Why We Prep

 THIS is why:

With looming ballot harvesting & potential election fraud, violence is brewing.  How much ammo do you need?  One box of 50 will last less than 1 hour if you are shooting 1 round per minute to deter violent aggressors.  Ammo price have doubled, if you can even find any, and most guns are sold out.  So it's basically too late. 

How do you prepare for rioting & looting?

How do you protect your home and your neighborhood?  

What are the basic things I need to start with?

 Click the links above, and the Table of Contents link below for more information. 

For more information visit our related links below: 

Blog Table of Contents
Best Prepper Websites (vote for this one)
Complete Sustainable Living Plan

5 TIPS TO STAY SAFE DURING CIVIL UNREST

Germany is encouraging her citizens to get their emergency prep together, just in case of more civil unrest and other catastrophes. Venezuela is running out of food, and residents are taking to the streets.  We’ve even seen riots in our own streets here in the United States. Political demonstrations have a more threatening feeling than they have in the past. These are just a few examples of the unrest happening throughout the world, and if things continue how they’ve been going, things might get even worse.

When your streets turn ugly, there are certain steps to take that can help you stay safe. Hopefully you will never be in such a dangerous situation, but since things like demonstrations, riots, and civil unrest can happen abruptly, knowing what to do before it happens is crucial. These 5 steps can help you stay safe during civil unrest.

1. Stay Tuned

Literally. Information will be your best friend before and during a crisis situation such as civil unrest. Stay aware of any local situations that could escalate into riots. Know where the danger zones are and steer clear of them before unrest even hits its peak. The Survival Mom even suggests following rabble-rousers on Facebook or Twitter so when they publicize their events, you’ll know exactly where not to go. While a crisis is ongoing, keep your television and/or radio tuned to your local news station. Should the power be out, make sure you have an emergency radio (battery operated of hand-crank) so you will still have a way of gathering information.

2. Collect Resources

Just like any natural disaster or emergency, having the resources already on hand will be a tremendous help during times of civil unrest. Since there’s a good chance you will be confined to your home during these times, you will want to make sure you have enough food to get you through.

Civil unrest is often associated with looting and riots. As such, grocery stores may be emptied or, if they’re not, they may be difficult to get to due to blocked streets and dangerous situations. Having an emergency food storage will allow you to stay inside until things blow over.

Aside from food, collect alternate power and light sources, along with things to keep you warm, including sleeping bags and portable heaters. Power might get shut off due to demonstrations or riots, leaving you in the dark. Depending on the time of year, things could get uncomfortably cold. If you own a firearm, having sufficient ammunition to defend your home might also be in order. Be prepared for any situation.

3. Stay Home

One of the most important strategies in staying safe during civil unrest is to stay home. Home is generally the safest place to be during civil unrest. If you’re inside when riots or other unrest begins, don’t go out to get a better look. The last thing you want is to be involved in the chaos. However, should you find yourself outside of your house when unrest breaks out, stay away from the active areas and make your way back home as quickly as possible.

4. Have a Safe Room

Safe rooms are an important thing to have in your home, especially if you live in a high tornado or hurricane area. These disaster specific safe rooms can also be used to help protect you from not just natural disasters, but fire and looters as well. FEMA’s guidelines for safe rooms are mainly for natural disasters, but they can easily be upgraded for fireproofing and bulletproofing.

5. Situational Awareness

Being aware of your surroundings is important on a day to day level, but crucial during times of unrest. Keep your wits about you and your eyes and ears open. This means stay focused on getting out of a potentially bad situation. Keep your phone in your pocket (unless absolutely necessary), as focusing on a text or call can distract you from what’s really going on. Keep your focus on the present, at what is happening around you. This way, you can spot trouble before it escalates to an obvious level.

This entry was posted on September 14, 2016 by Emergency Essentials.

For additional information see the following links:  
Blog Table of Contents 
 

The SHTF Day One

THE BIG EVENT HAS HIT, things are in TOTAL CHAOS. Thanks to the Red Flag Warnings, we are safe at our Retreat.

What now?

What do we do first?

1. Set up 24-7 Security with Night Vision and Communications.  Our post on Country Security can help.  If you are stuck in the city, put together a neighborhood security watch.  See Urban Security Plan. and the Security Patrol Pack post.  City dwellers should be prepared for Rioting and Looting.  The Prepper Handbook, available for $4.99 on Amazon, outlines a detailed home security plan.
2. Set up your Intruder Alarm systems and trip wires so you can detect unwanted visitors. Expect a Power Outage soon, if it has not already occurred. If you do have power, black it out at night, so you do not attract people to your home during the most difficult time to defend it.
3. Move your cars to set up a protective cover around your house to better secure the area. Block the road/drive to restrict access to unwanted guests.
4. Distribute Ammo at strategic lookout points and cache some off site for future needs (should already be done).  Hopefully you have enough Ammo.
5. If conditions permit, make one last trip out (armed) to stock up on any last minute supplies as in the future, Salvaging may be the only way left. Use credit cards as long as they are accepted. Then you should have enough cash to cover inflated prices while "Only Cash" is being accepted.  Then have enough Silver and goods for Barter after paper money becomes worthless. First Aid supplies will become important soon.
6. Store all the Water you can.  Fill tubs, pots, bottles, etc.
7. Reach out to your neighbors.  Set up Communications and begin to develop Actionable Intelligence.
8. Initiate Pandemic precautions if necessary. 
9. Rehearse your Group Security Drills (should already be done).
10. Along the road, or near the church, plant some Turnip seeds for the masses, perhaps some other Seeds for Survival. Turnips are cheap, grow well and are ready to eat in 20 days. This is for your defense because if people are starving, they will be willing to kill to feed their children. 
11. Hunker down, stay hidden and quite.  Do not draw attention to yourself.  Communicate only with trusted neighbors.  Try to survive the next few days without any casualties. Then start trying to organize your neighborhood. The Prepper Handbook, available for $4.99 on Amazon, outlines a detailed neighborhood organization plan. 

Later, plant any crops you can for this time of the year. See our post on Vegetable Planting Dates. Start as soon as you safely can because the Vegetable Days to Harvest is 20 to 120 days IF it is the right season.  You must have enough food stored to carry you through to the spring when planting normally occurs for most vegetables.

Do NOT expect to live on Wilderness Survival alone.

IF  you are NOT ready, see our Step by Step Prepper Plan to help get you there.

Print this out, along with other key information and save it in a file or note book.
Good Luck!

For more information:
Blog Table of Contents
Power Outage Preps
Power Outage Heater
DIY Solar System 
The SHTF Day One
Survive a 2 week Power Outage

Alone Survival Show Pack Contents

Civil War

Nothing symbolizes the tragic American Civil War better than the fallen Confederate Flag.  This war cost the lives of about 750,000 Americans or 2.39% of our entire population over 4 years.  This is the highest in history on a per capita basis by far and should serve as a lesson to those of us today.

With the diverse difference of opinions between the few highly populated states and the others, Secession from the Union is a far better alternative to a Civil War. The obvious alternative to either is to get along and respect the rights of others, and if the Federal Government was not so strong and domineering, this might work if the original intent of the US Constitution was respected. Each state could determine their own beliefs and laws. But this is unlikely to work when citizens in one state want to force their beliefs on another state, or even on an individual. Lets look at some divisive issues.

1. Should a person be forced to bake a cake for a Gay couple? Should a Gay couple have to go else where to get a cake baked?  Does the US Constitution say ..Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...?  Does the Gay couple have the right to force someone else to bake them a cake? 
2. If I don't like guns or small worthless yappy dogs or big dangerous dogs, should the government regulate or ban them for everyone?  Does the US Constitution say ..the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed?  Does it say we have the right to keep a dog?  Oh, but guns kill people .... right but Abortion doctors kill over 20 times more than guns and all of them are defenseless babies, not criminals shooting each other like most homicides are.
3. Does a woman have the right to abort/kill her baby?  Is it not her body and her choice?  Clearly she has the right to use birth control. What about the rights of the baby, who cannot fight for their rights? Why can't we exercise that choice up until the child is 18 years old, when they reach legal adulthood?  What is the difference in killing them a little before being born or after being born.  More babies are aborted each year than soldiers died in the Civil War, a war fought to protect the rights of those who could not fight for themselves, much like unborn babies.

Already some have quit reading this, or are stewing about the issues above. The point is that our opinions on right and wrong may be too diverse to remain as one country, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.  

Permitting some of these states with strong beliefs that differ from the majority of the states should be permitted to leave the Union. This is a far better alternative to a Civil War. IF Texas were to leave the US, they would be the sixth largest oil exporter and would not require an income tax and still have a balanced budget. In addition we could better control our future with out being ran over by another liberal, tax and over spend, big government (Washington DC) in the future.

Unfortunately, our Federal Government would not want to give up the power and control over any states and many people within them would agree it is better to stay a part of the US.  For those that receive more federal benefits than they pay in, it clearly is.  So we are stuck with a few highly infested states and cities with radically different beliefs from the rest of the country.

So what happens when people with radically different beliefs take to the streets to first protest which turns in to Rioting & Looting.What is next if this grows and gets out of control, going after those who voted for the opposing candidate, or politicians who support differing opinions?

At this point, we are on the edge of a major civil unrest, possibly a civil war. Republicans in California or possibly even Democrats in Texas may be in danger (although Republicans and Texans are far less prone to violent protests).  Muslims, Immigrants, Gays, NRA members,  may be persecuted. While the NRA members will be the ones best positioned to protect themselves, the others could be in serious jeopardy.

At this point, there is safety in numbers, so having a Neighborhood Security Plan might be a good idea.  Having made a few preparations against Terrorism could save your life.  A Home Invasion Plan is a good idea along with a number of strategically located guns and fire extinguishers. While violent protests are much less likely in the country, having a Country Home Security Plan could still be a good idea.

But matters could get far worse than just rioting and looting when Liberals and Conservatives start firing on each other, and even worse when the US Military starts firing on US Citizens.There is a group of Law Enforcement Officers and Military Personnel who take their Oath to Support the US Constitution seriously, and refuse to obey certain illegal orders; these heroic people are called Oath Keepers.  We can only hope that our Government will let States like California and Texas exit the Union before it comes to a civil war. After all, if they joined freely, they should be able to exit freely. 

For additional information see the following links: 
Blog Table of Contents;
Urban Survival Plan
Country Home Security Plan

Advanced Prepper Resource

Group Security Drills
Urban Survival Perspective

Passive Layered Security

Or click on a label below for similar topics.

Riot & Looting Preparations

What are some preparations you can have in case of Rioting and Looting?

Lets look at a list:

1. A seven (7) day supply of Food and Water so you don't have to leave home. More is better, but if you are a Beginner, this will cover most riots and give the national guard time to get things under control.
2. Smoke alarms, Fire Extinguishers and an emergency evacuation plan.
3. Intruder Detection - Window, Door Alarms, Motion detecting Security Alarms & Cameras to alert you night or day if some one is approaching your house. 
4. A Thermal Vision scope to see at night (under $600) or lower cost Night Vision.
5. AMMO - Non-Lethal rubber shot gun bullets might be your first round of defense.  If this doesn't stop them, then the next round might be bird shot, followed by buck shot.  Here is a link to determine how much AMMO you need.
6. A good Home Security Plan and Neighbor Hood Plan is even better.

For additional information see the following links:
Blog Table of Contents
Terrorist Attack - Best Preparations



Additional reading:
What Do You Do If There is a Mass Riot??
7 Must Have Tools and Gadgets To Survive a Riot 

Why I avoid doing business in Gun Free Zones

1. Gun Free Zones are dangerous with 86% of the mass public shootings occurring in Gun Free Zones.  Some sources report this figure as 92%.  This means a mass shooting is more than 5 times more likely to occur in a Gun Free Zone.  Gun control proponents point out that many shootings occur in private homes so I must ask, do they want to ban guns in our homes too?  The real answer is yes.
2. The highest fatality shootings are in Gun Free Zones according to an FBI study of 160 shootings.  There are 7 times higher fatalities when it is necessary to wait for police arrive to stop an active shooter compared to an armed citizen being present and stopping the shooter. Combined, this means you are 35 times more likely to get shot in a Gun Free Zone than in public places that do not ban guns.
3. The highest casualty shootings in the FBI study of 160 shootings were all in Gun Free Zones.
4. Decision Makers who declare & enforce Gun Free Zones are usually negligent in their responsibility to provide adequate security when they disarm law abiding citizens, leading them to become victims.  Until there are more civil suits to hold decision makers responsible, this is likely to continue.  In some cases, business have installed metal detectors and implement searches to enforce their Gun Free Zones.  All this does is disarm law abiding citizens. 
5. The US is not the only country that has shootings. Many European countries have more and all of their shootings are in Gun Free Zones.  In fact France suffered more casualties (murders and injuries) from mass public shootings in 2015 than the US has suffered during Obama’s entire presidency (UPDATED 524 to 428) and their gun laws are far stricter than the US who has 4.9 times their population.  Further, in countries that ban guns, their total violent crime (not just shootings) goes up, not down.  Most of the big numbers of shootings that gun banners talk about are done by the police, or are suicides.
6. There are only two mass public shootings since at least 1950 that have not been part of some other crime where at least four people have been killed in an area where civilians are generally allowed to have guns.  These are the International House of Pancakes restaurant in Carson City, Nevada on September 6, 2011 and the Gabrielle Giffords shooting in Tucson, Arizona on January 8, 2011   This clearly shows that when someone decides to go out and randomly shoot people, they pick Gun Free Zones.
7. FBI data indicates that crime goes down as gun ownership goes up.  Just look at Chicago IL, where Obama was Senator.  They have some of the strictest gun laws and highest crime rates.

 It is important that we avoid Gun Free Zones and send the message that such a decision can cause businesses to lose customers.

Picture courtesy of: http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/study-92-of-mass-shootings-happen-in-gun-free-zones/

 For more information see these links:

1. http://prepperhandbook.blogspot.com/2015/11/gun-free-zone-facts.html
2. http://crimeresearch.org/2015/06/comparing-death-rates-from-mass-public-shootings-in-the-us-and-europe/
3. http://crimeresearch.org/tag/mass-public-shootings/
4. http://www.nationalreview.com/article/335739/facts-about-mass-shootings-john-fund
5. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/oct/7/ken-blackwell-ban-gun-free-zones/
6. https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/september/fbi-releases-study-on-active-shooter-incidents/pdfs/a-study-of-active-shooter-incidents-in-the-u.s.-between-2000-and-2013
7. http://crimeresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/CPRC-Mass-Shooting-Analysis-Bloomberg2.pdf
8. http://www.naturalnews.com/047378_murder_sprees_armed_citizens_FBI_report.html
9.  http://www.weeklystandard.com/is-it-true-armed-civilians-have-never-stopped-a-mass-shooting/article/690808
10.  

  This last one tells about some of the errors in the Gun Banner reports and how fact check organization said it was mostly false.

 For additional topics from the Prepper Handbook see: BLOG TABLE OF CONTENTS

at http://prepperhandbook.blogspot.com/2015/07/blog-table-of-contents.html 

Best Hand Gun Selection Criteria

The perfect handgun would be light, compact, fit your hand well, be very accurate, quite, hold lots of high powered rounds with a lot of knock down power, but not have much kick/recoil.  Unfortunately, there is no such thing as the perfect gun for all occasions.  However, it is possible to select an excellent gun for a given purpose. When selecting a personal handgun, here are some key things to consider. 
 

A. Intended use - this helps determine the size.

1. Personal concealed carry - in your pocket, in a purse or on your person.   This calls for a small, light-weight, thin gun with a smooth shape so it can be easily extracted.  Note small guns may not fit larger hands well and the short barrel makes more noise and is less accurate.
2. Open carry, home or car defense.  For this, you can select a larger weapon that fits your hand well, has more rounds and less recoil than a lighter weapon.  Large guns may not fit smaller hands well, but there are intermediate size guns that are a good compromise.  They are also heavier and a bit cumbersome to carry at times.  For a home protection gun, a safety might be an important consideration, especially if there are children in the home however law enforcement personnel often prefer not to have one as it can delay being able to use your weapon.
3. Professional Use - Law enforcement needs a Glock 22 or a Smith & Wesson M&P40 Pistol, both 40 caliber, with a small automatic as a backup concealed gun. The backup might be a Glock 27 or an S&W Shield, both of which use the same ammo.
4. Target practice and recreational shooting only.  For this, you need a 22 Long Rifle (LR) pistol which is the most common and lowest cost ammunition.  The stainless steel Ruger Mark III is a good choice for this. There are also some revolvers with interchangeable cylinders so you can shoot 22 LR and 22 Magnum; a good example is the Ruger Single Six #0626. This provides for a low cost 22 LR target pistol and a higher powered 22 Winchester Magnum pistol with some suitability for personal defense making it a dual purpose gun. It is also a lot of fun to shoot a gun like the ones that won the old west.

B. Frequency of use - This determines whether an Automatic or Revolver might be best.

1. Semi-frequent - If the gun will be shot, cleaned and oil several times per year, an Automatic is an excellent choice. It holds more rounds of ammo and is faster to reload.  Automatics are the top choice of law enforcement for their primary gun although some hot, humid, tropical countries still carry stainless steel Revolvers.
2. In-frequent -  The gun is likely to be initially shot a few times, but then probably put away and not shot, cleaned nor oiled for years.  A stainless steel Revolver can be stuffed in a purse, sock drawer or car glove compartment and left for years and it will not rust or jam up and will still shoot reliably. In this case, the ammo is more likely to fail unless you have chrome or nickle plated bullets like the Hornady Critical Defense and Critical Duty or Winchester Silver Tips.  Brass and steel casings will oxidize and are a little more likely to cause a problem in Automatics than Revolvers.

A revolver can shoot the first load of ammo faster than an Automatic in skilled hands, but the Automatic is faster for the average shooter.  The Revolver is slightly slower to reload, even with speed loaders but is slightly more reliable although many would disagree.  

C. Size and strength of shooter - This helps determine the caliber.

1. Small build & hands, weak arms suggests a 22 Magnum, 25 caliber, 32 caliber or 380 pistol.  The 380 is popular for women shooters. These sizes do not kick much but also do not have much knock-down power, so it is likely to require several shots to stop an attacker. There are some revolvers with interchangeable cylinders so you can shoot 22 LR and 22 Magnum; a good example is the Ruger Single Six #0626.
2. Medium build & hands, average arm strength, allows the shooter to carry a more powerful gun.  Consider a 38 special, 380 or 9mm, which is the most common caliber globally. These have about a 60% probability of a one shot stop, so two shots per attacker should be planned.
3. Large hands, strong arms.  The largest and most powerful calibers become an option here.  Consider a 357 Magnum, 40 caliber, which is the most common police caliber in the US, or the 45 caliber that was the most popular for many years and is still common.  These three have a 70% to 90% probability of a one-shot stop.  Note that a 357 Magnum will also shoot 38 special ammo for lower cost target practice. You might consider larger calibers if you select the larger, heavier gun, or consider a smaller caliber if you are selecting a smaller gun and don't like a gun that kicks.

The most common handguns used by law enforcement where the agency buys the gun is the Smith & Wesson 40 cal M&P and where the officer buys the gun, the most popular choice is a Glock, often a Glock 17 (9 mm) or a Glock 22 (40 cal). These two brands probably represent about 80% of the law enforcement weapons. These would be my first choices for an open carry, home or car defense gun, providing it will be shot, cleaned and oil several times per year.  If it is likely to be locked in my car glove compartment for years, I would select the S&W 686+ stainless steel Revolver. 

Let's look at a good choice for a concealed carry gun for a person who is not a regular shooter.  Below is a stainless steel Smith & Wesson 38 special Revolver, also known as a snub nose Revolver.  Many police officers carry this as a hidden backup gun. A Smith & Wesson Shield would be a good Automatic choice. A small gun is better than no gun at all and a gun that is too big to carry comfortably is likely to be left at home and worthless.  So it is better to err on the small comfortable side.

Cheaper than Dirt, a good source for ammo, guns and supplies, published a list of popular concealed Automatic weapons that can be found at: The 12 Best Concealed Carry Guns. These guns range from $230 to $994 with several in the lower price range.  There is also a list of runner up guns that are good candidates including Kahr Arms which I respect.  One concern I have with this list is that it contains a few gun brands that I've had problems with; problems like frequent feed jams (Automatics) and cracked frames.  I'm a big fan of stainless steel guns so they don't rust up when stored for years without being cleaned and oiled.  I also highly recommend that you go to the shooting range to rent and shoot the gun of choice to be sure you like it, BEFORE buying it. This will help avoid buyer regret later on. 

If you get an Automatic handgun, I recommend having at least 4 magazines; two that are kept loaded and two spares that are "resting" the magazine spring.  Then each time you go shooting, rotate your active magazines with your spares so the springs do not get worn out. If you choose a Revolver, I suggest four speed loaders but you can keep them all fully loaded at all times since there is no spring to wear out.

In summary, the selection of a personal carry handgun should consider a range of properties and select the best combination for you.  The graphic below explains the relationship fairly well.

I would be anxious to hear any suggestions or considerations that have been missed, so please post any comments or questions you may have.

For more information see:
BLOG TABLE OF CONTENTS
The right amount of Ammo 
Terrorist Attack - Best Preparations 
Gun Free Zone Facts