Risky people to have around in a crisis

 

I'm obliged to Herschel Smith for embedding this video on his blog a couple of days ago.  I'll put it up first (it's less than 5 minutes long), then talk a little about it.

Herschel comments:

I wouldn’t embed this video except that I have actually talked to people like this.  Yes, to someone who told me he was arming himself (and even minimizing ammunition purchases) but planned to take what ammunition he had and steal ammo and food from other people.

Like him, I've also met people who openly talk in such terms.  They've spent thousands of dollars on their guns, accessories, ammo and the like, but very little on everyday necessities that will be in short supply if (when) trouble comes.  They consider themselves well prepared for emergencies, but in reality they're only prepared to rob those who have prepared well for emergencies.

Bear in mind, too, that this is a very likely official response in an emergency.  I've seen it time and time again in real life in the Third World, and there's plenty of history of it in the First World too.  In a crisis, the authorities mostly won't have reserve supplies to feed people, but they'll be under pressure by a huge number of folks demanding that they "do something!"  There's not much they can do, except take whatever supplies they can find from those who have them, under cover of a proclamation of a state of emergency.  If you check your state's and town's laws and statutes, you'll almost certainly find legal authorization for such proclamations, including the right for the authorities to take whatever they need from anywhere or anyone to deal with the emergency.  It's standard legal boilerplate, and it's ubiquitous.  (Look at the official seizure of firearms in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and how the authorities confiscated whatever they needed from those who had it - including cops looting stores right alongside "regular" looters.  Learn from that example.  If it happened there, it can happen where you are, too.)

If things go to hell in a handbasket, expect official proclamations forbidding "hoarding", and demanding that those who have, share with those who have not.  When the nice policemen come door to door, demanding to search your property (without a warrant) and confiscate half or more of your supplies to feed those who don't have them, they won't take "No" for an answer.  They'll have their orders.  They'll also have their own families that need food;  and their bosses (political and/or law enforcement) will have made it clear to them that if they don't produce the goods from the community, they and their families won't eat either.  If you try to stop them, you'll be lucky to escape with an arrest and a beating.  In a Third World nation, you'll likely eat a bullet or three if you're so stupid.

That's why it's best not to tell strangers or casual acquaintances that you have an emergency reserve stash of food and other necessities.  That's also why it's best to break up your stash into an "on hand" supply, and another somewhere else, that you can access if your primary stash is raided by the authorities or stolen by those who haven't prepared themselves.  I wouldn't keep large quantities in a storage unit, though - that's going to be on the authorities' list of places to raid, and a primary target for looters.  Rather find a friend who lives some distance away, and leave some supplies with them.  Work together to help each other, and conceal what you have.  If you can't find a suitable remote location, conceal some of your supplies in a different location in your home or yard.

At the very least, pack some emergency supplies in boxes or totes that don't have any indication what's inside.  If the supplies are heavy - e.g. canned food - use smaller boxes or totes, so you can still lift them when they're full.  Number them, and have a list (kept well away from prying eyes) that tells you what's in Box 3 or Tote 7.  If they're underneath other boxes filled with regular stuff, or stuck on a garage shelf behind a half-used can or two of motor oil, those searching in a hurry likely won't waste too much time on them, particularly if they've already taken some of your stash from your ready-use pantry.  Be willing to lose some to keep some, if you follow me.  (I caution against storing heavy boxes on the rafters in your attic, where they might crack or even fall through the [usually not very strong] ceiling if they're dislodged or dropped.  Others have learned this the hard way.)

There are those who say you should bury a cache outside town, where only you will find it.  That'll work, if you can bury (and later retrieve) it without being seen.  If others see you burying something, those with curious minds might just dig it up to see what it is.  Also, remember you'll need fuel and transport to get there and back in an emergency.  If a curfew is declared, or you can't find gas for your car, or the roads are blocked with rubble and wreckage (e.g. after a tornado), fuggetaboutit.  Also, while driving back with your vehicle visibly filled with interesting-looking supplies, those who don't have any are likely to take an unhealthy interest in you, and possibly the authorities too.  Just sayin'...

Don't let that deter you from preparing;  but keep it discreet, be prepared to defend what you have in an emergency, and give some thought to how you're going to use it when things go pear-shaped.  Running a (noisy) generator to power lights and air-conditioning in your home when everyone else is in the dark and sweating or freezing, or grilling steaks over coals in your yard when everyone else is hungry and can smell the cooking meat . . . that's not a real good idea.

If grasshoppers think that an ant has food, they'll come a-running.  If some of those grasshoppers are well-armed individuals who think they can take what they need from you, as discussed in the video above, you'd best have some means on hand to deter them - or stop them the hard way.

Peter