Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. Pictured above is the headquarters building of the BATFE.
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President Trump Nominates Robert Cekada to Head ATF [1]. The article includes a key quote from Knox Williams, president and executive director of the American Suppressor Association:
“If confirmed, he would be the first ever truly pro-Second Amendment nominee to head the agency. By nominating an ATF Director who understands our community and respects our constitutional rights, President Trump and his administration are further underscoring their commitment to standing up for the Second Amendment and gun owners. We urge the Senate to confirm him without delay.”
JWR’s Comments: If any SurvivalBlog readers have contact with Mr. Cekada, please encourage him to coordinate with Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and declare a six-month Class 3 Weapons Registration Amnesty. There hasn’t been a Federal NFA amnesty since 1968, and it is now badly needed. There are an estimated 3 million unregistered machineguns, autosears, and Destructive Devices in private hands. It has been impossible to register any transferable machineguns since the 1986 enactment of the Hughes Amendment to the McClure-Volkmer Firearms Owner Protection Act.
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Man prepares to finish his walk around the world that took 27 years [2].
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New from Jack Lawson (one of our advertisers): How to Build a Low-Cost Faraday Cage to Protect Electronics [3].
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Reader C.B. wrote:
“There is an excellent series of videos that detail numerous particulars about customizing/modifying [CONEX shipping] containers: The Container Guy – YouTube [4]
He is located in Canada, so it may be too expensive to order modified containers directly. But I understand that he has some agreements with US suppliers to handle orders here.”
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Fox Business: Homeowners insurance costs could spike over next 2 years [5].
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Mrs. Alaska wrote:
“Thanks for your useful article about home-based businesses (and scams) last week. I would like to stress the importance of exploring the strength, cost, and reliability of telephony and internet in a reader’s target location. Anyone who has driven through rural areas knows how hit and miss reception can be. The expense is much higher and the quality is often much lower than in cities. This is because the infrastructure is expensive to build and maintain, and the rural populations are slow to support the cost of upgrades and expansion.
In our case, up in Alaska, we were told that we would never get phone service at our remote property. But my husband had installed communications infrastructure all over Latin America. Here, he built a 120 foot tower, attached a directional antenna, and pointed it at a cell tower 40 miles away. So in your target location, you may have to build your own, too. We also have backups: we can use Starlink (which has “freeze gaps” every few minutes up here due to the low number of satellites that pass overhead); we use our cell phones as “hot spots” for Internet service; and we have a second satellite Internet provider. When one is down, another is likely to work.
We know one friend who moved to a narrow valley in the NC mountains. He could not get cell phone service at the house he bought too hastily. He had to climb a hill to make business calls. That did not last long. He moved.
In a post-SHTF world, ham radio would be more important, so I encourage readers to take the free, online study guides, the $15 one-hour test, and get registered to practice with local and regional groups.”
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Fury as new ‘upkeep’ law will fine homeowners $200 for common yard maintenance practice [7].
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Building Community Emergency Response Networks in Rural Areas [8].
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Reader Brad S. wrote to ask about the price and availability of the next SurvivalBlog archive USB stick. I replied:
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AI Wave, Economy Fuel Major Tech Layoffs Worldwide in 2025 [9].
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I missed seeing this news, back in March: Is Starlink’s new affordable broadband plan a gamechanger [10]?
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Also reported in March: Young Adults Are Reviving Small Towns—and They’re Moving at the Highest Rate in a Decade [11].
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How Tariffs Are Affecting Prices in 2025 [12].
Please Send Us Your Snippets!
Please send your snippet items for potential posting to JWR [13]. or AVL [13]. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact [14] form.