 2 to 300 head of cattle at any one time, not to mention wheat, milk, fuel and generators what do you suppose our condition will be?

I think your position will be very defensive. Those are all commodities people will be killing other people for if the food and gas trucks ever quit rolling.

We're going pretty deep down the rabbit hole here for THR standards guys.

Need to clean up the conversation or I see this thread getting canned soon.

THR's mission isn't about "what if" but "where are we at right now".

 

[Officers'Wife]

Hi Trent,

The office of having extra anything is the hedge for the future. Dad didn't even wait for the ink on the adoption papers to get dry to start slamming that you must prepare for the future. The family business is dependent on nature and to quote my late uncle they call nature a mother for good reason. Last year's drought hurt many of those in our occupation, still more were hurt by the excessive rain this spring. Those with "extra" have seen their business survive.

The question of the moment is what do you like about extra ammunition. My answer is simply the security of knowing that should nature show her worst we are prepared to meet whatever challenges come up. From the food stored in the root cellar to the fuel stores to the spare parts and equipment. The ammunition represents that my children will be safe and secure in nearly every circumstance.

 

[Warp]

Probably not, but since the family is in possession of between 2 to 300 head of cattle at any one time, not to mention wheat, milk, fuel and generators what do you suppose our condition will be?

Okay...so explain to me how this supports the claim that ammunition is better than cash.

Remember that THR doesn't do SHTF, let alone TEOTWAWKI.

 

[Officers'Wife]

Redacted

 

[PabloJ]

I don't mind owning 50 rounds of 9x19, 200 rounds of 10x25 and 50 rounds of buck shot. Life is wonderful.

 

[Trent]

Hi Trent,
The question of the moment is what do you like about extra ammunition. My answer is simply the security of knowing that should nature show her worst we are prepared to meet whatever challenges come up. From the food stored in the root cellar to the fuel stores to the spare parts and equipment. The ammunition represents that my children will be safe and secure in nearly every circumstance.

The point I was making is if things get real bad, having the extra things makes you a target - whether it be fuel, ammunition, or food. Whether it would ever reach that point in our lifetime is a matter of speculation.

Personally, I've stocked up on ammunition not just for my own (self-centric) desire but also so my kids have the option (if they choose) if being in a position where they can check at least one "worry item" of the long list that will confront them during their lifespans.

This tends to happen in my family, a few thousand rounds of ammo and a few boomsticks that I own were handed down from departed family members. (At least one shotgun has been for several generations.)

Queen of Thunder pointed out a while back that this is a multi-generation thing. If I recall correctly she's from Australia where things got real bad for gun owners, in a real short period of time (relatively). So I try to listen when she shares some wisdom with us. (I try to listen to everyone because even from someone sharing a bad viewpoint, you can learn.. fortunately THR is predominantly filled with good viewpoints, so it's incredibly easy to learn on here).

The American mindset is different from other parts of the world. Asian societies, and others, tend to think multi-generational. We Americans do not. We tend to think only about "what is good for me", our speech is full of "I, I, I, me, me, me".... all too often planning things out for the generation that follows you is merely an afterthought, something most folks hastily do at the end of their lifespans, if they are lucky enough to expire of natural causes and have time to see it coming.

So.. ammunition.

What is enough?

Hoping my Grandkids at least have a little put away.

 

[Officers'Wife]

The American mindset is different from other parts of the world. Asian societies, and others, tend to think multi-generational. We Americans do not.

I hate blanket statements such as this. There are a few "mom and pop" stores in business that have spanned more than one generation. "Family" corporations are a familiar item in American business. Visit farm country sometime and take a poll of how many owner/operators practice soil conservation because 'one of the kids will be taking over someday.'

On a personal note, one of the cartridges I keep an extra supply of is the obsolete 32-20 because I'm the fourth generation shooting the little carbine that uses that flavor. In general, the further from dependency on the soil an American gets the less concern they are for future generations and more attractive to solutions that help the short term at the expense of the long term. Franklin Roosevelt is a prime example.

 

[gym]

Cash becomes useless when the store shelves are empty. Even when power goes for a few days, and the trucks can't run because of they have no gasoline due to power failures and damage caused by hurricanes or electrical failures caused by damage to the power grid. After a few days of this type of chaos, it becomes a hunker down and wait for things to normalize situation.
During that time is when having some extra ammo may save your life. This is providing that you have prepared for something to happen ahead of time.
I think that there are 6 or 7 main power generators that could go down and shut power off to large portions of the country,
In a speech before members of the United States Senate on July 26, 2012, Republican Chuck Grassley spoke about the need to protect the country from a devastating cyber attack.http://www.examiner.com/article/cyb...own-the-electric-grid-for-the-entire-east-coa
It may just be enough to get you through a very tough week or two until things came back on line. The looters and thugs will come out looking for food and anything else they want as soon as the law enforcement personnel figure they need to take care of their own family's first. This is not a zombie apocalypse scenario, but rather a situation that can happen at any time. It is apparently serious enough to be discussed by top military analysts.
We have heard of Syrian Hackers this past week threatening attacks on the US. Sooner or later Russian, and Chinese hackers will launch an attack that penetrates our networks. It's just a matter of time.


He didn't mince words either:

“Cyber attackers could all too easily shut down the electric grid for the entire east coast, the west coast, and the middle part of our country”, said Senator Grassley on July 26, 2012.
If this were the case, then having ammo would definitely be better than not having it.

 

[Warp]

gym...nobody is saying, implying, arguing, or suggesting not having ammunition.

 

[xxjumbojimboxx]

In 1 day, cash will still be king.

In 1 day, cash is extremely unlikely to lose its value, across the board. Unless you ARE talking about an end of days.

Tornadoes are not going to make cash lose its value.

And earthquake is not going to make cash lose its value.

A hurricane is not going to make cash lose its value.

Now, sure, if you were in southern Louisiana right after Katrina hit, and you didn't have ANY ammunition, you probably wouldn't be able to buy it at retail, because the stores wouldn't even be open. But having enough ammunition to defend yourself and your property after a major natural disaster...and having a stash of "extra" ammo...are two entirely different things. I'll bet nobody...or a few at maximum...needed more than a magazine or two of ammunition post-Katrina...just as an example.

Those thing wont hurt the value of cash... But ben Bernanke is doing a damn good job of it in Washington.

 

[gym]

Ammo is just a hedge against many things. It is not the answer to bigger problems, but at least it helps ward off predators in a tenuous short term situation, that otherwise has no reasonable way of deterring fools and morons who prey on what they perceive to be easy targets.
Society degrades quickly when there is no way to enforce the rule of law. It took 6 months to a year for people to get back in their homes last time we had a major storm, and those folks in Oklahoma are hanging on by a thread as are many others. One big "anything" and we are in the soup "big time". it's silly not to take precautions, if you are able to.