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It was December 30, 2021…
My family was placed on pre-evacuation notice because of the Marshall Fire ripping through Boulder County, Colorado.
I remember standing in my house, staring into my wife's eyes, and thinking...
"What do I do first?"
Over the next 45 minutes, we packed up what we thought we'd need "just in case" and watched the news closely for how the fire was shifting.
Ultimately, the fire didn't reach our home - but 991 structures weren't so lucky.
In fact, people I know personally lost everything - and even years later, some of them still haven't fully recovered.
As parts of our country head into hurricane season, that day keeps coming back to me.
Because most gun owners have NEVER really thought through what a forced evacuation actually looks like - and the role your "guns" play in how you prepare and respond.
Here are three things I personally took away from that experience - and if you own firearms, I think you need to hear all three…
The first thing I'll tell you from my own experience is this:
If you own a lot of firearms and you're forced to evacuate from your home, you might not be able to take ALL your guns with you.
I know, I know… that's not what you want to hear, right?
But if you've built up any kind of collection, there might simply be any realistic way to load everything up and move it safely when the clock is ticking.
And here's where your firearms can actually become a "threat" to you and your family...
That prized gun collection of yours can become an "anchor".
You see, people often hesitate to leave their home because they don't want to "abandon their firearms" - even when it's obviously the smart move for their family.
(More on that in a minute...)
The practical move? Invest in a quality safe - one that's fire AND storm resistant, and heavy enough (and bolted down?) that no grab-and-go looter is hauling it out of your house - and give yourself some peace of mind while you're gone.
These safes aren't perfect. No guarantee, but it still might be the best option available to you. (It's also a good place to throw your valuable jewelry and irreplaceable items into as well.)
Bottom line - given how often forced evacuations are happening across this country, a good safe is one of the smartest investments any gun owner can make.
But here's the flip side…
… you absolutely DO need to bring at least one firearm with you!
A buddy of mine, Jeff Anderson, is a 10-year combat veteran who lives in Florida and he and his family were forced to evacuate from Hurricane Milton a couple years ago.
What he shared with me in the aftermath was a gut punch…
The Pasco County Sheriff's office received 177 calls about fights breaking out at gas stations up and down the evacuation route… in a single day!
A security guard at a local Wawa described what she witnessed firsthand:
"They were fighting - like fist fighting! One girl hit another girl with her car. They were really fighting for gas."
Half-mile lines… hundreds of shutdown pumps… exhausted, scared, angry people pushed past their breaking point.
That's not a "war zone" - we're talking about a gas station in Florida in 2024!
You need to understand that mass evacuations turn highways into virtual parking lots.
And when it does, fuel disappears… tempers explode… and even your typical friendly churchgoing neighbor can become very, very dangerous when their family is scared, frustrated, and everyone is competing over limited resources.
Unfortunately, carrying at least one concealed handgun on you while on your journey is a must these days.
It's not about being "aggressive" - it's about being prepared if things go sideways at a pump, a rest stop, or a two-lane road with nowhere to go.
And the third thing (and honestly, the most important one of all)...
The best fight is the one you never have to be in.
If you're stuck in a 27-mile backup of cars on a highway clogged with empty tanks and broken-down vehicles...
...frankly, it's already too late to avoid the chaos.
The people who come through forced evacuations safely are the ones who got out FIRST…
… before the roads jammed
… before the pumps ran dry
… before the 177 calls started coming in.
That means having a plan that's ready to execute BEFORE disaster hits - not while you're scrambling in the middle of it.
Now here's what really got me…
I thought my 45-minute "evac prep" on-the-fly was pretty fast.
Then my friend, Jeff, told me the standard:
5 minutes!
Now, as a "light-infantryman", Jeff has deployed in some of the most austere environments on the planet, and he literally wrote the book on real-world survival preparedness (his book is even called "The 5-Minute Survival Guide").
In fact, he's developed what he calls a "5-Minute Rapid Response Protocol" - a dead-simple system for being fully prepared for any disaster.
The good news is that this same step-by-step protocol works regardless of whether you choose to "shelter in place" or move your family to a safer "Plan B" location.
And this week, he's running a FREE online workshop where he walks through the whole "5-Minute Rapid Response Protocol" on this page...
This is the real-world, tactical survival intel that most "preparedness" content never even gets close to.
No filler, no fantasy scenarios - just the stuff that actually matters when your family is looking at you for answers and the clock is running out.
If you're a gun owner who takes protecting your family seriously - in your home and outside of it - then this is a "must-see".
👉 Register here for Jeff's free online survival workshop this week…
I'll be watching it myself to pick up some more tips and I hope to see you there!
~ Jacob Paulsen
President | ConcealedCarry.com
P.S. - Here's the part that surprised me most about Jeff's system…
It covers both scenarios simultaneously - "sheltering in place" AND getting out.
Most survival plans only address one or the other.
Jeff explains exactly why that gap is so dangerous... and what it takes to close it for good.
You'll want to see this BEFORE the next emergency makes it "too late" for you and your family…
Save your free seat here
See you there!
~ JP
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