The past decade has seen a rise in politically motivated violence, which culminated in two assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump. The upcoming presidential election is sure to be controversial, no matter who wins, which is raising concerns about more unrest in the not-too-distant future.

As the election draws ever so much closer, more Americans have become preppers, people who stockpile food and supplies while learning survival skills that could be employed in the event of a national catastrophe. From the suburbs of Michigan to the foothills of Colorado, individuals are getting ready for an uncertain future while hoping that their fears are unfounded. Concerns about post-election violence, civil unrest, or natural disasters that cripple the infrastructure have spurred these people to action.

Jerry Katich, a 67-year-old Michigan resident epitomizes this new wave of preppers, according to NBC News. Having prepared for over 15 years, he told the news outlet that he is “ready for anything to transpire, whether it’s an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) going off or World War III.”

The Michigander’s preparations include a generator, multiple freezers full of food, and over 800 pages of notebooks chock full of survival instructions.

Katich’s worries are shared by millions of other preppers across the United States. His Facebook group, called Michigan Preppers, has grown from 8,000 to nearly 18,000 members since the days of COVID-19.

Drew Miller, CEO of Fortitude Ranch, a nationwide prepper community, believes this growth is fueled by the increasing recognition that "the world is getting less safe every day." Miller’s organization helps its members prepare for various disasters, from viral pandemics to civil unrest, a reflection of the diverse fears driving Americans toward prepping, according to the NBC News story linked above:.

The number of preppers in the U.S. is estimated to be more than 20 million people, growing considerably since 2017, according to household resiliency data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency analyzed by researchers in 2022. The research considers anyone who can be self-prepared at home for 31 days or more without publicly provided water, power or transportation as a “resilient citizen.”

Prepper culture has traditionally been associated with folks on the right, who do not trust the government to take care of them in the event of a disaster. This is changing.

Now, people from across the political spectrum have joined the preppers’ ranks, making the movement far more diverse than it has been in the past, according to a Reuters report.

Brook Morgan, a 30-year-old woman from Indiana, told the news outlet that she has noticed a distinct increase in minority and left-leaning participants in prepper shows.

"I’m really surprised by the number of people of color here," she said, also noting that when she attended the shows in the past, “it was just white people who were my parents’ age.”

Preppers have typically been viewed as fringe elements, people who were overly paranoid. But it appears more people are seeing the light – especially with the election inching closer. Michael Clark, a vendor at the Great Lakes Emergency Preparedness Expo, told NBC News that he is anxious about America’s current political climate, saying he doesn’t “recognize this country anymore.”

He believes that if Trump loses the race, “we’re either looking at a military coup or a second civil war.”

There is a reason why more people are looking into prepping. Folks can easily see that America could become even more of a powder keg as tensions increase.

For starters, the assassination attempts on Trump show that the threat of political violence is real. Even before that, the riot at the Capitol, along with the nationwide unrest after the death of George Floyd were indications of what could be on the horizon.

Moreover, even if the fears over political unrest are unfounded at this time, there is also the possibility of disasters or pandemics. The COVID-19 issue showed what can happen when a virus prompts our government to assert more power over the populace. People panicked, rushing into stores and buying copious amounts of toilet paper, for some reason. In the case of the coronavirus, the issue was largely overblown – but what if a more serious pandemic arises?

Lastly, there are also other types of disasters. From hurricanes in Louisiana, to wildfires in California, or even the great freeze in Texas, it is clear that events beyond our control could cause devastating conditions – especially for those who are unprepared.

Not everyone has the money or other resources to build underground bunkers like one sees in the movies. But in this age, it makes sense to ensure we have what we need to be self-sufficient for when the you-know-what hits the fan.

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