The stories told to CNN and Shephard at Fox news were later determined to be mostly fabrications and rumors. However, the heavy-handed (and illegal, watch the lawsuits roll!) confiscation of all firearms was a sad, knee-jerk reaction to a perceived, but rather exaggerated threat.

OP really hit home for me. I was not able to make it back home one night after work d/t a pup trailer full of propane exploding. They evacuated over 1000 homeowners. Our home escaped evacuation but I did not escape the perimeter. That is when the importance of having a 72 hour car kit hit me. I mentally went over everything I had. Money was actually the most important after comms. It felt good to know that a forced night away from home would be, at worst, an inconvenience.

Looking back, though, penetrating the perimeter would have been pretty easy. Just park about 1/4 mile from the perimeter and walk through. They just don't have the manpower to stop foot-traffic through the non-road areas...as long as it's night.

But I let discretion be the better part of valor.