Interesting discussion. Especially Ernst differentiating the two types of preppers in post #7. I've been in the former category, but realize now I should probably move more into the survivalist category. I'm not sure I am economically able, at this point, nor motivationallly able to do this. Probably not. I'd have to talk the wife into moving to a more rural area, into a smaller place, with some sustainable energy capability. While I've been an avid camper in my day, I've never hunted, and despise any kind of gardening. I'm probably just not going to do any of that.
OTOH, I went literally batshit crazy back in 2015-2016 when I was worried Hillary would win in 2016, and for the entire election season, at some of my peak earnings in my career, I sank ridiculous amounts into ammunition, guns, and reloading supplies. My thought was she was going to win, and the 2A would be a goner in the not too distant future, and I wanted me, and my son, and my grandkids to never ever have to worry about that. I basically want for nothing, and never will for the rest of my life, in the battle rifle, pistol, hunting weapons, magazines, and ammunition area. Ever. I succeeded. Multiple weapons of every type, my reloading supply is embarrassing. I don't even like telling my shooting friends, they think I'm nuts. If the 2A was repealed tomorrow, I literally would not have anything on my firearms or ammunition shopping list (other than a security barrel for my Mossberg 500A) that I would feel I couldn't do without. I'm set.
But I've neglected other areas. Yeah, I have enough water and food to withstand a natural disaster, but measured in a few weeks. And staying in my home. If the anarcho-communists come to my neighborhood, I can arm all my neighbors with quality weapons, and ammo, and God help the Antifa types who want to mess with us here. That wasn't my goal, when I thought Hillary would win, it was to provide for me, my son's, and my grandkids' shooting needs over generations, regardless of a changing legal environment. But I have inadvertently made myself very well-prepared, from a defensive standpoint, for the chaos we've seen that almost none of us would have thought would have been so widespread and so long-lived. I certainly did not anticipate that, but I'm in a really good spot from a weapons and ammunition standpoint today.
Had I planned better, I'd have a cabin somewhere with a well, land to hunt and fish on, some renewable energy sources, and be more self-sufficient. But it's too late for me to arrange all that and, more importantly, learn and hone the skills it would take to live independently there. Or convince the wife we need to do all that. But, if the country continues to go to hell in a handbasket, I'm well prepared to go out in one hell of a blaze of glory!