Curious about your family rally point. Are we talking something like a vacation cabin or ???

RPs
 

mugwump,

I know for us, we use the mail box at our House. Until now. I have never thought about vactions?? That is a really good point. We are taking one next month, its a house so I will be planning the mail box too. KISS, easier for the kids, wife and I. Outside of a house I don't have anything, we camp a lot. With mountians and the beach, etc. Planning for a RP is defiantly needed to be plan for vacations.

It's a home in a semi-rural area with good interstate access. We've agreed to meet there and not wander all over tarnation looking for each other. (My family is scattered across three states.)

My personal bug-out spots are areas of national or state forest that I know well and that get little traffic. I've decided on three in advance so that I have options depending on weather and other factors. All three are places I could go for a long, long time without needing to make contact with anyone else.

Service Check
 

OK Guys;

It's that time. PMCS time. The equipment will do no good if it fails to start/work when you need it.

This weekend will be a good time to drag the generator out and check it over. Put a dab of gas in it and crank it up. While it's heating up check your primary power cables making sure you have enough to lead to the windows outside the equipment you want to run. The smaller extension cords? Know where they are stashed. Total up the watts on the equipment you want to run.

Me, I like to shut the gas feed line and run the generator out of gas and then suck the remaining gas out of the tank. Then check the oil level. Remember to open the fuel feed line next time or you will wear your arm out pulling the cord.

While the generator is cooling check all gas containers for servicability. Go over all gas lanterns and stoves. Check and lube all leather/rubber/plastic seals on the pump. Are they multi-fuelers or white gas only? Crank them up similar to the generator.

All equiment running on gas/oil mixes, like chain saws. Do you use the fuel every week, like in your weed wacker, or has it been sitting since last year. In the saw? Bad news, better try and crank that puppy. A tree down and blocking your truck in is not the time to find your chain saw has old gas and will not crank.

When all that is done go over your food/water supply. If you have a large pantry and rotate your supply - good. If you keep an emergency stash check the experation dates. For those of us who have to squint, write the exp. date on top with a black marker in a date you can understand.

Last - battery check. Types needed, amount, on hand and then rotate.

I did this last weekend in prep for the Hurricane season. Are you ready?


Pete

Thanks for this Pete.

Now see if your wife/son/daughter can start it and hook it up if you're not around. That's what I'm working on now, and not just the generator. I've given up on the spousal unit but the son and daughter are trainable.

PMCS? :confused:

Some generators can be upgraded to electric start by adding a ring gear and starter motor with the pull rope being backup. Handy for someone like my 80 year old grandmother who doesnt need to be yanking on a pull rope.

Well
 

I like to run the gas out of the system for long term storage. I don't like to be draining gas while it's running and a bit lazy about restarting it after I shut if off. The way I do it has about a teaspoon of gas left over from the tank to the shutoff valve.

No mechanic here, but I've been told that stuff with carburetors stores better with no gas in them. The gas evaporates and deposits a type of varnish. Also old gas makes stuff very hard to start. My weed wackers wack me more than the grass when I try and start them - my weak spot.

Clean equipment and new gas makes stuff easy to start.

When I was by myself, all I needed was a multi-tool and a fire starter and I could hike to the lake after moving away from there. Over the years my dad and I have been coming up with useful tid-bits of primative skills to one-up each other. Right now I have two kits for my family, we still use the diaper bag for my girl for "accidents" and one for me and my wife. Here we can and have gotten everthing from massive tornadoes :eek:, large scale fires, to terrorist attacks in central Oklahoma. There is even a fualtline ruuning through the state. One thing have not noticed is the psycological effects of children. May be that's another thread it is a concern of mine.

What about using that additive you put in gas for when you're storing your equipment. One of the names it goes by is "Stable". I've used that in my gas storage container and I haven't had any problems with my mower yet.

Sta-Bil is good stuff for engines, and stored fuel, but even it has an expiration date.

Untreated gas has a shelf stability under normal conditions of about three months before breakdown begins occurring. Storage in hot climates accelerates the process.

Sta-Bil treated gas will last up to a year or so, though I would not use it then in an expensive or high compression engine. Carbureted, inexpensive, or low compression devices like mowers or weedeaters would be the best use for it.

Lower distillates like diesel tend to last longer than gas before breaking down.

Theoretically, 100% ethanol sealed tightly should last almost indefinitely.

The closest thing to a stable long-term internal combustion fuel source would be a liquified gas like LP or natural gas. Two 1000 gallon tanks buried in the ground should last small users a long time.

HTH.

TR

I know there are lotsa people that beleive, when and if a nuclear exchange happens that its game over. And perhaps thats true for those of you in large urban areas. But most of the country is not a large urban area.

TR touched on Potassium Iodide earlier, many of you know why its important to ingest this. But perhaps others don't. The sites I am about to link are selling stuff, but primarily they offer volumes of information for your immediate study. This link is to an online pamphlet titled: "You will survive doomsday" : http://www.radmeters4u.com/survival/...sday/index.htm


In my opinion this is a good source of quite a bit of free info:
http://www.ki4u.com/guide.pdf

I am not pushing their products, its just that they have more information than they do products.

Lastly: http://www.webpal.org/webpal/d_resources/list.htm and http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/other/nbc.htm

Good info NG_M4_Shooter. I tend to think a nuke attack as a pretty low probability right now, but the severity of the consequences are enormous.

We seem to have drifted quite a bit from survival med gear, but I am satisfied that it at least made people think and perhaps evaluate their personal preparedness for a medical emergency. In summary, IMHO, med knowledge and training is a better asset than med gear without the knowleedge or training.

On to defense planning, which should evoke a spirited discussion from this crowd.

Some members of this board have more firearms than fingers. Others have a few, some may have none.

The intent here is to discuss firearms for personal/home defense in a lawless situation, and possibly how to make your home more defensable.

For a person who has no firearms, and possibly little training, what would be a good first purchase, particularly with an eye toward keeping the budget low and defensive capability high?

We can expand from the first firearm through those who will want to amass a battery.

Recommendations?

TR

My guess is a twelve gauge shotgun? Pump action, short (not illegal) barrel. The types of ammunition are numerous and available, difficult to miss at short range. Doubles as a good pugil stick. Looks like a 'hunting' weapon. Like a tight shot group from a submachine gun.

Buying guns was always a fight with the missus, until I figured out how to make it a tax write off, "Hunny I either spend that $2K or pay it to uncle sam." TR, glad you approved of the info I posted earlier.

I like a 12 gauge pump too. Put number 4 shot in one and you've got a heck of a good home defense gun if you are taking on a few people or less like in a home break-in type situation.

If you have chaos and riotting going on, I'll go with my M-4 (semi-auto) as my primary and my .40 cal pistol as my secondary weapon.

Let it rip potato chip.

LMAO!

How about fingers and toes TR? After all, this is a SF Board. :D

You know it's bad when I had to stop myself today from going down and getting yet another gun. LOL :eek:

HOUSEHOLD6 said I looked depressed after not going. :(

Good thread TR.

I hear you, Doc.

I recently got a couple more, but the collection makes it harder to justify each new purchase.

I hear that some people outgrow their gun safes, and have to get additional ones to hold the family heirlooms, or overflow guns.:D

The shotgun is a good choice, due to its intimidating appearance, severe damage, and slightly lesser aiming problems due to shot spread. Shorter versions are better for home, boat, or car use, and are more secure from being taken away. Pellets penetrate less than bullets, an important consideration if you have neighbors nearby or other occupants in your house. Damage from a shotgun blast, especially with buckshot, is as noted, akin to an SMG burst. It also looks better in court after a shooting, than a tricked out M-4. I know that were I to approach a home and hear the slide racking, unless I had serious business there, I would be moving out smartly.

Downside is recoil, heavy ammo, and slow reloading.

Pump design is among the fastest, provides for quick follow-up shots, and is relatively economical. There are people who can empty a pump gun accurately before the first hull hits the ground. A Remington 870 Express, with the short 18" or 20" barrel, can be had from the local gun store or Wally-Mart for well less than $300. Used 870s can frequently be found at local gun stores as police trade-ins for similar prices. Add a mag extension and you up the ante from five rounds to seven to ten (depending on barrel length).

The 12 gauge is good for us, but I believe that those who are smaller or recoil sensitive might be better off with a 20 gauge. We can also, as you noted, use lighter loads to minimize recoil. I would not go below 20 gauge as the loads are too light. A .410 is nearly useless for home defense, a pistol would probably be more effective.

Hard to beat 00 Buckshot or slugs, if you want to take the target down hard and do it out beyond 10 yards. Lesser pellets may have a fuller pattern, but bleed off velocity rapidly and may not have the penetration to reach vitals beyond a few yards. At indoor household ranges, all 12 gauge rounds would be lethal with a solid hit.

Good choice. Anyone else have an opinion for an initial purpose?

TR

For a Pure survival Handgun I would Vote 4''in to 5''in dbl action Wheel gun in .357 mag

pro's: can use .357 or .38 ammo
simple to use even under stress even for untrained people.
powerful enuff to be used as a secondary hunting gun on animals
up to deer size.
wont break or jam. and you cant lose the magazine for it.
accurate you can mount scopes on wheel guns.


con's slow to reload unless you practice alot.
large muzzle blast
higher muzzle rise unless ported but if ported you get more muzzle
blast.
heavy and bulky not great for concealment but if its survival
who cares about it being hidden.



rifles: I would go with the M1A1 with 18'inch barrel


shotgun would be sawed off and inside my trasportation as a last ditch gun.

If i can only have 1 it would be the rifle.


another thing i would have in my kit i havent seen posted yet is fishing line and hooks
it would piss me off without end if i was hungry and can see fish swimming around in the lake or river and dident have a line and hook to put a worm on.
making a net out of 550 cord aint my idea of a good fishing practice.

Lawless situation is broad Sir. Its difficult for me to consider the capabilities or likely courses of action of an undetermined threat. The likelyhood of a large lawless situation in my town is very small. But home invasion has increased by 200% within our community in the past year though. I have to consider what the lawless mind would want to enter my house for.

My house is within 1 mile of an interstate, on a large road, there are several houses nearby. Three entrance points. Single story wood frame, lath and plaster home, with aluminum siding, an open floor plan, with one main choke point. A significant amount of high end home electronics, and furnishings. A very stout front door and frame, good exterior lighting (landscape lighting and motion lights), good locks.

My wife is no joke, while I was in Iraq she once upon a time had her purse snatched, she promptly ran the f*****r down and kicked his ass, at the time she was pregnant with our first child. I have superior children due to her genetics. She has an option of pepper spray, 9mm or .45, or 12 ga. I think she'd probably grab a flashlight, if she heard an obvious strange noise. I suppose we could write and conduct a 'battle drill' for home invasion, sort of like a fire drill.

As far as creating a more defensible space, some things you could do to your home on the outside, involve plants - roses and pyracanthus, they can discourage people from wanting to get a peak inside your windows, obviously we could consider barrier material built into the landscape to provide COVER from direct fire projectiles, some barrier options include raised planter beds, in the yards around the house - like decorative parapets, which can also serve to make approaches to entrance points into channels or 'fatal funnels' if you will.

You would want to make sure your floors or at least the beds are at a lower level than your parapets outside the house. If someone goes driving by, firing into your house, you wouldn't want a bullet zipping through you while you lie in bed. Cinder block, isn't very good cover, unless its doubled up and filled with sand or cement. 115gr FMJ 9mm will go right through it. If you use landscaping to create fatal funnels outside, you can also use low voltage landscape lighting to silhouette persons travelling the funnels. You can alter the walkways to make them from noisy gravel, or cinders, instead of paved cement, its difficult to cross that stuff without making a sound. Certainly a good family dog discourages baddies too.

A large lawless situation, in my area would have to result in utter chaos in the San Francisco/Sacramento urban area - with a population approaching the the size of a small country, if something were to happen there which would cause the population to flee, they would either go east to Reno, but in the winter this is very difficult at times, or they could flee south to the Valley, or north to Redding - where we're at. There are a limited number of vacant houses, apartments, etc. A sudden 1% shift in population (1% of theirs) would be a very bad thing here. IF the immigrants remained civil, there would be long lines at the 15 or so odd grocery stores, and the Fairgrounds, Schools, and Campuses would be full, traffic would be at a stand still, Police and Fire services would be augmented from the evacuated areas, people would be under a great deal of stress trying to find loved ones, and comfortable shelter, I don't think food would be a problem (due to a huge walmart distribution center) , but water, trash and sewage would be of immediate concern.

I am fortunate to have a relatives with larger more rural properties. I suppose I would sell the house to anyone with the money immediately and move the family to my folks. Otherwise we'd be too close to traffic, and the chaos of town. A family contact plan might be useful too.

I think its a good idea to map out secondary routes around town in order to avoid the roads which will likely be clogged with traffic. Consider also, how much time its going to take you to get from point a to point b under different traffic conditions.

How's that?

A long term lawless situation, months or more, you would have to consider defendable terrain and all that goes with it. Put on your platoon leader hat and plan your defense.

7624U I think wheel guns are very reliable. But when you're not a Pro or heck even when you are and you're scared, people miss. Plenty of cops and others have been in shoot outs and missed at very short range. Hard to miss with 12ga. bird. Think of the most untrained person in your house having to operate that weapon.

Very nice choice 7624U. I agree with your reasons.

My wife uses a .38/.357 magnum wheel gun and she is very good at shooting it.

I bought it for her for the same reasons you pointed out.

I am fortunate i dont have untrained people in my house it's just myself...
as for missing you will miss at close range with a 12ga if you dont aim..
cops miss lots of times even with 15rd magazines cause they dident aim.
heck ive had guys miss the lock on a door 2 times with a 12ga and that was only 2'' inches away.
im not arguing that the 12ga aint a great gun for defence it is...
but pellets wont hit the target no matter how much you wish they do with your eyes closed.. you have to aim center mass or you will miss inside a house the shot does not spread into a large area inside 5 meters its still very compact go test it.. ive messed with loading 12ga rounds with dimes also. they are totaly unpredictable. but they do have a larger spread then normal shot does.

As far as the wheel gun the only reason i talked about it is because of its durablility and it will fire every time if the ammo is good.. and if it's not you dont have to take a extra action of clearing that bad round out of the chammber before you shoot again you just pull the trigger and hope that next round is going to fire. more then 2 bad guys in the fight the wheel gun wouldent be the best your right, Thats where The Rifle is KING you can hold off gangs with a good semiauto rifle.

OK, I'll pipe in on the "initial purchase/first firearm" part because I just carried out this exercise with my never-even-shot-a-BB-gun brother. I actually tried to talk him out of a firearm until he'd taken care of water, food and basic meds but he didn't bite. Weird how people react, he's a total hoplophobe.

I'll have to describe the selection criteria. First, his decision (actually my sis-in-law's decision) to get a firearm was initiated by Katrina and a realization that a breakdown in civil order is possible. The firearm will be locked away, unloaded, and there will be no chance of it being employed for self-defense in a break-in; this is strictly an anti-zombie piece. Add in "cheap to acquire and shoot" because that was a major factor in his decision.

He shot a selected sample from my finger and toes collection: Remington 870, M1 Carbine, SKS, and a 16" Bushmaster flattop w/ EoTech. My thinking, which turned out to be correct, was that he would be recoil-shy, hence no FN-FAL or M1A.

Even though I always thought it was something you did once and then learned your lesson, he kept short-stroking the 870 -- a no go. Moving on, his favorite was the AR w/ the EoTech, because he could hit something with it. Its cost knocked it out of the running. His next favorite was the M1 carbine, which I had him shoot as an example of the "camp carbine" class. I think for his purposes that might have been the best choice - a pistol-caliber Marlin or Kel-tec. What he ended up with was the SKS, primarily because he's cheap and I offered to give it to him.

All in all I think the SKS is not a bad choice for a one-gun house. Cheap, rugged, moderate recoil, relatively inexpensive ammo, and hopefully it will keep running when dirty and dry (I'm certain that the cleaning demo I gave was the last time that rifle will ever see a patch). Surprisingly, stripper clips weren't a stumbling block.

Bonus: If he does forget how to load it, it makes a decent club and it has an integral bayonet.

You're outing your own brother! Shame on you. :D

Pat

Good gun and you can convert it to a 30 rd magazine later on instead of 10rds
and can still load it with striper clips, bayonet is always plus also if you can take it off the rifle there is a extra knife for your kit that wont get lost.

That's nothing, it's worse than that: he's a Democrat!

Easy step up from the SKS to an AK, and not that much more money.

Intermediate cartridge, adequate penetration and power, inexpensive with cheap accessories and ammo, relatively lightweight and portable, easy to control. Great self-defense weapon if the zombies attack.

Downside-excessive penetration in urban settings, slower reloading than a mag loaded gun, but much faster than a shotgun, not a real accuracy piece.

A good choice, but I would still favor obtaining the shotgun first. Of course, any time you can get a hoplophobe shooting, whatever they will take and use is better than the finest Sturmgewehr ever made and locked away forever. Besides, for those who have bought into the MSM version of easy access to guns, I always like to introduce them to the mountain of paperwork required to obtain a $99 rifle.

TR

...and if my 17 year-old daughter and two of her girlfriends couldn't take him out -- using only tactical bricks -- it would be off to bed without supper.

no firearm?
 

if I may stretch this topic, how about in places where the 2nd amendment is not too popular. Since I'd assume one does not want to intentionally turn his/her living room to a warzone, what can provide the same deterrent effect as a racked shotgun?
Sound of a pair of rott scratching and growling behind the door? This will require the dogs be properly trained. How about a poster that says: this house is under divine protection of Chuck Norris?

No guns, No dogs?
 

No guns or dogs? Is your plan to defend or to escape?

You need to step out to the street and look at your home, both in the daytime and at night.

Single family home, condo unit, first floor or second floor? Urban, Suburban or Rural? Close to an area of the city where large crowds could gather and riot? Neighbors that would help or are you on your own?

Dark areas, shadows around your house? Low large windows or high small ones?

One easy fix for the front door is to have a solid metal or wood door (with a good peep hole) and replace all the hing/lock plate srews with longer screws that go into the 2x4s that surround the door frame. Then use a door guard bar with a non-skid pad that slips under the door knob and goes down to the floor. A setup like that is hard to kick through.

Sliding patio doors - look nice and let the sun in but they don't hold up well to a grill being thrown through them.

Bad guys like to come into a house quick through a doorway or quiet crawling through a window. Make it hard for them to get through a window quickly and you only have to worry about the first guy coming in. You can take your baseball bat and have some batting pratice with his head. Drop him in the window and you make it just that much harder for the next one.

Blades and bats are a bit harder than firearms. If thats all you've got you can't be saying "One more step and I'll hit you." as you're backing up. They will get in and then their friends. Then they will overpower you.

Somebody sticks their head in you nail them just as hard and as fast as you can. Stop the first one at the door/window and the rest may back up.

"Man, there is one crazy ninja chick living in that house."

No guns, no dogs
 

As Pete said, get a baseball bat. Even if you don't play ball, it's easy to say, "Hey, I was at home, watching TV, when Joe Schmoe here came in through the window and I cracked him in the head with the bat."

And the aluminum ones make a real nice "ting" sound when you hit 'em just right! And if someone is behind that guy, they will have second thoughts about entering your home.

This is an area I was waiting for someone to breach.

There is more to defense than buying a gun and some ammo. OTOH, there are very few places in this country where you cannot have a firearm in your residence. NYC and DC are the only two I am familiar with. Get the pump gun and go shoot some skeet or sporting clays. Now you have a reason to own a gun.

What is the threat? What are you preparing to defend yourself against? Be realistic. As mentioned, look at your residence (or wherever you plan to go) from a criminal's view. Eliminate blind spots, establish a perimeter, get some early warning, and harden your position as necessary. You don't necessarily need an alarm, in most cases, you just need the sign. Especially if the neighbors don't have one. Note: Do not steal the neighbors' alarm sign. They may have cameras, too. Pete is on target with his assessment. BTW, the cops will usually help you do this analysis through the crime prevention office.

I have friends ask me about buying a 1000 yard sniper rifle. I tell them to get their laser rangefinder, step outside their house and let me know how far they can see, much less shoot. Okay, maybe they can see a water tower 1000 yards in a specific direction. Why are they shooting someone at that range? Is someone at that range a threat? What do they have up there, a mortar? An M-2 HMG? Get real, this isn't Stalingrad. Try to keep all projectiles and impacts on your property.

What do you do when you are confronted by someone, but they are a Non-Lethal Threat (NLT)? Will you shoot someone for stealing from your garden? What if it is a hungry kid? Do what the cops do and have a range of force options. Get some OC spray and a baton (or an ASP, or the aforementioned bat). Bear in mind that if you are out of your home, it looks much better if you have a glove and ball in the same general area as the bat.;)

Are you really to kill another human being to protect yourself and your property? Think long and hard on this. If the answer is no, do us all a favor and do not get the gun. You will probably lose it.

BTW, dogs are great, but it is increasingly difficult to get liability insurance if you own a larger breed like a Rottie. Smaller (not tiny) ones can be nearly as effective. I see the dog as a deterrent when no one is home, a guard when the family is home without me, and as a warning device when I am. Just let me know they are outside, I'll take it from there.

I would start with the non-lethal, get some training, then get a shotgun, buy a pistol, and consider getting a rifle, if you have the range and inclination to get it. In an urban apartment, probably not a good idea. Many ranges rent firearms to shooters. Better to find out that the Dirty Harry hogleg is too much for you before you plunk down $600 and later find out how little trade they will give you back for it. Got kids? Teach them about guns (Eddie Eagle), take them shooting, and keep the guns and ammo not under your immediate control locked up.

Good discussion, keep it up.

TR

Super soaker with flamable fluid in it makes a handy flamethrower. http://www.guzer.com/videos/water_gun_flame.php

One of my other favorites is hammer a few nails in a board and sharpen them with a file.
place board under your window outside in slight depression and cover with leaves...:D anyone steps on that pokeing around your house wont be in any hurry to come back.

Outstanding idea!

To follow up on TRs post - ammo plays a big part in carry too - get low carry / low punch stuff - possibly Glassers or subsonic rounds - you don't need to kill your neighbors by mistake.

I have one of these, my grandmother had them (she had two doors in her apartment) and I can't sleep unless it's secured to my door. Even though I'm on the second floor and live in a "nice" neighborhood I don't leave my windows (they open horizontal vice vertical) open when I go to bed. A shame really, I love the fresh night air on a crisp evening...but better safe than sorry.

You can get the door bar at Target for about $20.00

Option for front door security just buy a cheap electric fence power box from a livestock shop and run a wire to your door knob then just plug it in at night if you dont have a solid metal door that will ground out.

Before buying ASP battons or nightsticks, check with local LEOs first. ASPs are concidered offensive weapons in my AO. Some decorative weapons could serve as self defense weapons as well (if you know how to use them.) I have a decorative Blackfoot Tomahawk (yes it's a repop) that could serve for both. But the downside is that there is a stigma that goes with using these kind of weapons.
Same should go with ammo, I have heard that some states ban hollow point and frangible ammuntion. I could be and hope I am wrong. Having an older military gun like the SKS or a M1 Carbine might not bring as much unwanted attention as a Kalshnikov or tricked out AR or FAL. Same would go with something like the Wenchester 1300 Defender or Remington 870 HD with wooden stocks verses a Mossberg 590A1 that has been customised. One might look at getting lever action rifles that can double as deer guns as well as home defense. People will tend to look at it as a cowboy gun and not attatch the same stigma they might with the AK-47.
Also don't just look at the law books. Asks LEOs and if you can ADAs. In Oklahoma is legal to carry a gun in your vehical as long as it has the chamber empty and exposed and it is pointed away from the driver. At the very end of this perticular law it does say that the magazine could be loaded as long as the chamber is exposed and empty but I have asked both cops and ADAs and they will nail you if the magazine is loaded.

I am thinking how knowledge of the criminal (or mob) mind can be a great asset. I hope LE or QP who've been in a chaotic riot/jungle law scene can elaborate on this one.

the reason I brought up the topic is I had lived through a city-wide riot. No, I was not rambo. The neighborhood simply came together and sent a message to the passing mob that there's hell to pay if they made the move. It's like saying "with your number you'll eventually overpower us, but some of you are going with us to the other side. Now, who's willing to pay that price." One individual from the mob actually sneaked in to one of the house and got caught. Many wanted to teach him a lesson, but they released him almost immediately. The man was all shaky and fell to his knees when he was told he's free to go.

IMHO, the mob mentality is courage in numbers. These are your average opportunist-packed mob, not trained guerilla, or committed jihadis. If the individual is faced with the immediate consequence, he/she most likely back up. However, if they are provoked aka. one of them got hurt, I fear that would ignite the mob to keep going instead of moving to easier and less costly prey.

Hence, the banners I saw in Metairie that say "you loot, I shoot," could that be a good deterrent as well to force the mob or individual thief to move on to easier prey?



The realm of improvised weapons remind me of a kid who use hair bleach and nail polish for other purposes. These are great ideas until the law, the neighbor cihuahua, the do-gooders got all entangled with it.



Reaper Sir, thanks for the approval . I'd have gone to BLADE and see you in person had I known you're going this year.

I used to have steak-knife looking blade with me whenever I go out, along with fork, knife, and lunchbox with steak.

To add something to what Pete mentioned, concerning using longer screws ( at least 3" ) in the hinges and strike plates.

Most residential doors in houses, apartments, ect, open into the dwelling. In FL and perhaps in other parts of the Country, they open out. I only know about FL. I have a brother that lives in FT Myers. I noticed his front doors open out and asked about it. It had something to do with hurricanes and building codes. The point is. When doors open out, the barrel of the hinges are exposed to the outside. Leaving the hinge pin exposed as well. All anybody has to do is tap the pins out and walk in.

If the builder or architect are any good, they will specify NRP (Non Removable Pin) hinges. Which is just a set screw, screwed into the center knuckle of the hinge. Inaccessible When the door is closed. Preventing the removal of the hinge pin. Most the houses I saw down there, including my brothers', did not have NRP hinges. I replaced his.

For those in FL and perhaps the other hurricane prone areas, take a look at your exterior door hinges if they open out.

doubt it not unless your out on your lawn with a visable firearm.
if its a mob they will take chances. untill a few go down and they figure out this one aint worth dieing over.... a sign like that might stop a single or pair of thief's.

Could be worth dressing up and looking old and weak in a wheel chair or something maybe they will move on just on the notion you dont have anything. or are suffering enuff as it is, and will soon be dead in this time of Crisis, People tend to leave wheel chair bound folk's alone its just human nature.
But if they dont you have the element of surprize on your side.. few guns and knifes under your robe for instance and you can stand up anytime you want just the surprize attack from someone they thought was a easy target will make most flee till they gather thier sences then its time for you to displace and move case they do come back.

Level of Brave
 

One of the experts on group dynamics can jump in with more detailed information but I'll throw in a few thoughts.

A mob or riot has different dynamics than one or a few thugs sneaking through a neighborhood.

An individual or small group can all hear and see you. You jack back a 12 guage pump and point it center mass and they all think it's pointed at them.

A mob turning up your street has momentum and is loud. You and a few friends standing in the street may be able to stop the front to talk but, man, the odds are getting thin on your side. If you try and talk while the crowd surges around you, you are about to be swarmed. Game over.

You have to be in a spot where they can not get too close and you can defend from. If your neighborhood is organized a number of neighbors in second floor windows or roofs will cool a crowd real quick.

Or a line of cars blocking the street with you and your friends standing in truck beds behind them with a few more on the roofs. The crowd will be slowed and they can see you are armed. The problem is they can see you and you would make a nice target.

This is a hard problem to cover because not one item in here is cut and dried. So much depends on the "why" of the incounter, "numbers" and the "who and how prepared are they" are involved.

A thinking person will come out better than one who panics.

Most here are thinking

Pete