Prepper Ponderings

Project BOV Update

I got the Jeep Commando home finally.  Yesterday, we cleared about 2,500 square feet of leaves, saplings and debris from the woods behind the yard fence and constructed a 10x20 garage tent structure.  A huge thanks go out to my SILs and BILs for helping us get it done.  Today, my dad and I replaced the Wrangler seats with some original style low back seats, and then I brought it home for good.  Here's a picture of it in the garage. 

I think these tent structures have some great applications to preppers and will do a full post about it this week.

Wyoming Is Getting Ready

Did you catch this article out of Cheyenne today?  The legislature there is proposing a study to help plan Wyoming's future in the aftermath of a complete economic breakdown or the collapse of the federal government.  They are even taking into account the potential for their own currancy, a Wyoming army, strike aircraft and even an aircraft carrier(?!)  I really can't wait until we are in a position to move there and set up a homestead on our 12 acres of paradise that we have near Laramie.

SHTF Dreams

Back in '93 or '94, when I was a young cop, one night I was called to a parking lot behind some businesses to check on a man lurking around some cars.  When I found the man and asked to speak to him, the crazy old man turned on me with a pistol in his hand.  A very tense few seconds followed with the fastest draw of my life, two "drop the gun!" and a "drop the fu!" as the double action trigger on my Sig Sauer P220 had pulled back the hammer nearly to the breaking point when the threw down his crappy, old .32 special revolver and I released my trigger.  The guy was mere ounces of trigger pull away from dying.  It turns out he truly was crazy and was found not guilty by reason of insanity.  He died several years later in the state mental hospital.  Could I have shot him?  Durn tootin'.  Why didn't I?  I don't know.  Something (or someone) led me to hesitate, ever so slightly.

For several weeks after that night, I had nearly nightly dreams that would wake me in a jolt.  Sometimes, I would fire and the bullets would just drop out of my muzzle.  Other times, my trigger pull was too heavy and I would pull and pull, but could never get it done.  Sometimes the old man would shoot me, other times I would shoot him.  After a while, the dreams stopped being nightly and moved to every few nights, then every few weeks, then every few months.  Today, almost 20 years later, I still have the dream every now and then.  I've never figured out what stressor triggers it (no pun intended).  I had the dream a couple nights ago where the bullets drop out of the muzzle.  On the whole PTSD scale, my dreams are probably the most miniscule and minor, but it is something to think about when preparing for SHTF.

Most people do not accept killing or lethal force situations as a normal day's event and will have some level of psychologial reaction.  Now would be the time to learn about Critical Incident Stress Debriefing before you need it.  I'd also encourage you to read On Killing, by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and In the Gravest Extreme, by Massad Ayoob.  They are two good resources that address the mental aspects of lethal force.

And Speaking of Amazon...

I really want to thank all of you who have bought items from Amazon and have used my links to enter through my Amazon store.  That gives me a small commission, but costs the buyer nothing extra.  Those commissions help pay for books and products that I review and reference.  Thanks!