Security Advice to My Daughter: Essential Pillars of Preparedness Series

by Todd Walker

All I heard was crying on the other end of the phone!

“What’s wrong!?”

My daughter told me, between sobbing, that their home had just been broken into. I’d never heard her that upset. She and our grandson got home from work and school to find the backdoor kicked in and their life violated. Thank God they didn’t come home with the invasion in progress!

Even though they escaped physical harm, emotionally they were wrecked. I took the day off work and put together a plan and found her a new place to live. Daughters need their daddy, especially in times like these.

As times get harder, I’m afraid these stories will become more common. Unknown to my daughter, thugs had broken in to homes on her street in December 2012 and July of this year. Had she known this info, she would have never moved to that neighborhood. She asked if there had been any crime or break ins before moving in. Her property manager, who is no longer employed there, told her it was a safe neighborhood. Sure it is.

As preparedness minded people, we want the best home security. We will protect our families by any means necessary. But the regular guy, like me, isn’t made of money and can’t buy all the fanciest bells and whistles on the home security market.

There are practical steps for regular guys to provide proactive and reactive defense and security. I had not planned on writing this installment of our Essential Pillars of Preparedness Series yet. Now it’s appropriate – and personal.

You may have seen articles dealing with security measures in a post collapse scenario. If you’re looking for info to defend against Mutant Biker Zombies, which I’m told will ravage our land, you won’t find a tutorial on building a fortified bunker in this post.

This is simply a dad’s advice to his terrified daughter and grandson.

To My Sugarbear

First off Sugarbear, predators pick easy prey.

There’s no such thing as living in total security. Taking security measures only buys you time to allow you to respond with the appropriate level of defense and slow them down. Thugs, even rookies, pick the low hanging fruit.

Together we will make you and your home less appealing.

Fortify Your Doors

An experienced thug knows the weakest links in security are exterior opens in the walls of your house. In modern homes, doors and windows are easy access points. They know that most doors can be breached with a swift kick – even with a deadbolt – unless properly fortified. The weak point in your home was not the metal door itself, but the wooden frame securing the bolt, latch, and hinges.

We could retrofit the doors of your new house with metal door frames. That’s too expensive. An intruder determined enough would go through a window. Installing one-piece strike plates on all your exterior doors will help. Don’t use the short screws that came with the strike plate. Use 3 1/2 inch or longer decking screws. These screws will reach the studs behind the door jam.

I’ll make sure the doors have at lease three hinges. The more points of contact a door has to the door frame the better. Long screws for hinges too.

Since you’re renting and won’t be able to install more dead bolts on your doors, these reinforcements will give you time to ready a response should you ever be home during a break in. I’ll talk to your landlord about installing added security measures to your doors. He seems to be a very reasonable man.

Security storm doors are available. I’ve installed a few of those for friends over the years.

Having neighbors (retired) adjacent and across the street now will also give you other sets of watchful eyes when you’re at work. They’re good folks to have on your side. Nosey in a good way. Get to know them.

Windows

Many methods exist for securing windows. Bars or window grills are available. But the problem with making windows secure from outside intruders is you’ve just creating a trap from the inside as well.

I will make some simple strips to stop the windows from being opened from the outside. If you need to make an emergency exit for from inside, simple remove the strip wedges and open the window.

A crook would have to break the window to enter. The sound of broken glass takes away his element of surprise and stealth.

Outdoor Lighting

Smart crooks like to operate in anonymity under the cover of darkness. Your new place doesn’t have motion detection lights at either door. I’ll install them for your back and front door. You simply leave the light switch turned on 24/7. They automatically turn on with any motion near your door.

Making A Safe Room

I know your duplex isn’t very large. I’ll replace the hollow core door in your bedroom with a solid wooden door. You and the boy can lock yourself in your bedroom giving yourself more time to access your tools of defense if ever needed.

Again, doors only slow down intruders. The weak links are the door jams and sheet rock walls. But this will slow them down. In your situation, this is all you can expect. But it’s enough time prepare to ventilate the intruder.

Just for informational purposes, a good blogging friend of mine, Laurie Neverman, offers helpful advice on safe rooms. While this isn’t an option for you now, keep in mind that you won’t always live in a rental. You’re just starting out. And doing an excellent job raising our grandson!

Tools of Defense

Getting the job done takes the right tools, no matter the situation. The handgun I gave you is just that, a tool.

In untrained hands, it’s a liability. Though you’ve shot my guns growing up, now is the time to up your training and start doing the stuff of self-defense. I’ll start training you in the proper use and safe handling of your handgun. You’ll learn to shoot a firearm safely, confidently, and accurately.

By the way, Dirt Road Girl and I have agreed to pay for your Concealed Carry Permit.

Here’s the best advice from an author I highly respect concerning firing your weapon in self-defense when your life is in danger:

“You shoot to stop – not to kill. Any kill is incidental, unless the only way to stop his lethal actions was to kill.” – Kenneth Royce, Boston Gun Bible

There are several options for concealing a weapon in your home with the boy present, yet making it easily accessible if the time to use it ever arrives. Remember our conversation yesterday? I’m working on that piece now.

You can start reading up on best practices of self-defense from these links:

• 6 Deadly Assumptions About Violence – Dad
• The Cornered Cat
• A Girl and Her Gun

Situational Awareness

Follow your gut, Sugarbear. That gnawing feeling is there to tell you something ain’t right. Listen to it. Even though your new place is in a better neighborhood, never take security for granted. In tough times, people get desperate.

Like our journey to preparedness and self-sufficiency, security is a step by step climb as well. One of the first steps towards your goal is to be aware of your surroundings.

There’s a color code for awareness created by Jeff Cooper years ago to help you stay in a state of readiness. I’ve listed it below.

White – unaware and unprepared; yellow – relaxed alert for potential danger; orange – specific alert, potential danger; red – threat identified; black or triggers – a fight is imminent unless circumstances change. 

Keep in mind that doing the stuff in real life is different from reading about it. Practice Keeping It Sherpa Simple. Physical self-defense is not about fighting but avoiding being hurt by violence. To protect yourself and our grandson, you are justified in using the amount of force needed to avoid being violated, robbed, or killed.

You’ll find it difficult at first to live in the color yellow at all times. I even catch myself in ‘white’ from time to time. But the ‘white’ times grow less and less. We’ll cover this in detail together.

I’m so sorry this happened to you, Sugarbear. We are so thankful that y’all weren’t home. But I think it’s a blessing in disguise and a wakeup call to start your journey in earnest.

All of these measures are an attempt to deny easy access to your life and property. The more layers you provide, the less likely predators will target you.

We’ll do this together.

I love you,

Daddy

Here’s A Target Rich Environment!

by Todd Walker

As most of you know, I don’t advertise on my site. Not in the traditional sense. I do promote products that I find useful and of high quality from time to time. This is one of those times.

First, I have no financial interest in any product I promote here. The Target Source is no different. I’ve mentioned Clark Ellard’s targets before here. He makes his targets at his home in his shop from AR500 steel. I’ve shot other “walking” targets before that were cheaply made. That shooting experience made me want to go back to shooting tin cans off a log.

Clark’s targets are made here in the U.S.A. with the best materials. I’ve gotten to know him over the past few months and can attest to his character, business practices, and customer satisfaction. He’s an avid supporter of our 2nd Amendment. His background in construction allows him to customize targets, shooting houses, gun storage safes for vehicles and homes, and even safe rooms if you’re in the market for one.

With the squeeze placed on family budgets these days, you might be thinking shooting targets are down on my wish list of preparedness items. Every family should prioritize when prepping. You know the three areas experts parade out: Beans, bullets, and band aids. Great advice. But what are those bullets for? They’re a tool, like your gun, of self-defense, survival, and … family fun!

Looking at the crazy spike in ammo and gun sales since Barack Hussein’s re-election, coupled with the Newtown shooting hysteria, millions of Americans who have squeezed a trigger ran out and bought guns and ammo. Smart move. Now it’s time to train with your new tool.

No amount of watching the “Die Hard” movies will make you a proficient shootist. Like any other skill, you must practice the fundamentals. One of the best ways is to make range time a family event. If you are a gun ‘newbie’, get the proper training for yourself. Then introduce your kids to this right of passage. Watching Clark’s young son plinking a target with his lever-action .22, quite accurately, made me smile and reminisce.

I was fortunate, like so many others growing up last century (makes me sound old), to have parents that taught me how to shoot. Back then, my daddy would haul a load of trash up the dirt road to the dump. Sounds like the story line from Alan Jackson’s song “Drive.” I’d always tag along. He’d let me drive his old truck with a three-on-the-tree, too. He backed the truck up to the pit, we got out, I loaded the shotgun, and the fun began. Daddy would throw bottles into the sky for me to shoot. That’s where I learned wing shooting. Thanks for the memories, Daddy!

Drive (For Daddy Gene) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I don’t recommend that practice today. If you don’t have a trash dump to shoot bottles and cans, I’d recommend these quality steel targets.

They’re so much more fun than shooting holes in paper. With ever hit, there’s immediate feedback. The target ‘pings’ and moves. You know you hit your mark. No need to grab optics to confirm your accuracy. They’re a great way to keep new shooters on the range, and adds variety for experienced marksmen. For less than the price of dinning out with your family, you can purchase one of the plinkster targets. You won’t be unhappy. Plus, the little ones will thank you for introducing them to my favorite past-time.

You can click on the logo at the top of this page and you’ll be directed to Clark’s new website – The Target Source. His site is new and will be adding a price list soon. Until then, you can contact him via phone on his website.

If you’re not totally satisfied with his targets (or any product he builds), he’ll make it right. If you decide to buy from Clark, tell him I sent you. I’d love to hear your feedback.

Happy shooting!

Follow me on Twitter for the latest on our journey to self-reliance, preparedness, and resilient living: @SurvivalSherpa

Related articles

• Quality USA Made Steel Target Review and Video (survivalsherpa.wordpress.com)
• DHS trains with ‘No Hesitation Targets’ (americanclarion.com)

The Thought Police and Fake Guns in Schools

My experience  as a government school teacher can confirm Mr. Rappoport’s  claims in his article. Remember the kid who pointed a pizza chewed into the shape of a gun at lunch? It gets worse.

What’s behind the punishment behind fake guns in schools

By Jon Rappoport

February 6, 2013

Source: www.nomorefakenews.com

In the latest episode of Ban Fake Guns, we have a boy suspended from school in Florence, Arizona, for carrying, yes, a picture of a gun on his computer. Screen saver. This is surely a sign of complete mental breakdown by school officials. And yet one more reason to home school.

Steve Watson, writing at infowars, runs down the recent litany of fake gun crimes at schools across America, resulting in student suspensions, suspension hearings, and actual school lockdowns:

Transparent toy gun. South Carolina.

Gun built from lego bricks. Massachusetts.

Two kids talking about a nerf gun. New York.

An actual nerf gun. New York.

A pink bubble gun. Pennsylvania.

A paper gun. Pennsylvania.

Pointing a finger and saying “pow.” Maryland.

Playing cops and robbers with fingers. Maryland.

Making a gun “hand gesture.” Oklahoma.

Should we assume that because cops and school officials can’t stop real crimes, they’re settling for stopping fake crimes.

Can you hear the typical response to these school suspensions and lockdowns? “Well, everybody in the community is on edge these days, after Sandy Hook.”

That remark garners a “Mmm, well, sure.”

Then, the follow-up: “It’s unfortunate that school officials and police MAY HAVE overreacted. Suspension from school is PROBABLY too much. These kids need some form of LESSER DISCIPLINE, and, of course, EDUCATION about the dangers of guns.”

And there you have it. It’s a sleight-of-hand trick. Go completely overboard with an officially certified insane action (suspension, lockdown), and people will ask for something slightly less insane instead.

“Well, shooting old Bob in the leg and blowing up his car because he was sitting on his back porch cleaning his rifle was probably a bit much. A few days in jail would have taught him the right lesson.”

In schools, the slightly less insane (but still quite insane) solution to fake guns might go something like this:

“Today, class, we’re going to learn about how dangerous it is to have a picture of a gun.”

“You see, Jimmy, when you build a gun out of lego, you think it’s all right because you don’t know any better. But some other child might be terrified when she sees the gun. And that’s why we’re here. To protect everybody from bad feelings.”

Jimmy scratches his five-year-old head and wonders what world he was born into. He’s just been introduced to “greatest good for the greatest number,” “you have no freedom,” and “least bad for the lowest number,” all in five seconds.

What we’re seeing here is a mandate to change the culture. Teach these kids that any reference to, symbol of, or thought about guns is wrong.

Welcome to operant conditioning.

These fake-gun busts are really about thought crimes.

We recently saw that with the passage of a New York State gun law. It requires psychiatrists to signal the police when they have a patient who may be “a danger to himself or others.” The patient is thereafter banned from owning a gun.

Any patient, any person has had thoughts of violence. Any psychiatrist can tease such thoughts out of a patient. And that can be sufficient to make a report to the police.

Read the rest here

What Constitutes a Weapon? – by a 15 Year Old Author

I received an email from Carl Watner who produces The Voluntaryrist newsletter. He has graciously agreed to allow me to reprint an article his 15-year-old son wrote ten years ago – way before our latest “lone gunman” shooting in Newtown. I’m not sure, but from the looks of his son’s writing ability, I’d bet he skipped out on the compulsory educational system know as public schooling.

Samson’s wild weapon of choice

You can view more of The Voluntarist and subscribe if you wish via mail at: Carl Watner, Box 275, Gramlnig SC 29348 or email at: voluntaryist@windstream.net

What Constitutes a Weapon?

By William Watner

What is a weapon? Does it have to be big? Sharp? Powerful? Does it have to be something you can grab? Something others can destroy? What is a weapon? A weapon can be grasped, but it also can bet ungraspable. Weapons are very useful when not used as weapons. A weapon is a tool. A sheath knife can be a very effective weapon in the hands of a trained user, and can also be used to clean deer. Almost all weapons have a double ‘existence’, guns particularly. Major Smith and the rest of the crew have been saying: your best survival tool is the one between your ears. I would like to add to that. Your best weapon is the one between your ears.

A weapon generally has the capability to destroy in some way. Therefore a baseball bat can be classified as a weapon. A golf club could be just as lethal. For that matter a cast iron tea kettle would be extremely effective at close range.

The Netherlands is a good example of where the seed of weapon confiscation has bloomed and blossomed, and where it ultimately leads. The Government of the Netherlands is asking for the voluntary turn-in of weapons (those that turn in guns don’t face risk of prosecution). This includes baseball bats, CO2 pistols, and alarm pistols (from the journal of the NRA, THE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN, Feb. 2001, p. 73). Where will they stop? Where can they stop? They really can’t coercively confiscate all sport items, or can they?

One of the most interesting weapons, and effective at the right time, is non-violent resistance. It is a weapon, but not a violent one. It takes more guts to stand firm than to fall back on your animal instinct to fight. It means not cooperating with what you think is wrong or evil. Which brings to mind another weapon, a very valuable weapon, one which can’t be taken away without your consent:

It is your spirit; the flame that burns within each and every one of us. This, along with your brain, constitutes the two weapons that nobody, even if they have complete power over your physical body, can steal or put out. “But can’t they kill me?”, you say. Yes, they can. But all that does is entomb your spirit in history and eternity forever. When you are dead, your spirit is even further beyond their grasp than before. Look at Jesus as an example for a spirit never caught, a flame that will never be stamped out.

As Jungle Jim said recently, there are entities in the world that are trying to dumb down our spirits and our brains. ‘They’ are trying to make our flames burn low. Instead of trying to draw up the lowest flame to the highest (which can only be done voluntarily, not coercively), ‘they’ try to beat the highest ones down to the lowest. They’ are trying to make our brains follow them, the State, unquestioningly,
and not even to think about morals or right or wrong.

So what does make a weapon? To make it short and sweet, I would say it is anything that can be used in any way against your enemy.

As the last word, my advice is: Use your body—your spirit–your brain—and whatever tools you have, to your best advantage, whatever your situation.
[This article originally appeared in THE HOMESTEADER
(No. 10, Spring 2002), published quarterly
by Major Michael Smith.]

The following boxed quote was included with William’s article:

The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the minds of the oppressed.

—Steven Biko, South African Activist

Guns and Obama for Dummies

Here’s a nice guide I found over at Karen De Coster’s website. It’s probably too small for a tee-shirt. Smile and spread some cheer… And keep doing the stuff.

Guns & Obama for Dummies

Sunday, January 20, 2013

A Michael Ramirez cartoon from the Investor’s Business Daily.

Along with that, here is a recent viewpoint as expressed by Ramirez.

To understand why President Obama surrounded himself with a human shield of children last week as he ordered a tightening of our nation’s gun controls, you have to remember this is an administration that never lets a “crisis” go to waste. Nor does it resist the use of a superficial prop to divert attention from serious deliberation.

It also has a history of claiming urgency to pass solutions based on misinformation without careful reflection.

Sinaloa Drug Cartel Writes President Obama To Support Gun Control

Photo credit

Source: www.nomorefakenews.com

Mexican drug cartels celebrate gun control

Mexican drug cartels celebrate US gun control / gun grab

By Jon Rappoport

January 11, 2013

The best way to depict what’s going on in America is through a letter from the head of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel, to President Obama.

In case people are ready to assume this letter is real, it isn’t, but the spirit of it is very true and very real:

---

Dear President Obama,

Let me begin by saying that you can count on us to support your efforts in disarming American citizens in any way we can.

The Fast and Furious operation backfired a bit in this regard, but I’m glad to see it hasn’t stopped you.

As you know, we are making inroads on US soil. We’ve set up significant operations in the Southwest, one area where armed citizens can be a bit of trouble to us, especially if they own land we cross or are adjacent to.

We view their disarming with a positive attitude. I would say your basic gun-grabbing strategy is primarily aimed at the American West. The border states need to be cleaned out. The fewer people there who have guns (particularly those with high-capacity clips), the easier it is for us.

But since our drug trafficking lines take in most of America, wherever citizens aren’t armed we’re generally in better shape.

I’m pleasantly surprised that media in your country haven’t pressed you to name the areas where most gun violence is taking place. After all, if your objective is to reduce that violence, you would think a campaign directed at gangs in inner cities would rank number one on your to-do list.

Those areas and those gangs do subcontracting work for us (and other Mexican cartels). Leaving them in place is a priority for us. So congratulations on being able to skirt this tricky issue. Your cojones are, indeed, huge.

Please pass along my thanks to Brian Williams, Scott Pelley, and Diane Sawyer. I assume they are in your pocket and carrying your message. Undoubtedly, they are also refraining from bringing up the gang issue. Whenever I speak with the president of Mexico, I point out your masterly and deft control of media as a model we should emulate.

Read the rest here

Author bio: The author of an explosive collection, THE MATRIX REVEALED, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29^th District of California. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at www.nomorefakenews.com

Welcome to Hunger Games Lite

by Todd Walker

I stopped one of my bright, well-read students in the hall last year to talk about a book he was carrying. I hadn’t read it and I wanted a quick review. I was sold when he said it’s like the world as we know it has ended and tyrants control everything.

Photo credit

“Do you believe it could happen here?” I asked.

“Oh yeah!” he said.

He’s wise beyond his years. Here’s why.

• He thinks for himself, making him a target of the collective.
• He’s contumacious. con·tu·ma·cious – adj. Obstinately disobedient to authority or rebellious; insubordinate

After reading the book on my Kindle, I had to agree with his “Oh yeah!” statement. The similarities between Panem (what’s left of our continent) in The Hunger Games, and our pre-apocalyptic America are noticeable, if you’re paying attention.

Hunger Games (Panem)	Hunger Games Lite (America 2013)
Big Brother sees all	Big Sis sees all – or wants to
Totalitarian Regime	“Soft Tyranny” – trading Liberty for safety
Total Dependence on Regime: Food, Water, Shelter, “Safety” from boogiemen	Our Gradual slide into the State of Tyranny: Patriot Act, NDAA, Domestic Spy Drones, 100 years of the Federal Reserve cabal,
Regime Controlled Propaganda Machine	Regime Controlled Propaganda Machine
Monopoly on Violence/Force: Resist and face brutal force	With the help of the Regime’s Propaganda Machine, dumbing down the masses via government schooling, and our addiction to “free” stuff, Americans are in the Hunger Games Lite. What if we resist?

“A really efficient totalitarian state would be one in which the all-powerful executive of political bosses and their army of managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude.” – Aldous Huxley

Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of The Hunger Games, and all people of Panem lived under the boot of a tyrannical regime that promised prosperity and peace but couldn’t deliver. Everyday folk of Panem realized they were only useful tools for the Capitol and staged a rebellion. The Powers That Be crushed the uprising and completely destroyed District 13. As punishment for the masses un-gratefulness and rebellion, the Capitol institutes the Hunger Games to keep the subjects in line. Each of the 12 surviving districts were forced to offer two Tributes (a girl and boy between the age of 12 and 18) to compete – fight to the death. The winner would bring home honor and essential rations (crumbs from the elite’s bountiful table) for their district.

Are we that far from this scenario in America? Do we love our servitude so much that we sacrifice essential liberties for State provided temporary safety?

We are indeed experiencing Hunger Games Lite. We are the most spied upon people in the world. The long and gradual line of abuses have a way of dulling the herd’s awareness of the despots goal. How much information does our benevolent government want to collect to keep us “safe” from terrorism? Big Brother wants it all. Phone calls, emails, social website exchanges, traffic habits, spending habits, and even your thoughts are fair game in our surveillance state. Natural law and Bill of Rights be damned. Inquiring mind-controllers want to know.

Public school students think it normal to be constantly watched and searched without probable cause. They’re trained to leave their rights at the school-house doors. Cameras filming every move is not enough for some school districts. Some schools are turning kids into lab rats in a scientific school maze by forcing them to wear “smart” I.D. cards. These embedded radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips enable anyone with the right technology to track whether the student is using the urinal or toilet. All in the name of reducing truancy. Schools loose state and federal money when students get fed up with the one-size-fits-all meat grinding of schooling and take a mental health day. Remember: Power is for power’s sake. Refusing to wear these badges results in privileges being withdrawn. A tactic all school teachers are familiar with.

Rats!

Speaking of rats. Panem was full of theses nasty human vermin. Our “District 12” is no different. We are encouraged by those who supposedly know more than us commoners to snitch on fellow slaves. “See something, say something.” Many formerly free people have felt the heat of false accusations turn into lengthy prison sentences. Guilty until proven innocent. Claire Wolfe has written a Free Ebook called Rats! If you own guns, speak or write non-PC opinions, are a political activist, a prepper, belong to a non-mainstream religion, and/or want to protect your privacy, you should read this book. “But I’ve got nothing to hide.” Don’t be naive. Read the book. It’s free!

In 1735, my ancestors landed on these shores. They fought in the American War of Independence and the War of Northern Aggression (Civil War for the “Honest Abe” worshippers). Research and family stories portray us as a patriotic, individualist, self-reliant, and contumacious bunch. Those qualities haven’t been lost on me. Through thick and thin, my ancestors pasted the “liberty” gene on to me. It’s getting harder and harder these days to practice freedom in our Hunger Games Lite. So here is my short list of tips to help you fight back smarter.

Decrease Dependence

• Adopt a theme of self-reliance and preparedness.
• Fight the temptation of petty consumerism. Learn new skills for sustainable living.
• Read Starving The Monkeys for practical ways to Fight Back Smarter.
• Focus on natural health, real food, and functional fitness.
• Build tribe and community

I Prefer Not To

Say, “I prefer not to.” When questioned again as to why not, repeat, “I prefer not to.” This bold, polite, non-violent statement was used repeatedly in Herman Melville’s short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener“.  John Taylor Gatto suggests, and I agree, that if enough freedom loving people would withdraw consent and refuse to jump through all the government mandated hoops, we could slam the door on tyranny in our time. Mr. Gatto used Bartleby’s refusal to comply as a model for stopping the rigged system of state standardized testing. Read more on the Bartleby Project here.

The “I prefer not to” strategy can be deployed in areas other than schools. The hot topic today, following the Sandy Hook tragedy, is gun control. The Regime in Panem, like all totalitarian regimes throughout history, wielded power over the masses by disarming its subjects. Clubs and bows are no match for guns. If the progressives get their legislative way and enact a gun ban, will “law-abiding citizens” comply?

History says we won’t. Just like the days of prohibition and the failed war on drugs, banning guns that look evil will only increase demand – and supply – via the black market. Actually, the war on drugs is not a failure at all. It’s quite a financial windfall for the State. “I prefer not to” give up my guns, full capacity magazines, and ammo. Help spread Bartleby’s spirit of resistance and say, “I prefer not to ___________.”

What happens when “I prefer not to” isn’t enough? Each of us will have a decision to make when that line crossed. The key will be seeing the line and responding accordingly.

“Any single man must judge for himself whether circumstances warrant obedience or resistance to the commands of the civil magistrate; we are all qualified, entitled, and morally obliged to evaluate the conduct of our rulers. This political judgment, moreover, is not simply or primarily a right, but like self-preservation, a duty to God. As such it is a judgment that men cannot part with according to the God of Nature. It is the first and foremost of our inalienable rights without which we can preserve no other.” – John Locke

Progressives: Gun-Grabbing Cheerleaders and Their Plan for You!

Source: LewRockwell.com

Be Happy! Progressives Have Wonderful Plans for You!

by William L. Anderson

Recently by William L. Anderson: Progressives and the Phony Gun Debate

As one who does not care much for American Progressives, I do read their sites on a regular basis. Not only does that mean reading Paul Krugman’s columns, blog posts, and occasionally his television appearances. (I cover Krugman and other “economic Progressives” in my website, Krugman-in-Wonderland.)

Another site I visit infrequently is the Daily Kos, which is one of the most influential Democratic Party sites and receives huge amounts of daily traffic. The Daily Kos does not repeat Democratic “talking points;” it generates political talking points that later are found in mainstream publications and from Democratic politicians themselves. Thus, when the Daily Kos not only calls for prohibition on all privately-owned firearms and lays out the political and legal road map on how to accomplish that political goal, Libertarians and others need to pay attention. These people are serious and are willing to use violent means to accomplish their ends.

We should not be surprised that Progressives have this goal, nor should we be surprised when they deny it and call us “paranoid” and “whack jobs” for believing what Progressives always have believed: all individuals should be firmly and absolutely made subservient to the State, and part of subservience is being disarmed and unable to defend oneself from other predators. Only the State is fit to protect us, even if the U.S. Supreme Court already has ruled that police have no legal obligation to protect anyone.

The writer, identified only as “Sporks,” begins with explanations about why an assault weapons ban won’t have any effect upon crime in general or spree shootings in particular:

It’s nice that we’re finally talking about gun control. It’s very sad that it took such a terrible tragedy to talk about it, but I’m glad the conversation is happening. I hear a lot about assault weapon and large magazine bans, and whilst I’m supportive of that, it won’t solve the problem. The vast majority of firearm deaths occur with handguns. Only about 5% of people killed by guns are killed by guns which would be banned in any foreseeable AWB.

Furthermore, there seems to be no talk about high powered rifles. What gun nuts don’t want you to know is many target and hunting rifles are chambered in the same round (.223/5.56mm) that Lanza’s assault weapon was. Even more guns are chambered for more powerful rounds, like the .30-06 or (my personal “favorite”) 7.62x54R. Even a .22, the smallest round manufactured on a large scale, can kill easily. In fact, some say the .22 kills more people than any other round out there.

Again, I like that we’re talking about assault weapons, machine guns, and high capacity clips. But it only takes one bullet out of one gun to kill a person. Remember the beltway sniper back in 2002? The one who killed a dozen odd people? Even though he used a bushmaster assault rifle, he only fired one round at a time before moving. He could have used literally any rifle sold in the US for his attacks.

While one could use the above argument against an assault weapons ban, the Daily Kos continues with what it says will eliminate almost all crime:

The only way we can truly be safe and prevent further gun violence is to ban civilian ownership of all guns. That means everything. No pistols, no revolvers, no semiautomatic or automatic rifles. No bolt action. No breaking actions or falling blocks. Nothing. This is the only thing that we can possibly do to keep our children safe from both mass murder and common street violence. (Emphasis mine)

Although the writer says he believes that banning all civilian gun ownership will make us “truly” safe, it is hard to agree with such a statement, since murders and other violent crime still happen in countries that either ban civilian ownership or restrict it so that individuals effectively are kept from legal ownership of guns, including Great Britain, Australia, and Canada. The purpose, as one finds while reading this political screed, is for people the author hates – legal gun owners – ultimately to be imprisoned or killed violently by the police, as we shall see.

Like so many government actions that start out being “voluntary” and later become mandatory, the author calls for a national registry emphasizing “voluntary” compliance that then turns into something else:

Along with this, make private sales illegal. When a firearm is transferred, make it law that the registration must be updated. Again, make it super easy to do. Perhaps over, the internet. Dealers can log in by their FFLs and update the registration. Additionally, new guns are to be registered by the manufacturer. The object here is to create a clear paper trail from factory to distributor to dealer to owner. We want to encourage as much voluntary compliance as possible.

Now we get down to it. The registration period has passed. Now we have criminals without registered guns running around. Probably kooky types that “lost” them on a boat or something. So remember those ATF form 4473s? Those record every firearm sale, going back twenty years. And those have to be surrendered to the ATF on demand. So, we get those logbooks, and cross reference the names and addresses with the new national registry. Since most NRA types own two or (many) more guns, we can get an idea of who properly registered their guns and who didn’t. For example, if we have a guy who purchased 6 guns over the course of 10 years, but only registered two of them, that raises a red flag.

What happens at this point? Now the police become involved and the Daily Kos advocates the most violent approach to anyone who might technically “violate” the new rules:

Now, maybe he sold them or they got lost or something. But it gives us a good target for investigation. A nice visit by the ATF or state police to find out if he really does still have those guns would be certainly warranted. It’s certainly not perfect. People may have gotten guns from parents or family, and not registered them. Perfect is the enemy of pretty darn good, as they say. This exercise isn’t so much to track down every gun ever sold; the main idea would be to profile and investigate people that may not have registered their guns. As an example, I’m not so concerned with the guy who bought that bolt action Mauser a decade ago and doesn’t have anything registered to his name. It’s a pretty good possibility that he sold it, gave it away, or got rid of it somehow. And even if he didn’t, that guy is not who I’m concerned with. I’m concerned that other guy who bought a half dozen assault weapons, registered two hunting rifles, and belongs to the NRA/GOA. He’s the guy who warrants a raid. (Emphasis mine)

The recommendation here depends upon one thing: all government agents raiding others are armed, and armed to the teeth. The author, then, is saying that indiscriminate raids, which often end in tragedy and the loss of innocent life, are a good thing and should be expanded.

(We should not be surprised that the Daily Kos is a cheerleader for government violence. This is the same political blog that claims that socialism is good for the United States because it has provided war, the CIA, business subsidies, FEMA and…the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. At least we know what they believe in Washington, D.C.)

As for gun control, the author then demands an end to the gun registry, with a government campaign to tax, harass, arrest, and turn on the propaganda:

A national Firearms Owner Identification Card might be good, but I’m not sure if it’s necessary if we have a national database. We should also insist on comprehensive insurance and mandatory gun safes, subject to random, spot checks by local and federal law enforcement.

We must make guns expensive and unpopular, just like cigarettes. A nationwide, antigun campaign paid for by a per gun yearly tax paid by owners, dealers, and manufacturers would work well in this regard.

If that is not enough, then the government will turn on the hunters as well:

We should also segway into an anti-hunting campaign, like those in the UK. By making hunting expensive and unpopular, we can make the transition to a gun free society much less of a headache for us.

I know this seems harsh, but this is the only way we can be truly safe. I don’t want my kids being shot at by a deranged NRA member. I’m sure you don’t either. So lets stop looking for short term solutions and start looking long term. Registration is the first step.

My guess is that very few crimes have been committed by NRA or GOA members, but that is not his point. These people are different than “Spork,” and while they pose no threat to him whatsoever, the very existence of people who might have different outlooks on life is just too intolerable. They must be arrested or killed, but they certainly need to be eliminated. (And to think that the writers for Daily Kos consider themselves to be the Apostles of Tolerance.)

There also is another matter to consider, although I doubt it would bother the Daily Kos people or their fellow Progressives: Since police and other government “law enforcement” officers and departments would not be affected by this gun ban, it is ludicrous to think that many of these weapons and ammunition would not make their way into the hands of civilian criminals (as opposed to government criminals who are permitted to commit robbery, murder, and rape and not have to worry about being punished).

My sense is that the Daily Kos people know exactly what would happen, as armed criminals would go on rampages against unarmed civilians, with the police dutifully drawing the yellow chalk lines around the bodies. One also could expect civilians who did try to defend themselves and their families from armed predators (not police, just regular criminals) quickly and surely would be charged with crimes as they are in Canada, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand, as it effectively is illegal for people to engage in self-defense, even if their lives are in danger.

Progressives really don’t care whether or not individuals are safe in their homes, and if they truly believed that firearms themselves were the cause of violence, then they would demand disarmament of the U.S. Armed Forces and all state, local, and federal police. Furthermore, most of them know that the vast majority of legal gun owners in this country do not commit crimes, nor are they a danger to the public.

However, most Progressives believe that even the mere presence of a lawful gun owner is so odious and so evil that if the government cannot rid the world of those people, at least it can try to take away all of their firearms. My sense is Progressives will not stop there if they have any success at all with the latest gun-control/gun-ban initiative. As they continue to win more political victories, and as they continue to ravage the U.S. economy, they will become even angrier and more paranoid and more oppressive. Their end is a society in which the State makes all decisions for individuals, and their means is violence and more violence.

January 4, 2013

William L. Anderson, Ph.D. [send him mail], teaches economics at Frostburg State University in Maryland, and is an adjunct scholar of the Ludwig von Mises Institute. He also is a consultant with American Economic Services. Visit his blog.

Guns In Schools: A Teachers Response

by Todd Walker

Evil abounds.

I’m at a loss. I have no way of expressing my deep feelings of sympathy, regret, and anger over yesterday’s events. To the moms, dads, brothers, sisters and families, all I can do is pray for some kind of comfort. I have no idea how you will get through this wasting of life.

As the radio squawked the news, my first thoughts were on my 5-year old grandson. Then to my sister who teaches kindergarten.

Anger abounds.

A system wide email put us on “soft lock down” yesterday in the wake of unfathomable evil committed in Sandy Hook. I heard the horrible news on the radio returning from an errand at our the county board office. I was in my room during planning when a fellow teacher friend stopped by to talk.

“Who does something like this? I mean he killed little babies in a classroom!” he said.

He then asked me if stun guns were legal to carry in school. He wanted some kind of protection if a maniac decides to visit ours. I showed him my plans, my tools, my teacher’s toolbox. Showing him my new addition to my toolbox, wasp spray with a 22 feet spraying distance, I advised him to go buy a can and keep it in his desk. It’s not much, but it beats cowering under a desk.

Another teacher and I talked in the hall. He thinks that school construction will have to change. They’ll have to start building schools like prisons he said. Everyone enters into a holding room to be checked out before they’re allowed to join the schooled population. Bad idea. Our schools are too similar to prisons now.

Next, I asked my friend why there were no mass shootings at police precincts in this country. Simple. They all carry have guns. They don’t work in Victim Zones like we do. We’re defenseless ducks waiting on a load of lead. My school has one very out-of-shape resource officer with a sidearm on his duty belt to “protect” 850 possible victims. As you can imagine, the odds of him being in the right place, at the right time to stop a shooting spree is very unlikely.

First step in my solution?

Arm the teachers like Israel and South Africa. Word would spread. Thugs and scum choose their killing fields based on the avenue of least resistance. Dirt Road Girl and I named several fellow teachers that would jump at the chance to go through any training, initial and on going, to be able to carry real tools of self-defense in our “victim zones.”

Gun-grabbers like Michael Moore and Piers Morgan, with the aid of our MSM dancing through the blood of innocents, will tar and feather me for suggesting my solution. So guns would be in classrooms? Won’t that endanger the children? This morning there are devastated, grief-stricken families that would have loved for their child’s teacher to have been trained and armed yesterday. Maybe the brightly wrapped Christmas presents under their trees could have been opened.

The collective has done a superb job at brainwashing the schooled children and parents in our society. Our state public policy for Weapons Free Zones invites violence. They say they’re concerned about the children’s safety to get re-elected. The system is rigged. The weak and defenseless are easily exploited by the strong. The tragedy in Connecticut sums up the death and destruction visited upon fellow humans by an institution whose objective is to plunder, steal, and kill. Don’t tell me Weapons Free Zones for the children’s safety!

If a handful of trained teachers been allowed to carry guns in the building, the senseless killings could have been prevented, or at least minimized. As a teacher, my natural right to self-defense can only be exercised with wasp spray and a jawbone of an ass.

Keep Doing the Stuff of Self-Reliance,

Todd

P.S. – You can also keep up with the Stuff we’re Doing on Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook… and over at the Doing the Stuff Network.

P.P.S – If you find value in our blog, Dirt Road Girl and I would appreciate your vote on Top Prepper Sites! You can vote daily by clicking here or on the image below. Check out all the other value-adding sites while you’re there… 

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Deconstructing My Adjustable Paracord Rifle Sling…Just for You

by Todd Walker

One of our readers, winonageek, commented recently on my 550 Paracord Rifle Slings. “I love the idea for an adjustable paracord sling. Would you elaborate on how you made the adjustable sling? How did you connect the paracord and webbing?”

So, I thought I’d deconstruct it for him and anyone else interested.

After making my first paracord rifle sling, I attached it to a Ruger 10-22. Hum, nice fit, look, and functionality for redundant cordage. But what if I wanted to adjust the length for, say, a shotgun, or a longer rifle for a barrel-chested friend? My wheels were spinning. Off to Wally World to find a cheap clasp.

I dug into my box of webbing and found a piece of 1 inch material about two feet in length. More digging produced a buckle thingy (Triglide) used to connect the two loose ends of webbing.

I used about 80 feet of black paracord because, well, it’s the only color I had in a 100 foot hank that day.

Stuff you’ll need

• Paracord – about 80 feet – I use 100 feet ’cause I hate being too short at the climax of a project 🙂
• 1 inch x 28 inch webbing – more length depending on how many Twinkies you’ve packed away on your waistline
• Buckle thingy (Triglide)
• 2 sling swivels
• 1 buckle clasp – I used a 1 inch clasp to fit my webbing

Connecting the stuff

A.) Start one end of the paracord on one sling swivel and the other end through the female part of the clasp. I loop the cord through four times on both connectors. That’s unnecessary for strength, but just looks better than two loops on the connectors.

Do a basic cobra weave down the entire length starting at the clasp end. Once you reach the sling swivel, begin a king cobra weave (video link) on top of the previous cobra weave. I ran the king cobra weave about 20 inches and terminated the weave. The entire length of the paracord portion, from swivel to clasp, is about 24 inches. This measurement does not include the clasp and sling swivel.

Once you have the sling secured to the female clasp and sling swivel, it’s time to attach the webbing to the remaining hardware: sling swivel #2, buckle thingy (Triglide), and the male end of the clasp. To save you the trial-and-error method and a load of frustration, follow these procedures closely.

B.) I bent about 1/2 inch of webbing and melted it to itself to create a “stop” for the triglide. That step is probably not required. Then take the buckle thingy and feed the webbing through as shown.

Triglide and webbing

Webbing fed through buckle to melted “stop”

C.) Now you can feed the clasp (male end) and sling swivel #2 on the webbing. Make sure they both are facing out like the buckle pictured below.

Progression: buckle, male clasp, sling swivel

D.) Take the loose end of the webbing and feed it back through the buckle – on top of the end already in the buckle. Your done. Adjusting the length is done by sliding the loose end to fit. My sling is comfortable at around 38-39 inches end to end. Remember to use longer webbing for a longer sling.

Assembly complete

That’s it. I’m sure there are better, more functional methods, but this is what I had on hand except for the clasp. I used Uncle Mike’s sling swivels that I already had in my gun cleaning box. I never throw away webbing. The buckle was poached from my paracord supply bag. My total cost was under $10.00. I know. If I had to buy all the supplies upfront, it would cost more. It pays to stock up and be a scavenger.

As always, if you have a better idea for making an adjustable paracord sling, don’t be shy. Please let me know how to improve this puppy.

Keep Doing the Stuff,

Todd

P.S. – You can also keep up with the Stuff we’re Doing on Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, and our Facebook page… and over at the Doing the Stuff Network on Pinterest, Google +, and Facebook.

P.P.S – If you find value in our blog, Dirt Road Girl and I would appreciate your vote on Top Prepper Sites! You can vote daily by clicking here or on the image below. Check out all the other value-adding sites while you’re there…

Thanks for Sharing the Stuff!

Copyright: Content on this site (unless the work of a third-party) may be shared freely in digital form, in part or whole, for non-commercial use with a link back to this site crediting the author. All links in articles must remain intact as originally posted in order to be republished. If you are interested a third-party article, please contact the author directly for republishing information.