(26 January 2013, 13:06)NorthernRaider Wrote: A we dont live in a nation where every village idiot can pop into Tesco and buy and M15 or AK 47, We dont have sodding great Grizzly bears, Pumas, Rattle snakes to contend with, most fresh water is not full of tropical diseases, we dont have huge numbers of conspiracy theorists just a few hundred quacks. We dont have 19 or the top 20 poisonous critters to contend with like OZ. Most British preppers plan because they see real world threats to their contuinuity not Black helicopters, Alien grays, NWO BS etc. We in the UK are more akin to Off-gridders instead of Rambos, Smallholder and allotment holders rather than right wing militias. We struggle with lack of space but are blessed with never being more than 72 miles to the live giving seas, The walls of 99% of british houses would easily stop a 5.56 mm round most yank houses could not stop a sneeze. My late friend John from Kansas used to say on one hand he could easily lose himself in the still largely empty wildernesses in the US, but on the other hand had a 40 mile trip to fill up his fuel tank, a 150 mile trip to the nearest hospital, the affordable supermarkets were a half days drive away. we at least have reasonable access to the services we need at the cost of hardly any useful wilderness ( plenty of useless wilderness though where only sheep and grouse can live). Our power distribution system is far more reliable than the US national grid. The average yanks disposable pay is not much better now than it was 35 years ago and they on average still only get about 10 to 14 days off work each year for holidays against our average 5.5 weeks which allows us to go and do skills obtaining courses to be better preppers. I would have no qualms about being backed up by any former British veteran in a survival situation especially a hostile one, I would be terrified of the very thought of having the average armed American behind me with their globabbly horrendous blue on blue record.
The yanks do have some advantages such as the easier access for law abidding gun owners, and of course Americans are blessed by god for their utter hatred and contempt for socialism, They do tend to be much better motivated as preppers compared to the UK, I met US preppers who would drive or fly 1800 to 2200 miles to attend RVs and prepper oriented shows, the average Brit prepper wont drive more than 50 miles so closer ties are not as strong in the UK. Many yanks when they become enlightened grasp the nettle and find a way regardless of personal situations to move out of town, we Brits tend to spend most of our efforts in finding reasons NOT to move out.
Those Brits I have seen who go to meets and gatherings appear to me to develop quite strong bonds with their feloow preppees where the US preppers tend to struggle to remain in close contact with other preppers as easily cos of the distances involved. Saying that my recent experiences on reaching out to European preppers gives me the impression the Brit preppers are much further developed and active compared with our continental cousins.
Britain is an island, which is good for prepper security the seas being our first line of defence, but we are over crowded and blighted with socialists who are destroying this once great country. Hopefully after the crash and decimation of the city sheeple and welfare dependant we preppers can survive and thrive.
I'd always be more afraid of the local kid with a .22 who knows the land and his rifle, and automatically assumes that everyone else is better trained and more capable than him and acts accordingly, than the man with a cool looking rifle covered in chinese plastic and unzeroed scopes who assumes that he can outfight anyone, as well as stylish fatigues and too much heavy kit.
Even the criminals with guns aren't much better off. Whenever you see photos of seized guns, they usually only have half a handful of ammo. I imagine that would be used up pretty fast in the initial inner-city chaos before it would become a threat to preppers in more remote locations.