Is Stock-Piling Food Illegal Or Not?

Neil, I think someone is pulling your leg.

 

I go to town for groceries every (3) Three Months, I better be stock-piling, or I'll be Hungry........:dunno:

 

Keep it out of sight, and keep yours and your families mouth shut. It is pointless to prepare, and have someone appropriate your preparations.

 

A stock-pile (hoarding) is when you go out and purchase everything in the entire store knowing full-well that the store will not be able to get fresh supplies for a week or so and purposely cause hardship for others.

Stocking-up is when you visit that same store and purchase a case-lot of goods, but, leave lots of stock on the shelves for others. A slight difference, but, if word is out that a huricane is on its way and you buy everything out of the store, it would be criminal because many others could suffer.

I can go to the local grocery-warehouse and buy a case of toilet paper. It doesn't matter because there are another 15 cases sitting right beside the case that I want. While there, I can purchase 4 cases of cabbage to make some borscht and no-one will look at me twice - because there are another 30 cases ready for the next person to pick-over.

I am getting my shopping-list ready for my next run to the warehouse - I just cleaned-out my upstairs-closet of bathroom-supplies and moved my stocks from the basement upstairs and I have to replenish my basement-stocks.

If you slowly stock-up your shelves in such a way that you do not bring attention to yourself, it isn't a criminal action. If you are video'd for the evening news segment because you got into a fight over the last case of beans in the store when only taking one can would be the right thing to do, it would be considered criminal.

 

The Mormons have for years encouraged storing at least a 1-year supply of food, and that's universal no matter where they live.

Our stores here have "stock-up case-lot" sales in the spring and fall. Normally we only get to town every couple months, a "real" town, I mean, other than the small market about 8 miles from us.

I think the "illegal" part might be if they declare martial law. I've heard that they can decree that no one have more than a 3-day supply on hand. That'd be tough in remote areas!

 

No officer... I'm not stockpiling... I just have a very large family.

 

Neil, I think your older friend might have been referring to wartime hoarding.

A whole bunch of different laws and regulations as well as strict rationing of meat, butter, suger, flour, tires, gasoline -- all the necessities were stringently rationed. I might be an old goat, but I wasn't even thought of during the war years. However, my Dad served in Europe and my Mom was a Rosie the Riveter, so I remember many of the stories.

We all take soooooooo much for granted today.

 

This story often comes up when the subject of hoarding is discussed. The laws that applied then have never been removed from the books.

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=940CEEDD1238EE32A25753C3A9639C946996D6CF

 

Stockpiling is not illegal in the US. Stockpiling is creating a supply of food or other items during a time of plenty. Hoarding is purchasing more than you can reasonably use during a time of crisis and want. Hoarding when an emergency has been declared can be illegal. That is why we prepare now so we won't have to go to the store when the crisis comes and we can stay under the radar.

 

Wow, quite an article, unclejoe. They had some serious preps!

Yep, we all need to go about our business. As Ragnor Benson said, look like you are no one of interest and like you have nothing they want.

 

To a Prepper, it is stocking up for the emergencies we know are coming.
It's 'hoarding' to those who DIDN'T stock up and are now starving, or to the Government seeking to control the populace.
BOTH will take your stocks and leave YOU starving.
Buy cheap, stack deep, and hide well!

 

He is probably thinking of hoarding, which is different. At times of scarcity, such as maybe during the depression, hoarding is often illegal.

Stockpiling when food is still abundant is not illegal.
Hoarding is when SHTF and everyone is trying to grab up whatever scarce items there are at the last minute so no one else can have it.
Like during Katrina, there were reports of people filling up barrels and barrels of fuel at the pumps when there was a long line behind them of people desperate to get their cars fueled. Or if there are 10 packages or rice left on the supermarket shelf, and you take all 10 when you've already got 5 years of it at home and someone behind you has nothing, that's hoarding, IMO. Of course, you likely won't get out the door with all those 10 packages of rice, but...
The government might have other definitions too.

 

Stockpiling food

There was some flack a couple years ago over some new regs from USDA. Chicken Littles thought the regs stated there could be no stock-piling of foods, etc. After looking up the regs in question, I decided that's NOT what they said, and there was a lot of angst over nothing. There were rumors flying for awhile, but it's not anything to worry about. The feds may have the resources to check on folks, but that's not where their interest is for now. However, it's always prudent to keep a low profile for the reasons already stated.
I take umbrage at calling the older guy senile because he's old. seems he has a better memory and more experience than the originator of this post! He's the one you should be learning from as he probably remembers how things were done before we were so dependent on oil, plastic, etc.

 

Maybe, maybe not how fast would ya thing it would take congress or the potus to enact an emergency order. Yep best to keep quite about it for sure. I think making preppers into hoarders would be to their advantage. Focus off the issue onto something else, us. National public new's announcement, if you know one of those so called survivalist / hoarders report then to the police, because all resources belong to all Americans. Just the thought gives me the willies. Ya might as well get ready for something like this, they are more than dirty enough to take your families resources. :gaah:

 

I think our best bet is to continue "stockpiling" what we need. So far, stockpiling is not illegal, and if the government should decide to change the rules and call it "hoarding" we would be grandfathered in as "stockpiling" since our goods were purchased prior to any new rulings. It might be wise to keep a bunch of purchase receipts hidden really well that show dates to prove you weren't hoarding at the time and therefore are innocent of any crime. I'm not too worried... good luck trying to find most of my stockpile; they would have to completely tear down the house to find all my hidden and insulated compartments.

 

Unless a rationing system is put back into place, stockpiling food and supplies is not illegal. Unless, of course, you are stockpiling a rare and banned material like some types of wood, rhino horn, elephant ivory, illegal firearms, illegal fireworks or explosives, etc., etc., etc.

During the 1940's, stockpiling food and certain metals was illegal because it was needed for the troops and factories during World War 2. People were given ration chits which limited the amount of certain supplies they could buy.

During the 1970's, a similar thing happened with gas due to the illusion of a shortage put on by OPEC.

And the possibility exists that as certain materials become harder to find, they too will become illegal to stockpile.

In the event of a global catastrophe, something similar could potentially be put in place again. Major food shortages, major gas shortages, dwindling supplies of oil, freshwater, lithium, copper, etc. coupled with uncontrolled global population growth means it is a very likely gradual SHTF scenario.

 

To the best of my memory, "hoarding" is prohibited by Presidential Directive and is defined as having more than 3 days of food in the home.

This applies during a declared emergency and I personally doubt if there would be any grandfathering for "preppers".

From personal experience, if, during an approaching emergency such as a hurricane, neighbors and relatives will take notice if you don't join the herd in the rush for the last remaining supplies. It is best to say that you'd already been fighting the crowded stores and are too exhausted to make another try.:sssh: