Discretion in Preparedness

Don’t you hate it in the movies when you have some intense scene and the person who is told to “keep quiet” or to “stay put” always disobeys that counsel and ends up getting the hero or heroine nearly killed?  I think I hate it so much because it’s so accurate in its portrayal of real life.

Recently our area had a shocking murder of a professor of Brigham Young University. Thieves meticulously broke into his home, slit his throat, and stole his guns that were specifically in his safe.  They committed the crime while two other people were in the home—individuals who were not killed, but rather tied up. Police are just now confessing that the guns were the target of this violent home invasion.  This brings many questions to mind (as well as much fodder for future articles) but the primary question is how did the thieves know that this professor had so many guns and how did they know where to obtain them? (Sorry, I just have to add, what is the use of having firearms in your home, if you’re not adept at using them to protect yourself too?)

Mental Preparedness

First of all, you should consider that the use of a knife in a crime is typically one of familiarity.  Strangers rarely use a knife on their victims. The FBI frequently calls the use of a knife in a crime as a crime of “intimacy.”  It’s safe to say that these criminals knew the professor.

Secondly, it’s apparent that the professor, or perhaps his family members, was a bit too verbal in broadcasting his possessions. As a result, they painted a target on themselves.  Think about this for a moment folks. The target was painted in a time of plenty. Imagine what it would have been like if this broadcasting of information was done during a time of chaos? The other two may have easily met the same fate as the professor as desperation is heightened in a crisis scenario.  This is why I caution those who attend my classes as well as you, my dear readers, from doing anything prior to or during a crisis which will announce to the world that you’re prepared.

Spiritual and Physical Preparedness

In James Wesley Rawles’ latest book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” he specifically addresses the issue of discretion when discussing your own supplies of preparedness. Now think about that. This man is a renowned author and a regularly faithful blogger with thousands and thousands of readers. I assure you that though he shares valuable information with all of these individuals, there are probably only a dozen folks in the world who know what he’s truly made of in his preparedness efforts. I’ll be blunt with you. Such dissemination of this kind of information should not go out even to friends, family members, and especially to government officials. Keep it under your hat, folks. If you get asked by your local church what you have available, understand that it’s so that they know how best to help you and are prepared accordingly. But if you’re like me, you may just want to respond “No need to worry about us. We’ll be ok regardless” or something like that.

As I don’t make a secret of the fact that I’m a Utah Concealed Firearm Instructor, I am frequently asked by naïve individuals “Are you carrying right now?”  “What are you carrying?” Etc. I realize that for the most part these questions are simply the result of a genuine curiosity. But there have been very rare circumstances in which I have actually shown anyone my “real” firearm and where I carry it. It’s just as rare that I will actually answer an inquiry as to whether or not I’m carrying a firearm at that moment.  It’s called a “concealed” permit because it’s supposed to be concealed—visually as well as mentally, in my opinion. It’s very much for these same reasons that I haven’t been forthcoming in photos for you all of my preparedness supplies. I simply don’t want those, whether great or small, advertised all over the internet. It’s no one’s business what we have or don’t have.  They need to be concerned with their own preparedness efforts, not those of a neighbor. In fact, when asked to view my supplies, the cautious side of me automatically thinks, “who does this person know that I don’t want to share this information with?” I can easily count the number of highly TRUSTED individuals who have even a partial knowledge of my personal preparedness efforts, whether it be water, ammo, or cheese.

Part of the danger in sharing with folks what you have on hand is the rampant sense of entitlement that is so prevalent in our society today. We cause the rich to pay the majority of taxes, we are taught that since the wealthy have they should give it to those who aren’t wealthy, etc.  This is simply wrong. Generally speaking the “haves” are not villains. They are workers and planners. I’ve generally lived as a pauper several times in my life but that hasn’t stopped me from prioritizing and taking care of my own preparedness. Unfortunately, in a time of crisis, most folks won’t view your provisions as your own.  That mean little entitlement gnat will get under their skin and they will thrust a false sense of charity and compassion upon you and take what they want. Sorry to have to state it so plainly, folks, but charity and compassion cannot be mandated. And when they are, they are of evil, not Christian in nature whatsoever. Anyway, my point being that the sense of entitlement is a screwy tool. It makes people believe the way they are behaving instead of behaving the way they believe. So be aware of this and defend yourself now from it by being discrete in your assertions of preparedness.

I frequently have folks telling me that when all heck breaks loose they will be coming to my house.  Just as sincere as they are in their assertion, I retort with a reminder that I do have a firearm and am perfectly knowledgeable in how to defend myself. While that may sound a bit crass to some of you, I find it no more so than someone telling me (jokingly or not) that they are willing to absolve themselves of any of their own responsibility in being prepared and that they will be helping themselves to my efforts. Tit for tat, if you ask me.

If you are planning on sharing with others this otherwise confidential information, may I suggest that you back it up with a thorough system of tools and skills to be able to protect yourself and your home? As awful as that thought may be to some, you are not truly prepared until you have taken such preparation into consideration as well.