Bird Flu
Protection
6. You need a way to protect yourself from those who would prey upon you should law enforcement be otherwise occupied.
Recommendations
If you are surviving quite well with your store of food, your water filter and your cache of medicines, your run the risk of attracting attention from those who did not plan as well. Those who do not catch the flu will suffer from hunger, at the least, and may look at you and your healthy, well-fed family with resentment.
Your first defense against such a scenario is to avoid telling anyone of your stash of goods and hiding your prosperity when disaster falls. While we may all plan to help a friend or family members, no one can be expected to feed the entire neighborhood. The proper use of quarantine and danger signs may also prevent an attack.
At such time when your preparations are discovered, resented and lusted after by those who did not plan, you may be called upon to defend yourselves. Whether you choose to use force to protect yourself against predators is a personal decision. If you do not choose to defend yourself, please skip the remaining portion f this page, as you will no doubt find it upsetting. If you do intend to use force to protect your family from lawless marauders, please read on to ensure that you are ready, able and willing to take the life of another to protect yourself and your loved ones.
The decision to use lethal force is not to be undertaken lightly, and such a commitment requires training and both physical and mental preparation. Anyone who will take up arms against attackers needs to have the skill to successfully repel an attack. Flashing weapons will not necessarily send a starving, angry, belligerent man away, but a well-aimed shot can put an end to the threat he represents. To carry a rifle every day requires good weapons handling skills, but to shoot an attacker during a high stress event requires training, commitment and mental fortitude. Unless you were a Marine, and Army Ranger or have similar experienced combat, you lack this training and need to provide yourself with training well before you need it.
The choice of weapon is a personal one, and we encourage you to use what you are trained on, have confidence in and can shoot well But since not everyone is an expert, we’re going to make recommendations. We believe every able bodied individual should have a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. Additional weapons are also valuable as they can be used as a back up or to arm a visitor who is unarmed. Special purpose weapons, such as a scoped hunting rifle or a .22 rifle, are also valuable, but play less of a role in self defense.
The role of the pistol is as a concealed, defensive weapon or a last ditch weapon. You carry it when you wish to appear unarmed. You use it when attacked, to buy yourself time to withdraw to your long arm. A large variety of pistols from well-known, respected manufacturers will do, preferably in 9mm/.38 or larger calibers. Names like Glock, Sig-Arms, Springfield Armory, Colt, Smith & Wesson, Kahr, Kimber, Beretta, and H&K can generally be counted on. We recommend carrying two spare magazines and having at least three additional magazines available, for a minimum of six pistol magazines. You should also have a minimum of 250 rounds of ammo. As with food, more is better, so consider doubling these numbers if time and finances allow.
For a shotgun, we recommend a 12-gauge and several hundred rounds of 00 buckshot, plus some slugs. Shotguns are excellent weapons for close range defensive work and can effectively stop even multiple attackers. Again, skill and training is required, but they are excellent when the enemy is literally at the door. We recommend pump shotguns like Remington 870, Mossberg 500, and Winchester 1300. Semi-auto guns require more maintenance but can shoot faster in the hands of a skilled operator. In addition to semi auto shotguns from the three brands listed above, excellent semi-auto shotguns are available from Beretta and Benelli.
For a rifle, the .223 caliber AR-15 rifle and its many clones is our first choice for self defense in an urban or suburban scenario. These rifles have high-capacity magazines, are relatively easy to shoot, are lightweight and easy to carry about, have wide availability of ammunition and spare parts, and can be used by a skilled operator to engage targets out to approximately 250 yards. Beyond that mark, hits can still be achieved by highly skilled marksmen, but a heavier caliber rifle is preferred. We recognize that a main battle rifle such as an FAL, M-14, AR-10 and others are excellent weapons and may be your personal choice, but we feel the .223 shines in an urban or close range environment. If you anticipate long range targets, or need to penetrate vehicles, then by all means go with the .308 or .30-06. But for rapidly engaging targets within 100 yards, the AR-15 is an excellent choice.
W recommend at least 12 high capacity magazines and 1000 rounds of ammunition. Twice as many magazines and several thousand rounds of ammo is preferred, as ammunition may become difficult or impossible to obtain.
In addition to the guns, ammunition, and ammunition feeding devices, make sure you have ample accessories, such as cleaning supplies, holsters, magazine pouches, spare parts, etc.
Armed defenders of home and hearth have been a part of America since the first colonist established a foothold on this continent. Throughout the 1800s and into the early 1900s, the firearm was an important tool in American society, both on the frontier and in the cities. We were a nation of riflemen, and it was our skill at arms that helped win two world wars. For a period starting in the 1960s, firearms have been vilified by the mainstream media, and people who enjoy hunting and the sporting use of guns are too often looked down upon by “polite” society. Yet in all the major emergencies and disasters, from the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles to Hurricane Katrina, the value of personal firearms to protect life and property has been demonstrated. When you cannot count on an armed policeman to protect you from marauders and bands of looters, then you have to count on Samuel Colt and his brethren in the firearms business.
Looters who take advantage of turbulent times to steal, rape and pillage do not deserve mercy. Refugees who would rob from you or kill you to feed there own families may deserve pity, but they do not deserve mercy when the choice is you or them. During a turbulent time when exposure to a person with flu can be a death sentence, you need to be prepared to defend yourself and to be your own protector. Firearms are the best tool for the task when warning signs and threat do not achieve the goal.
When will Avian Influenza reach these shores? When will it become easily transmissible from human to human? No one knows. It could be in 10 months. It could be in 10 years.
But what many infectious disease experts agree on is that the U.S. and the rest of the world have been lucky to have gone so long without an pandemic, be it flu or otherwise. If history is our guide, we are overdue, and we are under prepared.
