Defending Your Life and Property (29)
Let’s talk about force. No doubt, there are plenty of nice people in this country,
and I think that in small towns and rural areas, people are going to find ways to
cooperate and get along. I also think, how-ever, that some cities will suffer
complete social break down and violence will rule. If you happen to be stuck in
one of these cities, you’re going to need to use force to defend your house.
The section that follows discusses what I consider to be extreme responses to
violence in the most dire situations. Hopefully, you won’t find yourself in these circum-stances,
but if you do, the information below maybe valuable. Important:
Do not use your lights at night. If you are stocking propane-powered lanterns,
solar-powered flashlights, or other unusual supplies, using them at night will
announce to everyone within line of sight that you have more than the “usual”
sup-plies. Expect them to come knocking in your door.
At most, let a fire burn in the fireplace, but in general, avoid drawing attention to your house.
Defending your house is a crucial element on your stay-in-the-city plan.
Make your house your fortress, and hold drills to help other family members practice some
of the more common activities such as hiding, defending, evacuating, etc.
Some useful items for home defense include:
•A guard dog
•Pepper spray
•Firearms
•Smoke bombs (military-grade)
•Trip wires
In addition to these devices, you can make significant fortification-style
improvements to your home. While none of these are very affordable,
they certainly help defend your home:
•Replace glass windows with non-break-able Plexiglas
•Add steel bars to the windows
•Replace all outside door locks with heavy-duty deadbolts
•Replace all outside doors with steel doors, preferably without windows
•Remove bushes and other shrubs where people might hide
•Black out the windows entirely to avoid light escaping at night
(similar to what residents of London did during the WWII bombing raids)
•Build secret hiding places for food, coins, or even people
•Create escape hatches or passageways
•Rig pepper-spray booby traps