Preparing for an Insurrection

Eric Shonkwiler -

I don’t think I need to link to any constitutional experts discussing what happened as a grave threat, the end of democracy in the future, and a threat to the existence of our nation, as you’ve surely heard it already. I’ve got a long piece queued up for Sunday that will discuss all this and more, but while you’ve got some of that panic energy, why not channel it into something useful?

So the President Is Fomenting Civil War and the Overturning of a Lawful Election in Order to Remain in Power…Prep.

Since your best bet is almost always bugging-in, rather than out, I’m going to start by asking you to check on your stock of water, food, and medicine. Do you have enough to last a couple weeks, or, hopefully, more? We’re not prepping, in this instance, against a weeks-long riot—that’s not really the issue. What we’re prepping for is the kind of chaos that sinks an economy, destabilizes supply chains, and sends prices skyrocketing. Food insecurity during times of unrest may not be pervasive in America these days, but that can change with a quickness, and you’d do well to be aware of how unrest like this can look in other countries as an example of how it can look here. I’ll be talking more about food preps on Sunday, so we’ll skip the details and move on to something you can do right this second.

Defense

Once again, we’re not prepping to rush out and fight the Nazis. I absolutely understand the impulse, but we’re not there yet. Instead, think about how you would secure your home.

  • Consider what you have on hand, heavy furniture and the like, that could be used to block or jam your front door, cover your windows, and make your home a harder target. The kind of unrest we’re seeing right now may mean that a door that doesn’t cave in after one kick is a door a fascist leaves alone.
  • Carry your chosen weapons, whether that be a knife, a wrench, or a firearm. If you don’t want to carry it, or you want others at hand, centrally locate them so they can be grabbed quickly.
  • Have a fallback location in your home, in the event of a worst-case scenario, and a plan to escape from that location.

Mutual Aid

Reach out to friends and neighbors. Now is the time to be unified in support of each other, to lend a hand if needed. Even if all you and your neighbor do is shake your head at everything going on, that establishes common ground, cements a relationship. Even if this weren’t a highly unstable moment in our democracy, it’s still a highly unstable moment for the world—COVID alone gives you a good reason to ask after folks, to see if they need anything from the store, if you can help them with some yard work, etc. Sow these seeds now.

Have a Plan

You, your friends, your family, or your pod, all may need a place to shelter if things get rough. Establish a plan with them for:

  • Two fallback locations: One if your current residence becomes unsafe, and a second if both fall.
  • A pick-up location: Should someone need a quick rescue away from, but near, their home.

Make sure wherever you're headed is secure and able to hold your people and supplies. Make sure you’re being as safe as possible with regards to COVID-19.

Run Your Kit

If you haven't yet, it's time to walk through your bugout bag and make sure it's winterized. Spare winter clothes, shelter via a tarp or tent, and fire-starting supplies will ensure you make it through a night in the cold, if necessary. Make sure your car, if you have one, is road-worthy and has supplies in it.

Get in the Habit

If you haven’t yet, a good dual-purpose prep is to start carrying around some of your supplies. I don’t mean your EDC kit—I mean put your bugout supplies into a civilian, everyday bag (if it’s not in there already), and carry it throughout your day. You’ll have your tools on hand if they’re needed, and you’ll be getting used to that weight so you’re better able to move with it.

Keep Your Head Down

This is an unprecedented time, and we’re in a terrifically precarious situation. I won’t mince words about that. I could screenshot the newsletter I’ve been writing for this Sunday (which was already about fascism) and show you the part where I wrote “the republic is not going to fall, there won’t be open civil war,” and I can tell you that today I feel far less certain. Things are bad. Even as some things are looking good, things are bad.

But. Being a prepper, and being prepared, means anticipating the worst and being ready for it. It means, really, making sure that you’re in a position to make the best out of a bad situation. This is a really bad situation, but there is a lot we can do to soften the blow when it lands.

I’ll be back with a longer look and deeper preps in a few days. Breathe. Think. Act.