{"id":231702,"date":"2026-02-17T00:52:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T06:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=231702"},"modified":"2026-02-17T10:58:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:58:23","slug":"prepared-citizens-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/prepared-citizens-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"Prepared Citizens Movement: &#8216;Civilians training like soldiers&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-estimated-reading-time yoast-reading-time__wrapper\"><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__icon\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-icon=\"clock\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.1em\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 8v4l3 3m6-3a9 9 0 11-18 0 9 9 0 0118 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__spacer\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:1em\"><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__descriptive-text\">Estimated reading time: <\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__reading-time\">2<\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__time-unit\"> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the quiet countryside of Polk County, Florida, long-range steel targets ring out past 500 yards and sometimes far beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com\/article\/florida-prepared-citizen-movement-military-tampa\/70291743\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"prepared-citizens-movement\" title=\"Prepared Citizens Movement: 'Civilians training like soldiers'\">report<\/a> from <em>Gulf Coast News<\/em>, civilians are training in what some describe as \u201cmilitary-style\u201d skills at facilities like <a href=\"https:\/\/bonevalleyrange.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"prepared-citizens-movement\" title=\"Prepared Citizens Movement: 'Civilians training like soldiers'\">Bone Valley Industries<\/a>, where retired Air Force two-star Gen. Rick \u201cRB\u201d Mattson is now a co-owner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What used to be considered an impressive 500-yard shot, Mattson says, is no longer unusual. Modern rifles, optics, and training have expanded civilian capability dramatically (don&#8217;t we <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/category\/columns\/shot-show-archive\/shot-show-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"prepared-citizens-movement\" title=\"Prepared Citizens Movement: 'Civilians training like soldiers'\">know it!<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Civilians in Florida are training like soldiers: \u2018Best prevention to war\u2019\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ifX1tYoJqJw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sharing the same grounds is another company, <a href=\"https:\/\/barrelandhatchet.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"prepared-citizens-movement\" title=\"Prepared Citizens Movement: 'Civilians training like soldiers'\">Barrel &amp; Hatchet<\/a>, owned in part by Air Force veteran Eric Rocher. His courses include training with body armor and night vision, gear that\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/category\/columns\/shot-show-archive\/shot-show-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"prepared-citizens-movement\" title=\"Prepared Citizens Movement: 'Civilians training like soldiers'\">increasingly common<\/a> in today\u2019s firearms market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rocher calls it part of the \u201cPrepared Citizen Movement,\u201d which he describes as a mindset focused on <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/ccrkba-hails-florida-woman-who-used-ar-15-to-defend-family\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"prepared-citizens-movement\" title=\"Prepared Citizens Movement: 'Civilians training like soldiers'\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3596\">defending and providing for one\u2019s family<\/a>, physically and spiritually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rocher points to global instability (from COVID-era uncertainty to civilian mobilization efforts in Ukraine) as wake-up calls. <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/watch-navy-seal-bash-isis-training-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"prepared-citizens-movement\" title=\"Prepared Citizens Movement: 'Civilians training like soldiers'\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3595\">Video of Ukrainians receiving crash-course training<\/a> before Russia\u2019s invasion, he says, reinforced the idea that readiness matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-see-also-cimarron-model-3-american-top-break-reviewed\">SEE ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/cimarron-model-3-american-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"prepared-citizens-movement\" title=\"Prepared Citizens Movement: 'Civilians training like soldiers'\">Cimarron Model 3 American Top Break Reviewed<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Not everyone <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/see-the-ways-californians-are-circumventing-gun-control-set-to-roll-out-in-2018\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"prepared-citizens-movement\" title=\"Prepared Citizens Movement: 'Civilians training like soldiers'\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3597\">sees it that way<\/a>. FGCU philosophy professor Landon Frim told <em>Gulf Coast News<\/em> the term \u201cPrepared Citizen Movement\u201d is broad and potentially vague, questioning the necessity of civilians training to <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/hunt365-taking-long-shots-with-bergara-and-cva-new-rifles\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"prepared-citizens-movement\" title=\"Prepared Citizens Movement: 'Civilians training like soldiers'\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3593\">shoot hundreds of yards<\/a>. He expressed concern about motivations within such movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But here\u2019s the reality: this isn\u2019t some brand-new phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Call it what you want: \u201cprepared citizens,\u201d \u201cmilitia-minded,\u201d or simply responsible <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/virginia-gun-owners-heated-legislative-session\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"prepared-citizens-movement\" title=\"Prepared Citizens Movement: 'Civilians training like soldiers'\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3594\">gun owners<\/a>, the idea of being ready for worst-case scenarios is woven into the core ethos of the Second Amendment community. From medical training and disaster prep to marksmanship and situational awareness, <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/category\/columns\/columns-prepping-survival-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"prepared-citizens-movement\" title=\"Prepared Citizens Movement: 'Civilians training like soldiers'\">preparedness<\/a> has always been part of the culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For many in the 2A world, it\u2019s not about looking for a fight. It\u2019s about not being helpless if one ever finds you. And that mindset didn\u2019t start with a YouTube channel.  It\u2019s been around as long as Americans have been serious about their rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><em>*** <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"prepared-citizens-movement\" title=\"Prepared Citizens Movement: 'Civilians training like soldiers'\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a> ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the quiet countryside of Polk County, Florida, long-range steel targets ring out past 500 yards and sometimes far beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":158,"featured_media":231704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4024],"tags":[132,607],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-231702","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-buzz","9":"tag-news"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Prepared Citizens Movement: &#039;Civilians training like soldiers&#039;<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gulf Coast News spotlights the \u201cPrepared Citizen Movement,\u201d but for many in the 2A community, training, readiness are nothing new.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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