We received an interesting response from a reader on the subject of how many guns a prepper should own, and when does it become excessive.
Here it is, slightly edited for form.
Thanks for your article on why preppers usually include firearms in their preparations.
I guess I’m a prepper of sorts myself (is there any definition of who/what a prepper is?) and wanted to share with you why I have more guns than you suggested. Here’s a general sort of list of what I have and why :
Rifles
1. A .22 cal for plinking, training my children, practicing, and for small varmint shooting
2 & 3. Two .223 cal for self-defense
4. A 7.62×39 also for self-defense (in case I come across some 7.62×39 ammo and am low on .223 ammo)
5. A .308 semi-auto for hunting or self-defense
6. A bolt action .308 for hunting (commonality of ammo with #5 above)
7. A .30-06 bolt action for hunting (due to the ubiquity of the .30-06 round)
Shotguns
1. A long barreled multi-choke pump action 12 ga for shooting birds
2 & 3. Short barreled 12 ga pump actions for self-defense
Pistols
1 & 2. Full size 9mm semi-autos
3. Full size .45 cal semi-auto (as a spare, in case of running low on 9mm ammo and finding some .45 cal)
4. Medium barreled .357 revolver (can take .38 too of course, another spare for ammo reasons)
5. Sub-compact .380 semi-auto for concealed carry
6. .22 cal for plinking and training and fun
Add all that up, and you’re looking at a total of not four or eight, but 16 firearms (and I’m not saying that is all I have, either). But does that make me a ‘gun nut’? I’m not even sure what or who a gun nut is, but I do know that some people would consider having this many guns to be seriously threatening. It isn’t seriously threatening, it is just prudently preparing for a wide range of possible futures, especially to do with ammunition shortages.
I also read your comment about duplicate guns in case of failures. That’s a good point – maybe I need to double up? And as for how much ammo to store, that’s a good question too!
Anyway, thanks for the article. I hope my comments add further to the discussion.