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Posts Tagged ‘survival’

Losing 25 Pounds in 75 Days

August 31, 2009

The Sandhills of Central Nebraska

After a healthy break from blogging (most of the month of August) I’m back in the game. I recently received an incredible incentive to both get in better shape, and hone my wilderness survival skills. My dad invited me to go deer hunting with him again up in the sandhills of Nebraska!

Last year was my first time, and I remember the pain and suffering all too well. I was overweight and out of shape (which are NOT the same thing), trying to hike dozens of miles, several hours a day. I couldn’t keep up with my dad, a veteran of numerous marathons over the decades. I seriously cut into his hunting that first day, and we were both glad to go our separate ways the next morning. If you haven’t hiked sandhills before, it gives you a whole new appreciation for the guy you see in movies, lost in the desert and traversing enormous sand dunes. It’s easily 2-3 times as difficult as hiking pleasant terrain.

As of Saturday, I weighed 300 pounds, with roughly 75 days before the hunting trip. I’d started to drop some weight with my survival activities, but without a proper incentive my “comfy chair” in front of the TV was just too inviting. Now I’m on a mission: to lose 25 pounds, and to log over half a million steps, before the start of the hunting trip. That’s a pound every 3 days, and just under 7,000 steps per day on average.

Doing this, I hope to spend our 2 pre-season scouting days out in the sandhills, tracking and photographing deer for several hours a day. I hope to be able to hike 8-10 miles a day during our three planned hunting days, never letting my fitness be a factor in bagging the best deer I can.

As I mentioned above, fitness and fatness can co-exist. No matter how well I do the next 10 weeks, I’ll definitely be overweight for this trip. But I don’t have to be unfit. I can build up a great level of endurance in that time. And if I keep up the activity after the trip, I’ll eventually lose the rest of the fat as well.

It’s been two days since the start of my challenge, and I’m down two pounds. Weight loss is easy early on, so I plan to keep pushing and get ahead of the game. This will buy me wiggle room during the last few weeks, when pounds will shed less easily.

Tags:deer, hunting, nebraska, sandhills, survival
Posted in Fitness, Survivalism, Training | Leave a Comment »

Camping for Survival Preparation

July 29, 2009

As I’ve made survival preparations that include water storage, survival supplies, and surival skills, I’ve realized that the perfect way to turn them into practical experience is camping! It’s so obvious now that I’ve figured it out. I started out small last thursday, setting up the tent with a large inflatable mattress in the backyard. It was the best night’s sleep I’d had in a while. I think part of the reason is that, after setting everything up, you’re nice and tired – ready for bed! I only had my oldest son with me. We read one of his funnier books, laughed over cookies and milk, and called it a night around 10:30.

The next night, I tried the same thing with all three of my boys. Partway through setup, I decided to skip the air mattress. I wanted to see if I could really “rough it” under survival situations, and the comfy mattress seemed out of place. Plus, it’s large and took up just too much space in my 4-man tent. That night ended up being miserable! I didn’t sleep very well on the ground, and the younger two boys wanted to stay up way to late playing and fighting. When I woke up on Saturday morning, I took down the tent, ate a quick breakfast, and took an hour-long nap on my real bed. Fail.

That afternoon, I reached out to my friends on SurvivalistBoards.com, asking for tips and experiences sleeping on the ground. Within hours I had great advice from several experienced campers. The most helpful for my particular situation were comments from Hick Industries, IceFire, GunGourd, and ex-hunter. They got at the core of my problem – confusing recreational camping with survival preparation. They should be approached differently, and bedding is a good example. IceFire even made the amazing point that in survival situations, you probably want to sleep lighter, and therefore slightly less comfortably.

So, I’m over my concern that nicer bedding isn’t “rugged” enough. If I can thrive with small amenities like a sleeping pad and matches for fire starting, I’m still way ahead of most people. And as ex-hunter pointed out I can always practice the harder stuff whenever I want, to build up a tolerance.

Saturday night, practice time was over. We drove out to an actual primitive campsite. Basically an outhouse, water pump, and fire pits were the only amenities, which was perfect. Because it was so low-demand and low-maintenance, it was even free! I took all three boys again. AND the mattress. It wasn’t big enough for all of us, so I bought some foam sleeping pads from Wal-Mart, and doubled them up under the kids that slept on the ground. They were fine with it, since it hadn’t really bothered them to sleep on the ground the night before, anyway. It did create a space issue, the kids on the ground were too close together in a 4-man tent with a queen-sized air mattress. I’m going to buy a larger tent soon.

I brought one of my 7-gallon water containers, which was perfect. I prepared well, since the previous couple nights in the back yard taught me what I’d need. There was only one gaping flaw in my plans: my cell phone was undercharged, and I ended up having to shut it off for most of the trip and only text-messaging with my wife to coordinate our pick-up time the next morning. This was a big liability, and kept us from extending the trip well into the next day. I’d wanted to do a longer hike, maybe even stay for lunch. I’ll be sure to charge any electrical supplies in advance next time, and bring extra batteries for the items that use them.

Thus ended my 3-night tent streak, and I upped my number of consecutive outdoor hours from 4 to 14. Very shortly, I plan to do a multi-day camping trip instead of just overnight visits, and then I’ll be comfortable staying outdoors indefinitely (within reason).

Tags:camping, survival, wilderness
Posted in Fitness, Supplies, Survivalism, Training | Leave a Comment »

Financial Survival: Severance Pay and Employee Notice

July 28, 2009

A recent NY Times article about Gannett cutting severence pay was alarming. A major newspaper company I’ve never heard of had a generous severance package (1 week per year of employment) during previous layoffs, and now they’re changing to a state-funded unemployment. In most cases, people faired just as well or better, but researchers were quick to find the handful of people that were getting “screwed”. These included people in real trouble, who didn’t qualify for state unemployment because of part-time side gigs they have. It also included people who found another job quickly, but were miffed that they only got 1 week of unemployment pay instead of the 10 weeks of severance pay they would have gotten under the old policy.

Here’s what I think is fair. Companies should be able to make whatever severance packages they want, but it should work both ways. If a company offers 2 week severance to all employees, then they have every right to require two weeks notice when an employee quits. When I say require, I mean any shortfall should be taken out of the final paycheck. Companies are usually in a better position to make good, so I’d say if a company wants to offer *additional* severance, go ahead. But they should be able to require up to an equal commitment from their employees.

If this seems unfair, remember that this is legally the case right now. Companies are not legally required to give you a dime when you’re let go, and you’re not legally required to give any notice when you quit. It comes down to accountability. We need to be able to financially support ourselves during times of unemployment. We shouldn’t expect to go our whole lives gainfully employed with no breaks.

I’m almost just as guilty as most – I don’t have enough saved up yet to be unemployed for 6 months, which I feel is a realistic number in this economy. I’m not quite as guilty though, because I can at least see my own responsibility and I’m working to fix it. I probably have a more enlightened take on this, because I’m a freelancer. I’m used to occasional work gaps, and I’ve had to weather tough times. I have much more personal responsibility for my income than most people, and that’s how I like it.

The real lesson of this article, even though they choose not to say it explicitly, is that we each need to be responsible for providing for ourselves. That’s capitalism – we reap the rewards every day, and we need to take the responsibility as well. Companies don’t owe us anything for working for them, other than the compensation we’ve been getting all along. If you work for a company each pay cycle, and they pay you according to your agreed arrangement, then your obligation to each other is fulfilled. Anything above that is gravy, and you should be prepared to go without it.

Tags:employee notice, financial preparation, severance, survival
Posted in Financial, Survivalism | Leave a Comment »

Water Rotation for Emergency/Disaster Use

July 27, 2009

This is the drinking water we use day-to-day, to rotate our supply.

I’ve started filling and storing 7 gallon water containers, the blue Reliance containers I talked about in my Water Storage and Purification post. So far I have 9 containers, totaling over 60 gallons of filtered tap water. Now it’s time to start rotating them!

I found a great spot on a shelf above our washer/dryer, which are just off the kitchen. I put the water container on that shelf. Keep in mind, this container weighs almost 60 pounds, so I kept it all the way to the side, next to where the shelf is supported. This will keep the shelf from bowing or breaking under the weight. Now, instead of getting drinking water directly from the tap, we can use the water stored in this container. When it empties, I’ll refill and take back to the basement. I’ll then bring up the next oldest water container, and the process will continue.

With our containers tagged with the fill date, we never have to guess about freshness...barring a basement skunk attack

Speaking of, it’s time to tag the water containers in the basement. None of them are more than a month old, so I tagged them as “07/01/2009″ to be safe. Whenever I get a new container for upstairs, I’ll check if any have hit the 6 month mark and refill those as well.

The result is that I never need to remember to empty/refill the water containers every few months. It will happen automatically, ensuring fresh and clean water when we need it.

Tags:disaster preparation, survival, water rotation, water storage
Posted in Supplies, Survivalism | Leave a Comment »

Altoids Survival Tin

July 24, 2009

The survival tin made out of an Altoids can is fairly popular, and I’m nothing if not a popularity-seeking sheep that loves to follow the masses. With that, I present my own Altoids survival tin!

My Altoids survival tin, wrapped in 6 feet of electrical tape for waterproofing and survival use.

Most homemade survival tins use repurposed tins from something else. Altoids tins are the most popular, but I’m also experimenting with “gift card tins” which have become popular. I picked one up for $2 at Cabela’s, and I’m going to try it later. Right off, though, I know I’d have to get a different whistle since only Altoids tins are tall enough to hold the one I have.

Here’s a list of my survival tin’s raw contents, some of which have been modified to fit:

2-3 cotton balls
orange whistle
mini pocket knife
matchbook
pencil
button compass
fishing line
2 fish hooks
2 fishing line sinkers
nylon thread
sewing needle, magnetized
sewing thread
snare wire
candle
2 razor blades
2 safety pins, different sizes
5 small pieces of paper
3 band-aids
1 alcohol swab
the Altoids tin itself
6 feet of electrical tape

All the contents of my survival tin, minus the fish hooks.

I only had to buy three things to put this kit together: A can of altoids, cotton balls, and a larger survival kit from Wal-Mart that I paired down to the essentials. You can buy survival tins for not much more than I paid for the individual pieces. If you do this, I recommend buying two – one that remains sealed for emergencies, and one that you open and play with. The advantage of my kit is that I decided what was important, I’ve played with all the pieces, and I can unpack/repack them at will because I designed how they fit together.

Everything is designed for multiple uses where possible, and often many items come together for one purpose. I’ll outline the purposes below:

Making fire. I ripped the front cover off my match book, for the added room. It’s not very thick, but the extra folds over the matches took up room. The candle was carved down to fit in the last available space of the tin, which is why it’s shaped so funny. It’s mainly for lighting a fire – if I can light the candle, it can stay lit under kindling until a bigger fire emerges. The cotton doubles as rattle-proofing for the kit, and as excellent tinder. I wanted to include flint/magnesium, but I didn’t have room. I should ultimately replace the matches with waterproof strike-anywhere matches that are dipped in wax to keep them from lighting in storage.

Securing food. The snare wire can be used for trapping smaller land animals for food. The fishing gear (line, hooks, and sinkers) are used for fishing, but in a pinch they can be used for other tasks. In fact, I used the extra space in the blue spool of fishing line to wrap as much nylon cord as possible, so that no space is wasted. I can use the small pencil in my kit as an “axle” to allow the fishing line to spin freely as needed, and to help in reeling.

Medical care. The cotton can be used to stop bleeding, the alcohol swab to sterilize, and the band-aids to prevent infection. The needle and thread can be used to suture a wound first, if needed.

Navigation. The kit includes a button compass, and also a backup. I magnetized the sewing needle so I can set it on a leaf in calm water and it will point north, should I lose the compass. Backup compass requiring no extra space was a no brainer once somebody suggested it. The pencil and paper can be used to map your route, or take notes on landmarks or surroundings.

Getting found. The whistle was a costly item – it takes up a lot of space, which is a waste since it’s hollow. I had to cut off the plastic loop used for a lanyard, and file it down to fit better in the kit. But I’ve heard that when you need to attract attention, your voice doesn’t carry as well, and wears out easily. A whistle cuts through ambient noise, and lasts as long as your breathing. The tin itself can be used as a reflective surface to attract attention on a sunny day.

Crafting/repairing clothing and shelter. The remaining pieces are largely for the work you’ll need to do while you’re waiting for rescue. The pocket knife required a lot of engineering to fit, but I felt it was worth it. The nylon thread, safety pins, and razors can be used to repair clothing, tie together shelter, or even craft weapons for hunting.

As I mentioned above, the kit is closed and wrapped in electrical tape. The first layer is mainly for waterproofing the kit. I added 5 additional layers so that I’ll have that much extra tape as part of the kit. Every wrap around the tin is about 1 foot of tape.

My kit doesn’t have everything I want. I just bought a compact cable saw I’ll have to add by replacing/repositioning something else. I wish there were more fire tools, and a light source. I’m limited by room and budget, which is fine. My kit also doesn’t have much for rope, just a few feet of nylon thread. However, I’ve started wearing a belt I made out of paracord, and I plan to replace the laces in my shoes as well. I also replaced my watch band with braided paracord which actually looks pretty good.

I’ve decided to carry my kit at all times for one month, to see how it feels. I think the Cabela’s tin might be better for me, since it’s flatter and holds more. It’s not as compact though, so I’ll have to experiment and see what feels right. Below, I’ve included pictures showing how my kit fits together. You can spend hours deciding how to make everything you need fit, and it’s not a bad idea to do so.

To start, I line the bottom of my tin with a stretched out cotton ball to quiet any rattling. The whistle is so big, I have to form the cotton around it. The knife goes in as well.

Continuing to add the bulkiest and oddest-shaped items first, I place the matches, fishing line spool (with nylon thread added), pencil (which I had to cut down by an inch) and compass.

Next, I push the sewing thread reel into the middle of the snare wire to save space. I add some cotton inside the reel, to keep from wasting any space.

I shaved a tealight down to the height and shape I needed to fit the tin. I wanted as much wax as possible.

I added cotton everywhere it would fit into the nooks and crannies of the other contents. The more, the better. It eliminates rattling, and is valuable tinder.

This is a little backward, but I added the razor blades and safety pins after the cotton. I should have done it the other way around, but in my head I knew where I wanted them so I left space.

This is the tin, packed with all the odd shaped objects, filling the deeper half of the tin to capacity.

I added the paper, band-aids and alcohol swap to the lid of the tin. I add them last because they add very little width, and fit perfectly.

I added the paper, band-aids and alcohol swab to the lid of the tin. I add them last because they add very little width, and fit perfectly.

I add one last layer of cotton to take up the extra space.

Tags:altoids, Supplies, survival, survival tin
Posted in Supplies, Survivalism | 1 Comment »

Water Conservation in the Shower

July 22, 2009

This is not that old joke about conserving water by showering together. Experience says you’re likely to be in there long enough to negate any water savings. There are still benefits, but none of them are conservation-related

As I fill each of my 7-gallon water containers for long-term storage, and lug the almost 60-pounds down to our basement storage area, I’m filled with newfound respect for clean, purified water. It even tastes better when I drink it. I’m no longer a slave to milk and pop. There was a day when I lacked the will power to drink plain water, but now I appreciate it so much more.

And so I’m increasingly agitated by just how much of this wonderful, life-giving, purified water we waste all the time. I’m not ready to give up indoor plumbing anytime soon, but I’ve realized just how amazingly efficient outhouses were, back in the day. Zero water usage for an unlimited number of people. Think of how much water we waste for the privilege of going to the bathroom indoors.

I’ve also started to notice how much water I waste waiting for the hot water to make its way up the pipes to my bathroom sink before I shave – or to the shower. In a survival situation my family could live quite well, and indefinitely, on 5 gallons of water per day, per person. Yet the average household uses 12-14 times that. My family could survive on much less in the short term.

All that being said, I’m looking for ways to cut down on water, and I’m not just looking at convenient ways. I’m willing to get creative, and it’s just lucky that I found one way that is both creative and convenient. My shower has an extra attachment with a hose, which I’ve never really needed. The up side is that there is a push/pull button that redirects water to the hose, cutting off water to the main shower head. This gave me an idea: clog the hose, and I can effectively shut my water off during the middle of a shower when I’m shampooing, or scrubbing. The faucet knobs will remain in the same position, preserving the water temperature for a few minutes between uses.

In the pictures below you can see my shower setup, and how I plugged the extra shower head with just a few inches of paracord, tied in a half-hitch knot and stuffed into the head. Don’t stuff it into the hose, or water pressure pushing on it could move it. By stuffing it into the head and making sure it’s firmly planted, added water pressure will only serve to keep it in place. Paracord is a nice material because it’s easy to remove (no permanent clogging) and it’s synthetic so it won’t rot. It’ doesn’t need to be 100% sealed – reducing the flow to a dribble is good enough for my purposes.

By clogging my extra shower head with paracord, I'm able to create a shower where I can turn water flow off, and the water temperature will be just right when I turn it back on a few minutes later.

Keep in mind that the longer you do this, the cooler the hot water in the pipes will be when you turn it back on. But I just need it “paused” for a couple of minutes at a time, so it’s perfect. This should turn a shower with 10-15 minutes of water usage into a shower with less than 5 minutes of running water.

I’m also going to try another change in bathroom water habits – not waiting so long for hot water. I’m guessing that by waiting for shower/shaving water to be just “acceptable” instead of perfect, I can cut the wait/waste in half.

Tags:conservation, paracord, shower, survival, water
Posted in Supplies, Survivalism | Leave a Comment »

Weekly Survival Goals

July 20, 2009

This is my third posting today – excessive, I know. But I’ve decided to start a regular thing called Weekly Goals, and it only seems right to start it on a Monday! Every Monday I’ll post five goals related to survival that I want to accomplish by the end of the week. Then I’ll go out and try to accomplish them. I’ll probably fail a lot, so that might amuse you if you’re amused by that sort of thing.

Each week, I’ll review how I handled my last set of goals before outlining my new ones. Since this is the first post and I don’t have a previous week’s survival goals, I’ll review my progress on my overall goals so far:

Defense. I’ve spent the most time, money, and effort on this one. That’s not a great investment, since it offers the least likely payout for the greatest expense. So if anything, I’ve done too much. That being said, I’m proud of what I’ve done!
1. I bought a handgun (Glock 21SF, .45 caliber).
2. I took a basics class to learn how to use it.
3. I got an annual membership to my local shooting range.
4. I practiced getting the gun out of the safe and loading it in the middle of the night, which I can now do in under 17 seconds.
5. My target shooting was good to start (thanks to rifle/shotgun experience), but now I’m much better.
6. I’ve registered for my Concealed Carry course.
7. I’ve built up a good stock of ammo.
8. I got my NRA membership.
Disaster Preparation. I got my Red Cross certifications in First Aid, Adult CPR, and Child/Infant CPR. I tried to register for CERT training, but they don’t have any courses scheduled in my area any time soon. I hope to volunteer for the Red Cross locally, sometime soon. I’ve stored 56 gallons of purified drinking water for emergencies, and put together an Altoids survival tin. This goal has been pretty well on target.
Fitness. I’ve totally horked this one. I’d planned to lose more weight by now, but late night munchies have killed this. On the plus side, I am getting more physically able, even if my appearance isn’t changing. I can hike 8 miles, and my short-term walking pace has improved from 1,000 steps every ten minutes to 1,000 steps in just eight.
Education. I’ve been reading a lot, from survival manuals from british survivalists like John Wiseman and Ted Wright to American Rifleman magazine, which I receive with my NRA membership and read cover to cover. I just picked up the U.S. Military Pocket Survival Guide and The Ultimate Man’s Survival Guide.
Random. My last goal every week will either be from one of the four categories above at random, or possibly something totally unrelated. I want to be sure I get something from every category every week, but I also might have something important that doesn’t neatly fit. This week, it’s cleaning. You can see a picture of my side of the bed, below. It’s messy, and that’s what I’d have to stumble through in the middle of the night – twice – to get the safe key and return to the gun safe under the bed. My car’s trunk is much the same way, and should I ever need to fill it quickly, the mess would get in the way. I’ll clean both this week.

That’s my assessment of my progress so far. Now for this next week’s goals. They don’t need to be big, but I need to be doing something in each area.

Defense. Buy another 200 rounds of ammo to replace what I’ve spent at the range, and add to my surplus.
Disaster Preparation. Review CPR procedures, and be able to mime the entire process from memory.
Fitness. Lose 2 pounds, walk over 5,000 steps a day, no matter what. Drink only skim milk. No pop, no desserts.
Education. Read the preface and first two chapters of the U.S. Military Pocket Survival Guide.

Let’s see how I do.

Tags:survival, weekly goals
Posted in Survivalism, Training | Leave a Comment »

Gasoline Storage and Usage in Survival Situations

July 16, 2009

I’ve been thinking about getting a generator as part of my disaster preparation. I’ve also thought about the fact that gas would be in short supply, and we might have to drive a long distance to safety. I started looking up how to store gasoline long term. I’m concerned about things like vapors, and the possibility of spillage. I know there are additives to keep the gasoline stabilized for long term storage, so that part is easy.

I’m going to do more research, but in the meantime I’ve found an excellent way to store extra gasoline long term. There’s virtually no risk of spillage, no vapor issues, and no additives required.

Most families (and many singles) have more than one vehicle. We have a minivan to fit the whole family, and a car. In the event we’d need to evacuate our home, we’d only take the minivan. The solution is simple – always keep both vehicles topped off with gasoline! It’s the safest way to store 14 extra gallons of gasoline, and if we need to evacuate we can siphon it out of the car to take with us. In the meantime, it stays fresh (constantly cycled) and stored in the safest, most spillproof way.

I think a good plan would be to top off the tank once a week, or whenever you hit 3/4 tank. Try to shoot for the same day(s) of the week, to make it a convenient, regular habit. I’ll still have to buy containers, but they can stay empty until needed.

I welcome any thoughts on this idea. I didn’t read it anywhere, even though I’m sure it’s probably well-known to many. So if there’s a way to improve on this idea, please leave a comment.

Tags:gasoline storage, survival
Posted in Supplies, Survivalism | 1 Comment »

My Red Cross Certification in First Aid and CPR

July 11, 2009

Ten Years Ago

I briefly had a job that required me to take CPR and First Aid training and certification from the American Red Cross. I remember it vividly. There I was, one of only two attractive 20 year olds in a room full of older, out of shape students. The other sat across the room: a cute, petite girl named April.

When the intstructor mentioned pairing up with practice partners, I think April and I had the same thought. If we were going to have to go lip-to-lip with a stranger, it should be with each other. We quickly paired up. As it turned out, we used plastic dummies for mouth-to-mouth practice. Darn.

I remember very little from the training itself.

Yesterday

I once again sat in a Red Cross classroom. Much like last time, it was filled with people looking to fill a work requirement. Unlike last time, nobody was making me take this class. I paid for it myself, and the little cards they hand out as you pass the tests were merely decorative. I was after the knowledge, to help my family and others in times of emergency.

Lucky for me, this training was a lot more extensive than what I’d had a decade ago. We spent a lot of time practicing on those dummies in adult, child, and infant size. We went through several 2-minute drills of CPR, making sure we learned the entire cycle, and how to adapt to the situation at hand. I can now recognize if an unconscious person got that way by choking, and what to do about it. Nine hours later, I held my three new certifications:

These are my certifications for First Aid, Adult CPR, and Child/Infant CPR.

The First Aid certification is good for a full three years, and I completely understand why. There’s very little somebody like me can do in a serious first aid situation. It amounts to calling 911 as soon as possible, and keeping the person alive until they get there. While the same is true for CPR, the process is much more complex. Diagnosis of the problem is trickier, and so is the course of action. You’re still just buying time until professional help arrives, but seconds count. Accordingly, CPR certifications, which are broken down into Adult and Child/Infant, are for one year only.

I don’t consider myself a medic by any stretch, but I’m proud of being one step closer. I’m thinking of volunteering with the Red Cross, which can get you more training for free, and real-life experience. I also noticed their web site lists “wilderness first aid”. That sounds like a winner!

Tags:certification, cpr, first aid, survival, Training
Posted in Training | 2 Comments »

NRA Membership

July 9, 2009

Yesterday I received my NRA membership card (and a lot of other NRA paper) in the mail. So I’m officially a card-carrying member! I joined online back on June 30, and I had a feeling the card was coming because a couple days prior I received this nifty hat:

Need to know if I'm an NRA member? Just read this nifty hat.

But joining the NRA isn’t all gift hats and decals for your back window. It’s about supporting your right to bear arms. I love how some people just dismiss the 2nd Amendment as a leftover scrap from revolutionary days. Why? Because we’re too “modern” and sophisticated to worry about things like invading countries or violent criminals, right? Wars don’t happen to us, we’re Americans!

Throughout history, civilizations have cycled in and out of prosperity, but everyone always thinks the time they live in is different. It’s not. We were attacked on our own soil on 9/11. Luckily the threat of outside invaders seemed to rally people into working together instead of against each other. Katrina was another matter, with rampant theft, looting, and violence. I wonder how many people would have wished for the security of a basic firearm as they played the urban survival game, hiking their families and belongings to shelters?

Things will not get better right away. The current economic climate is still crashing, and we will see levels of desperation in people that we haven’t had to deal with before. During depressions, many more people find themselves with a “legitimate” reason to steal. And the more you’ve prepared yourself and your family, the more someone has to gain by robbing you of your supplies, and possibly your life.

I’m glad I live in a state that allows concealed carry. I plan to get the permit very soon. Ideally, I wouldn’t need a permit with my name and fingerprints on file, but I’ll take what I can get. What if just one in four people carried a weapon? Criminals would think twice about robbing a business when chances are excellent some of the victims will be armed as well as they are. And how far would the vigilante shooters at Virginia Tech and the Omaha mall have gotten if just one of the dozens of people they terrorized had the firepower and basic marksmanship to take them down?

I get fired up about this stuff. I’ll end with one final fact. Stricter gun laws only restrict law abiding citizens. They don’t keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Concealed carry laws are a great example. Anyone who ever robbed a store at gunpoint didn’t care about breaking the concealed carry law. But the unarmed victims did. That doesn’t seem fair.

Tags:membership, nra, survival
Posted in Memberships, Survivalism | Leave a Comment »

The Chubby Survivalist