Poor Man Survival
Self Reliance
tools for independent minded people…
ISSN 2161-5543
A
Digest of Urban Survival Resources
Save Your Life Without
Killing
Note: non-violence does not imply pacifism. Self-defense is necessary when faced with the violence of others. Like Gandhi said, “Where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence.”
Our common interests are simple:
1.) We all want to leave a better world for our kids/grandkids (the seventh-generation principle).
2.) We all want to be treated well by others (the golden rule).
3.) Nobody wishes violence acted upon themselves (the non-aggression principle).
4.) Nobody wants to be a slave. 3 and 4 can be lumped under 2, but they are worth mentioning.
We know the coming collapse is a gradual one, and so is the increased oppression.
The coming collapse will reveal the illusion of government and so-called democracy. Politicians and bureaucrats have run and ruined the world with mass deception and manipulation with fiat currency.
How is it that not everyone knows about this?
Many people see the chaos and feel the economic oppression, but they refuse to believe the cause. Yet it is laid bare for all to see. By refusing to look, we are sanctioning a collapse.
And when the masses do open their eyes and look? They panic.
Unfortunately, it’s not just economics and politics that can cause such a panic. We are so dependent on power to live our daily lives and for all of our electronic records that anything from a solar flare to a natural disaster to a nuclear warhead detonated above our atmosphere could knock power out and leave us crippled for weeks.
Banks and bank records would be inaccessible. Water would be worth its weight in gold. Hospitals, police, and fire-rescue won’t be functioning.
If not a total collapse, then it’s weeks, if not months, of hardship.
This possibility, with the signs happening right before our eyes, should have caused an alert and made people see the urgent need to move quickly to protect what they have.
In the previous issue I gave readers of my blog my up-to-date Emergency Recommendations-Here are a few more:
- Have some cash at
home.
- Keep only enough money
in the bank to cover about one month’s worth of bills.
- Have some 1 oz. gold
coins at home.
- Have some pre-1964
silver coins at home.
- Avoid Internet
financial services, i.e. brokers and banks.
- Be careful how you use
the Internet. My research tells me that it is certainly not private. It is
still better to use fax or mail. This may not be private either, but
better. Use the phone for travel plans.
- Store gold coins in
the Perth Mint if you have the funds. Get details on the web at www.perthmint.com.
- As always have basic
food and water and guns and ammo stored at home.
I think we are very close to a point of no return. There are still millions who are ignorant to what they must do. Yet if you’re reading this, then you are one of the few who are very concerned with the state of our country and are attempting to learn more.
In fact, when it comes to the notion of surviving these hardships or a collapse, and the methodology for doing so, I feel so strongly that you need to start protecting yourself today
Consider how you will defend your home and ultimately your
family, you must take into account and identify exactly “how” your plans and
preparations will help you in a home invasion situation. In order to gauge
“how” you plan for such an attack, you must first understand that a home
invasion is not simply a robbery.
Home robberies are usually committed by individuals who
have cased your neighborhood and know that his or her objective is to get into
your home and out as quickly as possible with everything they can take and with
minimum risk.
They normally choose times when the homeowners are likely
not to be home, such as during the day. They normally work alone. They look for
alarm decals, dogs, pet doors, locks and windows. And if they feel that the
target residence is well fortified, they will likely choose another home.
These people will normally do everything they can to avoid
confrontation and many times when confronted, will run. Bottom line: Most
burglaries do not result in acts of violence.
Unlike the burglar, the home invasion criminal profile is
quite the opposite. Indeed, they like to work at night under the cover of
darkness, and on weekends when the occupants are more likely to be home.
The 7 Critical Survival Tactics for Home Invasion
As you begin to consider how you will
defend your home and ultimately your family, you must take into account and
identify exactly “how” your plans and preparations will help you in a home
invasion situation. In order to gauge “how” you plan for such an attack, you
must first understand that a home invasion is not simply a robbery.
Home robberies are usually committed by
individuals who have cased your neighborhood and know that his or her objective
is to get into your home and out as quickly as possible with everything they
can take and with minimum risk.
They normally choose times when the
homeowners are likely not to be home, such as during the day. They normally
work alone. They look for alarm decals, dogs, pet doors, locks and windows. And
if they feel that the target residence is well fortified, they will likely
choose another home.
http://www.moneyandmarkets.com/7-critical-survival-tactics-home-invasion-83294
Part II
Do you have a backup plan for personal defense? What about the person
who does not want to carry a gun or a knife? What about your teenage daughter
or son who is not yet able to carry something more decisive?
Having an alternative type of
personal defense that can be carried every day is a better choice than not
carrying anything at all.
In looking at other less-lethal
forms of personal defense, we need to discuss chemical sprays. In my younger
days as I was studying various forms of self-defense, I was introduced to
chemical sprays as a form of defense.
Being the stubborn young man that
I was, I had to experience this personal-defense device for myself. And that
meant volunteering myself to be used as a test subject.
The demonstration was set up for
me to portray the role of an attacker to test whether or not the chemical agent
would stop me from attacking the guy spraying me.
The “experiment” was designed to
proceed with me employing a moderate level of physical violence with my body
weapons (meaning hands, elbows, knees, legs, feet and other parts of my body)
against another well-trained individual.
During this time, we decided to
set up specific objectives or questions that we wanted to answer by the
culmination of the scenario:
1. Will the pepper spray stop me
from attacking?
2. Can the test victim deploy the
pepper spray in time within 12-15 feet?
3. What were the aftereffects of
being sprayed?
As this took place many years
ago, I don’t recall the brand or type of chemical agent that we used in the
training exercise. However, what I do remember was that I took a direct hit in
the eyes and face with the spray.
What we determined at that time
was that it would likely be an effective agent as a diversionary or distraction
type weapon. What I mean is: Its effectiveness depends on several factors,
including type and concentration of chemical agent used, the ability of the
individual to deploy the device in time and, perhaps most importantly, the
level of commitment of the attacker.
To answer the first question, we
had to look at who we were and compare that person to an attacker. All of us at
the time involved in this little “test,” were literally living in a sub-culture
of personal defense. We trained quite literally every day sometimes for hours.
We were mentally as well as physically tough.
So at that time, did the pepper
spray stop me from attacking the subject?
No, it did not. I took a direct
hit, and though it burned like heck, made me tear up, caused blurry vision and
some feeling of constriction of my breathing, I was still able to grab and
punch the subject repeatedly.
This also meant that if a
committed attacker or hostile individual were also to be sprayed in the eyes,
mouth and or face, it did not guarantee the assailant would be stopped or
incapacitated.
In testing the second question, I
walked toward the subject rather than ran as he deployed the spray and took aim
with the device already in-hand.
Had I run at him fast and the
device was in his pocket or in a bag, it is questionable and unlikely that he
would have been able to deploy the spray in a distance of 15 feet without first
defending himself with body weapons.
Finally, the aftereffects of the
chemical agent were exacerbated by the increased respiration and sweat. So my
skin felt like it was on fire and my vision was limited as the agent did its
job on my eyes. Breathing was shallower as my lungs felt like someone was
squeezing them with every breath I drew. My nose and throat were extremely
irritated. And my body was wracked with all manner of involuntary sensations.
With modern day pepper
sprays, the effects can last as long as 45 minutes with 30 minutes of blurry
vision or temporary blindness.
To further delve into whether these chemical sprays would be a
good personal-defense choice for you, we need to take a quick look at what they
are made of.
What is Pepper Spray?
Pepper spray is known as “OC”,
short for Oleoresin Capsicum, a substance extracted from chili
peppers to be used in the self-defense spray. The active ingredient in
Oleoresin Capsicum is capsaicin.
You may be familiar with Mace®,
which is a brand name for the first type of self-defense spray, which was
invented in 1965. It also falls under the chemical-spray and pepper-spray
category.
Chili peppers are spicy and hot.
The measure of that spicy heat is called a Scoville heat unit. And although the
measurement is somewhat subjective – because it depends upon the capsaicin
sensitivity of the person on the receiving end – it is still a good indicator
as to the heat produced by any given pepper agent.
Just to give you a baseline index
of Scoville units for peppers that you have likely either heard of or ingested
previously, consider this: Jalapeno peppers are in the 4,000 to 10,000 Scoville
heat unit range; cayenne peppers range from 30,000 to 50,000; Habanero chilies
from 100,000 to 350,000; while the Carolina reaper rate 850,000 to 2.2 million
Scoville heat units.
Now consider that some modern
pepper sprays are as much as 3 million Scoville heat units! That packs a heck
of a punch to an attacker.
There are two other chemical
sprays worthy of mentioning. The first is CN, which is an abbreviation for
Chloroacetophenone. This chemical agent was used in the ’60s and ’70s by the
police and military and has since been used much less than the others. More
commonly called “tear gas”, this agent has a longer “activation” time to work
so it’s less effective against highly committed and or violent-type attackers.
The other chemical agent is CS,
which is short for Orthochlorobenzalmalononitrile. By nature, it is a serious
irritant to the mucous membranes of the throat, eyes, nose and skin. It is more
effective than CN and both can cause vomiting and choking.
Something noteworthy to keep in
mind: If you are looking for a chemical agent to use against dogs, you will
want OC. That’s because CN and CS will be less effective at stopping aggressive
canines since they don’t have lactimal glands. These are the glands located
above each eye inside the orbit, which produce tears.
Of the three types of chemical
sprays, OC, or pepper spray, is the most widely used for personal defense and
is the most effective.
Pepper spray comes in
a variety of volumes and delivery methods
When shopping for pepper spray,
you will want to take into account the delivery method. That is how the agent
is discharged from the device. For some pepper sprays, because of their design,
you must consider any wind and your distance from the attacker to avoid getting
blowback, when you’re struck with your own spray.
To eliminate these issues, buy
the stream-, gel- or foam-type pepper sprays. The stream pepper sprays vary in
effective distance, but the activator-stream models can shoot 15-18 feet. There
are a number of pepper-spray gels that have effective distances of 18 feet,
while the foam units usually have a range from 8-10 feet.
The gel pepper spray sticks to
the face better than the others with little chance of it blowing back at you.
Pepper spray also comes in a
fogger-type unit that sprays a fine mist from up to 20 feet. It’s a good
delivery method when there are multiple attackers. The downside is that there
is more potential chance of blowback or that you will have to move through the
fog to escape.
Some pepper sprays contain a
combination of agents such as OC with CN tear gas and UV marking dye so that
it’s not only a powerful personal-defense device to distract an attacker so you
can escape, but it also aids law enforcement post-attack in identifying the
attacker by marking them with UV dye not visible to the naked eye.
Finally, pepper spray gels are a
good deterrent against aggressive dogs. And if you’re in bear country, there is
Bear pepper spray such as “Guard Alaska®” as well that is extremely effective.
Is Carrying Pepper
Spray Legal?
Yes, pepper spray is legal in all
50 states. However it is governed by laws and regulations, and there are states
in which pepper spray is restricted, such as New York and Massachusetts, where
you may only purchase defense sprays from licensed firearms dealers or
pharmacists.
There are other states that have
a variety of restrictions as well such as Michigan and Wisconsin. You must
check your state, city or area ordinances and authorities as to restrictions on
sizes, strengths, and where you can legally purchase and at what age.
Additionally, pepper sprays or
other chemical sprays cannot be carried on airplanes or in certain buildings.
How Do You Carry It?
Pepper spray comes in a variety
of packaging that ranges from key-chain dispensers, hand-held models, larger
canister models designed for home or industrial use and units that are
disguised within common items, such as lipstick, pens, batons and guns.
As with most personal-defense
weapons, having it in your hand as you move about is going to give you an edge
up on the attackers. If you are planning to purchase pepper spray to keep in
the bottom of your backpack or purse, then you are compromising your ability to
deploy it in a timely manner and thus ultimately drastically reducing your
safety. Keep in mind there is no one way that a threat develops or escalates.
It is very important that you
practice using your pepper spray so that when you need it in a crisis, you will
have rehearsed. To do this properly I advise you to either purchase two of the
same units, so one is for practice and the other is for carrying with you. Also
nowadays some companies actually make “practice pepper spray devices”, which
serve to help you train in the device as well as eliminate possible
self-contamination issues that may come about for first-time users.
Always consider the person who is
on drugs or alcohol and understand that the effects of the spray may not be as
pronounced on them and thus other types of defense may need to come into play.
The Take away
Pepper spray can be an excellent
personal-defense tool in your arsenal if you learn to use it as a surprise to
an attacker by keeping it either in your hand while you walk or within quick
access in your home or vehicle.
By having it readily accessible
you minimize risk and can effectively distract an attacker allowing you time
and distance to escape. Make sure you also get some training on a few
personal-defense combatives as a backup plan if for any reason the spray is
ineffective or if you need to employ physical self-defense techniques before
you can deploy the spray.
Never rely on only one form of
defense or one tool as your only way to stop an attacker from harming you or
your family. To this end, understand that all tools have limitations and that
an attacker’s pain tolerance level and commitment to inflict harm and injury
may allow them to grab you, hit you, or stab you even after you spray them. So
be ready for anything and remember that you must train and rehearse to prepare!
Lastly, keep in mind that not
everyone will react in the same manner when sprayed. Drug addicts, people
intoxicated and people who are emotionally disturbed or plain crazy may not
respond the way another individual would. So it would behoove you to plan your
response for that!
P.S. Critical protection in a
world gone mad … You can carry it anywhere, it can defeat an attacker in
seconds it could SAVE your life! Get your free tactical pen and training course
NOW by simply clicking this link.
Dr. Jeff Cantor is one of the country’s leading experts on personal and
International security, including preparation and response to active shooter
and domestic terrorism incidents, kidnap and ransom response, travel security,
close quarter combat, tactical edged weapons and personal defense.
Yours
for better living,
Bruce ,
the Poor Man
Additional
Resources
The Anatomy of a Breakdown
The Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-By-Step Guide To Help You Through Any Disaster
Prepper’s Home Defense: Security Strategies to Protect Your Family by Any Means Necessary
Contact! A Tactical Manual for Post Collapse Survival
Arm Up System-Defense Without Regulation
PM’s Guide to Home Defense
PM’s Guide to Home Defense
It is a crazy world out there with plenty of violence and everyone knows you that under most circumstances, police usually arrive after the fact. Your rights to defend yourself are often under attack, even for non-lethal self-defense tools…Includes 2 books and 3 bonus CD ROMS
http://www.bonanza.com/listings/Guide-to-Home-Defense-Arm-Up-System-Defense-W-out-Regulation-Bonuses/370808566
{Note:
We also offer a Three Set CD-ROM-only version at a lesser price for
those with limited budgets]
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2 comments:
Always an interesting read filled with usable resources-thanks!
Appreciate the insightful alternative-everyone in my family carries some form of pepper spray-we like the Ruger pistol style you have in your photo...easy to carry and use.
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