When Things Go to Hell....

If/When Things Go to Hell in a Hand Basket

The question for today is what should you do in the event of total chaos?

This being a rather grim subject, I’ll begin with some levity by introducing you to our guest speaker, Sister Beatrice Maria Margaret, from Our Fellowship of Peace and Love and Warm and Fuzzy and Cuddly Animals of The Minds.

Steve: “Let’s have a round of applause for Sister!”

Clap, clap. Yeah! Woo Hoo!

Sister Beatrice: “Thank You, Thank You. Now settle down or I’ll rap ya one! Oops, I’m forgetting myself. Can’t do that any more. How I long for the good ole days….

Ummm, now, where was I?

Ah yes, today’s topic is how to defend yourself and your lovely family, especially the kiddies — the little darlins – from the murderous lowlife scumbag degenerate  cretins from hell who are just waiting for society to break down so they can eat your eyeballs for hors d’oeuvres.

Not to worry your little heads. Sister has a plan! Are you ready? Here it is:

RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! Run, not walk, to the nearest gun store and buy whatever your wallet and state law allow. If you are lucky enough to be able to get a concealed carry permit, get it! Sister packs enough heat to bring down a charging woolly mammoth at 30 yards – a .50 Smith & Wesson on her hip, a 45 in her shoulder holster, and a nice 380 backup on her ankle.

Now although some states don’t, most states will at least allow you to purchase one shotgun. Sister recommends a Mossberg 12-gauge riot gun — short barrel and pistol grip, good in close quarters . Buy as much ammo as you can! Buy a box a week! Sister also recommends a bazooka and a tank…and….”

Steve: “OK, Sister, time’s up.”

Sister Beatrice: “No, no! I’m not done yet!”

Steve: “Let’s give it up for the Sister! WOO HOO!”

*** 

The question for today is: In the event of total chaos, do you hunker down or flee?

Unless you have a short distance to go and a pre-arranged plan with a friend or relative, I would suggest hunkering down. In the event of a total breakdown of society, you’ll only make it as far as a tank of gas can take you. After that, you’re on your own. You will have to leave most of your possessions behind, facing raving packs of armed murderous thugs. If you are fleeing locally, just take the basics — your food, water, guns, ammo, a few mementos and important papers. Hopefully, you’ll get back to your home, but don’t count on it. Don’t waste time on useless stuff — you and your family’s life could depend on it.

In the following scenario, I’m assuming that you’re on your own for at least a month till some order is restored.

I know people have very mixed feelings about gun ownership. Yes, guns kill people. No one wants to take a human life, but imagine you hear a scream downstairs where your teenage daughter’s room is. You run down and two scumbags are there with knives and are about to rape and kill your daughter. Do you say: “Hey there, old chap. That’s not a rather sporting thing to do.” Or do you rack one in the chamber and watch the cretins poop in their pants.

I’ll leave the decision up to you. Your call!

Here’s a well-rounded defense in the event of total society breakdown:

If your state’s law permits, own a pistol, shotgun, and a rifle.

• Pistol: Your pistol should be at least a 9-mm, 357, 45. Something with enough stopping power to make the bad guys go down in two shots. Always remember, it’s tap tap. Two shots: center of mass (chest); and if the scumbag is still coming at you, aim for the bridge of nose. Empty the gun till they drop. If he is down, stop shooting, or you will end up in court and jail because what began as a justifiable shooting just went south on ya. I’ve read and seen many videos where some store owner was brought up on charges because he kept firing even after the robber had gone down. Come to think of it, since we’re talking about a total social breakdown, who’s to know if you keep shooting? LOL
• Shotgun: My preference is for a nice short Mossberg 12-gauge riot gun. Its short barrel and pistol grip are good for close quarters and medium distance.  Makes a great weapon to keep in your house. Just the sound of racking one into the chamber is enough to send any lowlife scumbag fleeing with poop in his pants. You can buy a Mossberg for less than $400. I recommend #4 shot — it’s enough to bring a man down, but will not pass through many walls. Remember once you let it go, you own it. Slugs or double 00 buck shot is going to tear through several walls, increasing the chance it might hit a loved one.
• Rifle: I recommend an AK-47 because it’s highly reliable and parts are easy to come by. They are also probably the lowest priced for this type of weapon, around $500, with red dot scope and green laser attachment. Ammo for AK-47s is plentiful and fairly cheap, especially on the Internet. 7.62 x 39 is a NATO round; everybody makes it. You’re now playing with the big boys.

After you’ve acquired the pistol, shotgun, and rifle, you need to do four things:

1. Secure your weapons and ammo, especially if you have children. That means either a locked cabinet, or trigger locks, or the locks that go through the breach. The best, especially for a pistol, is a keypad entry where you punch in your code, pull out the gun, and it’s ready to go. I can open mine in the dark in 3 seconds. Make sure you keep your ammo in a locked box.
2. Learn to use the weapons properly. Take a class. No, take several classes. Afterward, go to the range and keep your skills up. It’s a proven fact that in an actual firefight situation, you will only behalf as good as your best day at the range.
3. If you get a CCW (carry a concealed weapon) permit, treat it like your American Express Card – Don’t leave home without it! — especially if you’re with your family. We think bad things only happen to other people….
4. When you carry, you carry HOT — at all times. That means there is one in the chamber, and the safety is off. I know it sounds dangerous. But the real danger is if you are in a situation and have to fumble for your safety or to rack a round. By the time you’ve done all that, it’s too late. It’s DRT or “Dead Right There.” The only way a gun goes off is if the trigger is pulled. So don’t pull it unless you mean to. If you’re worried about dropping it, which rarely would cause an accidental discharge, look in to Taurus arms. They have a unique firing system that is all internal. You can drop it a thousand times and it would not go off.

Now that you are armed, let’s look at some basic survival tips. The way things are going today, I have no idea what’s going to happen. So let us try and be as prepared as we can, for whatever that may come our way. Let’s hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

First, we all need food and water to survive. The question is how much? I live in Florida, so I am used to keeping two weeks of food on hand in my hurricane supplies. The food takes up two small tote boxes. I have now increased my emergency food supplies to four tote boxes. I’ve also cleaned out some closets, so I now have a good 6 weeks on hand. The food to pack should be stuff you like and which will keep, such as:

• Canned soup, meat, tuna, and stew.
• Pasta and sauce.
• High protein bars.
• Crackers.
• Junk food because comfort food is nice to have in stressful times.
• Stay away from salty food because that’ll make you thirsty.

Remember to rotate out your food. Most canned goods last at least a year or more. After that, they lose taste and nutrients.

Other things to include in your emergency supply:

• A hand can opener.
• Paper plates, forks, spoons and knives.
• Wet wipes.
• Mosquito/ bug killer.
• WATER: You’ll need 2 gallons a day per person, for drinking, cooking, and hygiene. Water used for cooking spaghetti is reusable — it is drinkable. Water from the washing of hands, clothing, and dishes should be retained for flushing of toilets. And if you have a pool, you are sitting on gold! That water is potable, despite the chlorine because there isn’t enough chlorine to kill you. Still, it’s best to boil the water first. Or you can fill some jugs with the pool water and let them sit uncapped. The chlorine will naturally dissipate in a few days. A great way to store water is to fill soda bottles with water and then freeze them in a deep freezer. Even if the power is out, food in the fridge is good for a day and things in a freezer for as long as three days. What if you run out of your stored water? If you live where it rains, collect rain water.
• Also keep these items on hand too

       Medications, antiseptic, soap, toilet paper. Band aids and bandages,        sunblock if you are in the south.

This next section is straight out of Captain Dave’s “Survival Guide”:

Purification

And while you may think any water will do in a pinch, water that is not purified may make you sick, possibly even killing you. In a survival situation, with little or no medical attention available, you need to remain as healthy as possible. And a bad case of the runs is terribly uncomfortable in the best of times!

Boiling water is the best method for purifying running water you gather from natural sources. It doesn’t require any chemicals, or expensive equipment — all you need is a large pot and a good fire or similar heat source. Plus, a rolling boil for 20 or 30 minutes should kill common bacteria such as guardia and cryptosporidium. One should consider that boiling water will not remove foreign contaminants such as radiation or heavy metals.

Outside of boiling, commercial purification/filter devices made by companies such as PUR or Katadyn are the best choices. They range in size from small pump filters designed for backpackers to large filters designed for entire camps. Probably the best filtering devices for survival retreats are the model where you pour water into the top and allow it to slowly seep through the media into a reservoir on the bottom. No pumping is required.

On the down side, most such filtering devices are expensive and have a limited capacity. Filters are good for anywhere from 200 liters to thousands of gallons, depending on the filter size and mechanism. Some filters used fiberglass and activated charcoal. Others use impregnated resin or even ceramic elements.

Chemical additives are another, often less suitable option. The water purification pills sold to hikers and campers have a limited shelf life, especially once the bottle has been opened. Captain Dave considers these good for the car’s emergency kit, as long as they are frequently replaced.

Pour-though filtering systems can be made in an emergency. Here’s one example that will remove many contaminants:

1. Take a five or seven gallon pail (a 55-gallon drum can also be used for a larger scale system) and drill or punch a series of small holes on the bottom.
2. Place several layers of cloth on the bottom of the bucket, this can be anything from denim to an old table cloth.
3. Add a thick layer of sand (preferred) or loose dirt. This will be the main filtering element, so you should add at least half of the pail’s depth.
4. Add another few layers of cloth, weighted down with a few larger rocks.
5. Your home-made filter should be several inches below the top of the bucket.
6. Place another bucket or other collection device under the holes you punched on the bottom.
7. Pour collected or gathered water into the top of your new filter system. As gravity works its magic, the water will filter through the media and drip out the bottom, into your collection device. If the water is cloudy or full of sediment, simply let it drop to the bottom and draw the cleaner water off the top of your collection device with a straw or tube. (If you have a stash of activated charcoal, possibly acquired from an acquarium dealer, you can put a layer inside this filter. Place a layer of cloth above and especially below the charcoal. This will remove other contaminants and reduce any unpleasnt smell or taste.)

While this system may not be the best purification method, it has been successfully used in the past. For rain water or water gathered from what appear to be relatively clean sources of running water, the system should work fine. If you have no water source but a contaminated puddle, oily highway runoff or similar polluted source, the filter may be better than nothing, but it’s not a great option.

Once the system has been established and works, you must remember to change the sand or dirt regularly.

Hopefully none of this will ever be necessary, but it’s best we are prepared for anything. 

May God Bless Us All,

-Steve