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Our Facinating Interview with a Prepper Leader: He Responds to ‘Demonization’ of Movement After CT Shooting and Explains What It’s Really About

Dec. 19, 2012 10:35am Liz Klimas

American Preppers Network Defends Preparedness Movement After Mother of Adam Lanza Called a Prepper

Twenty seven wooden stand in a yard down the street from the Sandy Hook School December 16 in Newtown. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

If you hadn’t heard the term “prepper” before last Friday, you likely have now. That’s because the mother of Newtown shooter Adam Lanza, who was killed by her 20-year-old, has been identified as a “prepper” by the media, based on the items police found inside her home and reports from those who knew her.

In light of the tragic mass-murder, some reports have said preppers are “the latest variant of that age-old American stalwart, the ‘survivalist’” with an image that’s “not good.” Others went as far to say that “weapon-loving” Nanzy Lanza “created a monster.” But is that really what these “preppers” are? We decided to get the reaction of one of the movement’s leaders. And according to him, the characterization of him and other like him has been a “deomnization” that is flatly untrue.

This handout image provided by ABC News, shows Nancy J. Lanza mother of suspected mass shooter Adam Lanza. (Photo: Family of Nancy Lanza/ABC News via Getty Images)

n this handout provided by ABC News, shows a 2008 yearbook photo of Adam Lanza, at an unspecified time and place. (Photo: ABC News via Getty Images)

Phil Burns is co-founder of the American Preppers Network. In an exclusive interview with TheBlaze, he described the caricature of preppers as representing very little regarding what preppers are all about.

“It’s just brutal right now,” Burns said. “I have a community to look out for and to protect. This is my passion and I don’t like seeing it demonized.

“‘Preppers’ are being used as a scapegoat right now,” he continued.

When Burns first found out about the association of Nancy Lanza as a prepper and saw the aerial photo taken of her house, he said he wasn’t surprised.

“It didn’t seem illogical to me,” he said. “She lived in the country, in a big house […] it seemed logical that she might be a prepper.”

Crime scene tape hangs outside the home of Nancy Lanza December 18. (Photo: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)

It was when he began receiving a slew of requests from the media and seeing articles that equated the term “prepper” with “survivalist” and other more extreme accusations that he realized what this association could mean for the movement, which has seen a growth of interest in recent years.

What a “Prepper” Really Means — and the Different Categories

Phil Burns, co-founder of the American Preppers Network. (Photo: Phil801.com)

What many might not realize is that there are subsets of preppers — subsets Burns said might have some similarities to the prepper movement as a whole but that have different intentions: there are survivalists, doomsday preppers and conspiratorial preppers.

But the majority who consider themselves preppers — if they would even think to give themselves the formal designation — subscribe to a philosophy that is nothing like those of the more extreme variety that have been featured lately on reality TV shows and by those getting ready for the Mayan apocalypse.

“To us in particular, preparedness is about living a self-reliant lifestyle . . . It’s about, in a disaster situation, having a philosophy that is not we sit around and wait for FEMA to show up. Preppers come together, help each other out and make sure everyone is provided for.”

It’s this community aspect — taking care of one’s self and family and then the community, in that order — that Burn’s said sets them apart from survivalists.

“We don’t have an isolation mentality,” he said, unlike the survivalists with whom the majority of preppers are confused.

Believing them all to be cut from the same cloth, Burns said, comes from ignorance. It’s sort of like seeing someone two-step and seeing someone tango. As Burns put it, they’re both dancing but if you don’t know the nuances of each dance, you might consider them the same thing.

Prep for “TEOTWAWKI”

Being a prepper means being ready for a disaster situation that would cause the world as you know it to end, Burns said. But this does not mean an apocalyptic situation. In fact, the American Preppers Network doesn’t allow discussion of the apocalypse or conspiracy theories.

The end of the world as you know it (or TEOTWAWKI) could be everything from a natural disaster — like the wildfires in Utah that Burns and other fellow preppers in the area helped to stymie in various capacities this fall — to personal tragedies, like when Burn’s daughter, 2-years-old at the time, was diagnosed with leukemia.

Just three and a half years ago, the father of eight children said this is when the world as he knew it ended. He and his wife went from at one moment thinking their daughter just had the flu to wondering if she could die within 24 hours.

Once they found out the type of leukemia she had was a less threatening, treatable kind, the Burns’ lost everything to help her. He had a successful business and was investing in another. They had a farm house in a nice area with land and fancy cars.

“For two and a half years, we lived off all the preps we set aside,” Burns said. “Had I not been prepared, I would not have been able to care for her at the level she needed.

“We lost a lot of stuff — house, farm, vehicles — but we didn’t lose our daughter.”

How a Prepper Sees Gun Ownership

It is actually because he and his wife came close to losing their child that he feels like he can understand some of the pain the family of victims in Connecticut are experiencing. But he said he can’t agree with the reaction some are having with regard to gun ownership rights.

“I understand the emotional reaction and being upset that preppers own firearms,” he began. “I would say I get that, but the commitment of APN, preppers in general, me specifically and the preppers I know personally, our goal is to be within the confines of the law at all times.”

For preppers, the purpose of owning a firearm runs the gamut, but many have them from home protection and hunting.

Burns said he advocates for gun owners to receive safety training, which would include proper storage and keeping the firearm safe before, during and after use. He later said this too should include medical training to treat gunshot wounds in the event that they might happen.

“All of these things are just part of a preparedness mindset,” he said.

When it comes to having a firearm in the house with children of any age, Burns said his philosophy is to make it “not an exotic experience.” Burns said he feels it’s negligent for parents — gun owners or not — to not teach their children about proper gun safety.

Burns, who is an NRA-trained safety officer, provided an example: two teenagers offer to help an elderly woman clean her garage. While doing so they open a desk drawer; inside it is a pistol. Swinging the firearm around inappropriately and pretending to fire, someone accidentally gets shot.

To Burns, if people aren’t exposed to firearms ever “it’s literally impossible to be safe with it.”

In other words, it’s about being prepared. And you don’t have to be a “prepper” to accept that.

Featured image via Shutterstock.com.

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Comments (119)

thegreatcarnac
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:34am
I have guns. Let us say for arguments sake that I know that Mr. “X’ down the street from me has guns also. Do I care? Am I worried about it and do I want to take them from him ? No…I don’t. I could care less. I don’t have any thought about it because I don’t want to attack, control, or steal from Mr. ‘X’. He doesn’t have those thoughts either. I have no designs on Mr. ‘X’s property, his money, nor his life in any way. Why does obama care if Americans are armed? Why does the UN care if Americans are armed? I will tell you why. They want to control us, steal from us, and do things to us that we will not stand for. Without guns…we are slaves.

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- Gold Coin & Economic News
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:48am
  This gun control debate is getting crazy out of control. Liberals, in their delusional state, simply won’t respond to facts, like Piers Morgan’s exceptionally RUDE interview where he completely ignores facts:
  http://www.isthatbaloney.com/unbelievably-rude-piers-morgan-calls-pro-gun-larry-pratt-unbelievably-stupid/
  
  Report this comment
- JQuentinEvermann
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 12:26pm
  You should start every argument with liberals by accusing them of the thing you know they’re working around to with questions. In this case, you should ask a liberal, “Why don’t you care about children dying? Why do you want to create more ‘killing fields’ like every other place where a mass shooting has occurred.”
  
  Once you turn the argument on them, their points make no sense, they’re confused by their own beliefs, and then they start the personal attacks. And that’s when you win the argument by pointing out, “You’re so angry and intolerant. You should seek help or else I might have to alert authorities that you’re potentially violent.”
  
  Report this comment
- TheEDGE
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 12:48pm
  Being prepared has become as American as apple pie, especially when you leave the filth of the big cities.That’s why the cowardly left finds the need to demonize it. There is nothing new under the sun with these backwards people. If it results in self reliance and independence, they don’t like it. It’s been the same old story for over a hundred years. It’s more played-out than Gangnam Style at this point.
  
  Report this comment
- The_Jerk
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 1:03pm
  The tragedy, in this tragedy, is the use of this tragedy for all of the various self-interests. Media for hype and profit, politicians for gun control and restriction of rights… on and on.
  
  Fact is, mental illness was the cause, the only cause. It wasn’t the killers mother or the weapon. A mentally ill man committed a horrific act and many innocent people were killed.
  
  Report this comment
- walkintruth
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 1:47pm
  The government was waiting for another shooting to occur. They are delighted now that they have this crisis and tragedy. If Obama cared so much about little children being murdered, then why is he ok with killing unborn babies right up to the time before they could be born? Not only that, when a baby that was to be aborted lives, he believes it should be left to die. He was the only senator that voted to allow that to continue. Now he pretends to be caring about these kids? I don’t buy it.
  
  Report this comment
- JQuentinEvermann
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 2:09pm
  Another shooting is EXACTLY what they’re not only waiting for, but actively promoting. Why else would they have started Fast and Furious if not to end up with dead civilians?
  
  Obama has already murdered 2 Americans that we know of, without trial or arrest, without charges being filed, he killed an American (and evil one, yes) and his 16 year old son with a drone strike, and then he bragged about it.
  
  The difference between Obama and the CT shooter is that the CT shooter can’t hurt anyone anymore.
  
  Report this comment
- debrarae
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 2:37pm
  Why does Obama ‘care’ if Americans own Guns, or have 7 days worth of food? He ‘cares’ because these people are ‘informed’, and independent. A Independent American (not dependent on the Goverment) is a threat to anyone who adheres to the strict tenets of the Communist Manifestor, or for that matter the Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky.
  
  We all stand in the way of Obama’s proposed Utopia. And anyone who doesn’t immediately capitulate to him or any other Lib, is ‘deemed’ to be a ‘threat’.
  
  Report this comment
- Bloody Sam
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 2:46pm
  “An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.”
  
  Report this comment
- naughtycal
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 3:09pm
  I thought being prepared was the American way. Being prepared is basicly being independent and ready for the curve life might throw. What could be more America? The problem in America is it is filling up with unamericans and they are stripping freedom and liberty away daily. These non americans think being born here makes them American as if America is just a country. America is not country it’s an idea a belief in liberty…..half of this nation is not American and it’s getting worse. Our current government is not American either…..It’s time to cut the loses and either take it back or divide it .
  
  Report this comment
- nonofmybiznez
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 3:15pm
  They are taking advantage of the current situation to get what they want. They aren’t even concentrating on the real problem. Mental illness. It is not the tool but the hand that kills.
  
  Report this comment
- danbou
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:07pm
  How many mass murders has the UN sat by and did nothing?
  
  Report this comment
- Just Me 2day
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:11pm
  If anyone of these libs would take a look at the cities that have a ban on guns would know it does not work. Chicago with it’s ban on guns has the highest murder rate of any city in the country. You can look at New York too. Check what happend to the crime rate in DC when a judge said that the city could not uphold their ban and was forced to do away with it. Once people could have a firearm inside DC’s city limits, crime rate fell. DC was once the murder capital of the united states, but has since handed that title over to Chicago who still has a ban.
  
  Report this comment
- Quester55
  Posted on January 6, 2013 at 11:05pm
  How true AZ, Though, Isn’t it strange, kids on Playgrounds Make up Words to describe those other kids they , ” Don’t Know, Don’t Like or Are too different, To be Counted one of their own CLICKS. and so the Naming Game goes, on & on, Until these Children Become Irresponsible Adults, Many of Whom have NEVER GREW-UP or OUT of their need to LABEL People Their CLICK refuse to Treat as Equals Deserving the Same Respect, That they DEMAND others to show Themselves.
  I know how Those Gun Owners Feel in their Community of Communist! ( A Far More Chairtalbe Label
  than the one that Fits Their Collective Butts Better)
  After All, History Teaches, That HITLER & HIS GOONS REMOVER ALL WEAPONS befor he took over Germany! and Now these Self Made AMERICAN Socialistic?Communist?, Rabble, Want to Alter our Countries CONSTITUTION & Do as Their NAZI HERO Did to the German Citizens, TAKE their Guns, BY FORCE ACCORDING to LITTLE JOE BIDEN, So this Countries Citizens will be Defenceless ? Maybe when Hell freezes over!!
  I Love MY GOD & Try to do those things He’d Have me Do, I Love My Fanily & I Love My Country, And if ANYONE (HUMAN) attempts too take any One of my Loves Away, It’ll be better if they Hung themselves then be around when I hear of it!!
  I do Here By Promus that I’ll Not Knowenly Kill any fellow Human, But you can survive without your BIG TOES! It Pays to Believe in God’s Holy Word! ( Code Word for : BIBLE)
  
  Report this comment
CS Lewis FAN
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:32am
so where was the fascinating part? As a person who is prepared, i found you didn’t even scratch the surface.

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Uechi
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:31am
The idiots that poo poo preppers and call them crazy are they same ones that will show up at your front door pleading for food and or protection from the bad guys. To all the chumps that think preppers are crazy Karma is a bitc– ( female dog).

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- JediKnight
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 2:40pm
  This is exactly why I tell my wife not to talk about it. Tell people what they can do to prepare, but don’t talk about what I’ve done. Tell them what FEMA recommends (3 days worth if I’m not mistaken). They think I’m crazy right now, but I can just imagine them wanting some of our supplies because they decided that preparing for an emergency was unnecessary.
  
  I watched the news footage when the super storm blew through NJ and NY and instantly thought to myself “need to make sure I have at least enough to get through something like that”. Now I need to stock up on other items :)
  
  Report this comment
- debrarae
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 2:51pm
  And Jediknight you are correct to tell your wife to keep her mouth shut on the prepping. With all the libs out there, they will indeed make the proverbial mountain out of a molehill.
  
  Report this comment
searching for the Truth
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:30am
As long as the enemy says that they will come into public building and kill your children you will need to have possession of guns !

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- searching for the Truth
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:39am
  As long as the people employed to protect the people put the enemy into building to kill the people,then the people will need to possess people with firearms.
  
  Report this comment
HOOT_OWL
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:24am
Prepping 101…NEVER ADVERTISE ..! Loose lips sink ships…!

And these people that go on these shows are morons.

Of course I’m completely against this notion of being prepared for any thing.

I have total faith in our government to take care of me from Cradle to the Grave.

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- BladeFyre
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 2:52pm
  LOL….Nice!! :-)
  
  Report this comment
Tigress1
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:22am
What will be funny is if the government starts labeling people as being “preppers” while advertising that people should “be prepared, have a plan, etc.” on their own website “www.ready.gov”. which they actually advertise on Glenn Beck’s radio show!

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- JQuentinEvermann
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 12:44pm
  I recently had a plumber in my house to fix a broken pipe, and he happened to see my prep-room (partially flooded, but who cares, it’s all water proof). As I was signing the bill, he looked directly at me and said in a stern voice, “I see that you’re a Marine, and my son is also, which is why I’m not going to do anything about this, but we were told by several agencies to report anyone with large quantities of food and survival equipment to local PD.”
  
  Also, when buying more than 100 pounds of dry food at bulk stores, if you don’t have a restaurant license, you have to sign a waiver stating that you aren’t hording food, preparing to take advantage of a disaster, or preparing for the collapse of government. And this is Texas!
  
  Report this comment
- AxelPhantom
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 12:56pm
  JQuentin,
  What area in Texas (pick your nearest urban island of insanity)? I am in Texas and haven’t been asked to sign anything…..
  
  Report this comment
- JQuentinEvermann
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 1:25pm
  This happened in Houston at both a Sam’s and at a Costco. The girl said they were instructed to do it to prevent illegal restaurants (i.e. food trucks) from getting what they need to operate, but this is absurd since even these places are unlikely to need more than 100 pounds of rice per day.
  
  Also, I wasn’t allowed to pay in cash, I had to present my ID, which was swiped and recorded, and then presented with the statement to sign.
  
  It may be important to note that, while the statement said “more than 100 pounds of food” I was buying more than 10 times that amount. Rice was on sale, $12/50 pound bag…what was I supposed to do? Not buy it? Ha!
  
  Report this comment
- AxelPhantom
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 1:51pm
  I’m in the Austin area and I just bought a bunch of food for the holidays about $800 worth at a warehouse store and I didn’t have a problem…sounds like it might be a local thing and not State wide.
  
  Report this comment
- debrarae
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 2:41pm
  DHS has already labled any one with 7 days of food or more as Preppers and as Domestic terrorists. And you’re right this is ‘funny’, since Fema’s site tells you to have a ‘survival kit’ in case of emergency.
  
  Report this comment
- Rebalee
  Posted on January 5, 2013 at 11:17am
  JQ there are several of the of the larger cities in Texas that have bought into the UN Agenda 21 crap. My guess is this is why those things are being monitored. If you haven’t read Behind the Green Mask you should. And so should everyone else.
  They want to know who has larger amounts of food so they can confiscate it when the SHTF. Tell no one what you have already and buy in smaller quantities so you are not monitored as a hoarder from now on.
  
  Report this comment
The_Cabrito_Goat
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:21am
The logic is undeniable.

If you’re prepared, and nothing bad happens, all you have is extra food.

If you’re unprepared, and something bad happens…..you’re dead.

Someone make that a punnet square :P

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- Middle Finger
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 6:04pm
  I could not agree with you more. I’ll have lots of canned goods to eat and to give to charity!
  
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AxelPhantom
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:19am
I disagree with this “leader”, Survivalism is simply prepping to a greater degree, generally having the skills necessary to survive, long term if need be with nothing but the clothes on your back.

In liberal terms a survivalist is often “a naturalist” . Survivalism is less about the stuff you have in your basement and more about the information stored between your ears.
.
Many people who are “survivalists” hold to the same mantra of family, group, community. He is doing to survivalists what the media is doing to the “preppers”.

Are there people who plan in an emergency to retreat to their hidy-hole and isolate themselves? Yes, in both the prepper and survival community. That does not differentiate the two groups.

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SeekerEmerald
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:17am
Preppers… A bunch of nuts. After all who in their right mind would ever consider preparing for something out of the ordinary happening. Really? Who would be crazy enough to think that an earthquake or tornado might hit. Ice storm? That’s just crazy talk. Blackout in the middle of summer due to electrical overload taking out most of the NE USA, Can’t happen. Why prepare for anything at all? Everything is great, and nothing bad ever happens, so why prepare for it?
hurricane wiping out portions of NYC? Don’t be an idiot, the grocery stores will ALWAYS have food. You’ll never see New Yorkers dumpster diving to find food. Fema will show up much quicker than 3-4 days anyhow. Suggesting otherwise is simply foolish. CNN is lying about the long response times. So is MSNBC. So is ABC. They are all lying…

No need to prepare, someone will always come to take care of you. After all, this country was built on sitting on your **** waiting for someone to come rescue you. We’ve never had to do it ourselves.

Preppers… Sheesh… next you’ll be telling me that fire burns, water will make you wet, and that it’s dark outside at night.

Nothing ever goes wrong, so relax people. No need to prepare for anything…

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- Cavallo
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:30am
  Aesop’s fable of The Ant and the Grasshopper
  
  Report this comment
- BBlanski
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:38am
  Just like the government magically gets its money, grocery stores magically get food so they obviously will never run out. The government hasn’t ran out of money yet, right?
  
  Report this comment
- CABERNETQHS
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:39am
  I think maybe it’s a right brain/ left brain thing? Or maybe some of us just heed the warning or listen to our instincts. I do know there are a lot of us thinking the same thing. Unfortunately we are outnumbered by the ones with their hands out. A friend of mine said about 5-6 years ago, when I started to feel the need to get off the grid…”Do you think God only told Noah to build a boat?” He was the only one who listened.
  
  Report this comment
banjarmon
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:14am
Living up to the BOY SCOUT MOTTO is not a bad thing!!! If more people did it We would not be in the situation we are in today!
I know how to make do and live off the land if need be!

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RaydocX
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:11am
the ‘prepper’ shows have hoisted preppers onto center stage for everyone to take pot shots at.
when a host of the preppers profiled are… curious at best.
when the more aggressively armed flinch and are clearly unused to the use of firearms…
when the public sees weirdness that isn’t sexy or flamoyant… something to make fun of…

instead of the programs emphasizing the importance of being prepared, from a 3 day bag to a go bag to rehearsed responses to problems, the entire attitude is being made a joke by the media.

while i have watched a handful of the episodes, i have always found myself marveling that anyone who is prepping would demonstrate for the rest of the nation just what they are doing… they set themselves up as targets for both ridicule, and when things do go bad, for takeover.

that the actions of a clearly unhinged single individual are reflecting badly on those concerned about being ready for any future is no different than the way his actions have impacted the government and sheeples’ attitude toward guns… except the last i heard, Dianne Feinstein was not advertising her plan to prevent people from stockpiling food…

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mellowlady
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:09am
Nanzy Lanza , nice typo, Nancy+ Nazi = Nanzy.

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AZRACISTBIGOT
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:07am
It continuously amazes me the ignorance the lefties and the main stream media types have for such activities as prepping. I prep although I am not as nearly as prepared as I would like to be.
I have some looney acquaintances that love to demonize what I am doing. They say that it is wrong to horde food, ammunition and supplies. They are oblivious to the fact that I bought this stuff while supplies were plentiful and no one was going hungry. Then they end their rant with the “If the SHTF, I know where I’m coming”

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- pondmanhank
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 7:09pm
  And then I hope you replied ‘What makes you think you will be able to get in’? Sure sounds like fair weather friendship to me.
  
  Report this comment
JEANNIEMAC
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:06am
http://www.washingtonguardian.com/washingtons-school-security-failure
The Obama administration cut funding for school security officers, training, etc., but sent 14 jets to Egypt along with a billion dollars of taxpayer money.

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SaturdaysWarrior76
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:05am
The preppers won’t be the ones lining up at the train station… just sayin..

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wkw58
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:03am
Being prepared does not equate to anything other than being smart. As stated previously, our grandparents (for the most part) were “preppers”. I learned alot from mine…they survived the great depression in the west Texas panhandle, mostly on jackrabbit stew and well water. I am prepared….are you?

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Techcon
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:03am
I watch the “Doomsday Preppers” show, and they all talk of, “…helping others during a crisis…,” ALL the time. It’s true that some may find their fears–like America being wiped out by a slew of F5 tornadoes–to be a bit of a stretch, but wanting to survive a disaster, especially a man-made one, does NOT make one dangerous or evil.

We MUST resist the left-wing, lynch mob mentality.

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- nonofmybiznez
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 3:43pm
  Those shows are a hoot. They make them out to be a bunch of loons. They do make you think of the possibilities. Most “preppers” have enough preps to tide them through a natural disaster like Sandy, but not enough for a major event like those on the shows. Those people are extreme. We shouldn’t all be lumped together with them. I’d like to think I could last a month or two without government help. Every year there is something. You can count on disasters happening, that’s why we buy insurance.
  
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Trapper20
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:01am
Not only a “facinating” story, also fascinating.

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- IndyGuy
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:06am
  LOL…Beat me to it… fascinating…
  
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CABERNETQHS
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:00am
If preparing for possible disasters is crazy, why do most governments have their own stash of supplies, seeds, weapons, etc. We as individuals should do the same. I don’t have the means to stock pile like this woman, but if i did I would have more than cereal, peanutbutter and canned goods in my basement. Her being a prepper, to me is about as relavant to this story as her being a blonde.

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NILAP
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 10:58am
Obviously if the principal (who was friends with the shooters mother) had been able to carry a weapon and some of her staff, the shooter would never have been able to carry out the act. All the principal could do was rush the shooter unarmed. That being said, the mother and yes the father were responsible for not keeping the guns in a safe secure location whereby one could not by force break into where they were stored. The parents were negligent and they knew their son had major mental problems which was leading them to try to get him institutionalized.

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stopprintn
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 10:57am
Now we have hyphenated preppers, I cant keep up.

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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:16am
  I agree.
  
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ReadyInPA
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 10:49am
Strange, our grandparents were actually preppers, but it was called that…it was planning for a bad crop or planning for an issue with the animals, or a really cold winter…it was fooling not to be prepared in those days. Now that we live in a world with “Just In Time” inventory at the corner Gas Station and grocery store, we are softer than our grandparents. Almost a majority of American citizens are already “broken” and enslaved to the government…The “Prepper” shoews on TV continue to look at the worst case scenarios with respect to the type of people they put on the shows. I watched an episode and could see what the agenda was. I was excited when I first heard about “Revolution”. That is another show that is unrealistic. 15 Years without electricity and your have beautiful **** and still wear perfect skin tight jeans? I don’t think so…The incremental change is catching up…Here comes your Hope and Change…

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Stoic one
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 10:48am
The media will smear any solution that does not have the concept “the government is the answer” attached to it.

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- AZRACISTBIGOT
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:31am
  With Liberals and progressives, it’s all about their feelings, never about logical or analytical thinking. Their mindset is that that they will feel better about themselves by knowing that they did something, even if that something has little or no logical effect on a problem such as gun violence
  
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Mil-Dot
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 10:42am
It is none of the govts damn business what anybody has in there homes if all of the items were legally obtained. Notice that they always go after the imaginary “white extremists”. You NEVER hear of the govt going after and demonizing black people. Just the snowmen.

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dosdelgados
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 10:41am
Prepping is being scoffed at and being demonized because the Dear Leaders want us completely unprepared and disarmed when they get their true agenda moving.

But wouldn’t the victims of Sandy have benefitted from some prepping?

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- Deb C
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 10:52am
  What does it tell you when a TEACHER is a PREPPER ??
  
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- Joss
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:08am
  Sandy “victims” counted on the government as did Katrina “victims”. They followed their training.
  
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- drattastic
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:17am
  I’ll bet that out of “Sandy” there will be some “preppers” created. The Government shows how ineffective and slow they are every time something like this happens. You can bet the vast majority of those people hit by Sandy won’t learn a darn thing though , I’ve come to the realization that most people are stupid no matter their level of education ,just sheep, more than willing to be led and eventually to their demise.
  
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- encinom
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:47am
  Nah, cause preppers are paranoid idiots looking for black helicopters and the UN to invade.
  
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- AxelPhantom
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 12:03pm
  Encinom,
  
  I am taking steps in my life so that I don’t need you, or the government to feed, clothe or support my family and yet somehow you think it necessary to demonize people like me? Do you feel threatened somehow?
  
  Who is the crazy paranoid one here?
  
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- AZRACISTBIGOT
  Posted on December 19, 2012 at 2:01pm
  Encinom
  I don’t need your official nod of approval to prepare and take care of my family.
  It’s not all about apocolyptic scenarios like nuke attacks, F 5 tornados and the like.
  The most likely scenario is that things will slowly get worse over time.
  Most preppers are realists and know that recovery will involve helping their neighbors.
  They also realize that weapons are needed to deal with the desparate and dangerous people that will show up armed with the intent of taking what you have.
  
  Where was the Govt when Katrina and Sandy happened?
  
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