There’s an unfortunate stigma to being a “doomsday prepper.” And while it may not represent the majority, there do exist a group of folks that are making the rest of us look bad. In this case, we’re talking about a man in Everett, Washington, who was arrested for having a collection of explosive hardware in his car, including a live grenade.
According to a recent report by HeraldNet, a local news source, Jeffrey Carlton, age 39, called 911 on Friday evening. He had claimed that a “blasting cap” had gone off and he had sustained an injury to his hand. He was in his car at the time, outside of the Aerospace Machinists Industrial District Lodge.
Carlton was taken to the hospital, while local police searched his vehicle for information. They found a number of unsafe items, including things “associated with the manufacturing of explosive devices.” After receiving a proper search warrant and summoning the bomb squad, they also found a live hand grenade inside.
Carlton’s wife reportedly told police he was a prepper, presumably in explaining why he possessed such items. Carlton was arrested later that day for possession of an explosive device and transporting explosive devices without a license. All his explosives were confiscated, as well.
What We Can Learn From This
With all due respect: Carlton was an idiot. We understand that part of being a prepper means being equipped to deal with potentially violent or dangerous altercations. And sometimes, that includes being trained and equipped with weapons like firearms. But that’s where it stops. We’ve written this before, but to reiterate: THERE’S NO REASON TO GET GRENADES.
Explosives are pointless. They are not suitable for hunting and they are terrible ideas for home defense. The only remaining purpose is to be used in an offensive. And let’s be frank: you’re not about to go toe to toe with the United States military and come out alive, grenades or not. Take out potential government rebellion, and all you’re left with is to use them in some serious crime.
Real preppers know the rules of the game, and they know how to use them to their advantage. You can’t be prepared for the worst when you’re getting arrested because you couldn’t resist feeling cool with your bomb collection.
If you REALLY want to have an explosive, you should do your research and get a permit for it, at the very least.