Let’s face it, 2020 has been rough. If absolutely nothing else bad happened this year, it would still go down as a particularly tough year. At this point, even alien invasions aren’t off the table.

That’s especially true since the Navy released video of an encounter between a couple of pilots and an unidentified flying object. Couple that with some strange lights showing up a week or two back and it seemed like a hell of a time to start taking the idea seriously.

Or, you know, not.

The truth is, while we’re unlikely to ever be invaded by aliens, it’s a fun scenario to toy around with. And, well, this is Bearing Arms. We talk about guns and stuff. And, this is Independence Day, which is also the name of a movie about alien invasions. Take the two together and you get a powerful need to discuss the best guns for an alien invasion.

Now, any such list has to make a few assumptions. For one, we have to assume that guns would actually work against an alien aggressor. We also have to assume they won’t just kill us all from orbit first.

However, we’ll try to cover most of the possibilities, assuming we’d survive the initial attack. All of these will be weapons generally available to the public in most places, so no Class III weapons or anything, though I will mention some NFA items at one point.

1. AR-15 or similar rifle

Now, let’s assume the aliens are human-sized and their ground forces are lightly armored. In that case, the good old “evil black rifle” is probably a good choice here. You want something fairly light that will allow you to carry a good bit of ammo in case you find yourself in a protracted fight. Sure, full-auto capable is awesome, but it’s not necessarily essential. You need to put rounds on target and conserve your ammo because E.T. isn’t letting the manufacturers make more of it for you.

Of course, one advantage of the AR-15 is that they’re the most popular rifle in the United States, which means there should be plenty of parts to be scavaged if you’re careful. The same is true of magazines, since the AR-15 and the M-4 use the same mags.

2. 12 Guage Repeating Shotgun

It doesn’t matter if you get a Remington 870/Mossberg 500 pump-action or a semi-auto model, a shotgun is a good all-around tool for when aliens decide to move into the neighborhood.

While resisting our new galactic overlords, you’re not likely to be able to make trips to the grocery store while hiding out with your insurgent buddies. That means you’ll probably be on your own for food, and a shotgun is about the most versatile game-getter you’ll find. Further, should your hideout be found, slugs out of a shotgun will likely be more than enough to put any little green man down for a dirt nap.

Of course, that latter only works if they’re human-sized or smaller and not wearing much in the way of armor.

3. Ruger 10/22

The Ruger 10/22 is the most popular semi-auto .22 lr rifle on the market and has been for a while. That’s not likely to change any time soon, either. For an alien invasion, the 10/22 has some advantages over most other firearms. For one, with a suppressor and the right ammo, the weapon can be damn near silent. That can be quite handy while getting game close to enemy outposts. It can also put down sentries quietly as well.

Plus, if we are dealing with literal little green men, the round may well be more than enough to fight the invaders. Plus, well, you can care a butt-ton of ammunition, even more than the AR-15 style rifles.

The downside is that these aren’t quite as common as the AR-15, so parts and magazines aren’t as readily available.

4. Glock 19

Honestly, any concealable semi-auto handgun will do for this, but I’m a fan of the Glock 19. It’s big enough that you can be comfortable shooting it all day at the range before the invasion but small enough to be concealable afterward.

The truth is, a lot of fighting may well be more guerilla based, and that may require someone to get up close to take down an alien oppressor. You’re not likely to do that carrying a long gun.

Further, it’s what you’re likely to be able to have on your person should the alien horde figure out you’re part of the resistance and come after you.

Finally, it’s a handy backup for when you’re in a straight-up firefight and you run out of ammo for your long gun.

In fact, the semi-auto handgun is probably one of the most versatile fighting weapons possible. Of course, once again, that assumes lightly armored humanoid aliens.

That’s not necessarily a guarantee. We might need something a bit bigger, which brings me to…

5. Barret Model 82A1/M107A1

These are two different models by Barret, but both are semi-auto .50 BMG rifles, which can come in handy. Either of these should have the punch to take out a variety of targets, including lightly-armored vehicles and even more armored alien troops.

Further, this weapon is known for taking out targets at extreme range, which anyone who has been the target of sniper fire can tell you how debilitating that can be.

Plus, being semi-auto, these two have a faster rate of fire. If we find ourselves facing armored alien fighters, we’ll need that.

If we’re dealing with Marvin the Martian sized baddies, though, the mist the Barret will turn them into might be a grand form of entertainment during the invasion, too.

So that’s our list. What about your’s? What do you think would be the best guns for an alien invasion, assuming our guns will do anything?