Deter. Delay. Defend ! Does your disaster preparation plan include security measures? When civilization fails and the desperate masses begin looting, they will come for your food, water and life- sustaining supplies. To protect these, as well as your family and home, you must be able to neutralize the threat. This book shows you how to implement a complete plan for operational security and physical defense, including: * Perimeter Security Systems and Traps * House Fortifications and Safe Rooms * Secured and Hidden Storage * Firearms and Defensive Combat Techniques * Gathering Intelligence and Forming Alliances US $15.95 Distributed by Publishers Group West Text copyright © 2012 Jim Cobb. Design and concept © 2012 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be repro- duced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Published in the U.S. by UlySSeS PreSS P.O. Box 3440 Berkeley, CA 94703 www.ulyssespress.com ISBN: 978-1-61243-143-7 library of Congress Control Number 2012940427 Printed in the United States by Bang Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Acquisitions editor: Keith riegert Managing editor: Claire Chun editor: Bill Cassel Proofreader: elyce Berrigan-Dunlop Cover design: what!design @ whatweb.com Photo credits: see page 222 Distributed by Publishers Group West NOTe TO reADerS: This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked product mentioned or pictured within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in the text, illustrations or photographs in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The author and publisher encourage readers to patronize the recommended products mentioned and pictured in this book. This book has been written and published strictly for informational purposes, and in no way should be used as a substitute for actual instruction with qualified professionals. The author and publisher are providing you with information in this work so that you can have the knowledge and can choose, at your own risk, to act on that knowledge. The author and publisher also urge all readers to be aware of their health status, to consult local fish and game laws, and to consult health care and outdoor professionals before engaging in any potentially hazardous activity. Any use of the information in this book is made on the reader’s good judgment. The author and publisher assume no liability for personal injury to the reader or others harmed by the reader, property damage, consequential damage or loss, however caused, from using the information in this book. To Tammy, Until the day after forever, sweetheart. Contents Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................................................................................................9 Foreword ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................13 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................16 Section I: Security Planning Chapter 1. Basic Security Concepts ..............................................................................................................................................................27 Chapter 2. Operations Security.....................................................................................................................................................................36 Section II: Physical Defense Chapter 3. Perimeter Defense .......................................................................................................................................................................45 Chapter 4. Structure Hardening ...................................................................................................................................................................60 Chapter 5. Safe rooms ...................................................................................................................................................................................71 Chapter 6. Secure Storage and Hidden Storage.........................................................................................................................................79 Section III: Prepper Armory Chapter 7. Firearms ........................................................................................................................................................................................93 Chapter 8. Other Weapons ..........................................................................................................................................................................109 Chapter 9. Hand-to-Hand Combat ............................................................................................................................................................126 Section IV: Other Considerations Chapter 10. Guard Dogs ..............................................................................................................................................................................141 Chapter 11. Communications ......................................................................................................................................................................150 Chapter 12. Mutual Aid Agreements .........................................................................................................................................................165 Chapter 13. Children and Security .............................................................................................................................................................173 Chapter 14. Bugging Out .............................................................................................................................................................................184 Chapter 15. excursions ................................................................................................................................................................................198 Appendices Further reading .....................................................................................................................................................................................................213 recommended Suppliers ......................................................................................................................................................................................218 Photo Credits ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................222 About the Author ...................................................................................................................................................................................................223 Acknowledgments Writers often lament that it is a lonely business. The truth is, few writers would be successful without a rather large group of people working together behind the scenes. To my beloved Tammy, thank you for all you have given up during the writing of this book. I truly and deeply un- derstand and appreciate the efforts you’ve made to give me the time needed to work. To my boys, Andrew, Mike, and Tom, thank you for the times you were all able to be quiet and let me do what I needed to get this done. I love you all! To Mom and Grandma, I wish you both were here to hold this book in your hands. I know you’d be proud of me. I miss you both terribly. To Dad, thank you for your support and for always asking how the book was coming. I do so love our Sunday visits. Check it out, man! To my in-laws, Jerry and Kathy, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your family. I hope I never let you down. To Deborah in the UP, my partner in crime with www.SurvivalWeekly.com, your support and encouragement have been invaluable. To my erstwhile cheerleaders, John Burks and Bob Freeman, your excitement about the book kept me going to the end. To rick rourke, rick Cox, and Jed Dronet, my erstwhile pre-readers, your input on the manuscript was much ap- preciated. To Bob and Joanne Hrodey, a guy could hardly wish for better people to work for. Thank you both for putting up with me. To Jerry Ahern, thank you for the Foreword. I wish you were here to see the final product. you were and still are an inspiration to many of us preppers and survivalists. May you rest in the peace you’ve truly earned. To Scott Williams, thank you for your insight and advice while I was working on this book. your input was truly beneficial. To ed Corcoran, thank you for giving me my start with writing about preparedness as a profession, rather than just a hobby. you gave me my start and for that I’ll always be grateful. To Steve Thibeault, just one more step in our plan for world domination! Thanks for your contribution to this work, as well as to my career. We’re just getting warmed up! To those who also contributed material to the book—Jon Merz, Chance Sanders, laurie Neverman, Donald Jones— thank you for your assistance. Special thanks to my editor, Keith reigert. An author could hardly have asked for a more patient and helpful editor for his first book. Also, thank you to Kelly reed for sticking with me through the months of swapping book ideas. To all the folks at Ulysses Press, thanks for making this book so much better than it would have been without you. To Chris Golden, thank you for holding my hand and teaching me about the business of writing. I hope you’ll never regret not shoving me out from under your wing. To Brian Keene, thank you for the best piece of writing advice I’ve ever received. last, but not least, a special thanks to one of my best mates, Ian Carter. Gone but certainly never forgotten. Foreword When Jim Cobb asked me to write an introduction for his book, I was extremely happy. I like Jim and his sensible ap- proach to “prepping,” which I still tend to call survival planning or something similar. Jim and I generally think quite a bit alike. Neither he nor I would ever advocate stockpiling weapons and ammunition while ignoring basic gardening, seeing to the water supply, elementary security concerns, etc. Armchair preppers or survivalists have a great deal to learn once they wake up from their happy naps. let’s take guns. everybody (almost) wants to talk about the guns. I like to talk about guns, too. Now, let’s say you have decided that you like the AK-47—my choice in semi-auto only, of course—over the Ar platform. One of your three children is old enough and reliable enough to carry a centerfire rifle. So, that’s three AKs. I chose the Century International Arms Cen- turion 39. Using the postage scale, the rifle itself, devoid of accessories, weighs 7¾ pounds, while the magazine, thirty rounds loaded, weighs 2 pounds. let’s say that your oldest child (the trustworthy one), your spouse and you yourself go it on the cheap and each only carry a rifle—loaded—and two thirty-rounders, not including the one in the rifle. So, that makes 7¾ pounds for the rifle and 2 pounds each for a loaded magazine. That adds up to 13¾ for the individual weapons package. A good camp and defensive knife will typically weigh 1¾ pounds, including sheath. Now we’re at 15½. Two pounds is the weight for a quart of water to carry on the belt. let us assume that the canteen and its cover and possible canteen cup weigh so little that we can chart them off. Now, remember, let’s count a few pounds for clothes, boots, a couple of candy bars, and other miscellaneous items. Maybe we’re at 20 pounds and we can proudly say that we have a grossly ill-equipped (not to mention probably ill- trained) member of the family who will be out of ammo and rendered totally ineffective as a combatant after the first encounter with an enemy of superior numbers and firepower. Does your trooper have food and water waiting at whatever command and control center the good guys have estab- lished? Is there more ammo, either available in loaded magazines or loose? Where do you locate resupply for food (beyond Hershey bars), medical supplies, water, toilet paper, flashlight bat- teries, etc? What is your source for news and current information concerning the conflict? Is it to be trusted? This is only one out of a wide variety of scenarios the prepper might face. Smiling proudly at your tomato plants or your vast number of loaded rifle magazines isn’t going to get you to the other side of whatever crisis it is that your group might have fallen into. Sure, preppers love those tomatoes, and plenty of spare magazines and lots of extra ammo can be comforting. But, there is a lot of other stuff for which the prepper needs to prepare—if he or she intends to really make it through the crisis, that is. — Jerry Ahern creator of The Survivalist book series, former president of Detonics USA, and author of hundreds of articles related to firearms and related gear Introduction If you do some searching at your local library or bookstore, you will no doubt discover that there have been dozens of books written on the general topic of home security. These books are full of suggestions on better locks, securing patio doors, and the pros and cons of alarm systems. Most have some great information and a few of those tips will even be shared in this book. However, all of these books are predicated on one fact: that Officer Friendly from your local police department will be able to help you in the event things go awry. There are several potential scenarios that could cause a long-term lapse in social services like police and fire depart- ments. Terrorists could finally get their hands on nuclear weapons, selectively detonating them in key locations across the country. A massive solar storm or an eMP burst could take down our electrical grid. The collapse of the U.S. dollar could bring our country to a standstill. A major earthquake along the New Madrid fault could decimate the Midwest. The yellowstone caldera could finally give way, sending enough ash and debris into the atmosphere to cause a mini Ice Age. The rules will change substantially in the aftermath of an event of this magnitude. There will be no police officers coming to arrest the bad guys. There will be no S.W.A.T. teams to handle hostile situations. Dialing 911 just won’t be an option. you will have to handle things on your own. Most folks are genuinely good; they don’t wish to harm anyone, let alone cause anyone serious injury or worse. But desperate times will make for desperate people. Think about it like this: What lengths might you go to in order to feed your family? There is an old saying that organized society is only nine meals away from anarchy. In other words, we’re only three days removed from chaos. With that chaos will come changes in the personalities of the people around you. Behavior that was traditionally viewed as forbidden will now be rationalized in people’s minds as being necessary for survival. These changes in perception and behavior will necessitate a different approach to home defense and security. Where we may now feel reasonably secure by locking our doors, after a societal collapse locked doors merely represent the initial stages of a defense plan. If there were a knock on your front door today, you’d probably peek out the peephole or window, then open the door to see who the person is and what they want. Post-collapse, you probably won’t want to answer the door at all, or if you do, you will do so in a dramatically different fashion. In other words, your own behavior will need to change to reflect the realities of the new world. While you may not relish the idea of visiting harm upon another person, you may be forced to do so to preserve your own safety and well-being. It is important to keep in mind that some of the suggestions contained in this book are patently illegal to implement in the eyes of the current court system. Of course, you probably don’t have much need to build potentially lethal traps in your backyard right now. The key point here is that many of the techniques detailed here should not be used until and unless there comes a time when our current laws cease to exist. engaging in illegal acts today will often lead to less-than- ideal outcomes, such as fines and/or imprisonment. Paying fines will certainly cut into your overall prepping budget and I doubt many people would like to take a chance on being locked in a jail cell during a societal collapse. ACRONYMS Preppers love acronyms. I’m not sure if this arises out of a desire to communicate through shorthand or because it makes emails and such sound more militaristic but whatever the cause, you’re bound to come across dozens of acronyms and abbreviations on any survival-related website or message board. Here are a few of the most common ones in use today. ATSHTF = After The Shit Hits The Fan BOB = Bug-Out Bag BOL = Bug-Out Location BOV = Bug-Out Vehicle CCW = Carry Concealed Weapon EDC = Every Day Carry FAK = First Aid Kit GHB = Get-Home Bag LEO = Law Enforcement Officer MMW = Mad Max Wannabe MZB = Mutant Zombie Biker POTUS = President of the United States SA = Situational Awareness SCOTUS = Supreme Court of the United States SERE = Survival Evasion Resistance Escape SITREP = Situation Report TEOTWAWKI = The End Of The World As We Know It TSHTF = The Shit Hits The Fan WCS = Worst Case Scenario There are many other acronyms that are common online and not just in the realm of disaster readiness. These include: AFAIK = As Far As I Know BTDT = Been There, Done That DD = Dear Daughter DH = Dear Husband DS = Dear Son DW = Dear Wife FIL = Father In Law FS = For Sale FWIW = For What Its Worth HTH = Hope This Helps IMHO = In My Humble/Honest Opinion IRL = In Real Life MIL = Mother In Law OT = Off Topic OTOH = On The Other Hand PITA = Pain In The Ass SO = Significant Other TIA = Thanks In Advance WTB = Want To Buy YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary Of course, formulating a defense plan begs the question, from what or whom are you defending your home or retreat? remember, we’re concentrating on a post-collapse scenario. We’re not concerned right now with the common burglar who is looking to snag your HD television. Instead, we are worried about people who truly wish to do you harm and take from you the basic necessities of life. essentially, there are four categories of aggressors you may face. As we progress through our discussion of post- collapse security and defense, you’ll learn both general measures to be taken against all four threats as well as how each group should specifically be handled. In the first category are the more or less normal people. These could be neighbors, friends, or perhaps strangers who are desperate for food and supplies and either know or suspect you have what they need. Typically, they will appeal to your compassionate side and you may feel compelled to help them out. That’s your call to make and you’ll have to take it on a case-by-case basis. But, generally speaking, think back to your days in grade school. If you don’t have enough for the whole class…. The second category includes those who are commonly referred to in online forums as the MZBs (which stands for Mutant Zombie Bikers). This term arose out of the three most common villains in post-apocalyptic movies and books: the mutants in any number of low-budget science fiction movies, the zombies from shows like The Walking Dead, and the bikers from The Road Warrior. In reality, this term refers to those ne’er-do-wells who will travel in packs, pillaging the countryside. They will be fairly well organized and likely much more ruthless than the normal folks. Odds are good they will be well-armed and have experience using those weapons. Third on our list are the power mongers. These are the people who hold at least a bit of local power now, such as law enforcement officers or government administrators. They are used to being in charge and will not want that to change. Because average citizens in their areas are used to seeing these power mongers as authority figures, it will often be fairly easy for them to consolidate the citizens under their “protection.” The risk to the survivalist is that if a power monger learns of a stash of supplies nearby, he or she will go to great lengths to not only secure those supplies “for the common good,” but also seek to instantly quell any potential rebellion, whether real or perceived. last, we have the psychotics. Now, before I get a ton of letters and emails dragging me over the coals, let me preface this by saying I fully realize the number of people suffering from potentially violent mental illness is quite small. But the fact is that they are present in our society today and most of them are treated with various prescription medications to keep their issues under control. losing access to those meds will not only bring about withdrawal, it may cause a severe relapse. There will also be those for whom the disaster was too much to take and as a result suffer a significant break with reality, perhaps temporarily but possibly for the long haul. While probably much fewer in number than the MZBs, these folks who are suffering the effects of mental illness will pose a significant threat if only because it may be next to impossible to reason with them or convince them of genuine threats of bodily harm. It is important to note that throughout the course of human history, no matter how bad a disaster or crisis may have been, eventually law and order were restored. Naturally, the larger the scope of the disaster, the longer it took for society to be reestablished. Hurricane Katrina was one of the largest natural disasters to ever strike the United States. It took several weeks before a semblance of “normal” life was restored to many of the affected areas. This is neither the place nor the time to debate how effective or ineffectual government agencies were during that process; the point is that order was eventually established. It didn’t take decades, years, or even months. If an event on the order of a nationwide electrical grid failure were to happen, it might take years to recover, but rest assured, recovery would happen. In this book, we are concerned with the time frame that begins with the disaster and ends with order being restored. Throughout this book, I will use the terms “prepper” and “survivalist” interchangeably. Typically, the difference be- tween people who identify themselves as preppers versus survivalists tends to be their view on the role of firearms and security issues in their overall preparedness planning. Survivalists tend to devote considerable resources to amassing a substantial armory. Preppers, on the other hand, often view firearms as tools for acquiring food through hunting, rather than for defense. Of course, there is a lot of overlap between the two extremes and most folks would fall somewhere toward the middle of the spectrum. Because of this overlap, I don’t see the terms “survivalist” and “prepper” as being mutually exclusive. Often, we survivalists are dismissed as being “doom and gloomers” who pray for the end of the world. That is rarely