Gun Show Folly

I have been setting up a “Dare to Prepare” table at the gun shows in my town for about the last 6 years.  This past week I had my usual “Dare to Prepare” table at a local gun show and I gotta tell ya I was appalled at what I heard while there.  

Now understand that I sell nothing, I merely give out information and answer questions. For this show I had a military academy on one side, the ATF on the other side and FFL dealers behind me and all around.  People would come by my table and say things that just threw me for a loop!!!   Of all the towns, in all the states I have lived in, I am sorry to say that this one takes the prize as being the most apathetic and uninformed – the most unprepared ;-{

"People only see what they are prepared to see."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here are some examples of what I heard all weekend ...

“This is confusing, you have every possibility here and you’re not telling me what I should be most concerned with.”

“I live in blah-blah (suburban town to the major metro area where this show was) and all people have to do is come to my house, cause I have a garden and septic system and well water, etc.”

“I’m going to shelter in place and have a case of MRE’s and freeze dried food, and my spouse has the guns and ammo part taken care of. I don’t need to worry about go-bags or anything else.”

“We have a grocery store on every corner and a farmers market just 2 miles away.  I’ll be able to see the ‘writing on the wall’ in enough time so I don’t need to stock up on food stores.”

“Nothing happens in this town so there is no need to prepare for anything.”

“I always cook with fresh food, so food stores would be a waste for me.”

“Preparedness takes too much time, effort and money.  Besides that’s what FEMA, the fire department and Red Cross are for.”

“Preparedness is just a government scam to have us running scared; there is no need for this town or state to prepare.”

“You can’t prepare for everything”

To see how I replied to these statements go to http://www.scribd.com/doc/96430071/Gun-Show-Folly

However my little ending speech was a simple:  “I am not interested in turning you to my way of thinking.  That is your choice.  However, I have to wonder why you bothered to stop and engage me in conversation.  Was it because you want to be swayed or because you want to sway me?”

With that, some of the people who stopped to rebuff my ‘Dare to Prepare’ table subject, huffed and took off to the next table, some said ‘good question’, smiled then went on and others stayed and talked some more. 

Bottom line - I hope I got every last one of them to exercise their brains a bit ;-}

“If it is to be, it is up to me.”
William H. Johnsen  
Depression-era realist/impressionist painter

TNT