You’d think the government would approve of prepping. After all, if we can take care of ourselves in an emergency, the government doesn’t have to do it for us. We’re cutting down its workload, saving it money and making sure it has fewer citizens to worry about if everything goes horribly wrong.
Unfortunately, governments don’t seem grateful for this, and in many ways they make prepping more difficult than it has to be. A lot of politicians see us as a lunatic fringe and potential extremists, which makes it hard to get listened to. Laws often restrict what we’re allowed to do, as anyone who’s tried keeping livestock in a suburb will know. And of course there are things we’d like to have that the government would prefer if we didn’t.
They Don’t Want You to Own Guns
In a crisis, a gun can make the difference between life and death, in many ways. Firstly, it’s the most effective way to defend yourself, especially if you’re outnumbered. Just the fact you’re armed will deter many attackers. A gun also beats anything else for hunting – there are many species you can’t realistically hunt any other way – and will make it much easier to put protein on the table in a long-term survival scenario.
Unfortunately, most governments don’t like guns very much. In many countries, like the UK, there are strict laws on what guns you can own. US preppers are luckier thanks to the Second Amendment, but there are still restrictions.
The 1994 federal assault weapon ban expired in 2004, but plenty legislators would like to bring it back. In 2013 Senate Democrats tried to, this time without the ten-year sunset provisions of the 1994 law, but were defeated. In 2021 President Biden called for a similar ban; in July 2022 the House of Representatives passed a ban on “assault-style” weapons, but that died in the Senate. In March last Biden called, again, for a ban on “assault weapons” and “high capacity” magazines.
Even without a federal ban, some states have their own restrictions on what guns you can own. California has the most notorious laws. For example, .50 BMG weapons and many semi-automatic rifles – including AR15s – are banned, and other semi-auto rifles aren’t allowed to have specific features. This includes pistol grips, flash suppressors or folding stocks. The state also has a ban on “high capacity” magazines; so do eight other states and the District of Colombia.
Your Gold is Not Safe
A lot of preppers stockpile precious metals to use as currency after society collapses. Even though I think food and ammunition will be much more valuable for bartering, there are arguments on both sides. If you decide a stash of gold should be part of your preps, I’m not going to argue. But the government might.
In fact, it’s done it before. In 1933 President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6102, which made it illegal to own more than $100 of gold. Anyone who owned more than that had to exchange it for paper money at a fixed price set by the government. That ban wasn’t repealed until 1974. Of course, when Roosevelt imposed the restrictions the US dollar was backed by gold. Even though this is not the case nowadays, gold is still valuable and the government still lies to keep control of it.
Local Laws Against Livestock
There’s no federal law that stops you keeping livestock, but in many places there are local laws against it. That’s more likely to affect you if you live in a city or suburb; rural preppers generally won’t have too many problems. In towns, however, you need to check local laws carefully. The government doesn’t trust us to look after animals properly, prevent them spreading disease or safely turn them into food.
Even when the world starts to shake, you can still learn how to keep your livestock safe and healthy and protect them from diseases that spread fast. The video below offers a few straightforward ways to stay self-sufficient and care for your animals, even when regulations and shortages make it harder than it should be.
Even Gas Cans Are Regulated
Federal agencies tell gas stations what sort of containers their customers are allowed to fill with fuel, and the rules are steadily getting tighter. Under a 2020 law, all portable fuel containers, even plastic gas cans, must include anti-explosion features.
Some of the laws around transporting or storing fuel are common sense. If you remember TV footage of people trying to fill plastic bags with gasoline during the COVID pandemic, you’ll understand why. The government doesn’t really like us storing fuel at home, though – even though it’s essential if you want to be prepared.
Your Radio Needs Permission
If you want a more powerful radio, then you’ll need an amateur radio license issued by the Federal Communications Commission. The frequencies and power levels you can use are regulated. There’s something about a communications network owned and run by ordinary people that governments just don’t like, even though it’s often valuable in emergencies.
Seeds Could Become a Controlled Commodity
A strong garden starts with good seeds, but big agriculture and government agencies have been tightening rules on seed ownership and trade for years. In some countries, only “approved” varieties can be sold, making it harder to find traditional, heirloom, or non-GMO seeds.
Related: Read This Before Stockpiling Seeds
That’s why serious preppers maintain a private seed vault and build discreet, modular gardens that blend into their surroundings. An even better plan is to store seeds in airtight containers with desiccant packs and rotate them every few years.
Food Stockpiles Aren’t Truly Yours in a Crisis
As strange as it might sound, during a national crisis or under martial law, the government could step in to “manage” the distribution of food during a national crisis, especially if supply chains start breaking down. That means the stockpile you’ve spent months or even years building could be at risk of being seized “for the greater good.”
If that happens, you’ll be glad you took precautions to protect your supplies.
Here’s how I made sure my food supply stays out of sight:
- Hide in Plain Sight: Keep a few decoy supplies in an obvious spot – a small pantry or a visible shelf in the kitchen. If anyone comes looking, they’ll think they’ve found your stash, while the real one stays safely hidden elsewhere.
- False Walls and Floors: A hidden crawlspace, a false wall, or even a disguised floor compartment can make all the difference. Store bulk foods there in vacuum-sealed bags to save space and reduce odors. Out of sight means out of reach.
- Dehydrated Foods: Consider making dehydrated meals a major part of your food reserve. They last for years, take up very little space, and can be tucked away just about anywhere: behind furniture, in the attic, or even inside sealed containers disguised as something else.
Water Storage Might Be Restricted As Well
Water is more critical than food, but local laws often make it harder than you’d think to collect and store it. In many states, collecting rainwater is restricted or even prohibited without a permit. For instance, some local authorities claim it’s about “water rights” or “public resource management,” but the reality is that they don’t want individuals controlling their own supply.
If you can’t legally build a cistern, consider hidden or modular storage, such as buried tanks, portable containers disguised as garden features, or even underground bladders. Clean, private water is freedom.
Did you know it’s also possible to make water from the air itself? New atmospheric devices can pull moisture straight from humidity, with no need for a well, stream, or rainfall.
Generators and Power Sources Are as Valuable as Gold
When the grid goes dark, your generators, solar panels, and battery banks become more than just conveniences. Power means a sense of normalcy. And that makes it valuable, almost too valuable for the government to ignore.
In a long-term emergency, officials may move to “coordinate” or “redistribute” power-generating equipment in the name of maintaining public order. Translation: the systems you built and paid for could be claimed for “community use.” That’s why it’s critical to protect your own energy independence before the lights go out for good.
Wondering how to protect your energy sources? Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Camouflage and Conceal: Solar panels are difficult to hide completely, but strategic placement helps. Ground-mounted panels can be surrounded by tall garden beds, fencing, or other structures that blend them into the environment. Painting the mounting hardware in earth tones can reduce glare and make them less noticeable from a distance.
- Silent Generators: Noise draws attention faster than light. Invest in an inverter generator or add sound-dampening enclosures to minimize noise output. Running generators during the day, when ambient sounds are higher, can also help keep them off the radar.
- Distribute Batteries: Don’t keep all your stored energy in one place. A large battery bank is easy to spot and even easier to confiscate. Instead, store several smaller battery packs in multiple, hidden locations.
- Diversify Your Power Options: Relying on a single system makes you vulnerable. Combining solar, wind, and small-scale hydro – where possible – ensures that losing one source doesn’t plunge you into total darkness.
Final Thoughts
As I said before, you’d expect governments to approve of and support preppers. The more of us there are, the less serious any crisis will be. It just doesn’t seem to work that way, though. They might not make it illegal for us to be prepared, but by restricting or discouraging us from stockpiling key supplies they certainly make it harder than it needs to be.
👉 What unconventional solutions have you found to keep your resources safe? Post them in the comment section below!
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Remember, the strong over powers the weak…
They don’t want you to have what a lot of people have and that’s Weapons, we can’t match what they have, but we do have a nice amount of weapons in the people’s hands.
We also know how to survive.
It won’t be easy but I hope we give them back what they give to us.
Keep prepping, get multiple places and hide supplies.
It’s just waiting for the right time and it will be done, no more, just only what you have.
What if it starts tomorrow. You ready.
I believe No one is ready, no one…
stay sharp
Howdy from high in the desert swamp,
Idaho denied irrigation water to potato farmers but gave unlimited amounts to a new mine. Illinois, you cannot catch rain. All these cop shows say “gun is registered to..” There isn’t supposed to be a registration list. Is there one? Why do ham radios have to be licensed? Good luck finding non GMO seeds. You only have to read EO’s from the 1960’s Kennedy administration to see, if necessary, what you have can be confiscated and used elsewhere. Those have not been rescinded. Every time congress is in session gun laws come up. They always use “common sense” as the buzzword. Command school taught me never say that. Your common sense and mine may not match due to where and how we were raised, educated and life events.
Wait until tomorrow and see if NYC has truly forgotten 9/11. People do not remember war. WWI was the war to end all wars. That worked great until WWII started. Then Korea and and and… This time period of 35 and below kids have never NOT had video games. They live in an alternate reality of energy packs and reset start over buttons. If any of you want an eyeful of what in the world?! Go find a local scout troop. Watch all the women leaders. “Men” are sitting watching. Not getting involved. No knock on women who try to teach. Men should teach boys. Take away the manliness of boys toys, punish them for finger guns. Medicate them for getting in a fight. You know, being a boy, young? People who will thumbs down this article or comments like this one will be the same ones who show up at your door wanting you to take care of them. You only have to look at history to see how rough times have been and biblically will get horrendous.
Remember the Alamo-the government killed everyone
Remember 9/11-the government wasn’t prepared
Remember North Carolina-the government is still no help
Remember to have your soul prepared-the government cannot take it.
A counter point to an item in the article. “Distributed batteries” is an extremely expensive idea. The cost of copper cable to connect as an efficient battery bank if not located together along with the extreme voltage losses for long cable runs is a non-starter. Maintaining distributed batteries is a logistical nightmare. Make sure to get acquire good knowledge and expert advice if setting up alternative power systems to ensure safety, efficiency, and anticipated performance! There are no practical nor functional ways to “hide” a good alternative power system, just the nature of the beast. Best you can due is a stand-alone powerhouse that is architecturally pleasing and secure to house your grid meter, switch gear, battery banks, battery chargers, charge monitors, alternative energy inputs (solar, wind, hydro), maintenance products, safety equipment, and segregated generator (outside or behind fire rated walls in dedicated generator room). NEVER STORE FUEL IN YOUR POWERHOUSE NOR NEAR YOUR GENERATOR!
You raise very valid points regarding the challenges of distributed batteries, particularly the costs of cabling and the logistical complexity of maintenance. Our article aims to explore a range of alternative energy solutions, but we fully agree that safety considerations are essential before implementing any system. We’ll make sure to emphasize these practical constraints more clearly in future updates. Thanks again for sharing your expertise, it adds valuable context for our readers!
When Sandy hit NY there wasn’t even so much as a single generator in the Armory building in Manhattan. At the time, the building itself was being used for a fashion show. That saved the day as the NY National Guard had a few generators to charge their computers up and keep them running when they arrived. I will never forget how time after time, incidents like this have shown without a doubt just how unprepared we really have been as a nation and why it is up to the people to do it for themselves. That’s why this site is a lifesaver.
Absolutely, that’s a perfect example of why personal preparedness matters. We’re glad our site has been helpful for you, that’s exactly what we aim for!
the comments are all good, as always.
We just dont know the extent.
Under certain circumstances, the answers will be different.
they take your generator – If they try, it will be fairly soon after SHTF when they are able to hunt for things like power. Later, they will disband as they cant feed and shelter their own.
You cant have 6 power stations all wired to your C&C location – like was said too much wire and transmission voltage loss ( thats why 28,000 volts comes to your neighborhood). BUT you can have 6 locations, ready to be set up, if you change location or move them back to your C&C location as needed. Reflection will expose your solar to eyes in the sky ( in any form), so if its mad max you wont have much to fear and if its much less, they can easily hunt you down – the more remote, the safer you will be.
Distributed batt. expensive ! dry charged are ready if needed, much easier to keep ready if ever needed, not degrading daily, TRUE maintenance free.
BIG remote area, best area. Space everything out, go to and use areas as needed. Once again, if you have 3 or 4 million you can do this right, if you skimp.
Like the Man said, no one is ever actually prepared.
You might think you are. you might do well. BUT the rest of the world falls apart, you wont be ready for how it effects you. Just think, where do you live ? can you pick fresh cherry’s, cucumbers, tomatoes, as often as you can get them at the supermarket ?
And are you set for a hot fudge sundae, fresh from your bunker ?
We are spoiled, and SHTF will be an eyeopener and I hope your eyes are never opened that way.
Something inside me wants to say that the word government is only as evil as it’s commander.
Hey Outer Spice
They are all evil…
Remember, NO trust…
It’s all a trap. you are smarter then that…
stay sharp
Spice, that WAS the case, But today, we have what we call the deep state.
To clear the field and get back to when the commander was the conscience and the ruler of the ENTIRE government, will take 4 terms of 4 years each, with the understanding ahead of time just how long they will be in command. OR, its going to take 3 leaders for 2 terms each, all of like mind. Parts of the world run on 100 yr plans, backed by MANY. we run on 2 yr plans that change again if the mid term is successful. They play Chess, while we play checkers. we need to have a long run of checker masters the way we have been playing, just to have a prayer. What do you call a series of checker masters, a Chess Grand Master. You cant hold the commander responsible, while thousands of sleeper subordinates pull strings.
Wow, I have so much to say about all these comments… kind of strange that each one is eclectic to the others… So many differences, I guess that’s what make them all interesting, to me at least… Do we actually truly know how society will be when the SHTF..? Some how I just don’t think so… The severity of the event is, to me, what will control and or not control… Its all kind of a wait and see uh.. If your even on this sight, you do do some sort of prepping actions… and that’s what makes this article one of the interesting ones… To me, its going to be who can you trust or who do you want to trust and can… Unless your in a trusting group, your in it all alone, and it’ll be for you, what YOU make it… I do pray that we all can survive as best we can, thats about all we can do… I do remember the Alamo, Damn sure remember 9/11, hell, I remember it all… Sad that NYC has already forgotten, they took the attack the hardest, and now they’ve allowed the fox into the hen house… They, and you know who I’m referring to, have the patience of an oyster, and use this and our own laws against us to gain ground… Whole cities, neighborhoods by neighborhood are changing… Hell, I gotta stop here, I’m getting carried away, and from the subject at hand… I apologize … I do truly wish each and everyone the best of luck in surviving whats coming… its not what, that doesn’t matter, it’s when, cause I can feel it, see it all slowly taking place… Even Mr Khrushchev stated that they will bury us, and not even fire a shot… seems the Muslims are going to beat the Communist to it… OK, I’m done… again, I apologize… Live Long and Prosper, while remembering the Alamo… One last comment, how come ICE has NOT ventured into Dearborn Michigan, an Islamic strong hold..? I can promise you that there are lots of illegals hidden away in the Islamic communites…Oh well…
Nikita Khrushchev’s quote that sticks with me is “I do not have to destroy America, America will destroy itself. COG, Continuity Of Government, doesn’t matter which party heads up the white house, military force can and will be used to preserve the robber barons status quo. The Bonus Army tested that and paid the price, those troops who refused to take part in that dispersion were sent to armpit duty stations or dishonorably discharged. I will not surrender anything agreeably.
I hear you! There’s a lot packed into your comment, and I think you’re touching on the core of prepping: uncertainty and trust. No one truly knows how society will react when things go sideways, and the severity of the event will shape everything. What really matters is forming reliable connections and staying aware of your surroundings, because in the end it comes down to what you can control. It’s wise to reflect on history and current events, but focusing on practical readiness and trustworthy allies is what will actually make a difference when the time comes.
I find these articles interesting and informative. We each have our vision of what SHTF entails. Generally, it seems most are prepping for an infrastructure-down event, like an EMP and/or CME with societal collapse and desperate people (at all levels). I anticipate we’ll see that even within my lifetime (and I am close to drawing SS).
Ben Davidson (Sun Weather Man/Suspicious Observers) makes a compelling case for a level of SHTF at a cataclysmic cosmic level that eradicates most life on the planet. His scenarios include the infrastructure-down event (early on) as well as a solar micro-nova induction event that zaps everything metal (I imagine something like an insanely high powered microwave), pole flips and a glaciation event later on. He contends it’s a cyclical event. It’s happened before and it will happen again. We have survived it before and we will survive it again. Obviously though, when everything metal is frying (melting?) prepping is different (and no – faraday cages do not help for induction events).
This isn’t to diminish the value of the infrastructure-down/societal collapse level of prepping. That still has tremendous value, but it may only be one gauntlet in a series of challenges humanity will face, all in “rapid” succession (rapid being highly relative here and likely would entail years). I appreciate the content.
We all liked minded people do what we can with what we have. Some are much better prepared than others. I myself have limitations, heath reasons, financial and ecen space. Like many others, im sure are in the same boat. Be fore we moved, I had enough to take care of shelter, a solid water source and food for a family of adults for aprox. 2 years with only minor rationing. Now its just my wife and I. We no longer have the reserves we had just from over 1.5 years ago. Having to retire out early due to medical issues, now just making sure we have enough for just us for a month or two, I feel extremely vulnerable. My point is, there is also the importance of having a group of luke minded people as well incase SHTF to barder with either for trades in work or monetary valued items. This for me is a big issue as I do t know anyone here is this state. Just my $.02. There alot of sense in this article as well within the comment section. God bless all.