How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It - James Wesley Rawles [84]
What is legal today may be deemed illegal tomorrow under martial law or at the whim of some bureaucrat who is handed emergency powers. Witness the mass confiscations of privately owned firearms following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. With the help of the media the concepts of saving and storing may be demonized and redefined as “hoarding” immediately after disaster strikes.
If you have been saving during times of plenty you are not a hoarder. A hoarder is someone who removes a disproportionately large chunk of logistics after shortages have occurred. By saving and storing now, well in advance of a crisis, you represent one fewer person who will rush to the grocery store after disaster strikes. You won’t be part of the problem. You’ll be part of the solution, especially if you dispense your excess supplies as charity.
If you have reason to believe that your anonymity has already been compromised, then consider that:
1. You can’t get anonymity back unless you change your name and completely drop out of sight (impractical for most).
2. You will have to take some countermeasures.
Perhaps the best countermeasure is to make a fresh start the next time that you move (ideally to your retreat location). Do not send forwarding cards for any magazine subscriptions. Consider buying your next home in someone else’s name, perhaps a sister or an aunt or uncle with a different surname and a low profile. Another option is establishing a land trust and having the trust make the purchase. Your attorney could be the trustee of a trust that owns the land. Yet another option is to set up a Nevada or Delaware corporation and have the corporation make the land purchase. See Boston T. Party ’s book Bulletproof Privacy (javelinpress.com) for further details on making a clean break.
Make all cash (no paper trail) acquisitions of guns, bulk ammo, and bulk logistics. Never use a credit card for such purposes. Unless you already have a very high profile, resist the urge to buy your ammo, reference books, and assorted gear via mail order. The only exception would be if you used an assumed name and a drop box.
It is essential to impress upon your family the importance of keeping quiet about your preparations. Maintaining a low profile involves common sense and knowing when to keep your mouth shut—and it just might prevent your safety being compromised.
The Neighborhood Watch on Steroids
If times truly get bad the crime rate will undoubtedly skyrocket. You need to be able to provide for your family’s security. Since you can’t stand guard 24/7, this may necessitate teaming up with your neighbors to form what I only half-jokingly dubbed a Neighborhood Watch on Steroids.
11
FIREARMS FOR SELF-SUFFICIENCY AND SELF-DEFENSE
In order to be fully self-sufficient, you will need to kill wild game and livestock. This chapter will walk you through the best guns for every situation, including the undesirable scenario in which, as a last resort, you may need to rely upon firearms to defend your home. Having the right guns and ammunition is an important part of any preparedness plan.
Selecting Your Survival Gun Battery
There are several requirements that must be considered when selecting guns for use on a farm, ranch, or survival retreat. First and foremost, they must be versatile. A single gun might be pressed into service for shooting crows or starlings at ten yards, rabbits or coyotes at one hundred yards, or rattlesnakes at five feet. While there is no single gun that can handle any task, it