The US is facing a severe ammunition shortage. After an uncertain and chaotic year, the demand for weapons has toppled through the roof.

The major cause for this demand mostly stems from the American concern for safety after the multiple public rioting incidents.

Not to mention, the pandemic has had an immense impact on the country’s supply-chain logistics.

Increased Ammunition Sales

The presidential drama, along with the frequent rioting episodes, has caused nationwide civil unrest. People are now worried about their safety more than ever.

There’s a huge number of new gun owners than there ever was in a long time. Anyone with even the slightest concern about their family’s safety or their business will head to the gun shop.

With the authoritative bodies occupied with handling the riots and public chaos, the people feel the need to protect themselves. Thus, the ammunition sales have spiked to a significant height.

Most retail sellers have to face problems with their inventory. Some even believe that the spike in gun sales is a response to the hateful stance of the far-right conservatives.

Furthermore, because of the increased level of uncertainty surrounding the situation, gun owners are purchasing ammunition to stock and not to shoot.

This means that there is plenty of bulk buying amongst veteran gun owners and preppers alike.

The stern belief over preparedness has intensified after the civil massacre and shootings.

Hence, the stockpiling of gun owners are making life difficult for firearm retailers.

Where Has The Ammo Gone?

Firearm retailers and wholesalers were happily enjoying their full inventory supply at the start of January 2020. No one expected their shelves to become empty by the end of the year in December.

Now, the unavailability of the ammunition is unfathomable for the consumers. The uncertainty of the pandemic, the conflicts over gun rights, presidential elections, and riots have led to the ammunition shortage.

Certainly, the ammunition manufacturers were not anticipating the rise in new gun owners and the rapid demand for gun supplies. Even hunters weigh in on the ammunition shortage.

Just like people were stocking toilet papers earlier in 2020, gun owners and even hunters are hoarding down boxes of ammunition.

In these times of uncertainty, panic buying has become a common practice of the consumers.

This panic-buying practice has transferred from the likes of toilet papers to disinfectants and now to ammunition.

Production Challenges

Keep in mind that 90 percent of the world’s ammunition market is in the US alone, and this seems to be increasing as years pass by. Therefore, the increased demand is causing hefty challenges for ammunition manufacturers to cope with, especially in pandemic times.

Gun manufacturers not only have to meet the needs of the markets but also keep their workers safe at the same time. The health and safety of the US workers will always remain the priority.

One obvious solution, i.e., increasing the number of workers, has gone out of the window due to the social distancing laws.

Manufacturers now have to make separate arrangements in their factories to accommodate more workers.

This is ultimately a time taking process, and the companies that have made the arrangement are still struggling to meet market requirements.

Apart from just the ammunition equipment, the demand for the ammunition material has also stunted. Since the pandemic is a global shutdown of the economy, there is an overseas lack of production in primer and brass.

These are two core materials for the manufacturing of ammunition. Other necessities for ammunition production are also scarce in number. These include gunpowder, cases, cardboard boxes, and packing tapes.

With the closing down of all manufacturing facilities, even small things such as the shipment and boxing of ammunition is now a challenging endeavor. Whether the sudden spike was a result of the people’s desperation or a frantic response to the civil unrest, certainly, the shortage in ammunition will not get better anytime soon.

Conspiracy Theory

Some conspiracy theorists have hinted that the ammunition shortage is a company plan to stockpile ammunition so that they can sell it to the wealthy. However, after stern questioning, the authorities have denied any of this information to be true. The president of the Remington ammunition company had to come out and address these rumors himself.

He simply stated that it is absurd to think that they are storing any ammunition in secret warehouses. He further explained that they are making more ammunition than they ever had. It is just the increasingly high demand for ammunition in such a short period, which has overwhelmed the company.

When Will The Shortage End?

Consider the fact that there are now seven million new gun owners across the nation since March 2020. If you take that number and make a conservative estimate on the ammunition requirement, it tallies up to 700 million new rounds of ammunition. Hence, it is impossible to meet this number in less than nine months.

This fact alone puts many conspiracies spiraling around this shortage to bed. The federal president confirms that production is likely to increase but only to some extent. Increasing the workforce and machinery is a time-consuming process.

Furthermore, in times of the pandemic, multiplying workers for the demands of the business is an irresponsible and inconsiderate step.

Thus, the shortage is likely to last throughout the year 2021 and maybe even longer.

The new Biden administration will also have much to do with the production of ammunition. Their important decisions regarding gun laws and legislation will influence the speed of ammunition production.

What Does This Mean For Preppers?

As a prepper that is looking to stock more ammunition, note that due to the basic laws of economics, the increased demand and decreased supply of the product are causing ammunition prices to soar.

Some bullets and cartridges have tripled in price since last year. Despite, what the reasons are for this ammunition scarcity, expect the prices to stay high until there are high demand and low supply.

However, the free market economy has a way of stabilizing itself. Expect the supply to catch up in a few months.

It is just a matter of patience; if you want to purchase the ammunition at a lower cost, you have to wait for the prices to drop down again.

Otherwise, you can scavenge around retail stores and spend hefty dollars on cartridges and rifle bullets.

If you are a hunter or someone looking for cartridges, you can always opt for switching to a different caliber shotgun according to the availability of the cartridges.

Consider something along the lines of .450 or 7mm Mag because the .223 Rem tends to finish up fast. Furthermore, you can even backorder ammunition and wait until April or March.

In these circumstances, patience is likely to play out in your favor. If you wait long enough for the inventories to stock up and the demand to drop, you can buy ammo for an astoundingly low price.

When companies have excess ammunition in their inventory and the demand does not pair up with the supply, they are likely to put extremely low prices on ammunition. Therefore, once the firearm hype stabilizes, it will become easier for you to stock up on ammunition because of the low prices.

How Much Ammo Should You Stockpile?

It depends on how much ammunition you need. It also depends on the location of your house, whether you live in the suburbs or urban areas.

If you live in a distant location, which is safe, then you may not need ammunition for protection. However, if you are a suburb resident hunter, then you will need to stock up on cartridges.

In terms of protection, if in case dire circumstances come about and require self-defense, then typically you should need about 300 rounds of ammunition at hand, per firearm. Some people believe that to be less, while others fancy even more. Another aspect that will determine your ammo requirements at hand is your strategy.

Do you plan to stay put and shelter in times of crisis? Or do you have an exit plan?

Sheltering and firing back will require more ammunition from your side. Whether it is an all-out attack or a threat, you will have to show the opposition that you are well equipped with plenty of ammunition.

On the other hand, if you plan to bug out and retreat to a safer destination, you need to travel light and carry essentials.

In the worst of scenarios, the roads will shut down. You may have to abandon your vehicle and escape on foot. In this situation, you need to have food, water, and essential survival gear. Therefore, carrying extra ammunition is not ideal.

Investing in ammunition is crucial, especially in survival situations.

You must have at least 10,000 rounds for each caliber weapon that you own. This may seem like too much, but in dire circumstances, ammunition will worth more than the most valuable of assets.

It is ideal to have your ammo and stock as much as possible, considering the increasing demand for ammunition and firearms.

One of the scariest things that we can have happen to us, as a society, is a breakdown in social order. More than anything, that means a breakdown in law and order; essentially a time of anarchy, even if there is still a government in place.

The rioting following George Floyd’s death has put a number of municipalities, or parts of municipalities, in just this place. Police departments are being held back from doing their jobs to avoid confrontation, leaving the streets to those who are inciting the riots and destroying their cities.

Before I go any further, let me say that it has become increasingly clear that those who are initiating those riots are not the peaceful demonstrators, who are exercising their First Amendment rights. Rather, a number of mayors, governors and police chiefs have come forth, stating that they have clear evidence that the riots have been started by imported muscle, not by local demonstrators.

Nevertheless, these cities are in danger from the riots. There are those who are calling to move those riots out into the suburbs, because “that’s where the problem lives.” Whether they are calling for a racial civil war or not, it seems clear that those voices are pushing to further the violence, expanding it out into areas where their perceived “enemies” live and work.

At the same time, there have been a number of calls to “defund the police;” to the point where protesters in Washington, DC painted that on the street in front of the White House. It would be interesting to follow the money trail on that and see who is behind that movement, but that’s not my purpose here. My purpose is that you and I are ready to defend ourselves, our homes and our families, if those riots move into our neighborhoods.

Let’s Think it Through

Before discussing specific firearms that you might want to have on hand to deal with rioters, let’s talk a minute about the defensive strategy that we need to have in place, even if that is just in our own minds.

We must remember that people in that mob are essentially invisible to the law, in that it is hard to identify them and get a conviction; but you are someone they can identify, putting you at risk. On top of that, your actions will be held under public scrutiny, which is a much harsher judge than the law.

For our purposes, the best defense is one in which you never have to fire a shot. We must remember that the law only allows us to use deadly force in self-defense. That means that the courts have to agree, after the fact, that what we did was reasonable and necessary. If you shoot in today’s political and social atmosphere, you have to realize that you might be convicted, just to appease the mob, even if it was in self-defense.

With that in mind, one thing you want to do is to intimidate the mob, if you can, rather than shooting them. We’ve seen that happen recently, as store owners have stood guard at their places of business, well armed and ready to defend their livelihood. In most cases, the riots have passed those places by, and gone on to ravage other places of business.

If you are forced to fire a shot in order to defend home and family, you’re better off if you are able to merely wound the attackers, rather than killing them. This is a risky strategy, as a wounded assailant could still cause you great harm. But on the hand, it lessens the chances of ending up in jail.

You also want to consider ballistic body armor and even a helmet, to go with whatever gun you use. The mob can kill and often does. Even if they are unarmed, there is always the possibility of them beating someone to death. That ballistic armor can even be a help against that, spreading the force of blows and lessening the chance of them causing harm.

OK, Let’s Look at Some Specific Guns

Whenever it comes to “best” guns, everyone has their own opinion. That’s a given. What I’m after here is more to get you thinking about particular types of guns, rather than specific models. While all of the guns I’m going to mention are excellent firearms, I’m presenting them more as categories, rather than specific makes and models, even though I’m listing the makes and models too. I’m also going to talk a little about specific ammo loads, in cases where I feel it is applicable.

Kel-Tek KSG

If there was ever a gun that was designed for close-range firepower, I’d have to say it is the Kel-Tek KSG.

While there are other excellent shotguns on the market, which follow the design of the KSG, this is the original. It is a bullpup shotgun, with dual switchable magazines, giving it a total capacity of 14 + 1 rounds. Seven round of each of two types of rounds, plus whatever is carried in the chamber.

A typical load for the KSG would be 00 buckshot in one magazine and slugs in the other.  That’s great for CQB, especially where breaching is necessary. But breaching is unlikely to be necessary in this case. Rather, you need the ability to defend yourself, perhaps without even killing anyone.

I would load that second barrel with a less-lethal round, like beanbags, rather than slugs. I’d also put something a bit smaller to replace 00 buckshot, such as #4 buckshot. That provides the option of starting out with something that can drive the crowd off, and then escalate firepower if needed. Even escalated, #4 buckshot is less deadly than 00 buckshot.

Mossberg 590M Shockwave

While the KSG is a great shotgun, it is a bit pricey. For those that can’t afford that, some other sort of a tactical shotgun would be great to have; something like the Mossberg 590M.

Mossberg has long been recognized as the standard for tactical shotguns. The 590M is a removable magazine-fed version of the very popular shockwave shotgun.

This removable magazine overcomes one of the biggest limitations for most shotguns, reload time. Rather than being forced to take the time to hand feed rounds into the loading chute to fill the internal magazine, you can slap a new magazine and keep going, just as you can with an AR-15 or semi-automatic pistol.

One modification I would make, to either this or the KSG, is to add a red dot sight. Most people consider shotguns to be a “point and shoot” weapon; but at the range you’ll probably be shooting, it would be good to have the ability to aim, allowing you to pick your target. You’re not going to have much shot spread and you want to make sure you can hit the right trouble maker.

Glock 21

After considerably ballistic testing, I’ve come to some definite conclusions about what pistol calibers are the best for certain circumstances. For most people, this argument comes down to 9mm vs. .45 ACP. Personally, I’m a fan of both, even though I see them as being useful for different things.

The .45 ACP round was originally developed for the US Army, who was having trouble with Moro tribesmen attacking them high on drugs. They needed a round that would have high energy transfer, increasing the chances of knocking down these tribesmen, even if they didn’t feel the hit. The .45 ACP gave them that and there really hasn’t been another round developed which matches this ability.

If we assume that any rioters will be high on at least adrenaline, if not more serious drugs, then we need this knockdown ability. The Glock 21 holds 10 rounds, three more than the 1911, which is why I’ve selected it. Glocks are also highly customizable, with lots of after-market parts available.

Springfield XDS

Such a time, when there is a chance of riots, coupled with reduced police protection, gives justification for concealed carry, if any were needed. There is always the possibility of being caught by that mob, away from home.

While I personally wouldn’t want to take on a mob with nothing more than a pistol, I’d much rather take them on with a pistol than with my bare hands.

My favorite concealed carry gun is the Springfield XDS, chambered in .45 caliber. I’ve carried other guns in the past and then settled on the XDS. Not only does it give me the knockdown power of the .45, but it does so in an easy to shoot, very reliable handgun, that’s fairly small for a .45. Mine is modified to have both tritium night sights and a laser sight, allowing me to use it any time anywhere.

The problem with this gun, as with any concealed carry gun, is magazine capacity. That’s especially true for a .45 caliber. Those fat bullets take up a lot of room, which translates to a small magazine capacity. I compensate for this by carrying two 7-round magazines, in addition to the 5 round magazine that’s in the pistol. Twenty rounds still isn’t enough to take on a mob, but hopefully it’s enough to scare them away, if nothing else.

AR-15

No matter what else you have, you should have an AR-15 as your backup gun. While I would not want to start shooting with that, due to the lethality of a rifle slug, I would want to have it leaning against the wall, loaded and ready, in case I needed a lot of firepower quickly. There are few civilian guns on the market, which can match the firepower that an AR-15 can offer us.

As for what particular AR-15 you should buy, I won’t even attempt to pick one. There are so many on the market, that it’s hard to pick out just one. Besides, my personal AR-15 is one that I’ve built myself, picking out the parts that I wanted. So I can’t tell you a brand.

More than anything, I’d say your optics are important. I’d be sure to have a red dot sight, as well as a powerful tactical light mounted on the rifle. That should take care of most circumstances. While infrared or night vision devices might be nice, you’ll lose important details in the image, so I’d probably avoid them.

A new report out Tuesday from the U.K. government framing the natural environment as “our most precious asset” says the world’s destruction of biodiversity has put economies at risk and that a fundamental restructuring of global consumption and production patterns is needed for humanity’s survival.

The 600-page review was commissioned by Britain’s Treasury and authored by Partha Dasgupta, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Cambridge, who wrote that gross domestic product (GDP) is a faulty measure of sustainable economic growth.

In a foreword to the report, renowned naturalist and TV host David Attenborough wrote that although we “are totally dependent upon the natural world,” we “are currently damaging it so profoundly that many of its natural systems are now on the verge of breakdown.”

Humanity is “plundering every corner of the world, apparently neither knowing or caring what the consequences might be,” wrote Attenborough. “Putting things right will take collaborative action by every nation on earth.”

“The Dasgupta Review, at last, puts biodiversity at its core and provides the compass that we urgently need,” he added. “In doing so, it shows us how, by bringing economics and ecology together, we can help save the natural world at what may be the last minute — and in doing so, save ourselves.”

The report argues that a recovery effort like that seen in the aftermath of World World II is necessary. “If we are to enhance the biosphere’s health and reduce our demands, large-scale changes will be required, underpinned by levels of ambition, coordination, and political will akin to (or even greater than) those of the Marshall Plan,” it states.

As the Associated Press reported:

“Dasgupta called on the world to ensure demands on nature do not exceed sustainable supplies by changing food production and consumption, investing in natural solutions such as restoring forests, and protecting natural habitats. He said coordinated action now would in the long-run be less costly and would also help tackle other issues such as climate change and poverty.

“Additionally, he pointed to a need to move away from using gross domestic product, or GDP, as a measure of economic success toward one that accounts for the benefits of investing in natural assets such as forests, soils, and oceans.”

“Truly sustainable economic growth and development means recognizing that our long-term prosperity relies on rebalancing our demand of nature’s goods and services with its capacity to supply them,” Dasgupta said in a statement. “It also means accounting fully for the impact of our interactions with nature across all levels of society.”

The coronavirus pandemic “has shown us what can happen when we don’t do this,” Dasgupta added. “Nature is our home. Good economics demands we manage it better.”

According to Bloomberg, “The review is the first time natural capital accounting — the act of quantifying ecosystems and their losses — has been discussed in detail by a mainstream economist with the support of the U.K. government.” The outlet added:

“Academics have spent decades attempting to put a price on nature. A widely-cited study in 1997 estimated that the global flow of the earth’s biosphere was valued at an average of $33 trillion per year—far higher than the global gross domestic product of that era.

“Dasgupta said assigning absolute monetary values to nature would be meaningless because life would simply cease to exist if it was destroyed. The Indian-British economist called on governments to find an alternative to GDP as a way of measuring wealth, warning it is “wholly unsuitable” for ensuring sustainable development. Instead, he said, governments should use a more inclusive measure of wealth that accounts for nature as an asset.”

“The message from the Dasgupta Review is clear,” said United Nations Environment Programme chief Inger Andersen. “Securing nature is investing in our self-preservation.”

“It is armed with this knowledge that in 2021 we must agree on an ambitious post-2020 global biodiversity framework that ends nature loss,” she said.

The report was also welcomed by Marco Lambertini, director-general of WWF International, who said its findings “are clear: nature underpins our economy and our wellbeing.”

“Our failure to recognize this relationship, and take decisive and urgent steps to reverse nature loss, is costing us dearly and putting the future of humanity at risk,” said Lambertini. “To safeguard our future, we must stop taking nature for granted as an expendable commodity, value its services, and transform our economies and finance systems so they are geared towards conserving and restoring the natural world on which we all depend.”

“This should be required reading at @hmtreasury,” tweeted Green Party MP Carolie Lucas of the report.

“Biodiversity and enhancing nature cannot be separated from economic policy,” she wrote, calling for a replacement of “GDP growth with a wellbeing economy, starting with next month’s budget.”

The report was not without criticism from environmental advocates, including from author and climate activist George Monbiot, who took issue with putting a price tag on nature.

In a set of tweets ahead of and after the report’s release, Monbiot called the review’s approach “morally wrong” and accused Dasgupta of promoting “a kind of totalitarian capitalism” in which “everything must now be commodified and brought within the system.”

“Destruction is driven, above all, by the power of the rich. Regardless of how others value nature, those with power will destroy it, until their power is curtailed,” Monbiot wrote.

“Dasgupta’s natural capital agenda,” he added, “is naive on many levels, but above all, it is naive about power. Putting a social price on something does nothing to stop anti-social interests from exploiting it.”

Only a handful of preppers can afford a $ 70k nuclear bunker.

But if you think about it, there are a lot of natural nuclear shelters in the US that are absolutely free.

All you need to do is to identify the closest one to your home and maybe include it into your bug out plan in case a nuclear war is looming (or an asteroid impact).

Keep in mind that these bunkers are all naturally EMP hardened. But they will protect you only from the nuclear blast and the initial radiation burst.

Sometimes the shelter is so close that is right below your feet. It’s the case in Detroit, where just 1200 Feet below there is a salt mine that can easily shelter the entire population of Detroit! Actually it can shelter over 5 million people.

The salt mine was used to mine table salt, but with the decline in salt prices the mine is now used to mine road salt for winter.  The Michigan basin and the great lakes area (since there are also huge salt mines in Canada), used to be part of a sea which sank into the earth. The salt was left behind and formed the massive deposits that we mine today.

Detroit isn’t the only city with a salt mine below it. Other cities like Houston and Cleveland (1400 feet below) are also situated over salt mines.

So I’m going to start with…

…The Underground Salt Mines:

Salt mines are your best option because they are very spacious with large rooms rather than narrow, dark, high humidity tunnels like you see in mines!

Caves

From 1964-1973 the USA and CIA conducted a secret war to support the Royal Laos Government and to stop the communist incursion by dropping bombs on then communist Lagos and northern Vietnam.  Unbelievably in these years the USA dropped more bombs than any other time in the history of war. 270Million cluster bombs, 210 million more than Iraq in 1991, 1998 and 2006 COMBINED!  7 million tons of bombs, more than twice the amount dropped in Europe and Asia in WWII.  This is equal to a laneload of bombs every 8 minutes, 24 hrs. a day for 9 years.

Kaysone Phomvihane who was the leader of the communist movement led his people to limestone caves in the craggy mountains at the Vietnam boarder.  The shelter has become known as the ‘City of Victory’ and is a tourist attraction.

There is an extensive network of caves all across the USA. I have made a list of the largest ones, state by state for your reference.

There are many advantages to cave living even in an emergency situation.  They tend to retain heat in the winter and are cool in the summer as well as an excellent natural hide away from natural disasters.  There was even a reference to living in limestone caves of Missouri the film “Deep Impact” when comet was to hit the earth and flood a greater part of the world.

The reality is that nature provides most things that we need to survive, so why not a cave as a refuge for war or nuclear bombs?

Underground Mines:

You might find it hard to believe, but Kansas City has a “nuclear shelter” which houses 10 percent of city’s commercial real estate.

Subtropolis – as it is called – is an ex limestone mine with an excavated size of 140 football fields, which was turned into an underground industrial park. The limestone deposits are six times stronger than concrete.

UPDATE:

Find The Closest Mine to Your Home:

Unfortunately there isn’t a reliable map with all US underground mines. I tried to use Google Maps but it has a lot of other facilities with the name “mines” and also surface mines.

But you can use this website to find the closest mine to your home. Just enter your location and make sure you’ve checked “underground” and a 50 miles radius. The results is your closest “nuclear shelter”.

If you don’t have any mines near your home, scroll down and you’ll find “mines by state”, select your state and see what mines are close to you.

A Final Word

Of course, a specially made nuclear bunker has food, water and oxygen reserves. These natural shelters will protect you only from the nuclear blast and the initial radiation burst.

Chances are that you won’t be warned about a nuclear blast, but (just in case) here are 3 signs that you need to take “nuclear” cover:

1 – When your electronics stop working (most of them)

Most experts agree that the next nuclear war will start with at least an EMP. If one of the nuclear powers blasts a nuclear weapon 275 miles above the US it will produce an EMP that will basically send us, the Canadian and the Mexicans back to the Dark Ages. This is exactly what our enemy wants: to disrupt our communication and our ability to retaliate at full capacity. I have something you need to watch. It’s much better than I am at explaining the threat. Watch it and learn what you should fear most (Video), what an EMP effects and how you can protect your electronics, car, mobile phones, etc.

2 – When you hear on the news that a nuclear bomb has just detonated somewhere

It doesn’t matter if it’s in the US, Russia or China… I’m thinking that when a nuclear bomb explodes we face 3 possibilities: a nuclear war which may involve the US, nuclear terrorism which means that the first explosion may be followed by another four, or human error like in 1956 when the US Air Force accidentally dropped two atomic bombs on North Carolina. If it’s the last case… then yes you’ve probably evacuated in vain. But the risk worth the effort! 

3 – When a Nuclear Bomb explodes a few miles away, but does not kill you.

If you’re not killed in the first few minutes, you can live a lifetime or die of cancer in the next few days. The longer you expose yourself to radiation (in the radioactive area) the lowest the chances to survive. Take your family and leave as fast as you can!

Well, we survived 2020 and now we face the hope of a new America in 2021. We will be faced with tough choices and tough times, but we will still keep prepping. Some Americans are so disenfranchised with our nation that they are actually considering leaving!

Are there still safe havens for preppers in our nation and around the world? We dug deep and sought out some recommendations to get the gear turning in your own head. Might it be time to relocate?

Bugout Lifestyle

Some people have given themselves over to a sort of never ending bugout. This idea that our world is so close to calamity that we could be uprooted at any moment has given way to people who simply have prepared to be mobile at a moment’s notice.

I call this the Bugout Lifestyle because it basically keeps you on a perpetual bugout or perpetually prepared to be most efficient in a bugout scenario.

Mobile Home

RV life and mobile living has become a huge opportunity for many people. This is a lifestyle that is far beyond preppers. Writers, entrepreneurs, and others have also taken to the idea of a mobile living space.

There are some serious benefits for preppers when it comes to living on the road.

Of course, limited storage space can be an issue for preppers. However, we are a creative bunch and using storage and survival caching could become an answer to that.

No matter how you look at it, being a mobile prepper in uncertain times is definitely going to be a huge benefit to preppers in 2021.

Month to Month Rentals

While owning a property might seem like the best means of financial preparedness, there is something to be said about watching that investment, literally, go up in flames (Antifa). So, now is a time to consider renting month to month.

Month to month rentals in a city would be a terrible idea for preppers!

However, month to month rentals in a rural setting could be just the kind of preemptive bugout that you and yours are looking for.

Many farmhouse rentals offer gardens and wide opens spaces with landowners that allow you to keep animals and care for the land as though it were your own.

If the state leadership gets out of hand you simply finish out your lease and move away! No selling a home or any hassle. Cut ties and keep it moving. Having no roots in uncertain times has its benefits.

Off Grid Tiny Home

The off grid tiny home revolution has made lots of things possible for people who are willing to live a minimalist lifestyle.

You can jump off grid for a very little bit of money and maybe even invest in a nice piece of land to put that home on.

The tiny home is not just a jump to off grid, but it is also a pickup truck away from being a bugout location. Now you can uproot quickly and take your living space with you.

However, you can also park on a piece of land with a well and build a serious life for yourself.

They can be professionally built for as little as 30,000 or you can do it yourself for even less!

Unconventional

These unconventional living methods might seem a bit extreme to you, but they are solutions for the hardcore prepper that is fortifying and preparing to live out the very worst case scenario.

Cave

Batman is the ultimate prepper, in my estimation, and his bat cave is legendary.

Of course, it is only the stuff of comics but the living inside of a cave or building a structure inside of a cave could provide you with a protected shelter that is invisible to pretty much every form of detection.

You will not be seen from satellites and even thermal vision will be unable to detect you living in your cave home deep beneath the ground.

Using permaculture principles, you could populate the woods around your cave with a food producing forest garden and maybe even some free roaming animals.

Missile Silo

Abandoned missile silos are popping up all the time. These are decommissioned and highly effective underground shelters for hardcore preppers to manipulate into a living space. Just so you know, you will not be the first person to turn a decommissioned missile silo into a home.

This is the definition of unconventional living, but it is also the prepping at its most extreme and maybe at its most effective. Dipping below the earth’s surface and maintaining normalcy is about the only way a family can live out a true doomsday.

Underground Bunker

A more affordable option is to invest in an underground bunker.

While a cheap underground bunker is no type of living space for a person or family, a larger one can be a place that you might seek refuge and furnish to some measure of enjoyment.

A simple cabin on top of your bunker could create a combo living situation that works perfectly for you and yours.

Spacious, outfitted bunkers can run you 80,000 and up. These might not be something you are interested in and with the cost of a home on top it could get very expensive. However, you will be able to just head underground and seek shelter in a disaster.

Conventional

Here are a few places that are on the more conventional side. While shacking up in a missile silo would undoubtedly protect you from a serious doomsday disaster it wouldn’t be a great place to call home.

So, let’s look at some regions and states that are much better for preppers.

Rural Living

The general consensus amongst most preppers is that living rurally is simply better than living in the burbs.

You have more freedom to work on food production and other prepping/homesteading projects. You are also living in an area of low population density.

The rural lands might be the perfect place for the right kind of prepper.

Tennessee

Tennessee is a great state for preppers and offers up a wonderful mix of environments from great rural expanses to mountain towns and even some incredible suburban places.

It is also a state that is pretty well run from a local government standpoint.

Of course, you are going to need to spend some time seeking out the right place, but you will find it a welcoming state with a lot of the benefits of an east coast location without radical gun control, exploding unrest, destructive taxation and some of the more common issues that are cropping up in states all over.

Montana

If you are looking to move into an even more remote location Montana is something to consider.

It is a state of immense beauty and wide ranging freedom.

Of course, there are very few people in the state compared to its massive footprint.

This type of isolation lends itself to preppers who are looking to switch on that agricultural prowess, shoot guns, get off grid and really get back to living as part of the world.

The communities are a lot of independent than those with big cities, too.

West Virginia

Lots of people live in that northeast corridor but tucked just south west of these places is West Virginia and you can find yourself a little nook that will keep you provide you with all the self-reliance and freedom that you want.

Getting off the grid and preparing for calamity becomes a reality and in some places a necessity in many parts of West Virginia.

It is also a beautiful landscape and the eastern part of the state offers up world class trout fishing, hiking, and hunting.

West Virginia has not been infected by that which is east of it and it’s a diamond in the east coast rough.

Outside the US

I wouldn’t recommend leaving the nation. That is just my two cents in the whole matter.

However, there are some really great places that one could live and hide and prep without too much oppression, for now.

New Zealand

For years New Zealand has been a place where people with money have been buying land and setting up shop for a dark, dark period in history.

This is the island to survive SHTF in the minds of those in places like silicone valley and other billionaires.

In many ways, New Zealand has become the new age ARK that will be there when the rain starts to fall.

No matter how you feel about the uber rich and powerful, they know that New Zealand has tremendous benefits in an SHTF scenario.

Things like local food sources, clean water, and it being an island nation that would require raiders to come by boat.

Sweden

While many will bristle at the idea of living in a socialists’ dream like Sweden, we are talking about SAFETY as a prepper.

Sure, you can find a number of things to concern yourself with abouts Sweden.

But if you take the same kind of route as you would in America you will have success: Rural life, self-reliance, off grid and whatever else you deem necessary.

Sweden is a breathtaking place that is full of natural resources and opportunity for a prepper. Gun ownership is tightly regulated but if you are rural and you keep quiet, you should not have problems.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica has long been a safe haven for expats. Prepper’s are a THING in Costa Rica and during the pandemic many of these preppers came out of the woodwork. In short, you are dealing with a democratic nation invests in the social and cultural fabric of its nation. The tax system is very favorable to Americas.

Literacy is high and cost of living is exceptionally low. You can live comfortably on $2000 a month!

Conclusion

The opportunity to make a move that will better position you to survive the coming chaos, or the chaos that is already around us, is still there. You should not assume that you have made your final move. As you can see, there are a tremendous amount of safe living options for preppers.

From extreme to conventional, preppers have options. It is important for us to sit down and really consider what matters to us. From here you can make that incredibly important decision: Are you in the place you would like to be to live through SHTF?

If the answer is no, then it is time to get to work on deciding where that place is.

Other than the obvious consequences, what might we expect from a partial economic collapse? A total collapse of the economy would throw the nation into utter chaos. But what if we endure an economic depression, or a severe and long-lasting downturn? I think that some of the effects are not so obvious.

1. The college and university system will collapse

As I explained in this previous post, the system of higher education is a house of cards. The cost of getting a college degree has risen sharply and steadily, while real income has remained relatively flat. The price rise is due to the easy availability of grants and loans for education. But with so many persons getting a college degree, its value in the marketplace has plummeted. Many college grads are out of work, or they are working in a job that does not require a degree. Eventually, this practice of paying more and more, for something that is worth less and less, will collapse the system. Colleges and universities will not have enough paying students, and professors will not agree to a drastic pay cut. Overhead expenses are far too high.

All that is needed is an economic collapse, or partial collapse, to topple this house of cards. Many universities and colleges will be forced by economics to shut down.

2. Agricultural yields will plummet

The current U.S. agricultural system is based on the expectation of high yields. But high yields are obtained by high inputs — all the things that go into growing the crop, including lots of fertilizer, perhaps irrigation, herbicides, pesticides, labor, machinery. Then those high yields are sold and the money is then used to fund the inputs for the next crop cycle.

An economic collapse will mean that farmers will not be able to afford all the inputs needed for high yields. And when yields fall, the amount of money from that crop will be less. Then the next crop cycle will have even less money for inputs, resulting in even lower yields. And the process will continue — lower yields, less money, lower inputs — until many farmers are out of business and a food crisis results.

3. Violent crime will increase

When people lack money and food, they become desperate. And desperate people do desperate things. Theft and robbery will skyrocket, and people will be afraid in their homes, and afraid to go out in the community. Even a quick trip to the market will become risky. Sales of most goods will plummet, causing the economic crisis to worsen. Protests will turn violent. Home invasion robberies will become much more common. Many people will be killed or injured as a result of this increase in violent crimes.

4. Law enforcement will be overwhelmed

The law enforcement system in the U.S. is commercial. Officers are paid. We don’t keep a large excess of officers on the payroll, just in case crime sharply increases. So it is relatively easy for the system to be overwhelmed. And that means a call to 911 might not bring the police to your door in time, if at all. Those who have firearms for home defense will be much better off than those who rely solely on the police. But many households have no firearms. And that means that robberies will increase, and so will the economic damage and the number of injuries and deaths.

5. The healthcare system will be overwhelmed

The healthcare system is also commercial, and lacks a safety margin in the form of excess doctors and nurses. Hospitals operate at close to capacity. A sudden increase in persons who are sick or injured will overwhelm the system.

The aforementioned increase in violent crime will undoubtedly increase injuries. But it is less obvious that a disruption to the food production and distribution system will increase illnesses. Plenty of good healthy food is the first line of defense against illness. Malnourished persons are much more likely to get sick. So an extended disruption to the food supply will cause an increase in illnesses.

6. Travel anywhere will become dangerous

As a result of all the above described problems, travel will be dangerous. Want to make a quick trip to the supermarket? You risk having your house robbed, if it is left unoccupied. And you risk being attacked on your way back from the market. Robbers might wait outside the market and follow anyone who looks like they purchased a lot of food.

There will be protests in many places, and violence will often break out. People who are hungry and afraid do not make the best decisions. Then there is the cultural aspect of the situation. We live in a culture that tells us to expect the government to take care of us, and to protest whenever anything doesn’t go our way. Ironically, self-sufficiency is abhorrent to our narcissistic culture.

I expect that the roadways will be dangerous, as violent criminals will see travelers as easier targets than homes.

7. The death rate will jump higher

People will be malnourished because of the disruption in the food supply, so they will get sick more easily. Violent crimes and violent protests will result in many more injuries than usual. And yet healthcare will be much more difficult to access. There will be a shortage of hospital beds. It will be difficult to get a doctor’s appointment. There may be a shortage of prescription and OTC medications.

All of these factors will make life a riskier endeavor.

Now if you are a seasoned prepper, who has long considered the dangers inherent in an economic collapse, you may have anticipated some of the above consequences. But I hope I’ve added to your understanding of the possible problems that we may soon face.

Our underlying goal in a SHTF scenario is ultimately to stay alive and live without exposure to risks.  As much preparation as many of us have made, in the altered world of a SHTF crisis, there will be many dangers that lurk; and some of them will be inadvertently from our own doing.

Here are the six laws of survival. Read this. Memorize this. Apply this. One day, you will need it.]

In a survival scenario all bets are off and the following laws will keep you alive. These laws are rigid, but necessary. Harsh, but true. Keep your cards close and always have a plan.

You might be living in one of America’s deathzones and not have a clue about it
What if that were you? What would YOU do?

In the next few minutes, I’m going to show you the U.S. Nuclear Target map, where you’ll find out if you’re living in one of America’s Deathzones.

Law 1: Wherever that crowd is running, do not join them.

This is not to say that they aren’t (initially) running in the right direction.  But what of it?  They are bound to be either captured en masse or worse (bombed, strafed, or shot).  For the horror of the IHM (the Incredible Human Mob), look no further than “War of the Worlds” with Tom Cruise where he and his family are driving the passenger van…right up and into the mob.  Look what happened there.  You can’t defeat their numbers, and you will be captive to them…another steer in the herd.

Strike out on your own, you and your family, avoiding the main thoroughfares at all cost, and avoiding the IHM.

Law 2: You have to have a place (and places) to go.

This is where thinking outside of the general herd will pay off.  We’re going to instruct by running through a checklist…. this will be a “handy-dandy” checklist that you can print out or run over in your mind to be able to follow rule #2.

• Did you preposition assets (food, weapons, money, etc.) at an initial safe location?
• Is that location within walking distance for you and your family?
• Once there, are you and your family secure for at least a 24 – 48-hour period?
• Safe from enemy troops/government “peacekeepers” on the hunt?
• Safe from fallout and/or NBC agents?
• Does it have a food and water supply to sustain all of you for 7 days?
•  If your initial safe location has been compromised, is a duplicate location nearby?
• Do you have a farther (more remote) location that you can reach on foot in 3 days?
• A secure, sustainable location with supplies for at least a month?
• Do you and your family have a handheld method of communication for each member?
• Have you formulated short-term (initial contact, 48 hours, 7 days) plans?
• Have you made long-term (1 month and month-by-month; 6 months and 6-month continuous analysis; 1 year) plans?

Guys and gals, these are just basics.  You must have these things in place in order to give you and your family a fighting chance.  Whether or not it is a foreign invasion or a domestic communist takeover of the United States, you must leave your home in suburbia or you will be rounded up, bringing us forward:

Law 3: You will be leaving your home, permanently or for a long time.

This is survival.  The majority of readers are not living in the mountains or in a remote location.  If you follow these steps and practice them on a dry-run on a regular basis…it will give you the advantage that most people will not have.  You must innovate: come up with ideas that others will not think of.  Do you know of an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town?  Chances are that 90% of others will think the same thing in a grid-down/Red Dawn survival scenario.  You need to find the places that are off the beaten path.  And if there are none?  It may mean that you have to create a place.

How?  By caching your supplies within the walking distances described for each part of the “safe” area.  By finding tunnels, caves, or other sub-structures that can protect you from the elements and at least afford partial protection from radiation.  By being who it is you imagine yourself to be: a prepper…a survivalist…or a survivor.  When you enter any contest, do you enter it to lose?  Do you strive for just “second place” or “second best” in this arena?  Chances are the answer is “no,” but you have to arrive on that conclusion on your own.  All of this is a challenge, and this underlines everything for you if it needs clarification:

Law 4: In survival, there is no silver medal: “second place” means death.

Forget that phrase in “The Hunger Games,” because if you are taken…the odds are not ever in your favor.  We went through a 4-article series on how to escape from the Gulag where I reiterated how important it is for you to stay out of it.  I stand by this concept.  If you are taken captive, the odds aren’t in your favor of getting out…for the duration of it.

And then guess what?  The Germans during WWII as the allies approached began to hide their transgressions by liquidating the camps…basically killing everyone that could bear any type of witness to the atrocities.  Do not think for an instant that it will not happen again.  Look at Holodomor in Ukraine and the starvation tactics the USSR used to follow after the Malthusian model.  Our enemies have very little regard for human life, and the lives they value are of their own people.  If the Chinese communists would run over their own people with tanks and sell their internal organs while they’re still alive, what will they do with us?

Which brings us to the “Malcolm X” rule:

Experts predict that an EMP strike that wipes out electricity across the nation would ultimately lead to the demise of up to 90% of the population. However, this figure begs an important question: if we were able to live thousands of years without even the concept of electricity, why would we suddenly all die without it?

Law 5: You must stay out and survive by any and all means necessary.

Some of you may think “JJ is a little harsh.”  I would rather be hard and harsh now, and enable you, my countrymen, to have some tools at your disposal and a “sharp tack” under the figurative buttocks of your mind to give you the impetus to do something about the situation prior to its occurrence.  The country is “long in the tooth,” and you have to grasp these concepts and act upon them now…not burn off the pages and save them in the survival archives…but use them to inculcate your own, individual plan of action now.

Rule #5 means resolving yourself to do what you must in order to protect yourself from the ravages (and not just possible, but probable death) inside of one of these camps.  These are all basic, “generic” things to begin as a base for your preparations.  This is a form of guerilla warfare!  Avoid the occupiers/oppressors at all cost!  These things will work for you…if you resolve yourself (ves) to do them.  I’ll close with a note on OPSEC (operational security): you better build off of these basics and keep all of them to yourself.

JJ is giving you the basics that you need, without revealing everything of his own plans.  Why?  Because I earned them by paying for them with years of experience and suffering, and it means my family’s survival.  Such measures would run you a lot of money and imagination; such measures come from years of practical experience and the willingness to take chances.  This thought brings us to our final rule, the failure of which means compromise leading to death:

Law 6:  Do not tip your hand or reveal your plans to anyone.

Next installment we will talk about life under occupation, be that by foreign invaders or by totalitarian state that has morphed out of a democracy.  In the meantime, prepare and plan, and when you are reasonably sure, execute a dry run.  The practice does make perfect and affords you a time and trials to iron out all of the glitches in your operations.  Until next time be good to one another and keep up the fight!

Guns have been referred to as “the great equalizer,” and there’s no weapon which can come close to them in that regard.

A lot of the popularity of firearms is due to the fact that anyone can use them effectively, not only the strong and agile. The young, the old, men, women and child can take up firearms in defense of home and family and do so effectively.

But what do you do if you can’t use a gun – or if you don’t have a gun — to protect yourself?

Chile has struggled to become a thriving democracy. Once a dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet, the country has gone through considerable turmoil since his death. Capitalism has not treated everyone fairly in this country, even though Pinochet was once lauded for the dynamic free-market economy he created, once cited as the “model for the developing world.”

By no means has Chile been the only country which has struggled to become a free-market democracy. Russia is still struggling, decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Iraq really hasn’t accepted democracy as a political model, even after enormous amounts of investment by the US government. Other countries have struggled as well, but not with the same results.

Much of the problem that Chile has been experiencing has been due to the vast income inequality that exists in that country. While there are portions of the population which are thriving, many others are still suffering, especially those who are dependent on retirements that were established under the Pinochet regime. Many schoolteachers are still working into their 80’s, because they can’t survive on their $300 a month pension.

For those working in non-skilled jobs, public transit to take them to and from their work costs as much as 21% of their weekly wages. Thus, when the government announced a 30 peso rise in the cost of the metro, it was met with anger. A student-led protest, called evasión swarmed the metro, jumping the turnstiles to avoid paying the increased fare. Workers took advantage of the opportunity to save a little money and joined the protest.

While protests are nothing new in Chile, these seem to have gained traction. A demonstration which started in the capital has now spread to many of the major cities, with continued evasión of fares and widespread protests in the streets.

It appears that socialist organizers and anarchists have joined in the protests, working to turn it to their political ends. As in many such cases, word coming out of Chile is a bit confused, with each side accusing the other of what they themselves are doing. Much of the reporting is tainted by the political leanings of the reporters who are on the scene. But one thing is certain, the government’s response doesn’t stand up under scrutiny.

The Government’s Response

President Sebastián Piñera has declared that his country is “at war.” But if it is, it’s a war between the government and the citizens. While some government response is required to the violent acts of the protesters, that should be a police response, arresting the worst of the offenders and those who are inciting others to commit illegal acts. Protests, as our own government has learned, are not the reason to call out military forces armed and equipped to use deadly force.

We’ve seen that before in this country; at Kent State University in 1970. National Guard troops were called out in response to a protest. Although the National Guard does receive some training in how to respond to a riot, they are first and foremost soldiers, equipped and trained to kill, not to arrest people. In this case, the results were four dead college students and another nine who were injured.

The soldiers on the streets of Chile reminded many of the older citizens of the years of Chilean dictatorship, when such sights were common; a parallel that was lost on the students who started the protest. For the older citizens, that sight struck fear in their hearts.

The government has admitted to eight people being killed in the protests, but information leaking out of the country claims over 20 killed. There are also widespread reports of police and military brutality against the population, including against people who were not protesting, but merely in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Martial law was declared by the President, early on in the protests, allowing for the use of military forces and imposing ever more restrictive curfews on the people. Interestingly enough, whenever the protesters have gotten the upper hand, troops have retreated to wealthy areas of the cities, focusing on protecting the wealth centers. It seems clear from that action alone, that the leadership of the country is only interested in protecting their financial standing, not protecting the people.

Under martial law, police and military forces have beaten hundreds or perhaps even thousands of innocent people, often plucking them off the streets in civilian clothes, in an attempt to hide their identity. Civil rights are being trampled daily, as the government attempts to regain control.

Could that Happen Here?

Regardless of where you stand politically, Americans have grown afraid of politicians on the other side, especially as the political divide has grown. Each side assumes that the other is likely to declare martial law, on the thinnest of pretexts, imprisoning those who have declared themselves aligned with the other side. Yet that sort of thing has never happened in this country. For that matter, we haven’t seen people rounded up and put in any sort of detention camps since World War II.

Those on the left decry the “oligarchy” regularly, declaring that this country is actually run by them. But I’d like to propose a different viewpoint on that. That is, every government that has ever existed has been an oligarchy of one sort or another. Even monarchies are oligarchies, as the wealth is concentrated in the hands of the royalty.

Successful merchants could buy themselves titles under such a regime, gaining political respectability. But that’s not all they bought; they bought access to the throne, the seat of power. That’s what their titles and their money did for them, just like the oligarchy we have today.

Why is this important? Because in reality it has always been the oligarchy, the elite, who have been in control. I don’t care if you’re talking about the Rothchilds, the Bilderberg group, George Soros or our own political parties, they have kept the power to themselves. Much of the reason why they hate President Trump, is that he has defied their rule and has been working to do whatever he can to overthrow it.

As we’ve seen in the last few years, these power-brokers will do whatever they have to, in order to keep their power. Rumors have existed for years about how the Clintons have done away with anyone who could be a whistleblower on their nefarious actions. The same sort of rumors existed about Obama when he was in office. I’m sure if we searched around the world, we would find many more examples.

The accumulation of power and money is the central focus of these people’s lives. As such, they will do whatever it takes to retain that money and power. They don’t mind if we “little people” accumulate wealth or even some local power; but they aren’t sharing theirs with us. They will use whatever they have to, in order to keep control. Whatever they have to includes military forces.

These power brokers have control of large portions of our government, just like they do in other countries. As long as things go their way, they will allow us the illusion of our freedom. But if things don’t go their way, you can be sure they will take the necessary action to retain power.

What that Means for Us

One big difference between the United States and Chile is the Second Amendment. Even though there are those who are constantly chipping away, trying to take that right, the Second Amendment guarantees our right to keep and bear arms. There is no such equivalent in Chile.

That’s not to say that the Chilean people can’t own firearms. They can; but there are huge hurdles to overcome in order to get a permit to own one. Even bigger hurdles exist to having a permit to carry that gun outside your home. On top of that, private ownership of semi-automatic arms is prohibited.

Should martial law ever be declared in the United States, you can almost guarantee that it will be accompanied by widespread gun confiscation. This happened in New Orleans, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Probably the only thing that kept that from turning ugly and kept armed citizens from defending their right to keep and bear arms, was that there were so few of them still in the city; government forces had them outnumbered.

Many have declared that widespread gun confiscations would result in civil war. I tend to agree with that. While there are many gun owners who would give up their guns, albeit reluctantly, rather than fight government troops, there are enough of us who would stand up for our rights. How that war would end is anyone’s guess.

Recently, the new Democrat majority in Virginia’s state legislature passed a number of very restrictive gun control laws, without taking into account public opinion. They ended up being forced to retract those laws, when citizens got up in arms about it and law enforcement officers declared that they would not enforce those laws.

The same thing has happened in other parts of the country, as Democrat controlled state legislatures have tried over and over again to tamper with our Second Amendment rights. But in each and every case, while there have been some who have complied like good little sheeple, the majority refused.

This means that any protests against government overreach here in the United States have the potential of becoming much more violent than they do in other countries. While those of us on the right, who own most of the guns, are not the kind to take violent action, there are always a few who don’t see it that way. All it takes is one or two of them to start the ball rolling, and things could turn ugly, real quickly.

A second American Civil War would be even bloodier than the first. Not only are there more privately owned guns in the hands of citizens, than there are citizens, but the level of military technology has increased by several orders of magnitude. Hunters alone have our military grossly outnumbered. On the other side, the military has all the tanks, planes and artillery. As I said, it would be bloody.

This is probably why there are those in government service who are so bent on disarming the population. It also explains why the AR-15 is the main target of these people. You can’t win a war with pistols and even trying to win it without semi-automatic rifles would be difficult. Those who want to control us don’t want us to be able to fight back.

Throughout the last century, there have been numerous examples of what happens when the government disarms the civilian population. What we’re seeing in Chile today is nothing new; it has been done time and time again. Those who want to be despotic dictators (regardless of what political name they hide behind) know they must disarm the people first. It’s much easier to get sheep to submit, than it is to get sheep dogs too. The sheep dogs have teeth.

If anything, Chile serves as one more reminder as to why we need to defend our Second Amendment rights. Otherwise, it’s much too easy for those who would take away what remains of our liberty, the freedom to do so.

January 6^th was heart-rending. To see people breaking into the capitol building, pilfering things there and causing both houses of Congress to be evacuated was something I never expected to see in this country. That’s the kind of thing that happens in third-world countries, usually as part of a coup of some sort. Yet it was live and in color, for all the world to see.

But it did prove one thing. That is, radical extremists on both sides can do foolish things, including engaging in violence. In fact, there have been people arrested and identified in conjunction with the capitol riot, which are from extremist groups on both sides. Nobody has a corner on foolishness.

I will have to say that the full story about that event hasn’t come out yet; and it’s quite possible that it never will. As with so many other things in the news these days, what we’re receiving is the commentary of pundits, disguised as news. Those opinions may have nothing at all to do with what actually happened, if another narrative fits their own political philosophy.

This is actually quite dangerous, as it helps to fuel those radical elements. The news media today is all about getting a reaction; how many “clicks” can you get. So they play to the more extreme elements on both sides of the political divide, and then measure their effectiveness by how big a reaction they get from those extreme elements.

That leaves you and I, as well as 99.9% of the rest of the population in the middle, where we are just trying to live our lives and make it until next payday. Even so, we need to concern ourselves with those radical groups; not so much who they are, as what they are likely to do.

As we all know, what they are likely to do is cause more trouble for everyone. Whether or not we are included in the group that they cause trouble for, is not something we get to choose. It’s a more random chance than anything else.

Nevertheless, there are things we can do to minimize the risk and to make sure that we can survive, if we somehow get in their way and become a target.

Let’s Talk Priorities

Before talking about specific actions to take, we need to establish what our basic priorities are. Understanding those priorities is an important part of making our decisions as to what we are going to do in light of civil unrest.

• Priority #1 : Make sure that we and our families survive the incident without becoming injured or killed
• Priority #22: Keep our homes from becoming vandalized or destroyed
• Priority X: There are no other priorities

The vast difference between priority #1 and priority #22 is intentional. While stated as a bit of a joke, it is intended to show the vast difference between the two. When it comes down to it, we can rebuild our homes and replace our possessions, but we can’t replace our family. Taking care of them comes first.

As for anything else, like our personal political opinion, that has to take a back seat to taking care of our families. Getting embroiled in the great political divide we have here in our country is a good way to end up becoming part of the violence, either as a rioter or as a victim. There really are no other categories.

Save your political opinion for times when it might make a difference; like voting and having a real discussion with others about the issues.

Step 1 – Avoidance

The most important thing for any of us to do is to avoid places and gatherings where riots are likely to spring up.

In today’s heated political environment, that means avoiding all of them. People are already filled to the brim with frustration due to Coronavirus lockdowns and the problems we’ve all faced throughout the last year. It doesn’t take much to make them go over the edge, which in a crowd situation, can very well mean the crowd turns into an angry mob.

So, what are these places? They can be anywhere where people gather in large numbers. But they are most likely to be in public spaces, close to seats of government. Most of the protests and riots over the last year have taken place outside of municipal government buildings. Some have also taken place in front of state capitol buildings.

Political rallies or demonstrations of any kind are the most dangerous place to be. In many cases, it’s not the people who are there for the demonstration who are the problem, but professional agitators who are brought in for the specific purpose of trying to turn that demonstration into a violent riot.

These people are trained in what they do. They know how to tap into people’s anger and frustration, turning it into something ugly.

Once they get things started, they’ll back off and sneak out of the crowd, so that they can avoid arrest and live to agitate another day.

What this means if that the violence that goes on with many demonstrations is probably not started by the demonstrators or for the purpose of the demonstrators. We’ve seen that in both the BLM demonstrations and possibly in the January 6^th break-in of the Capitol building.

Saying away doesn’t mean that you have to give up your political beliefs or even that you have to forego letting our elected legislators know what you think about the issues at stake. It just means finding other ways of expressing your opinion, like calling their offices or sending them an e-mail.

If You’re Caught in a Violent Protest

Regardless of how hard you try to stay out of the fray, there’s always a chance that you might find yourself caught in an emerging mob situation. That’s obviously very dangerous. You might not even realize that there’s an event happening or the event might end up coming to where you are.

Maintaining good situational awareness can help you avoid this. If you’re constantly looking to see what dangers there might be around you, you’re likely to see an emotion-charged crowd forming. That would be a good indicator that it’s time to leave, before anything else can happen.

But even then, you might find it impossible to leave, without attracting notice. In that case, the most important thing to do is act like you’re part of the mob. Basic mob mentality is that if you’re not with them, then you’re an enemy. Since enemies get attacked, it’s much safer to act like you’re one of them, than to act any other way.

That’s not to say that you become part of the mob. Keep a clear head, so that you don’t fall into that trap. It can be very easy to become part of what you’re trying to avoid, if you let your emotions get the best of you. This is much truer in situations where you might agree with the demonstrators.

Rather, you want to work your way gradually to the edge of the crowd and then make good your escape. Don’t take a direct line for the edge, as that might make you stand out. Rather, move slowly and gradually towards the edge, all the while moving in other directions, like a sailboat tacking into the wind. Then, when you are on the edge and the opportunity presents itself, you can slip behind something that hides you from the crowd’s view and make good your escape.

What About Weapons?

Even if you carry concealed every day, like I do, the last thing you want to do is take out your gun in this sort of situation. That goes for any other weapon as well.

There are just too many people for you to deal with, no matter how good you are.

Eventually, you’ll either run out of ammunition or strength and then the crowd will have their own way with you, probably kicking you to death.

It’s a problem of numbers. I carry a pistol with a five round magazine and two spare seven round extended magazines. So, with the round in the chamber, I have a total of 20 rounds. Even if I make a killing headshot all 20 times, I’ve done no more than scratch the surface of that mob, while enraging everyone else further. I probably won’t have to worry about my self-defense case in court, because I won’t be around to make that case.

If You’re in a Vehicle

Being in a vehicle won’t necessarily be to your benefit. While the vehicle body does offer some protection against thrown rocks and blows from baseball bats, the vehicle will suffer for it. Should things come to that, they’ll probably go for the windshield and other glass pretty quickly; none of which will withstand much abuse.

Even if they don’t break through the windshield, you may not be able to see well enough to drive safely.

Protesters who block traffic are counting on you stopping. But if you do, it makes you more vulnerable. You’re actually better off if you keep moving slowly, pushing against their bodies and forcing them to let you through. Don’t ram them and don’t try to run them over, just keep driving ahead very slowly.

This is risky for legal reasons. While it is the sort of advice that has been given for decades, the laws in most states have never addressed the issue. Some states have passed laws which allow drivers to continue driving through the mob; but even then, there’s going to be a point at which the courts say that there was intent to do serious harm, rather than just trying to get through the crowd.

Your only real defense here is to be doing it in self-defense. That means using the criteria that there is an imminent threat of life and limb.

In other words, there’s an immediate threat that the mob will either seriously hurt you or kill you. They’ve singled you out and they are taking violent action against you, such as trying to rock your vehicle to turn it over.

Without something like that, you have a hard time proving that it was self-defense, so make sure you give the protesters ample opportunity to get out of your way.

Protecting Your Home

Even if you decide to stay home and away from any place where violence might occur, there’s always the risk that the violence might come find you.

While the vast majority of these events happen nearby government buildings, it’s not all that uncommon for the riots or protests to move beyond that area and into surrounding business districts and even residential areas.

If you live in an upscale area or the city mayor lives in your housing development, their home might be targeted, putting your family at risk due to proximity.

That’s what happened in the case of the McCloskeys; the couple who were charged for defending their home in Saint Louis in June of 2020.

A Black Lives Matter protest broke into their gated community, because the mayor lived there and they were video-taped standing in front of their home, armed, protecting it.

The case became highly controversial, with the DA charging them with unlawful use of a firearm, about the lowest-level crime involving a firearm you can be charged with.

I highly recommend having firearms to protect your home; but not like the McCloskeys did. The mistake they made wasn’t in having the firearms or being ready to defend their home, it was in letting the mob know that they did. That invoked anger on the part of some demonstrators, while putting them in jeopardy of criminal charges. Oh, and by the way, they live in a state which has enacted the Castle Doctrine into law.

The secret here is to keep your defenses of your home hidden from view.

While you need to be ready to defend home and family, don’t advertise.

In other words, don’t go outside, brandishing a firearm.

If you’re going to have a firearm on your body, either have it in a holster of slung across your chest with your hands off it.

There will be plenty of time to draw your gun if it looks like the mob is going to attack your home. Then and only then should you move to take action. Let them make the first violent move and make sure that you get it on video.

Should You Flee?

Different states have different stances on the Castle Doctrine or Stand Your Ground laws. It would be a good idea to find out what your state says. But regardless of that, you should think through whether you’re going to abandon your home or whether you’re going to stay to defend it.

While I’m a strong proponent of the Second Amendment, carry concealed every day and go to the range regularly for tactical practice, I also recognize the inherent dangers of using a firearm to defend myself.

My basic stance is to make sure that I am as prepared as possible to defend myself and my family and then do everything possible to avoid having to. I have no problem with the old phrase, “Discretion is the better part of valor.”

In today’s political climate, the idea that you can get off scott-free from killing someone in self-defense is wearing thin. Even though we technically still have that right, there is always the chance that you will be charged, just like the McCloskeys were. Thank God they didn’t fire a shot, as that would have been worse for them.

There is nothing shameful about leaving your home when there is violence nearby and heading to a safer place.

There is no guarantee that you won’t be the one to get shot, rather than successfully defending your home.

You’re better off not taking the risk.

If You Have to Fire

Should you find yourself in a position where you have to take up arms in defense of your home, there are a few basic rules that you should endeavor to follow. First, make sure that any action you take is without a doubt action taken in self-defense. That means letting them take the first shot, even if that puts you at risk.

Secondly, get it on video. Have a family member take a video of everything that’s happening, so that you can concentrate on defending your home. That video is evidence you can use to defend your actions, especially if it shows that the mob started the violence.

If you do have to take a shot, make sure that the person you shoot at is actually a threat, taking time to aim carefully so that you don’t miss. If there are several who are a threat, try to shoot the leader, as taking out the leader will tend to demotivate others and could lead to breaking up the attack.

January 6^th was heart-rending. To see people breaking into the capitol building, pilfering things there and causing both houses of Congress to be evacuated was something I never expected to see in this country. That’s the kind of thing that happens in third-world countries, usually as part of a coup of some sort. Yet it was live and in color, for all the world to see.

But it did prove one thing. That is, radical extremists on both sides can do foolish things, including engaging in violence. In fact, there have been people arrested and identified in conjunction with the capitol riot, which are from extremist groups on both sides. Nobody has a corner on foolishness.

I will have to say that the full story about that event hasn’t come out yet; and it’s quite possible that it never will. As with so many other things in the news these days, what we’re receiving is the commentary of pundits, disguised as news. Those opinions may have nothing at all to do with what actually happened, if another narrative fits their own political philosophy.

This is actually quite dangerous, as it helps to fuel those radical elements. The news media today is all about getting a reaction; how many “clicks” can you get. So they play to the more extreme elements on both sides of the political divide, and then measure their effectiveness by how big a reaction they get from those extreme elements.

That leaves you and I, as well as 99.9% of the rest of the population in the middle, where we are just trying to live our lives and make it until next payday. Even so, we need to concern ourselves with those radical groups; not so much who they are, as what they are likely to do.

As we all know, what they are likely to do is cause more trouble for everyone. Whether or not we are included in the group that they cause trouble for, is not something we get to choose. It’s a more random chance than anything else.

Nevertheless, there are things we can do to minimize the risk and to make sure that we can survive, if we somehow get in their way and become a target.

Let’s Talk Priorities

Before talking about specific actions to take, we need to establish what our basic priorities are. Understanding those priorities is an important part of making our decisions as to what we are going to do in light of civil unrest.

• Priority #1 : Make sure that we and our families survive the incident without becoming injured or killed
• Priority #22: Keep our homes from becoming vandalized or destroyed
• Priority X: There are no other priorities

The vast difference between priority #1 and priority #22 is intentional. While stated as a bit of a joke, it is intended to show the vast difference between the two. When it comes down to it, we can rebuild our homes and replace our possessions, but we can’t replace our family. Taking care of them comes first.

As for anything else, like our personal political opinion, that has to take a back seat to taking care of our families. Getting embroiled in the great political divide we have here in our country is a good way to end up becoming part of the violence, either as a rioter or as a victim. There really are no other categories.

Save your political opinion for times when it might make a difference; like voting and having a real discussion with others about the issues.

Step 1 – Avoidance

The most important thing for any of us to do is to avoid places and gatherings where riots are likely to spring up.

In today’s heated political environment, that means avoiding all of them. People are already filled to the brim with frustration due to Coronavirus lockdowns and the problems we’ve all faced throughout the last year. It doesn’t take much to make them go over the edge, which in a crowd situation, can very well mean the crowd turns into an angry mob.

So, what are these places? They can be anywhere where people gather in large numbers. But they are most likely to be in public spaces, close to seats of government. Most of the protests and riots over the last year have taken place outside of municipal government buildings. Some have also taken place in front of state capitol buildings.

Political rallies or demonstrations of any kind are the most dangerous place to be. In many cases, it’s not the people who are there for the demonstration who are the problem, but professional agitators who are brought in for the specific purpose of trying to turn that demonstration into a violent riot.

These people are trained in what they do. They know how to tap into people’s anger and frustration, turning it into something ugly.

Once they get things started, they’ll back off and sneak out of the crowd, so that they can avoid arrest and live to agitate another day.

What this means if that the violence that goes on with many demonstrations is probably not started by the demonstrators or for the purpose of the demonstrators. We’ve seen that in both the BLM demonstrations and possibly in the January 6^th break-in of the Capitol building.

Saying away doesn’t mean that you have to give up your political beliefs or even that you have to forego letting our elected legislators know what you think about the issues at stake. It just means finding other ways of expressing your opinion, like calling their offices or sending them an e-mail.

If You’re Caught in a Violent Protest

Regardless of how hard you try to stay out of the fray, there’s always a chance that you might find yourself caught in an emerging mob situation. That’s obviously very dangerous. You might not even realize that there’s an event happening or the event might end up coming to where you are.

Maintaining good situational awareness can help you avoid this. If you’re constantly looking to see what dangers there might be around you, you’re likely to see an emotion-charged crowd forming. That would be a good indicator that it’s time to leave, before anything else can happen.

But even then, you might find it impossible to leave, without attracting notice. In that case, the most important thing to do is act like you’re part of the mob. Basic mob mentality is that if you’re not with them, then you’re an enemy. Since enemies get attacked, it’s much safer to act like you’re one of them, than to act any other way.

That’s not to say that you become part of the mob. Keep a clear head, so that you don’t fall into that trap. It can be very easy to become part of what you’re trying to avoid, if you let your emotions get the best of you. This is much truer in situations where you might agree with the demonstrators.

Rather, you want to work your way gradually to the edge of the crowd and then make good your escape. Don’t take a direct line for the edge, as that might make you stand out. Rather, move slowly and gradually towards the edge, all the while moving in other directions, like a sailboat tacking into the wind. Then, when you are on the edge and the opportunity presents itself, you can slip behind something that hides you from the crowd’s view and make good your escape.

What About Weapons?

Even if you carry concealed every day, like I do, the last thing you want to do is take out your gun in this sort of situation. That goes for any other weapon as well.

There are just too many people for you to deal with, no matter how good you are.

Eventually, you’ll either run out of ammunition or strength and then the crowd will have their own way with you, probably kicking you to death.

It’s a problem of numbers. I carry a pistol with a five round magazine and two spare seven round extended magazines. So, with the round in the chamber, I have a total of 20 rounds. Even if I make a killing headshot all 20 times, I’ve done no more than scratch the surface of that mob, while enraging everyone else further. I probably won’t have to worry about my self-defense case in court, because I won’t be around to make that case.

If You’re in a Vehicle

Being in a vehicle won’t necessarily be to your benefit. While the vehicle body does offer some protection against thrown rocks and blows from baseball bats, the vehicle will suffer for it. Should things come to that, they’ll probably go for the windshield and other glass pretty quickly; none of which will withstand much abuse.

Even if they don’t break through the windshield, you may not be able to see well enough to drive safely.

Protesters who block traffic are counting on you stopping. But if you do, it makes you more vulnerable. You’re actually better off if you keep moving slowly, pushing against their bodies and forcing them to let you through. Don’t ram them and don’t try to run them over, just keep driving ahead very slowly.

This is risky for legal reasons. While it is the sort of advice that has been given for decades, the laws in most states have never addressed the issue. Some states have passed laws which allow drivers to continue driving through the mob; but even then, there’s going to be a point at which the courts say that there was intent to do serious harm, rather than just trying to get through the crowd.

Your only real defense here is to be doing it in self-defense. That means using the criteria that there is an imminent threat of life and limb.

In other words, there’s an immediate threat that the mob will either seriously hurt you or kill you. They’ve singled you out and they are taking violent action against you, such as trying to rock your vehicle to turn it over.

Without something like that, you have a hard time proving that it was self-defense, so make sure you give the protesters ample opportunity to get out of your way.

Protecting Your Home

Even if you decide to stay home and away from any place where violence might occur, there’s always the risk that the violence might come find you.

While the vast majority of these events happen nearby government buildings, it’s not all that uncommon for the riots or protests to move beyond that area and into surrounding business districts and even residential areas.

If you live in an upscale area or the city mayor lives in your housing development, their home might be targeted, putting your family at risk due to proximity.

That’s what happened in the case of the McCloskeys; the couple who were charged for defending their home in Saint Louis in June of 2020.

A Black Lives Matter protest broke into their gated community, because the mayor lived there and they were video-taped standing in front of their home, armed, protecting it.

The case became highly controversial, with the DA charging them with unlawful use of a firearm, about the lowest-level crime involving a firearm you can be charged with.

I highly recommend having firearms to protect your home; but not like the McCloskeys did. The mistake they made wasn’t in having the firearms or being ready to defend their home, it was in letting the mob know that they did. That invoked anger on the part of some demonstrators, while putting them in jeopardy of criminal charges. Oh, and by the way, they live in a state which has enacted the Castle Doctrine into law.

The secret here is to keep your defenses of your home hidden from view.

While you need to be ready to defend home and family, don’t advertise.

In other words, don’t go outside, brandishing a firearm.

If you’re going to have a firearm on your body, either have it in a holster of slung across your chest with your hands off it.

There will be plenty of time to draw your gun if it looks like the mob is going to attack your home. Then and only then should you move to take action. Let them make the first violent move and make sure that you get it on video.

Should You Flee?

Different states have different stances on the Castle Doctrine or Stand Your Ground laws. It would be a good idea to find out what your state says. But regardless of that, you should think through whether you’re going to abandon your home or whether you’re going to stay to defend it.

While I’m a strong proponent of the Second Amendment, carry concealed every day and go to the range regularly for tactical practice, I also recognize the inherent dangers of using a firearm to defend myself.

My basic stance is to make sure that I am as prepared as possible to defend myself and my family and then do everything possible to avoid having to. I have no problem with the old phrase, “Discretion is the better part of valor.”

In today’s political climate, the idea that you can get off scott-free from killing someone in self-defense is wearing thin. Even though we technically still have that right, there is always the chance that you will be charged, just like the McCloskeys were. Thank God they didn’t fire a shot, as that would have been worse for them.

There is nothing shameful about leaving your home when there is violence nearby and heading to a safer place.

There is no guarantee that you won’t be the one to get shot, rather than successfully defending your home.

You’re better off not taking the risk.

If You Have to Fire

Should you find yourself in a position where you have to take up arms in defense of your home, there are a few basic rules that you should endeavor to follow. First, make sure that any action you take is without a doubt action taken in self-defense. That means letting them take the first shot, even if that puts you at risk.

Secondly, get it on video. Have a family member take a video of everything that’s happening, so that you can concentrate on defending your home. That video is evidence you can use to defend your actions, especially if it shows that the mob started the violence.

If you do have to take a shot, make sure that the person you shoot at is actually a threat, taking time to aim carefully so that you don’t miss. If there are several who are a threat, try to shoot the leader, as taking out the leader will tend to demotivate others and could lead to breaking up the attack.