One thing I noticed

[Clay]

Not that it's a huge deal to me, but there is something different about this forum and I was curious about it. Usually prepper forums are all about guns, but not here. Why is that?

[Jerry D Young]

Although some members do have an interest in weapons, the primary thrust, with intent, is to not make them a big part of the group activities, for a variety of reasons.

One is that it we are not a militia in any shape, form, or fashion and do not want to be seen as such.

Another is that we concentrate on the preparations for natural and manmade disaster effects. And while the need for hunting, and even defense, can be a factor, the number of instances it will be needed is much less than those for which it will not be needed. (This is not to say that if needed, it is not a great need, because it is.)

A third reason is that there are those that simply do not want to deal with the subject, and we want to be able to help as many people as possible, so we keep it at a comfort level for those people that want to learn most things, just not weaponry, either because they simply do not, or because they have it covered, or because they have their own ideas on how to take care of defense.

And a fourth is there are plenty of places to get weapons information, as you pointed out.

And yet another is that we do not need the aggravation of all the various debates of what is best, and how much is needed, and how important it is, and all the misinformation that gets put out there about weapons. Those of us that have an interest pursue it, just outside of the Northern Nevada Prepper's Group setting.

Just my opinion. The official word comes from the leadership team, some of whom I believe will chime in.

[Rob McKevitt]

As the unofficial organizer of the group I will chime in on this observation. It's nice to hear that a member noticed that we don't concentrate on weapons like so many other Prepper forums do and to me it means we're doing our job correctly as a group. When we first formed many years ago and began to network with each other and organize as a group, one of our core foundations was to avoid a situation where we would have to use firearms against fellow citizens. Many of us are prior service military, law enforcement and people who aren't eager to shoot one another. We decided that to make a difference in our community and with each other we needed to concentrate on the actual real threats to our family's wellbeing and safety. Engaging fellow Americans and being the kind of person eager to shoot people is either a lot of internet bravado or someone who is a risk to others and probably shouldn't have firearms at their disposal. Taking a life, regardless of the circumstances and reasons changes who you are, forever.


We chose instead to teach others how to become self-reliant and less dependent on others for their own quality of life or safety in a disaster. We teach people the importance of preparing for what is most likely to happen in their lives rather than the worse case and extreme scenarios. Having a running gun battle on the streets of America is more Hollywood than real life but having house fire, an earthquake, vehicle breakdown or a job loss is far more likely. We talk to natural or manmade disasters and try to keep things in perspective for both being prepared for the more likely events and also to remove the stress and fear in people's lives from what is quite frankly an unlikely event people might find themselves in. We see a lot of forums talk to the Hollywood scenario rather than the more common scenario people are likely to face in their lives.


We also wanted our group to be inclusive of anyone wanting to learn the skills necessary to be self-reliant and more prepared for natural or manmade disasters. We leave politics out of the group and openly encourage everyone, regardless of their personal beliefs, lifestyles and upbringing to participate. A group that is heavy on firearms tends to draw only a specific demographic and you aren't going to see a lot of variety in that group. We decided that to be of benefit to the Northern Nevada community and general public that we would concentrate on families and self-reliancey skills. Those that have and use weapons and firearms and maintain the skills necessary to use them effectively are very much a part of the group and the Prepper community but we tend to keep that in perspective and treat them as tools rather than a lifestyle.


Hopefully you find value in our efforts and we can help enhance your skill set and ability to react to and handle disasters, emergencies or setbacks in life and to be more self-reliant in your own life and that of your family and friends.

[Glenda KG7MZO]

I think it is important to point out that we are a family-oriented group with the purpose to share the skills needed to become more self-reliant and ready for the most likely of disasters that could happen, i.e. house fire, loss of job or income, earthquake.  While there are many in this group that are active firearms enthusiasts, it is not the main purpose of this group.  If there were more focus on firearms, we would not be able to attract families and children to the group.  It is important to us that families feel welcomed and that is difficult to do with an emphasis on firearms.   

I personally appreciate the common-sense and grounded approach of this group.  I feel there are already far too many doomsday prepper groups out there that focus so much on an end of the world scenario, building up their fortified bunkers and ready to take arms against anyone and everyone that they have tarnished the idea of prepping.  The term "prepper" comes with so much negative connotation and baggage.  We have felt that stigma and we are working hard to overcome that perception.

Since joining this group, I have made so many connections and friendships with some truly awesome folks!  It's beginning to feel more like a family, and I am honored and blessed by these friendships.  The direction of  this group is something that is sorely needed in the prepper world.  I am proud to be part of it.

[Clay]

This is all very good to hear. I whole heartedly agree that it is much better to do things from a more conservative perspective. I think that you all are headed down the right path and it's good to see. Thanks for answering my question honestly.

[Overseer]

My gun only fires blanks, (wink wink)

[TWP]

My gun only fires blanks, (wink wink)

But fear is such an awesome weapon when wielded  with authority <g>
(bowing humbly and withdrawing from the room without breaking eye contact)