it's one of those situations where you *have* to help whether you like it or not.
This is the same mindset of those who attempt to disarm us.
We as Americans have the right to not be helped, regardless of the intent of those who "think" they know better. The information is all around us, if someone refuses to consider the potential risks and becomes a zombie/victim when circumstances arise, they truly have only themselves to blame. Goes to vacationing blonde girls in South America who disappear off the beach - or who take up a relationship with a foreigner, emigrate, and then post their difficulties when trapped in a MidEastern country.
Harsh as it sounds, they made their choice.
I don't want it known in my family that I have an arsenal of firearms to hand out in bad circumstances. At that point they will organize, beat down the door, and take them, the food, etc. The concept that they are helpless and that someone is going to "shelter" them as if they will be compliant, grateful loved ones who owe their lives to the far thinking prepper is a recipe for disaster. Not hardly - when rioting etc does break out they are the ones looting, running amok, and thinking it's every man for themself. They commit theft and property destruction in the "right" thinking perspective they are "justified" because they have to "protect" their family.
Which locations were the first looted in NOLA after Katrina? Liquor stores, grocery stores, pharmacies, and gun shops. Instead of buying more guns to loan to the fifth columnists you let into the door who are waiting to be embraced with open arms ( and who are just as likely to clean you out) I would put the money into better physical security of your location, building, and practices. There is a reasons why so many citizens in third world countries who are above the poverty line spend their money on building walls, gates, and storing firearms for themselves - and they pretty much don't advertise what they have. Too many revolutions and wars have taught them better.
We don't have that background, aside from our inner cities security is an afterthought and our family isn't considered problematic in extreme times. Yet, they can be if we but just study our one major insurrection - the Civil War. I don't think the next will be any better about divisions inside family ties - and I don't intend to arm the enemy. You simply don't know who will sell you out if they are rewarded with a bowl of soup that day in their shelter.
Listen more closely when the holidays roll around. Put the money on hardening your home rather than arming people who could very well turn your guns on you. Cynical? No, just not in denial. It's from a perspective that humans don't usually make the best decisions and why we need to look to a higher power for rules to govern our life - not to others and the community hive mind.
If taking care of each other worked out to the best for everyone then our coastal cities would be shining examples of that kind of community action, right? And that is where they attempt to ban the ownership of AR's, too.
On that topic AR's are the better choice, shotguns aren't versatile enough to reach out 250 meters with iron sights. And iron sights are all you should put on them as batteries don't age well nor do red dots/lasers. The AR is pretty much classic but can anyone find a red dot so jelled in design it's considered a staple item? Nope, they are largely out of date within a few years. None have unbreakable glass. They don't suffer rough handling like being thrown in a truck bed nor do the suffer tinkering by untrained operators who think they know better. It's proven that you can teach people all they need to know but they can and will break things - and there is another cycle going thru Basic every week. Employ a lot of KISS in your weapons you intend to hand out arming others who have no clue what they are doing.
