Today’s Bearing Arms’ Cam & Co. isn’t exactly Second Amendment-related, but it’s Second Amendment-adjacent, if you will. After all, many of us may already be somewhere on the prepper spectrum, and with the number of cases of coronavirus increasing in the United States and the CDC warning of potential disruption to our daily lives, it’s not a bad idea to go over some of the basics of what we might be looking at over the next few months and how best to handle it.

Joining me for today’s discussion is Jon Stokes, editor of ThePrepared.com, who’s been keeping close tabs on new developments in the coronavirus outbreak. Stokes has also put together a very good check list of what you should have on hand to help keep you healthy, as well as some basic food prep items you should have on hand in case you’re stuck inside your home for a prolonged period of time.

Stokes says we’re past the point of slow prepping, and folks should think of what we’re seeing in terms of hurricane preparation. We know there’s a storm out there, we know it’s going to hit the mainland, but we still don’t know how severe it will be and who will be hit the hardest.

One of the things we didn’t get into in the interview, but is worth mentioning here, is planting a garden. Frozen and canned vegetables are great, but planting now will provide you fresh vegetables throughout the summer. Even if you don’t have a lot of room, a couple of tomato plants in a container along with some micro-greens or lettuces can go a long way. Over the past few years, my wife and I have been scaling back our garden to focus on tomatoes and peppers, but we’re expanding out this year to include potatoes, carrots, beets, and beans; all vegetables with pretty long shelf lives.

Planting now won’t help you over the next few weeks, but as Stokes notes, we don’t know how this coronavirus works. In 1918, the Spanish Flu swept the globe in two waves; the first hitting the old and infirm, and a second wave that hit the young and healthy. Even if COVID-19 were to peter out this spring (which seems unlikely), it could come back in a slightly different variation next fall and winter.

I’m not panicking over COVID-19, but I am taking it seriously. As I’ve talked about here before, my wife has Stage IV lung cancer and a compromised immune system thanks to the chemotherapy drugs she’s taking. That certainly puts her at an elevated risk for serious complications from the virus, so I’ve been religiously washing my hands, face, and beard, and making sure that’s the first thing my kids do when they come in from outside as well.

Even doing all of that, I still managed to catch a cold at CPAC, so I’ve been engaged in some “social distancing” as well. Thankfully, it was minor and I’m getting over it, but basically from the first tickle in the back of my throat until now, I’ve tried to stay away from the grocery store or other public places.

Hopefully this conversation will help you in your plans and preparation, and we’ll be back with a Second Amendment-focused show on Monday.