I agree to an extent. That said, I see a lot of time, effort, and money spent south of the border preparing to fight off the supposed Rawlesian 'Gllden Horde". Frankly, I think it is partly a cultural thing down there.

The Rawlesian Golden Horde I imagine will do all they can to avoid the colder climates due to their lack of survival skills, plus those of us down south that do have guns will act as a good buffer zone to those few Golden Horde who do try to head north. I'd imagine that's why guns aren't as big of a concern to Canadians. We got your back covered, the Golden Horde ain't gettin' through. Besides, we need a safe place of refuge, void of the Horde, way up north after the U.S. economy completely collapses. Just save us some beer and catchup flavored potato chips for when we get there.

There is a beer in my fridge for you anytime NIP 😀

"The Rawlesian Golden Horde I imagine will do all they can to avoid the colder climates"

I think that the inverse square law is a better protection than anything else. Plus the fact that Canadians aren't unarmed, just not obsessed. Guns have a place, but IMO, are over-empasized in some circles to the detriment of other preperations.

Read the OP and the replies, and had to respond.

The short answer: Firearms are essential to long term survival. Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves.

The long answer:

Many Canadians feel that firearms are un-Canadian - they're "weapons of war", and killing machines. Harmful bits of steel and wood/fiberglass/plastic that killed Bambi and allow a small minority to rule a majority through force. But that couldn't be any further from the truth. Canada has a long history of hunting for sustenance and general firearms ownership. (My father and those of his generation in our family, were the first to not own firearms. Before that his family had been predominantly farmers and "small town folk", and lived in the country - where a firearm was a tool you bought in a hardware store, and hung up next to your saw and your hammer.)

Once you get a little further away from the US border, where trips to the store require a truck and a handcart - firearms become essential tools. With the correct firearms you can feed yourself, and your family. You can defend your home when the nearest police station is a half-hour drive away. You can protect your family/livestock/pets from predators and dangerous animals like wolves or bears.

Out where there's no city water supply, where there's no 24 hour grocery store within a 5 minute drive, things are a little different than they are in the city.

But imagine that society, for whatever reason, collapses or even goes through a steady decline. If you need an example of what could possibly happen look at the collapse of the Soviet Union. Government services evaporate, police officers and emergency services workers don't get paid enough, or sometimes at all. Goods - like fuel, food, medicines, and other consumable goods - become scarce.

Previous societal norms go out the window. Some police officers, needing money like everybody else, end up being for sale to the highest bidder. Others just put down the badge and, like everybody else, concentrate on the daily struggle to survive.

So there's nobody there to back you up, but your family, the people you trust, and your firearms.

The "country life" comes to the city... Supply runs are larger and less frequent, and the nearest help is a long way away - and of questionable quality.

So what do you want to do? Bargaining, trading, avoidance, and hiding are only partially effective. Knives, bats, pipes, and improvised weapons don't have the range or the lethality of a firearm.

The "bad guys" are going to use firearms. Eventually you have to stop running, turn around, and punch the bully in his face... And you don't want to face down a group of people armed with firearms with only a hockey stick in your hands.

As to one of the replies that getting a handgun is difficult in Canada - that's what everybody wants you to believe... It's not that hard at all. Do the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC), and the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course (CRFSC), pass the test, fill out the forms and wait (mandatory 28 day waiting period, plus the sluggishness of government bureaucracy). Most local gun ranges or shooting clubs will hold the courses monthly, on a weekend. My local club did the CFSC and the CRFSC together, in one weekend - 8 to 5 Saturday, and around 9 to 6 on a Sunday. I gave up one weekend to help guarantee the safety of my family in an emergency situation... I mean, I gave up one weekend of my life to 1) go target shooting and 2) go hunting (the only two acceptable reasons to own firearms, according to the government and the RCMP).

Once you get your licence you can usually walk out of a retailer with a non-restricted firearm in hand in less than an hour (1/2 hour for me when I bought my first rifle, and that store was busier than an Irish bar on St. Patty's Day). Restricted firearms - like handguns, AR-15 style rifles, and various other specified firearms - take a bit longer to get depending on where you live in Canada... But there's no "waiting period". You just have to wait for the registration to be processed. I had my M1911 about 3 weeks after I ordered it.

Besides going hunting this fall, I may never have to use any of my firearms - but they're there if I need them... And isn't that the point of prepping - to have in case you need, instead of needing and not having?

Oh - and the guy with no preps except for a couple of cheap guns and a couple hundred rounds of ammunition will be able to take your stuff if you can't properly defend it... All your preps gone, because you couldn't defend them properly.

[Edited for spelling mistakes!]

Oh - and maybe we don't emphasize having firearms in a BOB in Canada because the laws up here are so restrictive that possibly even commenting about doing something illegal with firearms might possibly be enough for "them" to take your firearms away... So some may be doing, but the smart ones won't be saying.

I whole heartedly agree HammerHand. My grandfather would hunt dear and my grandmother would can the meat for future use. Boy, it really didn't take long for that kind of common sense prepping to be forgotten. Back then, and this is only about 50-60 years, this wasn't even called prepping, it was called living. Rifles and shotguns are quite simple to get in Canada as you pointed out. Thanks for the tips on getting handguns. Also, yes, toting around a handgun can get you in quite a bit of trouble with the law. My best advice...if you do it, don't talk about it.
Wink wink, nudge, nudge.

It is what HammerHand says.

We don't need a general gun perception thread, it's about guns in BOBs. Handguns are very controled and if you have one in your BOB without a trigger lock and/or a locked box you are breaking the law. In addition prepping is not all about heading to the hills and living of the land. A BOB is for going from one location to another, you don't bug out unless you have some place to go.

Canadian have a more realistic view of prepping than hordes and Zombies. One Canadian prep site has a ban or end of the world and Rambo fantasy types that are popular in the USA. I'd like to see the same thing here: keep it legal, keep it sane.

hand guns are NOT hard to get, read the non restricted safety handbook, write the test, send in paper work, read the restricted safety handbook, take safety course, write the test, send in the paper work. join a club, do the safe shooting test, get an ATT, shoot at least twice a year to keep your ATT and RPAL current. . . don't break the law, don't do stupid things with firearms.

as long as you're not crazy, and no criminal record, it's not hard to get them. it just takes time. . .

I do not ususally comment on firearms threads but with hunting shows being removed from Canadian television because of complaints of special interest groups who knows what's next. It might be a good time to consider getting your PAL and RPAL now. While you still can!

My reasons for not talking about my firearms with my BOB is simple, I don't want people to know how many I have or where I keep them.
Way too many people want to brag about their guns, what they have, how much ammo they have , a lot of them seem to think their pretty smart posting pictures of everything they have.
Criminals like that kind of stuff, if they can hack the pentagon they can sure hack the preppers network. Now they know what you have, where you probably keep it and thanks to your pictures even how pretty they are.
When it all said and done as far as I am concerned you can pick up my empty brass and you will know what I had, I most certainly won't make a list anything here or anywhere else. Only the Rabbit Chasers know what I have and that is already one database too many. People already know I have them or assume it because they know I am a prepper and thanks to shows like "Doomsday Preppers" the general public thinks were all a bit wacko, Survivalist sounds even more ominous to most people. It would be nice if they would show some of the sane normal people who are preppers, not just the wack jobs and fringe people of our loose knit groups, but that wouldn't sell.

I imagine there are many people who feel the same way I do .... if you got it don't flaunt it

I am either lucky or a red neck hick, maybe both. But living out in the country a rifle still puts food on the table for us.Its part of our lifestyle.

I am either lucky or a red neck hick, maybe both. But living out in the country a rifle still puts food on the table for us.Its part of our lifestyle.

Hmmm... How about a "lucky red neck hick".... feeling a little envious...

I am thinking about getting a compound bow for hunting. Anyone here have knowledge about them? I can pretty much guarantee I can draw the max tension. I just need to know of a good bow for hunting.

I know there are other forums, but I would like to hear the opinions of this group before finding my answers elsewhere.