Surviving School Shootings with Weapons of Mass Instruction

by Todd Walker

“Shooter in the building! Lockdown! Lockdown!”

The resource officer is dying on the lobby floor. With the only other human in the building with a gun bleeding out, the shooting spree continues, unabated. The shooter, clad with body armor, deliberately makes his way down the main hallway firing his weapon at unarmed targets.

He approaches the locked door of your child’s classroom…

“Quite,” her teacher barely whispers to her class huddled in the corner.

Imagine this scene playing out in your child’s school or your office building. We don’t like to think about the possibility of such a horrible event. But we have to. It’s the world in which we live.

It’s quite possible you, a family member, or a friend work in a Weapon Free Zone. It’s highly unlikely that teachers, properly trained to use a firearm, will ever be allowed to carry this tool to protect innocent lives. So we are forced to use what’s available.

I work in the epitome of victim zones. A place where hoplophobia is instilled in young minds by our ever-expanding zero-tolerance regime. The inconvenient truth about these “evil” tools is not lost on many of my fellow teachers. They too value their life and the lives of their students and refuse to be a victim, cowering under desks, hoping and praying the good guys with guns show up before an active shooter sprays bullets across bulletin boards.

We plan to fight back, smarter.

Gun-Free Killing Zones

Our present shooting-fish-in-a-barrel strategy is deadly… and should be abandoned. Immediately!

Signs of hope do exist in the rational thinker realm. My hint is located a few paragraphs above. In mass shootings, defenseless prey, stripped of modern weaponry in No-Weapon-Zones, frantically wait for officials (even a non-official would suffice) with guns to stop the violence.

In my earlier Teacher Self-defense Toolbox post, I made the case for creating a non-victim zone – if you work in a fish barrel (Weapon-Free-Zone) like me. The comments from that post and another brilliant source I follow spurred me to update my school survival strategy.

Disclaimer: Some school systems and employers are more hoplophobic than others. Even chewing a slice of pizza into the shape of a gun could land you in deep-dish doo doo. Employ your work place survival strategy at your own risk. This is what I do – not necessarily what you should do. Think for yourself and find ways to camouflage (hide in plain sight) your tools of self-defense if necessary. Any step you take is better than waiting for good guys with guns to rescue you. Refuse to be a victim!

Weapons of Mass Instruction

Armed with only weapons of mass instruction, my MacGyver gene goes in full effect. To justify self-defense tools in the classroom or office to the boss, you’re improvised weapons should fit your environment.

Not your typical teacher toolbox

Take a tour with me through my classroom and steal ideas. Start at the gateway…

The Door

The gateway for an active shooter is your door. In our school, solid wood classroom doors swing inward. My door is always locked. This new county-wide policy took effect after the Sandy Hook shooting. I’ve followed this protocol for many years.

Don’t depend on door locks to keep shooters out. To beef up my door security, I cut wooden door wedges from scrap 2 x 4 lumber. [Note: Cut with the grain or length wise. Cutting short wedges across the grain will cause the wedge to splinter when hammered under the door.] I’ve made these available to all teachers and staff.

A roll of Gorilla Brand duct tape is in my drawer for so many reasons. One use is to tape the folding arm at the top of the door to prevent it from opening. There are commercially made straps designed for this application. Gorilla tape is less expensive and strong enough for the task.

In lockdown mode, drive two or three wedges under the door from inside the classroom. Do this with one of your other tools, a hammer. A spray-on rubberized coating ensures friction on our tiled floors.

Door Plan B, which my students and I have tested, is to build a barricade extending from the door to the back wall. This consists of two teacher’s desks, a computer cart, a door I converted into a table, and one book shelf. The assembled furniture creates a solid barrier from door to wall.

Hat tip to Straight Forward in a Crooked World for the following strategy. I’ve finally found a good use for vegetable oil. On lockdown, the only person on the tiled hallways of our school will be the shooter. Before securing my door, I plan to remove the lid from a plastic cooking oil container and give it a stomp, spewing its contents over the hallway tile.

Left over from four years ago when I stopped using veggie oil. Repurposed now!

Add a bag of kitty litter and a scoop to your cabinet in case you and your students need to get out of the room over the oil spill. Or a rolled up rug could be unrolled over the slippery stuff. I stand on a yoga mat at my stand-up desk which would bridge the slippery stuff to exit the building.

A concerned commenter was worried about good guys with guns slipping on the oil. A lot of carnage can be inflicted in the several minutes it takes for first responders to show up at the scene. That is the least of my immediate concerns when I only have improvised tools of self-defense to protect the lives of my students. Once I’m allowed to carry real tools of self-defense, I won’t deploy the oil slick.

Blind and Disorient

If my door is breached, I have a fire extinguisher ready to spray to disorient the shooter.

Blinding chemical cocktail

Also, Vikki suggested a can of wasp spray on my last toolbox post. The insect killer shoots over 20 feet. Bear spray and pepper spray are not allowed in our schools. Wasp spray is in my desk drawer.

Be Ready to Inflict Violence

Temporarily blind or disorient the threat and begin your assault. First order of business is to disarm, disable, and/or kill the shooter. I’d rather die fighting than be shot while curled up under a desk.

There are many items that can be used as improvised weapons in an office or school. Granted, they not as effective as gun, but, for now, that may be all you have available.

You need striking tools. Here’s a few of mine…

1.) Jawbone of an Ass

Samson, of Biblical fame, smote 1,000 Philistines with this improvised weaponry. Comes in handy for Science, too.

Get smitten!

Bone tools and weapons have been used for thousands of years. It’s sad, but true, that we’ve been transported back to the Stone Age in our Weapon-Free-Zones.

2.) Annihilator™ wrecking tool

The Annihilator is the black “hammer” in the center

Any metal tool or bar can be used as a striking tool. I’ve opened stuck lockers and hammered stuff with this beast. In close quarters, a blow from this tool to the head or neck would neutralize the threat.

Some have suggested a golf club. In my experience as a “golfer”, the shafts are not solid enough to deliver repeated strikes to an intruder. A section of metal rebar standing in the cabinet would be a solid metal option.

3.) Hoe Handle

Pictured above with the spade removed. Self explanatory. The length of the handle generates power for the metal end when swung.

A baseball bat (aluminum or wooden) works. You could display it on your office wall as the bat that won your State Championship. You’re limited only by your imagination.

Until I’m able to legally carry real defensive weapons on campus, I’ll keep MacGyvering weapons of mass instruction. If you have thoughts you’d like to add, please do so in the comment section.

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… 

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.

Martial Arts: Resilience Against Physical Force

The philosophy behind Doing the Stuff is simple… Trading theory for ACTION. We’ve had a great response from folks joining the DTS Network. We’re excited for all of you who have traded theory for action and joined us on our journey!

I’ve updated our DTS page and added a list of Trusted Resources who add value to the preparedness community. If you have a moment, be sure to check out both pages. While you’re there, let us know if you want to join the journey by trading theory for action.

After introducing the Doing the Stuff Network, I was contacted by Resman who blogs at Resilient Man. He caught the vision of Doing the Stuff and wants to move more towards the practical skills side of survival and not as heavy on theory.

I thought I’d introduce him and allow you to get to know him a bit. You can check out his bio at the end of this post.

________________

by Resman

I have been in Martial arts for 20 years. This is what I have learnt .

Image source

Martial arts as a form of physical resilience.

Think long-term when choosing a defense system.

I started training when I was 14 I am 40 today, I have a bad back, somedays my left knee bothers me more than I wish and my right does tingle a bit. If I do more than 15 pullups my elbow is sore for a week. My point is choose a system you can use when you are 40, 50 or 60. Forget about kickboxing and Taekwondo, too many high kicks. I have been there, done that and know I suffer the consequences everyday.

Leverage Early.

This means, learn an art or a system that can use everyday items as weapons.

When I was in my teens, I thought I could take on the world with my bare hands. Twenty two years later I know that my thinking was irrational but typical for an 18-year-old. At 40, I have to start learning new systems that use sticks and knives. At this point I understand the importance of weapons such as an umbrella or a simple pen. Using such every day items for self-defense could mean life or death, an umbrella can help you deal with two attackers (range), a pen can help you defend yourself in a confined space (penetration).

Depending on stamina and power alone just because you physically can is something you will regret, at some point in the future. In a decade or two your body will no longer be able to cope with the stress of high intensity martial arts.

Ironically, when I was younger I was never bothered in the street I had the “do not f*** with me” body and look . Now I have to say I do not look like a marine anymore and I have been “hassled” more frequently by younger punks and I presume, that the older you get the easier of a target you become. Which means that the older you are the more you need your martial arts!

Look at your parents, and you can see your future.

My father has a bad back, my mother is lactose intolerant. I suffer from both. Martial arts may amplify chronic issues such as joint pain and back pain.

Read the rest here

Author bio:

I am 40 years old. Live in continental Europe. My introduction to the world of prepping was through the scouts, at the age of 10. Up to my early 30s prepping and survival where at the very heart of my life. In my 20s looked at prepping as a set of individual skills and materials that one needed to acquire in order to survive. In my 40s I believe that one’s ability to be a productive part of society no matter how it will transform itself in the future is a more efficient way to survive than going it alone. Having skills that will be of service to others is the only way to ensure a safe transition, if society will ever transition to something else.

Resman blogs at Resilient Man.

_______________

Keep Doing the Stuff!

Todd

P.S. – You can also connect with us on Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, and our Facebook page. The Doing the Stuff Network community can be found here: Pinterest, Google +, and Facebook.

Thanks for sharing the stuff!

Copyright Information: 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. If you are interested a third-party article, please contact the author directly for republishing information.

 

Regular Folk Taking the Doing The Stuff Challenge

by Todd Walker

Inspiration comes from perspiration. Thought I’d share a few of our fellow Sherpa’s projects.

1.) Crunchy Mama shared with me that her son has begun making paracord survival bracelets. He’s a little entrepreneur. I’ve offered to send her a paracord jig that makes creating bracelets very easy. (Sorry, I don’t have permission to post pics yet)

2.) Here’s a look at Caroline Cooper’s homemade medical kit.

3.) MI Patriot made these tomato ladders. The ladders are painted primary colors and are very functional. DRG and I just took ours down last week, folded them up, and stored them for next season.

Primary colored tomato ladders

4.) One of my new friends on FB, Perky Prepping Gramma, is learning how to reload ammunition. Check her out. She’s a doing the stuff machine!

 

What new skills are you learning?

Let me know and we’ll add them to our growing Doing The Stuff List! You can submit photos to me via email (survivalsherpa at gmail dot com) or send me a link if you have it published on a blog with permission to reprint it here.

The projects should be relevant to general preparedness, self-sufficiency, homesteading, wilderness survival, self-defense/security, wild food foraging, real food, functional fitness, and self-reliance. I’ve never done a contest with prizes on our site but I’m considering it for a Doing the Stuff Challenge.

What do you think? Interested? If there’s enough interest, I’ll get it organized and started. Let me know.

In the mean time,

Keep doing the stuff!

Todd

P.S. ~ DRG and I got our daughter and grandson moved into their new place this weekend. Feeling more secure. Met several of her new neighbors. One of her next door neighbors is an old friend of mine! In case you missed it, you can read about her recent break in here.

P.P.S. ~ As always, if anything from this site adds value to your life, please pass it on. You can also connect with us on Twitter, Pinterest, and our new Facebook page.

Any information on this site may be shared freely, in part or whole, with a link back to this site crediting the author. Thanks for sharing the stuff!

Related articles

• A DiY Survival Sling Shot with Big Game Capabilities (survivalsherpa.wordpress.com)
• “Doing the Stuff” vs Pretending (survivalsherpa.wordpress.com)
• SmartPrepper Mason Jar Kerosene Lamps (survivalsherpa.wordpress.com)
• Stump Shooting as a Survival Skill (survivalsherpa.wordpress.com)
• Security Advice to My Daughter: Essential Pillars of Preparedness Series (survivalsherpa.wordpress.com)

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

Ladies ~ Taking Oprah’s Anti-Gun Advice is Just Plain Dumb

Not only has Karen De Coster been on the front lines battling tyranny for many years, she is solely responsible for introducing me to the Primal/Paleo lifestyle over three years ago. My hat is off to you, Karen, for pointing me to food freedom, life, and liberty!

For any Oprah-bots stumbling upon this – I’m preaching to the choir I hope – please read, get your government permission slip if you have to, acquire a firearm and training, and excommunicate yourself from O’s cult.

This article was originally published at KarenDeCoster.com and reprinted here with the author’s permission. Please checkout her bio and connect with Karen through her info below the article.

The Church of Oprah

Image credit

“No One Ever Needs to Carry A Gun”: Disciples of Oprah

by Karen De Coster

This is a statement that is often said to me to try and bait me into argument. I hear this from friends and acquaintances. Admittedly, it comes mostly from women (surprise, surprise). At gatherings, women just seem to want to bait me into arguing this topic, even when I haven’t even hinted at a discussion of the topic. My perception is that they are jealous of my self-sufficiency and radical independence, in addition to being bugged by the fact that I own guns and advocate for gun ownership and the right of self-defense via my writing. This is in addition to their Oprahized belief of the world that there really isn’t a lot of hate or crime, and when there is, odds are that it just won’t ever happen to them. That’s a nice, fluffy dream, ain’t it?

In the end, I walk away from these arguments because (1) we won’t change one another’s mind (2) we will strain our friendship or acquaintance, and (3) they are far less knowledgeable, learned, and researched on the topic as compared to me. So I turn and walk away from these philistine entrapment scenarios.

Other friends who do not agree with me on this topic just leave it alone – just as it should be. I have no desire to consistently defend my personal beliefs of the rights to self-defense in the company of friends. Luckily, not one person in my family is so stupid to ever utter such a thing to me because we all have the same philosophy about the right to life and freedom from aggression.

This story is a sick case of the loss of a loved human being due to a gang of animals with the two characteristics that make these people so dangerous: (1) they have nothing to lose, and (2) they are bored, and thus have way too much time on their hands to seek and engage conflict.

When he was walking out of the store, witnesses told police four teens jumped on him and began beating and kicking him and within two minutes he was shoved backwards onto the five lane road, pushed to the ground and knocked unconscious.

A passing car hit him.

When one has connections to the local news, as I do, you see the oodles of violent crime within your little suburban enclave that most people never, ever hear about: bank robberies; rapes and armed robberies in parking lots of major retail stores; small store robberies; carjackings; home invasions; and attacks on people walking or driving alone. A recent local crime occurred in a Kohl’s parking lot at 2pm, where a woman was raped, and folks just walked by without taking any action whatsoever.

But according to the disciples of Oprah, nothing ever happens to them. So accordingly, nothing will ever happen to you, so … why do you need to carry a gun? As a self-defense instructor put it to me – you carry a gun and know how to use it because you want to make it home tonight.

Joshua didn’t make it home. But the dedicated Oprah Philosophers will remind you that it never happens to you. Only those people in the news who are far removed from your reality. Happy dreams, people.

Author’s bio: Karen De Coster, CPA is an accounting/finance professional in the healthcare industry and a freelance writer, blogger, speaker, and sometimes unpaid troublemaker. She follows a Primal/Paleo lifestyle. She writes about libertarian stuff, economics, financial markets, the medical establishment, the Corporate State, health totalitarianism, and other essentially, anything that encroaches upon the freedom of her fellow human beings. When she has a few moments of spare time she engages functional fitness, adventure cycling, photography, conversations with friends, and visiting wine regions. Check out her website. Follow her on Twitter @karendecoster.

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)

7 Surprising Reasons Why Americans Aren’t Prepared for What’s Coming

by Todd Walker

I’ve never suffered a gunshot wound.

I had a friend who was ventilated by some grudge-holding thug. Apparently, this idiot wanted to get even for a business deal that went south. He chased my friend through the bays of his car wash shooting at him with a .22 revolver. Fortunately, only his love handles got pierced.  After recovering, my buddy began making a plan to never get caught defenseless again.

Tobacco Smoke Enema – Nice!

What follows may be painful for some. It may hurt as much as the old tobacco smoke enema. The only difference is that I’m NOT blowing smoke up yours.

Why do so many Americans refuse to prepare for worst case situations?

Or better yet, why do they not even prep for potential everyday emergencies? You’ve seen them pass you on their donut tire at 67 miles per hour heading to the 7-11 to get their winning lotto ticket. I’m sure with all their winnings they’ll be able to prepare, right?

Being prepared doesn’t take huge financial windfalls. So why do so many people think it’s a stupid idea to be prepared? Here’s my list.

A) Peer Pressure. Remember school days? Who wants to be standing outside looking in on the popular group? We all want to feel important and part of a group. We’re social animals. The group we associate with can determine our future.

My daddy always told me, “If you lay down with dogs, you’ll get up with fleas.” If you hang out with prepared individuals, you’re likely to become more prepared. As prepping goes more mainstream, many in the media portray preppers as crazy, racist, isolationist, anti-everything survivalist. None of us want that label. There’s always a few fringe types in any group that make media salivary glands wet. The new growth to the prepper movement is fueled by “normal” people like soccer moms, taxpaying business owners, and law-abiding folk.

B) Government Schools. My day job is to teach at a local school government indoctrination center. My advice to any preparedness minded parent of school aged children: AVOID GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS NO MATTER THE COST! Government schools manage ignorance for profit. Read more here.

Preparedness and survival requires self-reliance and the ability to think for yourself. The State forces kids to spend their most formative 12 years (16+ including college) learning how not to learn, but conform. Finding learning in government schools is as hard as finding a corner in a round room. A quarter of their lives circle the toilet bowl taking the path of least resistance to the collective’s sewage plant to be recycled and made “safe” and useful tax-payers.

Parent choices greatly increase or decrease their kid’s survivability. So what’s the solution for educating prepared individuals? Homeschooling may seem impossible. Both parents have to work to keep the family feed, clothed and sheltered. It comes down to our priorities. What “important” stuff can we kick to the curb to rescue our kids from government gulags and offer them a real education? I can’t answer that for you. Humans are individuals with unique situations. One size does not fit all. Homeschool, unschool, anything but government school.

C) Dependence. We’ve abandoned our roots. Due to reason # (B), our history is intentionally distorted. I often ask kids to tell me about historical figures and events like Abraham Lincoln, the War of Northern Aggression, or more recently – the Federal Reserve. As to Lincoln and the unCivil War, kids today are taught that Lincoln invaded the south to free the slaves. While I abhor the concept of someone owning another person, I know that Lincoln didn’t care about slaves being freed. Follow the money.

When my ancestors stepped off a boat in 1735, there was no free lunch or welcome basket full of government goodies. dependence on their own ability, family, and immediate like-minded friends started my family journey in America. Their self-reliant skills didn’t insulate them from set-backs and calamities. The find-a-way-to-get-the-job-done attitude is what helped me and my family survive to this point. Thankfully, I’m part of the remnant of self-reliance left in our country. When their Katrina-style disasters hit, communities rebuilt without the help of FEMA. This spirit of pioneering one’s own life has been traded for dependence. Even after natural and man-made disasters, I’m amazed at the false hope Americans place in our government’s ability to sweep in for the rescue. It’s a stupid idea most Americans hold.

D) MBM (Morally Bankrupt Morons). “All I need is guns and ammo to survive. When the SHTF, I’ll just take what I need.” I’ve read this statement, or similar sentiments on many preparedness/survival forums. I want to think they were just trolls. But I know there are lazy, corrupt individuals that will resort to this style of survival – for a while. Do they think that the very people they plan to plunder are not able and ready to defend their personal property?

I saw an episode of Doomsday Preppers where one in their group stated that they don’t buy weapons and ammo. Their plan, when the armed  horde of hungry looters show up, is to show them all their food and offer more if they leave them unharmed. Maybe some MBM’s will live to loot another day. I wouldn’t place my hopes of survival in this strategy. Your mileage may very.

Some people have an aversion, even a fear of tools called guns. In the wake of Sandy Hook, I’m encouraged by the bare ammo shelves and empty gun stores. It gives me hope that people are listening to their “gut” and making preparations for their future. Defending their life, liberty, and property against enemies, foreign and domestic, seems to be catching on. Why shouldn’t it? It’s our natural right.

I’ll put real simple here. I don’t care who, whether pastor, clergyman, senator, family member, or Santa Clause tells you guns are evil and you don’t need them, put as much distance between them and you as possible. Part ways. Period.

Back to the MBM. These individuals embody the entitlement mentality and our moral backsliding in this country. Hunger is a strong motivator for stupid stuff. I’ve never been shot, and I’ve never shot anyone else. I pray to Papa that I never have to face the choice of kill or be killed. If that time comes, and I’m afraid it will, we each have to wrestle before hand with our resolve to protect our life, liberty, and happiness.

Read the signs and heed legitimate warnings. Don’t live in fear. Prepare accordingly my friends. Avoid being low hanging fruit.

E) Nationalism. Arrogance leads to a fall. It could never happen here. This is America! We’re the envy of the world. I’m convinced that this is the thinking of the mentally ill – or the historically illiterate. I hear the disdain coming from ‘educated’ folk all the time. I think they suffer from altitude sickness in their ivory towers. Totalitarianism happens one step at a time. As long as we are allowed to wake up in our homes, drink our coffee, go to work, watch our TV programs, rinse and repeat, tyranny becomes routine. Vigilance dies. It’s frog-boiling 101. Gradually heat the pot of water and the frogs don’t jump out.

I love my country. I love my freedom more. Humility and honesty seem to be lost traits. I hope that there are enough people waking up to help rebuild our crumbling republic. .

F) Mental Enslavement. With enough time, falling water can cut through rock. Is what we call ‘freedom’ really freedom? Many in the patriot movement call themselves “freedom lovers” yet accept tyranny as normal. We’ve all heard the battle cry of patriot-lite types. You’ll have to pry my guns from my cold dead fingers! No worries. The State will gladly oblige. Yet, the water fall of tyranny continues to eroded our liberties. It’s like watching a catastrophic train wreck in slow motion.

“Necessity is the excuse for every infringement of human freedom.” – William Pitt

We have as much freedom and liberty as the State allows. To realize and enjoy our natural rights, we must free our minds. Stop listening to talking heads. Free your mind. Don’t be deceived. The smoke screen isn’t just coming from the liberal media types. I use to listen to conservative talk radio religiously. I can’t stomach the party line talk anymore. Some pundits distinguish themselves as conservative, not republican. Liberal vs. conservative, Democrat vs. Republican. They are just different sides of the same liberty-destroying coin. Flip the coin to choose your master.

Ancient Chinese proverb: “The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.”

G) Stifled Self-government. Critical thinking is dead (See # F). Passivity is encouraged, even demanded. Habits form us. We prefer  our guardians of darkness. It hides our secret need for fake security. We are addicted to our velvet chains. The principles of non-aggression and self-ownership have been systematically eradicated. Most Americans favor State coercion over individualism and self-reliance. Voluntary relationships between free individuals is no longer viewed as common sense. Our State monopoly on schooling crusades for government dependence and even sites individualism as a mental disorder.

Rejecting government dogma invites the use of ‘legal’ force, or the threat of force, to reform rebellious subjects of the State’s idea of being a good citizen. We have to get over ourselves and our dependency on government ‘safety’ nets. That is, if we want to be self-reliant. Breaking the addiction sometimes comes step-by-step. Sometimes it’s cold turkey that works. We’re all different. Do what works for you.

Don’t wait. Take one step towards building preparedness and resilience each day. What physical, mental, spiritual, emotional steps did you make today?

Don’t beat yourself up if any of these 7 reasons apply to you. It’s hard not to relate to some of these reasons. But who wants to be the person walking out of the restaurant bathroom with a strip of toilet paper stuck to their heel? How embarrassing.

So much is riding on you – your family, community, and even what’s left of our country.

Free you mind!

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

Related articles

• Rise Of The Preppers: 50 Of The Best Prepper Websites And Blogs On The Internet (thedailysheeple.com)
• A Warning for Prepared Parents and Public Schooling (survivalsherpa.wordpress.com)
• How Chronic Couch Preppers Can Look Good Naked Again (survivalsherpa.wordpress.com)

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

Confessions of a Flashaholic

“Hi, my name is Todd and I’m flashaholic.”

I’m addicted. Is there a recovery program called Flashlights Anonymous?

Two StreamLights: (L) Stinger LED; (R) Protac Tactical Flashlight 2L ~ my EDC torch

Dirt Road Girl stumbles upon my hidden stash, rolls eyes, and offers up a little prayer for intervention. She reaches for an ink pen only to find what she thought was a writing utensil is… you guessed it… a freaking flashlight!

Disclosure: I don’t advertise or make money from this blog. Any products or links mentioned are for educational purposes only. If I like a product, I’ll recommend it.

Just last week, a student asked me if that was a flashlight clipped into my front pocket. Even at school, I can’t seem to break the habit. Is it a disease? Maybe it’s the choices I’ve made. The company I keep. Maybe, as an infant, I was breast-fed too long or not enough.

Seriously, I’m drawn to lights like a moth to a flame. I see no way of breaking free. Nor do I intend to.

I own 3 or 4 pair of reading glasses with lights. These get the most use of any of my torches. During lessons in my classroom, I often turn the overhead lights off for easy viewing on the active board. To help a student at his/her desk in low light situations, I often illuminate their work with my LightSpecs. At first, kids made fun of my “glowing glasses”. Now, its old hat for Mr. Walker to light up their work space.

We recently lost power at school and the backup generator failed. My interior room with no windows was pitch dark. I simply reached up, hit the switches near my temples and then grabbed my EDC torch from my back pocket. The howling stopped.

Tacticool Flashlights

By far, my LightSpecs see the most use. They’re not a defensive tool per se.  Wearing them switched “on” would give an aiming point for a gun-wielding thug.

A “tactical” flashlight is needed for self-defense applications. I’m not a fan of tacticool stuff. I want my stuff to be functional and dependable. Depending on your budget and individual preference, there are many lights to choose from. Before buying, keep these tips in mind.

Size Matters

You want a torch that fits in the palm of your hand. Like a concealed carry gun, if it too large, you’re likely to leave it at home. It should easily fit in your pants pocket or attach to your belt or purse. A 3 D-cell Maglite makes a great blunt force object but not an everyday carry item.

Small but powerful! Streamlight 88031 Protac Tactical Flashlight 2L

Lumens

Most experts recommend 100 + Lumens. I own a couple of Streamlight flashlights. I acquired my first while on the road, literally. The flashlight gods dropped it in the middle of the road last year on our way home from school. I yelled, “FLASHLIGHT!”, did an immediate U-Turn, and saved this torch from destruction. DRG shook her head in disbelief at my addiction and driving. The strobe feature is designed to disorient and confuse an attacker with 125 Lumens. The battery is rechargeable. No need to get all the bells and whistles. Press on, press off with enough Lumens to temporarily blind a threat is all that’s needed to give you time to fight or flee. Here’s the charging cradle I just received…with a spare battery always trickle charged.

StreamLight Stinger LED in the charging cradle with a spare battery

Construction

If all you can afford is a plastic flashlight, buy it. True tactical lights are lightweight metal, waterproof, and durable. If employed in striking with the bezel end, it’s sure to leave a mark on the threat.

Sticker Shock

You don’t have to mortgage you home to buy a quality torch. I’ve got some disposable lights – the ones you buy that come three to a pack at the box stores for 10 bucks that would make great barter items. For a quality light, you’re going to have to spring for a little more. I just ordered a few more of the Streamlight 88031 Protac Tactical Flashlight 2L. A 180 Lumen light for $44.00. I use mine for EDC – Every Day Carry. It clips into my left front pocket. The other two will make great stocking stuffers. Correction. DRG has just added one to her purse.

• For more research, check out CandlePowerForums, a site with more information than you can shake a flashlight at. That’s right. There are entire sites that feed my addiction.

A few “drugs” for fellow flashaholics

Little Lights

Button Lights

DRG has a small button light on her key chain. You can find these at camping stores, online or brick and mortar outlets. They’re useful for finding stuff like keyholes or dropped items. I carry a button light designed to clip on web gear on my “Get Home Bag“. It emits a blue light powered by a small LED bulb. Clipped on my boonie hat, it offers just the right amount of non-white light when getting set up in my hunting stands.

Pak-lite LED Flashlight

I first heard of these on a review at SurvivalBlog. These little LEDs on a battery get rave reviews. EagerGridlessBeaver Blog has an extensive write-up on testing these simple lights. You’ll want one after reading it.

Head Lamps

These offer hands-free illumination. I keep them in my kits, BOB, and toolbox. Remember to keep fresh batteries on hand.

The Light Emitting Diode is your friend. Don’t leave home without ’em.

Keep Doing the Stuff!

Todd

P.S. – You can also connect with us on Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, and our Facebook page. The Doing the Stuff Network community can be found here: Pinterest, Google +, and Facebook. Lots of good stuff going on here… check it out!

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

Thanks for sharing the stuff!

Copyright Information: 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. If you are interested a third-party article, please contact the author directly for republishing information.

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… 

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.