In response to the above concern, you can find the contextual definition of “survivalist” at http://www.equipped.org/pop_up_survivalist_def.htm. If you need to find this link in the future, it is located at the top of the Equipped to Survive home page, in the first paragraph, labeled, “Please note that this is not a ‘survivalist’ site.”

In response to the general thread topic, I think you need to be more specific. In general, I am of the opinion that many laws do not apply when one is in a true survival situation and it was reasonable to act outside the law at the time. For example, I am of the opinion that no one is going to pinch you for snaring a squirrel when you are stuck out in the woods with no food and have no other reliable food gathering option. What laws you break while in a survival situation will be yours to decide, and you will have to weigh the reasoning yourself, i.e., “Would following the letter of the law be detrimental to my own survival right now?”

Your specific mention of the Wisconsin firearms carry law is a complex case to consider. I do not know the Wisconsin laws on this, so I cannot make specific recommendations, but in general, I cannot think of a reasonable situation where you could choose to violate that law due to a survival situation and not have already broken the law by carrying your firearm to the survival situation’s location.

Your mention of the Swiss Army Knife/robbery case is also complex. I don’t see robbery having anything to do with survival in that case and I honestly don’t think it applies to the general topic you are asking. Was 10 years too much? Are regulations on Swiss Army Knives stupid? That will depend on who you ask, and expecting a consensus on a public forum is futile.

I have already mentioned my opinion on where snaring and trapping would be overlooked. I believe that the question-to-ask-yourself that I posted above, “Would following the letter of the law be detrimental to my own survival right now,” pretty much can apply to any survival situation and your decision to act outside the law in a particular case. However, each person has to weigh the “being a criminal versus being dead” possibilities themselves, and everyone will come to different conclusions.

Myself, would I set snares if it were one of only a few ways of gathering food and I was hungry? You bet I would… even if fishing is a secondary possibility. There is no way to be 100% sure I would catch any fish, just like there is no way to be 100% sure I would catch any game in the snares. Would I take the snares down in such a case that I caught an amount of fish that would tide me over for a good while? I very well might, depending on the specific situation.

I also have a gill net in my kit, even though I believe their use is illegal. I have it vacuum packed just in case a law enforcement officer finds it and questions it, thinking that hopefully the vacuum pack will prove to him that I have not actively used it and that it being with the rest of my emergency kit equipment will show that it is for emergency use only. I have considered the risks of carrying the gill net versus the risks of not carrying it and made my decision based on that consideration. I also accept whatever consequences come of that decision… hoping they won’t be 10 years.