Look at how crazy people got with just the tp shortage, imagine that with food shortage.

I'm not "expecting" anything. No more than I'm "expecting" my stove to catch fire. That doesn't mean I don't have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.

Well, from what I've learned over the years if what ever 'it' is happens ... it will not be what you expected and will not turn out the way you planned.

The big one would be a natural disaster or attack that affects the power grid. Something that would take weeks or months to restore for much of the country. Imagine the impact this would have. It's smart to take reasonable precautions. 99.99% of the country is not prepared.

I’m expecting law enforcement and authoritarians to troll forums, trying to get people in trouble for making outlandish statements, and goading them to do so with mockery and memes.

I don’t necessarily expect a disaster. I haven’t drawn my $$ out of the market and converted it to gold, or beans ‘n’ bullets.
I see it more as a ‘lay by in store’ scenario.
When I want to go shoot, I want to go shoot. I like having ammo on hand for that activity. Also, even if inflation settles in at 2.5% per year, ammo is going to be cheaper now than in a few years, availability aside. So if I have the disposable income to buy extra now, my future self will be better off for it.

When I went through my divorce there were weeks that I literally could not afford groceries. But I had food stored that I had bought when times were better, so I was covered.
Same with ammo.
Same with toilet paper.
Same with a few other things.

quote:

Originally posted by bionic218:
I’m expecting law enforcement and authoritarians to troll forums, trying to get people in trouble for making outlandish statements, and goading them to do so with mockery and memes.

I may be doing a little mild trolling to lighten the mood, but certainly not with the goal of "trying to get people in trouble". I just don't want to see Sigforum turn into Arfcom: one big circle jerk eagerly wishing for Civil War 2.0.

(And joke's on you, since I'm not even a cop any longer! )


Folks on a gun forum will understandably lean towards stockpiling guns and ammo as a form of emergency preparation, but by doing so, a number of people end up planning for some of the least likely disaster scenarios while ignoring much more likely scenarios.

How many folks have dozens of rifles and tens of thousands of rounds of ammo on hand, yet lack one or more of:

-No/low debt and 6+ months of living expenses in savings, in case of job loss or other financial emergency

-Sufficient retirement savings/investments to support your lifestyle when you're older

-Food and water for 2+ weeks, in case of a natural disaster or other extended power outage

-A healthy body weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar, with the cardiovascular and muscular fitness to exert themselves moderately physically when needed

-Sufficient training and practice to have the necessary skills and mindset to defend themselves and their family against a lone violent criminal

-A quality trauma kit and the training to perform CPR and stop heavy bleeding

Etc.

Things like a small scale natural disaster, or an unforeseen personal financial problem, or a routine medical emergency, or similar, are vastly more likely for you to encounter than needing to have eleventy-seven loaded AR magazines on hand so you can fight off ravening hordes of looters/antifa/terrorists/zombies. And yet that's what some folks choose to focus their time/money/energy on.

But I get it. Working out, eating healthy, saving money, learning skills, and buying a little extra canned food each grocery trip isn't as sexy as loading magazines and getting dressed up in camo and chest rigs.

Realistically we all know that some kind of financial disaster is imminent. We also know that there was manipulation of the last election. We also know that there are people in power politically and financially that want to ban firearms. All or some of those will most likely affect us.

Anyone who has lived through a hurricane should know what to expect. I have been through enough to know how people act when food, water and gas are scarce. I've seen grocery store shelves empty (with the exception of stuff that no sane person in South Texas will eat - things like tofu). I have seen lines down the block to fill gas cans and vehicles as well as to get into the grocery store to buy whatever they have.

Everyone in the Houston area has seen what it is like to try and evacuate everyone out of a large area (utter chaos) and how people will fight over who is next in the gas line.

I've seen neighbors laugh when I was getting my house ready for storms and then saw those same neighbors scrambling at the last minute when the hurricane was edging closer to our area.

Go ahead and sit back an expect the best, that is your choice, but it never hurts to be ready. I lose nothing if I have food for emergencies. I lose nothing if I have guns, ammo, reloading supplies and the ability to hunt for my food. I lose nothing by having ways to purify water. I lose nothing by having things that cannot be taken away when things go south. I lose nothing by having a secondary place to go if I cannot stay at my home. There are differences between being paranoid, being scared and being prepared - I am prepared.

I may never utilize what I have prepared but they are insurance, just like I have on my health, life, house and cars. It is yet another policy that gives me the help I need when things go wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:
It doesn't need to be anything as dramatic as complete societal breakdown to cause us grief. There are plenty of liberal rumblings about "banning" mail order and bulk ammo purchases. That alone is enough reason to be well supplied.

This is where I am. I live in Lake County, Florida. The most heavily armed county in Florida, which is a heavily armed state, and VERY CONSERVATIVE outside of the cities, and almost half conservative in the cities.

We aren't having large scale Islamic or leftist insurrection here. Even the democrat sheriffs and mayors would shut that shit down, as they know on which side their bread is buttered.

We are susceptible to ammo bans, magazine bans, etc., installed at the federal level, although Governor Ron has made it pretty clear, that he will ignore those laws and rely on federalism if the banned articles are manufactured in Florida.

Even then, however, prices would be stupid, and a bountiful stock is nice to have.

As for the "fat guys in coveralls heading for the woods" image, I consider myself much more of a "Strategic Command Presence" in Doha, rather than a "foot soldier in Gaza" if you follow my meaning.

"Oh, PissBoy, more champaign and peeled grapes by the pool..."

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
*snipped*

But I get it. Working out, eating healthy, saving money, learning skills, and buying a little extra canned food each grocery trip isn't as sexy as loading magazines and getting dressed up in camo and chest rigs.

Just going to add that I fucking love the above post.

Look up gamma ray burst sometime if you feel like becoming more nihilistic instead of neurotic.

quote:

But I get it. Working out, eating healthy, saving money, learning skills, and buying a little extra canned food each grocery trip isn't as sexy as loading magazines and getting dressed up in camo and chest rigs.

Don't discount the fact that the sexiness of camo and chest rigs can act as a gateway to the rest of what you mentioned, for many people. That's kind of how it worked for me. I was certainly more into military and gun stuff from the fun perspective, before I got into the more serious aspects of preparedness. I likely wouldn't have gotten squared-away in any aspect, had it not been for the gun/tactical piece exposing me to the rest.

Life has taught me that I cannot depend on anyone for anything. My boss, my friends, my family, the government, local (1/2 hour away) law enforcement...none of them. That's not a dig on any of them. I love some of them dearly, but the simple fact is that the only person that I can depend on is me, particularly when survival becomes "every man for himself", whether that involves financial survival or actual living/breathing survival.

As such, I have worked hard over the years to prepare for many eventualities. The only difference between today, yesterday, and ten years ago, is the urgency.

One only needs to look around, or spend five minutes watching/reading the news, to know that we are in a place as a country and as a world that we have never been. Thousands of muslim terrorists who want nothing more than for me to die have been welcomed into this country, our grid is as vulnerable as it has ever been, banks are failing right and left, we are $33T in debt, radicals are destroying this country with impunity, we are in a moral free-fall, etc....

When, not if, things go south, I rest easy knowing that I have food, water, comms, a warm roof over my head, and the means to protect those things from those who would take it...or die trying.

I suppose if that makes me a Doomsday Prepper kook, well...so be it.

quote:

Originally posted by bionic218:
I’m expecting law enforcement and authoritarians to troll forums, trying to get people in trouble for making outlandish statements, and goading them to do so with mockery and memes.

Well, they monitor all forums, but I think they know who we are here. There aren't a bunch of ignorant kids making silly threats, and any such behavior will get you shown the door PDQ. We do get trolls of the glowing type; some more obvious than others. None of them last in this place.

Everyone knows the present condition of this country and we're simply discussing matters.

Well - Paint me unprepared. This thread, which I have re-read a couple of times, has made me realize that having a good supply of guns, ammo, and spare parts are needed, a water and food supply within my grasp is something I am lacking.

With this said I can address the water easily (can pick up sealed five gallon water jugs for $5.50 each)but the long term food requirements for the wife and I needs to be addressed. We have a “extra food” pantry that would support our needs for about two weeks but I know now I need to extend that two weeks to two months. Not sure where to start but this thread has made me realize I can address and fix this with a little effort.

Great thread that has opened my eyes to several things I have up to this point chose to ignore.

quote:

Originally posted by sigarmsp226:
Well - Paint me unprepared. This thread, which I have re-read a couple of times, has made me realize that having a good supply of guns, ammo, and spare parts are needed, a water and food supply within my grasp is something I am lacking.

With this said I can address the water easily (can pick up sealed five gallon water jugs for $5.50 each)but the long term food requirements for the wife and I needs to be addressed. We have a “extra food” pantry that would support our needs for about two weeks but I know now I need to extend that two weeks to two months. Not sure where to start but this thread has made me realize I can address and fix this with a little effort.

Great thread that has opened my eyes to several things I have up to this point chose to ignore.

The quickest way for food is to buy some freeze dried kits, 20-25 year claimed shelf life. Eventually I will eat mine and rotate some new ones in. They have such a long shelf life that they are unlikely to go to waste.

On the topic of being prepared, years ago my dad was in town and I was taking him for a ride on the beach, just to look and reminisce. He asked why I was taking a shovel and other things to get unstuck. I said that I would rather be prepared than be in a situation where I need to rely on others. I have that mentality for most things I do. It never hurts to be prepared.

Or just start out buying duplicates of the pantry items you normally use anyway.

Canned meat, fruit, and veggies. Boxed side dishes. Jarred soup. Pasta. Rice. Beans. Crackers. Etc.

Incorporate that stuff in your normal cooking and meal prep. But have duplicates on hand. When you go to use one box/can, use the oldest one. And then you still have a couple more on hand. Then buy a new one at the next grocery trip, and put it at the back. Rinse and repeat. Thus you always have weeks worth of food on hand, but it's stuff you're using regularly so it's constantly being rotated so it never expires.

It beats buying stuff like MREs or freeze dried meals that won't normally eat, and you stick in a closet and forget about, then just throw away years/decades later once it eventually expires.

(Not to mention it's healthier and better tasting than MREs or freeze dried meals.)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RogueJSK,

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

And joke's on you, since I'm not even a cop any longer!

Stop trying to fool us. We all know that you're on a Secret Squirrel undercover assignment.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

And joke's on you, since I'm not even a cop any longer!

Stop trying to fool us. We all know that you're on a Secret Squirrel undercover assignment.

We're on to you, RogueJSK.

Posting that pic of your wife on page 3 isn't fooling anyone.

Some men like cougars... Some men like sabretooth tigers.

Mrvmax and RogueJSK - thanks for the feedback. I think I am going to do what both of you recommend - pick up a few containers of the freezer dried kits while working to triple the extra pantry items that we eat every week. Being in our 60’s we know what we like and a lot of that is what Rogue, you listed in your post. Thanks again guys.