In most of the United States, it is possible for most people to own a rifle or a handgun. This of course, does depend upon where you reside. I am fortunate in that in my location we are permitted weapons. This makes defending our farm and our animals against rabid animals, predators such as coydogs, coyotes, wolves, and even the occasional traveling mountain lion, possible. Although our friends the black bears have never been dangerous to us here, the possibility indeed exists, and we would need decent firepower to defend ourselves in the unlikely event that a bear ever loses his mind. Our laws here also do have provisions for our shooting human beings if they clearly endanger us or our family members. Our family is therefore trained on a variety of firearms and we are very careful with them. They are also contained in such a manner that that we can get them quickly, but those breaking in to our home, could not.
I realize what a benefit this is, because in much of the world, this is not so. Guns in Russia are tightly regulated in many places. In Canada, rifles exist for hunting, but anyone who shoots a human being even in self defense, breaking into their home, is very likely to be charged with murder. In Australia, guns are tightly restricted, with only 5.2% of the population owning one, and therefore taking responsibility for protecting the remainder from feral animals. In England, some police are issued guns, and the criminals have them. A few people in rural areas have one for hunting. In Belgium, the police have guns, but since 2006, it has become very very difficult for citizens to have them, even for hunting. In fact, the police no longer carry their guns when they are off duty there. They are to be left in their lockers. These policies challenge ordinary people in many ways. In many places in the world, police cannot be there in a flash. In a civil unrest or home invasion situation, how are we to defend ourselves and our families ?
The first thing we can and should do, is to secure our homes in any way we can. We need to make sure that we have effective locks, and that sliding glass doors can be effectively blocked so that we can get out, but that others cannot force the sliding door open. We need to do our own survey outside our homes as to how easy it might be to enter through a window. Many people are surprized at how easy it is to break into their home.We need to do some research and then, we need to fortify our homes intelligently. The second thing we should do is try to complete tasks at the most intelligent time of day. I don't feed animals after dark for many reasons, but one of them is that predators are out on the farm at that time. I tend to do most things at the safest times of day. During periods of civil unrest, you would need to calculate when the safest times to do things outside your home might be. Many times, this is first thing in the morning, and then returning home as quickly as possible. Then, we need to find out what the laws are where we reside with regard to self defense. It may be that all you are permitted to do in your region is to hide or evade injury as best you can. It may be that in your home, you are permitted to take some action, but you must ascertain this. In some places, you cannot use a firearm, but a crossbow, a sword or a knife would be acceptable to defend your family in an emergency. Of course, you should receive some type of training before attempting to use a weapon which could be turned around and used on you or on a member of your family. It may be true that in a period of civil unrest the police will be less likely to prosecute those who injure or kill those in your own home, but you should be sure, what the laws are where you reside, and first, follow them, when you can. There is an old saying for those who find they must use their gun in their home. "Better to be judged by twelve, than carried by six" which for those of you in foreign lands, means that it is probably better to be judged for shooting someone in your home or in a self defensive posture, than it is to be carried in a coffin my three people on each side.
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| This is a Kershaw knife |
Give some thought today on what you would do if your region experienced some type of civil unrest for a time, where you could not depart from your home to buy additional food. What would you do, if police were otherwise engaged and someone tried to break into your home in order to obtain the food you might have there. Even developed nations can have episodes of civil unrest and can descend into a mad free-for-all for a period of time. Now is the time to carefully learn what is acceptable where you are, and to plan accordingly.
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| These are combat canes |
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| This is a taser |
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This is a Smith and Wesson expandable baton. With a few lessons this can be a very effective weapon, even when used by women who generally have less upper body strength and less wingspan. This can be especially effective in closed quarters. It is essential that you check on your local laws as possession of this article can be illegal in some cities. There are brands which are manufactured in Europe.
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