With the trials and tribulations of COVID-19 and the recent social unrest that has gripped the country over the last few months, is there any way that business as usual can once again return?

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Coins from around the world and throughout the ages are not only valuable, but each one carries along its own narrative from a part of history. 

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If you had to own just ONE firearm, what would it be? Many people who know their firearms would likely say that it should be a shotgun. A shotgun is a firearm typically designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug. Shotguns come in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from a .22 inch bore up to a 2.0 inch bore, also identified by “gauge”, such as 20 gauge, 12 gauge, 10 gauge and so forth. Shotguns utilize a range of firearm operating mechanisms, including breech loading, single or double-barreled, pump-action, bolt, lever-action, semi-automatic, and even fully automatic variants. Shot of various sizes is usually fired from a smoothbore barrel, and another configuration is the rifled slug barrel, which fires the more accurate, solid projectiles. Shotguns can also be accessorized to suit your particular needs, including mounting systems for optics, custom stocks and grips, lights, slings and various magazine options, to name a few…

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In May of this year, firearm sales surged nationwide, with an estimated 1.7 million guns sold in just one month, an increase of 80% as compared to May of last year! And being only a week into June, gun sales continue to increase with even greater velocity.

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Uncertainty has truly become the new normal. When the COVID crisis took hold in the US, the first order of business was to stop the spread. Various mitigation efforts ensued, and terms such as ‘social distancing’ became household words. The shutdown of non-essential businesses and public venues followed, and altered policies for those that remained running in some capacity were implemented.

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The COVID crisis we are experiencing is unprecedented in modern times. Aside from the human toll in fatalities, it has affected nearly every aspect of life as we know it. From government mandated lock-downs to economic disruption on a global scale, it has exposed the true frailty of the engines that power our world. The prosperity of a functioning society is not simply defined by a monetary equation. Fluctuations and elasticity are an inherent part of such a system and typically weathered in stride. But when the life fabric of life is stretched beyond the breaking point, it’s wise to prepare for a potentially unfavorable outcome.

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Hoarding is a concept that ordinarily draws little attention outside of some reality show on TV, but during uncertain times such as those we find ourselves in now, it has become a widespread issue of some concern. It all began with the disappearance of toilet paper and various household cleaning products from store shelves. Entire aisles were devoid of certain commodities. Panic buying suddenly threw the normal supply and demand models to the wind, as retailers and customers found themselves struggling at both ends of the equation.

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Prepping is a concept that has grown popular in recent years, even making it to mainstream television with shows like “Doomsday Preppers”, “Survivorman” and others. These illustrate the various preparations people undertake for a myriad of potentially cataclysmic scenarios, ranging from economic collapse to natural disasters to pandemics or terrorist events. While some of these narratives might seem unduly apocalyptic, such as alien invasions or asteroid impacts, recent world events have placed a far more sobering light on such endeavors.

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Everyone owns and uses tools of some type at some point. It may just be the basic screwdriver and pliers in the kitchen drawer, or highly specialized tool sets of a professional in their given trade. The cost of such tools can range from fairly inexpensive to many hundreds of dollars. Some may be readily available while other unique tools may be more difficult to find.

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Thursday, March 19th marks the official start of spring in 2020. Typically this correlates with the vernal equinox, which is the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator. While this may be what meteorologists and calendars tell you, whether or not it will actually feel like spring in Minnesota on this date is yet to be seen. But one thing is certain – winter is on its way out.

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