I’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately, which is noteworthy because I rarely leave my farm except for church and the gym. In one of my recent adventures, I found myself on a stage discussing how to adapt the slow decay of the United States.

I took a question from the audience about my gun collection (which was sadly lost in a boating accident last fall), and what guns I would recommend for civil disturbances (AR-15, of course).

(And yes, I will finish the gun series.)

But I realized that he was asking the wrong question. He was asking about guns when the real question was, “How do I defend myself from an angry mob?”

Yes, guns are an important tool in defending yourself from a horde, but one man with a gun against a large group is still outnumbered and easily outflanked. For every crack shot Kyle Rittenhouse there’s another dozen men who would quietly get their skull bashed in with a skateboard.

I’ve often preached the importance of community in preparedness, often in rather glowing terms, but community is more than borrowing a cup of sugar or pulling a truck out of a ditch.

When the shit hits the fan, you need a crew to roll with. The quintessential example: The Rooftop Koreans. Some of you are already nodding your heads. For the Zoomers, I’ll give a quick history lesson.

In March 1991, a guy by the name of Rodney King got a little wild on the freeway and the LAPD responded by beating the ever-loving shit out of him. This was all recorded on video, which was a novelty at the time. It led to a national outcry and the prosecution of the cops.

Flash forward to spring of 1992. The police were acquitted and all hell broke loose. The LAPD lost control of the city, and it eventually took President Bush (the first one, not the 9/11 guy) sending in the military to square things away.

In the meantime, Koreatown was completely cut off and left to fend for itself. Due to various racial tensions that I won’t expound upon here, Korean shopkeepers found themselves at the mercy of an angry mob.

Many of these immigrants had poured everything they had into their shops. They weren’t just their livelihoods but their very lives. What to do?

A call for help was sent out over local Korean radio stations. Next thing you know, a crew of Koreans arrive, armed to the teeth.

They weren’t all in the best shape. They didn’t have Gucci gear. Some had never held a gun before. But they banded together and defended their community.

The threat to the Korean community was very real: 40% of the $1 billion in property damage was done to Korean businesses. Two sadly lost their lives in accidental shootings, but none of the rioters were killed. But how much worse would things have been if they hadn’t banded together on the roofs?

The Koreans had something more important than bullets. They had a message. The message was: don’t fuck with us. And it was sent loud and clear.

As we watch mass violence spread again, most recently in Philly, look around you and ask who your rooftop Koreans would be.

Don’t have any? That’s a problem you need to fix. Anyone over 18 who isn’t a felon can buy a gun. Building a proper community takes work, and there are no shortcuts, however I will offer some tips:

• If you struggle meeting people, find yourself a good church with capable men in your area. Or sign up for a martial arts class. Join a gym—you should anyway.
• Be a blessing to those you meet. Contribute more than you take. Listen when people talk. Listen more than you talk. Be a friend. If you suck at that, try reading How to Win Friends and Influence People.
• Coordinate activities with likeminded souls. Go to the range together. Meet up at the gym.
• Develop channels of communication. It doesn’t have to be something complex like ham radio, a simple group chat is sufficient.

Start assembling your squad today.

This article was originally written on Unprepared