Fear & Loading: RFID Approach To EMP Prep?

by
posted on September 29, 2017
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
fl_blackhawk.jpg

Some estimate that millions of Americans would die if the nation’s power grid was targeted by an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) of sufficient size. The figure is shocking, because the majority of casualties would not be the direct result of the H bomb’s detonation at an altitude of somewhere around 250 miles.

Most of us don’t have the resources to fully “prepare” for an EMP attack, which will literally fry every circuit within range, so panic’s not going to help. However, if hurricane season wasn’t enough to get you to double check and refresh your emergency supplies, maybe the thought of your vehicle not starting, dead cell phone, no water supply and just about everything else you rely on being DOA is.

North Korea threatened the United States with an EMP attack a few weeks back, and while the possibility of it following through successfully seems remote, it’s another reminder that we should be prepared. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 left me without water for a few days, and I’m glad I listened to a legitimate former member of Delta who once told me if the unthinkable happens, people will die over it first. My supply of 50 potable gallons came in handy.

The EMP threat is scarier than a localized disaster. Anything that runs on an integrated circuit (that’s nearly everything these days, even those simple solar lights in your landscaping) in the “blast” zone will die, unless it’s in a Faraday cage.

Your microwave oven is a Faraday cage, built to contain all that quick-cooking energy. Of course, with the door closed, it also keeps electromagnetic radiation from leaking in. Cell phones inside can’t receive or send signals, including GPS.

It also turns out the products/fabrics designed to protect RFID information on credit cards or laptops also act as a Faraday cage. If the power’s gone for weeks or months, I’m not sure how much use that iPad will be, but a pair of my emergency two-way radios went into my BlackHawk Under the Radar Laptop Pouch after I uncovered the fact.

You can also make Faraday cages. And think twice before you toss those weather-beaten and homely metal ammo cans. Yup, full-metal enclosures usually make the best Faraday cages.

The threats may be all new and technologically advanced, but sometimes the best counter-measures are old school.

Latest

Gotw Influencer X Web
Gotw Influencer X Web

Gun Of The Week: EAA Corp. Girsan Influencer X

We're on the range with an M1911 that is one of the smoothest-shooting versions we’ve shot in recent memory. And best of all? It’s incredibly affordable, to boot. This is the EAA Girsan Influencer X.

The Armed Citizen® Aug. 8, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Hopkins & Allen: The Armsmaking Giant That Didn't Survive

Founded in 1868 in the northeast U.S., Hopkins & Allen grew from a friendly business venture into a prolific maker of affordable guns for brand names such as Merwin & Hulbert and Forehand & Wadsworth.

Burris Optics Celebrates 50 Years Of Fullfield Riflescopes

Firearms and ammunition ballistics have changed greatly over the last half-century, but one of the biggest leaps in performance hit the scene five decades ago, when Burris Optics introduced its Fullfield line of riflesopes.

I Have This Old Gun: Heckler & Koch P7

In the mid-1970s, the German federal police sought a replacement for its existing World War II-era sidearms and put out stringent guidelines for what it wanted in a handgun. The result was the Heckler & Koch P7.

New For 2025: Smith & Wesson Shield X

Smith & Wesson's new Shield X micro-compact handgun combines elements from the company's M&P Shield Plus with some cues from its smaller Bodyguard 2.0 design.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.