Rise of the Prepper – Could the Recent Popularity Cause Problems for Preppers?

As Americans grow concerned about our future; Guns, Gold and Emergency Food are all selling at record levels. From T.V. Shows about preppers, to a number of states preparing so-called Doomsday Bills, it seems that the prepper lifestyle is going mainstream.

So what does that Mean for Preppers?

Prepper Bugging Out

In my opinion, if you haven’t stocked up on what you need – NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT!

With Guns, Gold and Emergency Food sales at a record high, there’s a growing concern that shortages are about to hit the marketplace. As people begin to stock up on preparedness related items, we will likely see nationwide shortages similar to what happened during the elections in 2008.

According to the FBI, Americans are buying a record number of guns. It started right around last Christmas, when over 1.5 million background checks were requested by gun dealers in December of 2011. That’s the highest number of background checks ever requested in a single month, and according to the latest numbers it looks like sales are expected to rise.

According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, 10.8 million firearms were sold in 2011, an increase of over 50% from the previous ten years.

So What’s causing the spike in Demand?

While some say that T.V. shows like National Geographic’s “Doomsday Preppers” or Discovery’s “Doomsday Bunkers” are causing the spike in sales, I think there are a number of factors that are more likely to blame.

Gun Control – Everyone from the NRA to the Tea Party is warning that should President Obama be re-elected, we will likely see a major assault on the Second Amendment. They argue that with his need to be re-elected gone, there will be nothing stopping him from going after your Second Amendment Rights.

In fact, many think that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder spilled the beans when he said that the Obama administration:

 “Has consistently favored the reinstitution of the assault weapons ban. It is something that we think was useful in the past with regard to the reduction that we’ve seen in crime and certainly would have a positive impact on our relationship and the crime situation in Mexico.”

Economic Collapse – A number of financial analysts, many of whom predicted the 2008 crisis, are starting to warn Americans to prepare for another financial crash. With the U.S. Debt clock quickly approaching $15.5 trillion in debt, some say it’s only a matter of time before this country plunges into a Financial Armageddon.

Rise in Violent Crime – As the economy plunges deeper into the Abyss, violent crimes and home invasions are on the rise. Although some anti-gun politicians would rather see law-abiding citizens become victims, most Americans are starting to wake up to the fact that the Government will not be able to protect them. People are finally starting to realize that the only way to ensure their safety is to learn how to protect themselves.

Assault on the Constitution – From the government passing bills that allow for the detainment of U.S. Citizens without a trail, to FBI Director Robert Mueller telling congress that he wasn’t sure if the Obama Administration’s policy of extra-judicial killings of American citizens applied to people inside the United States, our government seems to be spiraling out of control. The current Political Climate is probably one of the biggest reasons for the spike in emergency preparedness sales.

While the reasons are many, one thing is for sure. Over the next year, it will become increasingly more difficult to stock up on any items that have to do with prepping. If you have any shortcomings in your Emergency Inventory now is the time to fix it.

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42 Comments

  1. I couldn’t agree more that there is no time like the present to start prepping. Just in the past gun show I was at over the weekend, there were several dealers who were taking orders but are on 8-12 week back orders. It’s really starting to show in the ammo market as well with the rising cost of factory ammo.

    I for one definitely think that it could be a good thing in opening peoples eyes to the reality of our fate could potentially be if corrupted power isn’t removed swiftly…

    Great article..

  2. I hope the growing interest doesn’t turn into something ugly. (someone always tries to take something good and turn it into garbage), but in reading the article, if people keep collecting, it puts the POWER back in our hands where it belongs. Elitists may scream collaspe!, but for who? Them? Prep, Prep, Prep!! The more independent we become, the weaker the powers that be become. Go America – All the Way!!

  3. I’ve already seen major shortages of ammo at my local wallymart. Haven’t been able to find .22 ammo in months. Personally I hate those doomsday shows I think they only cause trouble for real preppers and make us all look like idiots. And I agree that the popularity will cause trouble in more ways than we can imagine.

    I can’t believe some of the stupid people they feature on those shows. Then again the smart ones would never go on them shows to begin with.

    • Out here in California(aka LaLa land)gun shows are packed! It gives me hope that just cause people aren’t talking about it doesn’t mean they aren’t prepping. Despite what the media portrays Americans are smart, we can sense the seasons changing. The rest will get a Darwin Award!
      DoubleTap- I have a really hard time finding .45, try places like Big 5(not sure if they are around u) and other sporting stores that most people don’t think about, but sell ammo. Big 5 always have .22 and a lot of times its on sale, just a FYI
      Go America- I couldn’t agree more Deb!

    • Double tap: Only a real idiot would get on one of those shows, putting his family in danger later on. Their preps would be raided by mobs since they blab to everyone what they are doing.

      • Agreed… I saw another online prepper explain that to get on those shows the multi-page forms you have to complete providing extensive details as to what your preparations are that you have completed so far…
        Sorry… in this situation, I believe “less is more”… the less you know about me the more I will be able to prolong.

    • you can get plenty of ammo on line gander mtn, ships free, sportsmans guide, aimsurplus.com,
      cheaper than dirt. its out there look for it.

  4. with this happening allot of people will also flock to buying brand name things, americans should also look into more improvisation of everything, learn more Survival and, possibly take Tactical Firearm courses. with Survival and, improvisation Americans wont need to depend on these food bars etc, they can forage, hunt for food, and survive and bug out to BFE ” bum fuct egypt ” to live off the land instead of being in the city

    • Yeah this is crucial! Great point! Equipment/supplies will eventually break and have to be parted with if it can’t be repaired or replaced, but knowledge won’t ever break, and if you practice; practice it won’t be lost.
      Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime.

      • Get up early, catch a fish. Fish gets confiscated by the federal government, who in turn gives it to your neighbour, who decided to sleep in. The next day, they want 35% of your fish to feed the rest of the neighbourhood.

    • Hunting and gathering will support a worldwide population of approx. 7 million which is about 1.5 million less than the current population of New York City alone.

      • sstockers: Do you have any information/studies to back up that assertion? I’m genuinely curious as to how someone has arrived at that conclusion.

        • Sure, there’s a libcom article that points out the cons of hunting and gathering or what the left affectionately refers to as “primitivism”:

          libcom.org/thought/approaches/primitivism

  5. Great article!!! Here’s my thoughts on the comments to the article presented.Re: ammunition hard to get. Couldn’t agree more. More and more ammunition is being put on back order. In some cases, the supplier will not guarantee the ammunition will even come in. Talking from experience on that. Agree: if you’re gonna get the ammunition, weapons, supplies. Get it now. Bet you see a rise in prices not only from demand but the rise in fuel. Disagree with the foraging idea. If things get really bad as predicted, everyone with a weapon who thinks he’s gonna support is family is going to be shooting at anything that moves; not all of it accidental.Even with inexperience these wouldbe hunters and fishermen will deplete available resources.The idea, the basic concept behind storing emergency food supplies is to give a person time to raise the crops, animals, etc needed to survive. Agree: need to practice and training, BUT with time beginning to run out, given a choice between the training and acquiring needed supplies, the latter takes priority. Remember training takes time and …time is running out.If time is short, get a few good survival manuals/references. Remember the old saying ” what you don’t know, you know where to find the knowledge.”

  6. a shortage of many prepping items due to consumer shtf awareness is not a convenient thing BUT the spreading awareness IS A GOOD THING… i too have little good to say about and no time whatsoever to watch these “prepper” shows BUT if the warning being displayed puts others in gear to prep, then i’ll not do anything to dissuade either…

    • yes i have considered a crossbow and it is the next weapon on “To Buy” list… for simple reasons, one being it is basically silent and if properly used can be effective up to near 100 yds although shorter distances than that are more common…

  7. Most guns can only shoot 2 – 4 types of ammo. (.22-.22LR – shotgun shells & tracers, .38 – .375 Magnum, & shotgun shells, .22 – .410, etc) With my slingshot, I shoot dozens of ‘calibers’ and odd looking objects. I’m not wasting bullets to hunt, unless I have to.

    PS: IF it doesn’t hit the ‘editing room floor’, I’ll be shooting my slingshot (left handed because “the lighting is bad”) on “Doomsday Preppers” (S1E9) which begins airing March 27th.

    PPS: Try not to die laughing at “knife training”. Reality TV ISN’T. Did I manage to work ‘enough’ good survival tips in? (find 3-27-12)

  8. It is crazy how quickly the stores near me sell out of ammunition. I’ve found that Tuesday is the day to go shopping, not on the weekends.

    I think that once this “2012” end of the world crap is over, things won’t be so focussed on prepping for many. Sure, (and hopefully) some will continue, but most will fall away.

      • Agreed, timing is more coincidental, including 2012 elections.
        This ‘2012 thing’ is just another ‘Y2K thing’… same doomsday naysayers different day; the economic and political events are where the focus needs to be placed IMHO.

  9. Preppers are already portrayed negatively. This administration considers preppers, gun owners and conservatives potential terrorists.

    • the gov’t also thinks leftist groups are potential terrorists. the problem is that the gov’t also splits the smart ones on the left from the smart ones on the right so that they don’t unite and take it all down

  10. Where I live in New Mexico, the word “hoarding” is suddenly turning up on the news, and in the state legislature, where laws against “hoarding” pets will now place the owner of more dogs or cats than the state senate approves in prison. Expect soon to see “hoarding” ammo, food, firearms or camping gear to be reported in newspapers, and the hoarders receiving unwanted official attention–possibly criminal charges.

  11. My one BIG concern is that if Martial Law is declared by the president that with one stroke of the pen he can take EVERY scrap of food we preppers have stored up. In other words he can make a law that says ” NO HORDING ” . And he gets to decide what is or is not hording . So you you say ” No one knows that I got it.” Oh yeah ? did you buy it with a credit card ? Did you have it shipped from one of the large marketers like E-Foods direct or The ready store ? Sorry chum there is a record of your purchase . Don’t think for one second that someone won’t get those records and come knocking on your door to get it. And if you hide it and say its gone to the feds , Well welcome to camp FEMA an all the wonderfull times you will have in tent city. Behind the barbed wire . Not a pleasent thought is it ?

    • Yes you are correct to a point, but that is what the Good Lord gave us hollow walls, freeze dried food, and air tight tubes to bury stuff with.
      Mountain House is good for 25 years, ammo is stored right has a long shelf life, and there are plenty of 03 Springfields still taking game each hunting season.

    • i never thought about it that way, until recently. now only major bills on the card everything else is cash only.however if you dont tell people what you have nobody knows and they have to prove you still have it

    • The legislative branch is supposed to be responsible for legislation. The current administration apparently does not recognize the Constitution. Fast and Furious, TSA stopping trucks on the highway (illegal search), making “recess” appointments when Congress (opposite of Progress) is not in recess, etc. “If Congress won’t do it, I’ll do it myself”..BO

  12. The rise of prepping in the media, and the precursor increase in prepping, are at odds with each other. This spotlight will harm more preppers than it helps, though it in encouraging people to get involved. I don’t believe these shows can be sold to the networks without scripted presentations based on what the producers believe will sell. They are NOT documentaries. They are a version of “reality shows”… and we all know just how “real” those are. L P

  13. “So what does it mean for Preppers?”

    Turn only to those you trust and have faith in…..undoubtedly, attention is being brought to people who prepare for whatever catastrophe is possible….needless to say, this government will see it as prepping for nefarious means. After all, we already know what they think about “thumpers and clingers”….wouldn’t surprise me at all if we were to be classified on J’ Nap’s radar as potential terrorists…..

    Doomsday Preppers and Doomsday Bunkers are entertainment value shows only. And if they portray these people in a ridiculous light, that could lead them to high ratings, welcome to the TV world. After all, folks these days love watching other people make fools of themselves….I have no doubt that some who appeared, while noble in their attempt to alert others, are second-guessing their decision to show up on TV. The fact that a liberal media is having a field day with this shouldn’t surprise either….it’s all they know.

    We watch it, but see past the individuals. There is valuable information to be gained if you look beyond the focus of the camera scenes…..watch it and forget the hype and negativity. There are sources evident if you look…..good sources…..

    Remember, ridicule is a tool for the weak-minded…..and those who ridicule preppers fear their own inadequacies….and you can’t change a closed mind……so, leave them to their own resources….they’ll wake up or suffer the consequences of their in-action……

  14. Good article. I just ordered a S&W 45 M&P. My dealer was out of stock and his distributor is out of stock as well. I don’t mind the wait though.

  15. we are going to start seeing shotages and high prices with everything. ammo to oatmeal. so prep,prep,and prep again. because there will come a time when we will have the opportunity not to be able to buy supplies. for a number of reasons.the list is many. PREP::::

  16. I am new to prepping but one thing that I have not seen mentioned so far is medical training. Does anyone have any suggestions on EMT type training that one can learn without having to quit their job? I don’t want to become and EMT…but I do want to have that skill set when the SHTF.

  17. Rise of the Preppers? I think the popularity of this show and the prepping awareness of others is a good thing. Even if that awareness is runs up the cost, or reduces the availablity of some supplies. It all comes down to the “Have and Have nots.” The more people that have, the less have nots are a potential threat, or enemy to me.

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