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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.

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (119)

bobbiejean
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 5:40pm
The topic on here was supposed to be about a psych prof. from West Point. Not there.
Too hot a subject? He was going to comment about violent games and kids playing them.
At least, that was what was implied.

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Crazyotto
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:34pm
Anyone who has lived through a disaster whether man made (9/11) or natural (hurricane, earthquake, flood, etc..) knows that you cannot depend on the local, state or federal government to assist. I witnessed 9/11, have lived through several Hurricanes, and many instances where essential services were lost for a period of more than a couple of days.. It is madness to assume that any government will come to your aid in a timely manner. I have also witnessed the panic that people express when they realize that they are unprepared for an emergency. It can get very ugly very fast.. Especially when there are children involved. As Americans it is our civic responsibility to be prepared with food, shelter, emergency power sources and of course firearms.. the left doesn’t get it.

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NoSleeper
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 5:49am
Add your comments

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bamanana
Posted on December 20, 2012 at 12:03pm
Living on the MS Gulf Coast when Katrina hit us dead on I can tell you that having supplies for 2 wks. was not enough. Now I have become a serious prepper because of my experience & the realiziation that we were on our own. If our 2 nd amendment had been taken away from us we would have been robbed shot & most probably killed by the criminals who were waiting in the wings for the storm to pass. The men in my neighborhood patrolled with guns & set up signs if you loot we shoot to kill.

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aplingtjayonia
Posted on December 20, 2012 at 7:00am
I don’t know how do make a quick link, but there is an awesome movie called Grinding Down America on a website called Vimeo. It’s free to watch at this time. I found it to be one of the best I’ve seen so far. Check it out.

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dockman45
Posted on December 20, 2012 at 6:07am
If the SHTF you will have a large portion of the population walking around off their meds. The MSM barely speaks about the number of children on the stuff but nevers speaks of it in the adult population.
They will look like zombies and unprepared family members will be the first suffer. What do you do with your ridalin soaked children in such a situation, I am afraid they will be turned loose on the rest of us.
I know lots of preppers, most with guns and none with malice towards his fellow man. Every single one of them would tell you the same thing and it goes like this “I don’t know what is going to happen but I can feel it coming”. The government has be warning you to prep for some time now, notice the public service warnings on TV and radio but the liberals want to paint you as crazy if you buy some extra beans.
So the question is why would libs look at preppers like they are nuts. who knows. I think that they feel you have more than they do so you must be destroyed. Have you ever seen the pantry at Honey Boo Boo’s house? So what do we do, I don’t know. If you think my having bullets, beans and bullion makes me a nut, so be it. But here is some advices for the non-prepper, if things turn bad, the bad guys will be hunting you and they will be armed. They will have no fear of the law because the cops will be too busy what they will fear is preppers. Most preppers have plans to bug out of the cities (me too) so you will not have to deal with us. Goo

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Chancellor
Posted on December 20, 2012 at 2:15am
The funny thing about this is………

The Progressives/Liberals will berate anyone who doesn’t live like them and want to refuse you the right to do so.

But when something bad does happen, Example Hurricane Katrina, they are the first ones screaming for YOU to come help them……..

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Guitar Master
Posted on December 20, 2012 at 12:12am
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
From THE REPORTER
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Stay calm, be cool, remain collected and never, ever flinch, bend or retreat from your right to your God given right to own firearms. It is our birthright and no Communist will ever take that away.

We either live by our Constitution or die protecting it. There can be no in-between. If you don’t believe that, go tell it to the soldiers who gave life and limb in defense of the U.S. Constitution.

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Stljarhead
Posted on December 20, 2012 at 12:04am
Ummmm…you guys misspelled “Fascinating” in your article header….

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awkingsley
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 10:12pm
People forget that our grandparents and great grandparents all had gardens in the backyard even in cities. They grew and canned as much food as they possibly could. That way no matter what happened, they always had food. The backyard wasn’t an entertainment area, it was a garden spot. Our grannys were more likely to entertain and visit with friends on the front porch than in the back. All of these people were Preppers. The Bible says to be provident, and many were. Many of today’s Preppers watched granny prepare or grew up on farms where mothers and dads prepped every summer for the winter ahead. My mom got all the way up to 74 quarts of green beans one summer. “That garden really took off, didn’t it?” I got so tired of eating green beans all of the time, I wanted to spit.

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ChiefGeorge
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 10:08pm
If the Left wants something they dislike….well, disliked by everyone, they go on a campaign to demonize it. Whether that be Sarah Palin, George Bush, Guns, Freedom, The US Flag, a secure border, our english language, Preppers, did I say guns? Oh yea!

It will get a bad name via MSM, and even I get a sense of something is not good after awhile if I hear it enough, then I have to ask myself why do I have a bad feeling about this…thing whatever it is and I find that a campaign of disinformation was waged and I by accident picked up a bad notion about it. Its so subtle sometimes you might not even be aware of it. This is why you must constantly challenge your own thoughts and impressions because we live in a world of illusions.

I can see how people are being led against the preppers. The worst thing that has happened to this movement if thats really what it is, is the Prepper Show on NATGEO. Allowing themselves to be shown on this show like they are is really got people skewed mentally against them. Some of them are very unrealistic in their beliefs. I think Ms. Lanza was closer to home on what she believed to be a concern and that is that the econ will collapse. This is not unreasonable to believe. Better than believing in Polar shift as your sole reason for prepping.

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- Chancellor
  Posted on December 20, 2012 at 2:18am
  Tell a lie often enough and some start to believe it is the truth!
  
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bobbiejean
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:35pm
I live in ”crazy-land” CA and ”they” keep saying the BIG ONE (earthquake) is long overdue.
I took Glenn’s idea some time ago and started preparing how to be independent of agencies
in case that quake should come. After seeing how FEMA responded, following Hurricane
Sandy (esp. in Staten Is.), I know they wouldn’t be around for quite awhile. And I live in a
suburb east of SF—got a lot of faults around here, not all political—: )

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