by William Skink
The last few days have been difficult. I went to work Tuesday at the non-profit that has employed me for the past 3 years. Due to a combination of factors I was sent home early and was given yesterday and today off.
I am using this time to continue stocking up.
Tuesday I purchased a Ruger Mini 14 semiautomatic rifle. It’s a great rifle, especially for new shooters who might be turned off by a higher caliber rifle.
The mini 14 takes .223 or 5.56 NATO rounds. Finding this ammunition in bulk is now impossible. Sportsman Warehouse has upped their restrictions on ammo purchases and much of their shelves are empty.
I also purchased a .38 revolver.
At the Selway Armory, where they don’t have any limits on ammo purchases, the guy I talked to said things really got crazy on Monday. Last Friday he said things were picking up, but by Monday his average of 30-40 orders waiting for him on Monday morning had shot up to over 150 orders.
I have heard rumors of tensions at Costco spilling over into altercations between shoppers. From what I have heard police responded earlier in the week, and Costco is brought on additional security.
The purchases I am making are to top-off supplies I have already built up over the years. And what turned me into a prepper? The economic crisis of 2007-2009.
Anyone who truly understands what happened during the “economic recovery” of the Obama regime should have been preparing for this moment. Central bankers bought a decade of time to rearrange the deck chairs of the Titanic, but the eventual sinking of the global economy was assured when the underlying exposure to the mortgage-backed security scam was simply papered over to keep the .01% insulated from the consequences of their greed.
My friends and family thought I was being stupid and paranoid when I invested in dried food, guns and bullets. “What are you going to do, fight the government with a rifle?” they would jokingly ask. No, I would reply, I’m preparing for the time when shelves in grocery stores are empty. The guns aren’t to fight anyone, they are protection against the desperation that will undoubtedly increase, making normal people act in abnormal ways.
The desire to survive justifies all kinds of behaviors that otherwise wouldn’t be considered in a stable society.
Things continue to change fast, and I’m going to keep stocking up before more stringent restrictions are implemented. The window on free movement is quickly closing. Even the super rich are discovering that they might not be able to hop on a private jet to make it out of quarantine zones.
We are in a marathon now. Managing stress and anxiety amidst all this uncertainty is going to be a challenge for everyone adjusting to the new reality that could again change by the end of the day.
Stay tuned…