# 10 - Many Preppers Will Die Quickly in a True SHTF Situation
I want to discuss a topic that always gets people heated up and defensive. If you are one of the people that get defensive about this discussion and get heated about me saying this, then perhaps you should look in the mirror as you may be one of the people I am referring to.
I believe there will be a few different ways that other preppers will react to this discussion:
Many will get all defensive and say that I don't know what I am talking about and stop reading. If this is you, then I wish you and your family all the best in the end.
Some will actually listen to what I have to say with an open mind and realize that there may just be some changes that you need to make to your disaster plans to be better prepared.
A few are already aware of this information and it will merely be a reminder to them.
Many, if not most of the "hardcore preppers" out there will die off rather quickly in a true SHTF situation and it will be due in large part because of the prepping that they have done.
When a SHTF situation occurs they believe they will grab their assault rifles to defend their homes or communities from looters and gangs that will be trying to steal their supplies.
The reality would be different however. No matter how large or widespread the disaster is, every law enforcement officer is not going to just lay down their arms, throw away their badges and walk off the jobs letting you do whatever you want to do. They will be doing everything they can do to keep their grasp on law and order.
If it were an EMP or something similar that took out the entire national power grid along with most communications (all communications will never be taken out completely, but we will get into that in a future episode) local government will be in charge. A police captain or sergeant may be the highest ranking person representing local government that is left in a real SHTF situation.
The lower level the person is, the less likely they will be adequately trained to coordinate a major disaster. For instance, if the Mayor is in charge, he will be better equipped to coordinate a large scale disaster than a typical beat cop would be because theoretically he has practiced handling disaster situations with members of Civil Defense, Police, Fire, EMS, ARES, RACES, etc. A typical beat officer has no experience doing this, so they will be "winging it".
A version of Martial law will be in effect, either officially or unofficially. The larger and more severe the situation, the tighter the remaining government will want to hold onto the reigns. Law enforcement and military will become more "trigger-happy" as they try to deal with widespread looting.
It is highly unlikely that looters in this situation will be rounded up for later prosecution. More than likely they will be shot on sight, no courts, no trial.
Where do you think that will leave those hard-core preppers out there carrying their assault rifles around? That's right, shot dead right along side the looters. The police are not going to have time to determine if you are a looter trying to rob someone or not, you are armed, and therefore a threat to them, and they will dispatch you accordingly.
Look at all the police shootings that have happened in recent years of unarmed people that were killed by mistake when an officer thought they were armed, and those happened when the officer did not have the added stress of the disaster going on.
Or, let's look at another situation. You are minding your own business in your home when looters try to break in. You grab your assault rifle to defend your home with. If those shots are heard by police, they will come armed to deal with looters and see you standing in your home with you rifle, again you are dead right along side the looters, accidentally shot by the responding officer thinking that you were the looter.
Now do not get me wrong, I am not saying that you should not be armed. You MUST be armed if you want to survive, but you need to be armed with the right weapon at the right time.
If it is a nationwide SHTF long-term disaster situation like an EMP taking out the national power grid, law and order will not last long and the officers trying to maintain it will be killed off because they will be greatly outnumbered by the organized gangs and mobs of people looting because they had no disaster supplies.
During this initial phase of the disaster a concealable handgun is your best bet. Remember, you do not want to stand out and make yourself a target. You want to blend in with everyone else as the proverbial "gray man". Having an assault rifle strapped to your back will definitely make you a target in many peoples eyes.
Wearing "tactical clothing" or a military style backpack will also make you a target because people will see that you are more prepared for the situation, and therefore have supplies that they will want to take from you.
I would also recommend having a silencer for your handgun so that when you do have to use it to defend you home and family (do not deceive yourself, you most assuredly will have to use it at some point) the shots are not heard by others drawing attention to yourself and your family.
Most people believe that owning a silencer is illegal. Silencers are legal but are regulated by federal law and on a state-by-state basis by the Nation Firearm Act (NFA) branch of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE).
Private citizens can legally purchase and possess silencers in 42 states without a permit (Only Hawaii, California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Delaware have outlawed silencers).
If you are an FFL dealer, manufacturer, peace officer, or member of a law enforcement agency or other government agency, there are additional states where you can own a silencer.
You can also download plans online with detailed instructions for making your own silencer. I am not endorsing this as it is highly illegal if you live in a state where they are illegal, yet I also can not prevent you from doing so. There is also a certain "cookbook" that I will not mention by name where you can find this information if it is legal for you to have in your state.
There are also kits available that you can order online that will allow you to convert an item that almost every prepper already has in their supplies into an extremely effective silencer:
In a grid down, SHTF situation where the last remnants of law and order are breaking down, you do whatever you have to do to ensure the safety of your families, but do it in a way that will not draw attention to yourselves and make you a target for others.
When hardcore preppers think of a SHTF situation and what they will need in the situation, they often think of the "Mad Max" scenario where it is every man for himself and the one with the largest weapons stash will win.
This is why I say that many hardcore preppers will die in the first few days of a real SHTF event, that is unless they listen to what I am saying, and use some common sense in their preparations and tactical plans and remember what I said in the last episode about The #1 Threat in a SHTF Situation.
When you look at actual events throughout history, these disaster situations do not turn into a Mad Max scenario overnight. More than likely it will be more of a gradual decay where several different weapons will be the best at that time.
Once all of the law enforcement has either been killed off, or have abandoned their feeble unrealistic attempt to restore order, then we move into the stage where long guns will be a better fit. This is when you pull out your assault rifles, but not before then.
I would also suggest using silencers on your long guns at this point as well. The less noise you make when either defending your home and property, or if you decide to go into the woods and go hunting for protein, the better off you will be. The less attention you can draw to yourself the better.
If you are making a lot of noise with your firearms, that tells the looters that are starving and desperate one thing, you have something worth protecting. And they may just want to come and test out your security to see how well armed you are. Unless you are part of a large well armed and well trained group, you will not hold off a large group of armed looters for very long.
Don't be like a lot of preppers out there, just stocking up a large number of firearms, always wanting to get the newest, biggest, baddest guns on the range. Use some common sense in your preparations and tactical planning.
For the recovery period after everything has basically calmed down, a shotgun may be the best option for defense, with a good rifle and scope for hunting, assuming there is anything left to hunt.
Don't purchase the big fancy scopes because you will eventually run out of batteries for them, and then they are useless. Go old-school with your optics so they will be reliable.
Look at other events throughout history and see how people actually reacted when they faced various SHTF situations. Look at the recent situation in Venezuela where people were starving and started eating the animals in the zoos and pets to survive.
Look at the mentality change of our law enforcement officers in the past few decades where they are becoming more militarized in their training and equipment. Look at how they react towards citizens at protests and riots in various areas across the country. Now add on the additional stress of the SHTF event and their fear of knowing that their badge has immediately made them a target for the numerous gangs of looters that will be in every city.
Learn from these situations so that you can prepare accordingly and give your family the best chance at long-term survival.
Previous Episode:
Coming Episodes:
In upcoming episodes we will also take a look at "Water Purification & Sanitization" as well as "Vacuum Sealed vs. Mylar Bagged Food Storage". We will also take a look at the shelf-life of "Home Canned Foods" and the viability of using them in our emergency supplies.
Also we will have an episode on the need for a Wilderness First Aid training even if you live in a city. We will also take a look at the need for "Sanitation After A Disaster".
