Ordinary Americans prepare for possible “Civil War” as election looms

In a 2020 that has been hit already by a pandemic unprecedented in modern times, as well as widespread social unrest and violence, some folks are hunkering down for a worst-case scenario as the year winds down.

With the election just one week away, and amid fears of a contested outcome, those of a nervous disposition are stocking up their basements with survival kits, according to a new report in USA Today. They are buying toilet paper, canned goods and guns.

The paper interviews Tabitha Converse, a mother of two from Colorado. The 43-year old dental hygienist details how she has built a stash of “essentials” in her own basement, including a new hunting rifle for her husband.

“It just seemed, well, stupid isn’t the right word, but it doesn’t make sense to be that ill-prepared,” Converse, a lifelong Republican who voted Democrat in the presidential race for the first time this year, tells the newspaper.

“A civil war? That could last for years. We don’t have years’ worth of supplies and if it went on for years, well, you could always go out and shoot a deer.”

The report goes on to say that millions of Americans fear the potential for violence that experts say may accompany this year’s presidential election.

“With a pandemic, civil rights protests and raging wildfires piled atop the election’s boiling-hot rhetoric, well, who knows what might happen?” the paper asks.

Available data for firearm and other purchases to some extent bear out some of the “Prepare for Civil War” theory. It shows that Americans are buying guns and ammunition in record numbers. What is more, many who have been vociferous in support of their chosen candidate, are getting ready to peel off political bumper stickers and yank out yard signs to make themselves less of a target in case the other guy wins. Some are fleeing for remote areas or custom-built bunkers.

The angst follows months of widespread Black Lives Matter social justice protests, many of which were peaceful. But some news outlets and elected officials, including President Donald Trump, have pointed to looting and destruction to argue that more federal law enforcement is needed to guard against violence, aiming their message squarely at suburban women.

On the other side, USA Today argues, there’s fear that right-wing anti-government extremists responding to the largest civil rights movement in 50 years have now aligned themselves with Trump. After years of growing hate crimes and violence, experts said there is a concern that armed right-wing terrorists might take to the streets if there are delays in election results or an unfavorable outcome, such as Democrat Joe Biden taking the White House.

Will we really be plunged into full-scale Civil War by Christmas?

Crazy America thinks it unlikely but it might still be prudent to take a few precautions!