I don’t know everything, and I cannot do everything. Our world is complex and integrated. To be prepared is to have a network of people who can fill in the gaps – not only physical but also spiritual. Having trusted friends multiplies your joys and divides you pain.
While publishing a list of prepper precepts for the world to see can be construed as arrogance, I am not so arrogant to think that I don’t need other people, or that I know or can do everything I need to have to survive.
I believe in TANSTAFL. There is no such thing as a free lunch, there is no way to know everything. I don’t know everything and while I can do a lot. Being a jack of most trades means I know few things well.
I shared a guest post about the Doctoral Process and how a Ph.D recipient knows everything about one thing just to show this idea.
Many experts that look at this sight shake their head because my methods aren’t perfect. I recognize that, but unlike most experts I am acceptable in a bunch of fields not just one.
Knowing that I don’t know everything, and I cannot do everything keeps me humble.
These precepts are my creed, and having prepper precepts guides me when I face tough choices. A wise man once told me that when facing a moral problem, the right choice is usually the action you don’t want to take.
I am not a pollyanna person that is wishy washy or blindly follows rules, heck I have a little rebellious streak and love to know the WHY of rules, but I do respect and understand the need for law and know how vital it is for a society to have a moral code.
By knowing what I believe in you can know how I will act. This is very important in times of stress. If you don’t want to read these precepts one by one, the completed list can be found here: Completed 27 Prepper Precepts.
This post addresses the issue of concealed vs. open carry of handguns.
One of the things I love about gun owners is that they (as a whole) are a fiercely independent sort. They take what you tell them and apply it to their life and toss it up to winnow out what works for them and what doesn’t.
As an instructor of firearms I run into this very often, and it has definitely impacted my teaching style. If you have read my book, or taken one of my classes you will know that I when asked “what kind of gun should I buy” I refuse to give a make and model but (sometimes infuriatingly) quiz the questioner on what they want the gun for and help them decide for themselves, because, if they ever have to use it, I want them to have what works for THEM and not me…
Once a shooter knows the fundamentals, and the law of their jurisdiction, they can begin the journey toward being able to effectively employ a handgun for self defense. There are several schools of thought, and I can give my opinion, but in the end it is the gun owner that must decide what works for them.
With that in mind, and because of two incidents I will post videos of below (they are not ccw/open carry per se, but about law enforcement dealing with the armed citizen), I have had firearm usage bubble up to the front of my mind. I knew this would be a controversial post on youtube, and it has gotten quite a few comments but before I go further I would like to give a few caveats:
I have no problem with open carry. I think it is how the framers of the Constitution envisioned the bear arms portion of the 2nd Amendment.
I don’t have a problem with seeing guns in public, I carry one every chance I legally can, and feel a sense of fraternity with other individuals that take responsibility for their own life. They get the same knowing wink I give a guy wearing a “shoot me first” vest (oops I meant 5.11 Vest).
I am not telling you how you should carry your gun. It’s called personal protection, so how can I tell YOU protect how to YOU…
My mindset, therefore the direction of the majority of my classes revolves around the defensive rather than sporting uses of firearms. So when I think and talk about handgun carry I want every edge possible. That’s why as a general rule I advocate concealed rather than open carry.
Defensive use involves your reaction to a threat. I carry a gun because I know that bad guys exist and that they may choose me as a target. If they pick me, I want to have the most effective tools at my disposal. But I am not expecting an attack. If I was expecting an attack, I would either not be there, or I’d have a buddy on over watch with a .50.
So my use of a handgun in a defensive situation would be unexpected (not a “surprise” just unexpected). This gives the criminal the upper hand at the initiation of the problem. At this point I am reacting. Action is faster than reaction.
One of the big youtube comment streams was I am less likely to be attacked if I am open carrying. I admit that is likely to be true. However, you cannot prove a negative. You may not have been attacked because of your gun, OR you might not have been around a criminal planning a violent assault. My manner of dress, speech, presence, and alertness are my main deterrents.
In my mind MY gun is not used as a deterrent, it’s used as a fight stopper. And so I would rather employ it most effectively as a defensive tool than as a signpost saying “hey I got a gun, pick someone else.” If someone has to be chosen by the thug – that “oh crap, I didn’t know he had a gun” look is priceless on a thug.
Feel free to comment, and disagree. I have put a lot of time into developing this idea of what, how and why I carry a firearm, and it works for me, so I won’t be mad at you for disagreeing. If you have a better way, or a rational argument, who knows I may evolve to a better program.
Growing up I never was a fan of liver, and to tell the truth, I am still not a fan of most liver, but I have started acquiring a taste for fried rabbit liver. I blame my bride for that.
Normally she is helpful, but not exactly excited with my experiments and attempts to videotape our work at learning how to prep and become more self-reliant. However, when I started butchering our animals she became more that helpful. She became quite insistent that whenever I butcher a rabbit I have to fry the liver for her. If that’s all whe asks for, then I am happy to oblige.
Rabbit livers are larger than chicken livers, but the taste and cooking methods are identical. However, when you are handling a rabbit liver you need to be aware of two things. The first is not to burst the green gall bladder that is attached or you will ruin your liver. The second is that since the liver functions to filter toxins from the blood, it is important to only use healthy looking livers. If your rabbit has a liver with white spots don’t eat it.
Pan frying them is pretty easy too. I just rinse the liver off, dredge it in flour mixed with a little salt and pepper, and throw it in a skillet filled with hot oil. I fry for a couple minutes on one side, then flip to finish cooking.
I am sure there are lots of other ways to cook rabbit liver, but this is easy, and the liver is gone before anything else is done, since my lovely bride thinks this is a treat…
This post is about gun safety, and avoiding a gun tragedy by locking up unused firearms.
As advocates of gun rights and personal responsibility, it’s extremely important that we understand that, with the right to bear arms, comes the vital obligation to treat those arms with great caution and respect for others. Let’s not pretty things up here: Guns are designed specifically to kill people and animals. You might use yours only at the shooting range and have never harmed a single creature with it, but it is still primarily a device for killing. Never forget that for one second. A gun in the wrong hands is about the most dangerous thing most of us are ever likely to encounter.
A stolen gun can very easily end up in the hands of a criminal, of course, but that’s not the only moral reason we need to make sure our pistols and rifles are locked safely in a well-secured gun cabinet. The papers are full of instances where improperly secured guns were stolen from various people and used in suicides. You do not want the pain of knowing that your carelessness with a gun made it easier for someone with severe psychological problems to harm or kill themselves or others. The person who stole your gun may be responsible for his or her own actions, though many of those suicides are committed by teenagers, but you are just as responsible for keeping your dangerous weapon far from the hands of a troubled person.
That’s why you want to keep careful track of the weapons in your possession and where and how they are secured. At home, there is never an excuse to leave a gun unattended anywhere outside of a safe or gun cabinet. When outside, on your way to a hunting trip or a visit to the firing range, keep your gun either with you or well secured in your vehicle at all times. This might sound like super obvious common-sense stuff, but you’d be surprised how uncommon sense can be sometimes.
(Edit: This prepper precept came from my time working in correction, and as I have just went back into that world as an instructor for new officers, I find this to be doubly important to avoid offender manipulation.)
I avoid ethical spirals, its better to admit you’re wrong up front and apologize rather than hide it and play the “big lie”. I’d rather take a small lump up front than a huge hit later for hiding my mistakes.
I learned this from the prison, where inmates constantly tried to get officers on the hook.
The other thing I learned was “never tell a convict to do something you cannot make them do.
These precepts are my creed, and having prepper precepts guides me when I face tough choices. A wise man once told me that when facing a moral problem, the right choice is usually the action you don’t want to take.
I am not a pollyanna person that is wishy washy or blindly follows rules, heck I have a little rebellious streak and love to know the WHY of rules, but I do respect and understand the need for law and know how vital it is for a society to have a moral code.
By knowing what I believe in you can know how I will act. This is very important in times of stress. If you don’t want to read these precepts one by one, the completed list can be found here: Completed 27 Prepper Precepts.
