Tragic School Massacre a Mental Health Issue, Not a Gun Control Issue

As a father with children the same age as some that were murdered by Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, I can sympathize with the families of the victims. I’m not going to claim I can truly understand how they feel, almost no one really can. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

I am angry it happened. But I’m also angry that I can’t just focus on that, I have to immediately worry about my rights being infringed by the emotional and illogical backlash of gun control advocates who are using this tragedy to political advantage.

A few points:

• This is a mental health issue; it is not a gun control issue. An expert goes into and says it better than I could, here.
• The Second Amendment has nothing to do with hunting; it is about the people having a check on the power of the federal government. The Heller decision lays it out pretty well.
• The majority of shootings are in blue states or blue cities; now those in blue areas are attempting to take away everyone’s rights because they have problems. The Left-Right cultural divide is getting wider, and trying to limit our rights will exacerbate it.

The mother, Nancy Lunza, is also being portrayed as, “paranoid ‘survivalist’ who believed the world was on the verge of violent, economic collapse,” and who, “stockpiled food, water and guns.” That probably described 99% of readers here. The Left will keep hammering that “preppers” or “survivalists” are dangerous. We will be demonized. But it’s a smokescreen.

In my last post I urged readers to get any weapons, ammo, and related gear they might need. That’s even more urgent now. I’ll add to that:

• Follow your gun laws, don’t even bend them. Don’t provide an excuse for them to be taken.
• If not already a member, join the NRA, or another gun rights organization. If already a member, donate some cash now.

Good luck, we’ll all need it.

Update: Three perspective;

• Sturmgewehre
• Nutnfancy (in addition to the Nutn link in main text)
• Sootch00

Also saw this on BBC News. The so-called expert being interviewed was asked why the gun has this special place in America. Her answer was that, “an element in U.S. society” that believes “the citizen needs to be armed in order to counterbalance the power of the state”.” She described this as a “fantasy” and “absurdity” and gave Waco as an example.

Who are those involved in this “fantasy?” That would be those who read and understand he constitution, and know the history of how the Second Amendment came about.

Makes me wonder if Mosin Nagants and ammo will skyrocket in price?

Go Buy Guns, Magazines, and Ammo

To me this election was a choice between the lesser of two evils. Actually the last few have been that way for me. Unfortunately for America, lesser lost. Probably in the future more stupid Americans will vote more of our freedoms away. Maybe it’s just part of the cycle of greatness and decline the empires go through, I don’t know.

As I’ve mentioned before, Obama doesn’t really care about the Second Amendment. Along with the re-election of Obama, consider that a long-time anti-gun senator – Dian Feinstein – is probably planning a gun grab, perhaps like this country has never seen:

- – No pistol grip allowed
- – No [high capacity] Mags
- – No grandfathering
- – No sale permissible if in possession

I don’t see “no grandfathering” as realistic in America. Any such legislation won’t go anywhere for at least two years since the Republicans hold the house and it won’t go through them. The house will be up for grabs again in two years.

Obama might get the opportunity to appoint anti-gun justices to the Supreme Court. A few high profile mass shootings might be all it takes to push the pendulum of popular opinion far enough, long enough to do some real legislative/legal damage. Once those freedoms are lost, I don’t see how we could get them back without bad things happening.

Obama could also use executive orders to limit our Second Amendment freedoms. I’m particularly worried about access to ammunition, including having to have a permit to purchase ammo, limits/rationing, ending cheap imports, etc. It could happen.

Go buy what you need while you can.

Still a Suburban Survivalist

Although my family and I escaped the DC area and are now located somewhere in middle-America (the fly over states!), turns out I’m still a suburban survivalist. I’d dreamed of getting a few acres off the beaten path, but reality struck. While we’re now far from the eastern hordes and well west of the Mississippi, my job is still tied to an area with a fairly good-sized metropolitan area.

In my current situation, I believe the lessons of Fer Fal (Surviving in Argentina) fully apply. In a nutshell, Fer Fal has demonstrated that rural areas near cities = worst place to be during collapse, even the partial one that Argentina went through. Where I grew up in truly rural Nebraska, not so much; America is a big place, “rural” areas are not equal, and Fer Fal’s observations/generalizations just won’t apply in remote rural areas that are less accessible.

I won’t get into specific details for OPSEC reasons, but the greater metro area I’m now in is many hundreds of thousand of folks. Even though I work on the fringes of that, 20-30 minutes further out just isn’t going to be safe if times go from the current hard to harder.

Anecdotal stories from some of my new co-workers living in nearby rural areas confirm frequent trespassing even now (usually city types trying their hand at hunting, but sometimes other idiots). If times get really bad it would be hard to defend, and impossible to watch over my family while at work. I could find a place an hour or more out that would be more remote and safer, but commuting that much is not something I’m willing to do.

So we’ve settled into a large, newer suburban home with much more than enough space for our three kids and plenty of storage for current and future preps, and very affordable relative to the east coast. It takes 20 minutes from door to desk. The yard is big enough for a large garden for experimenting with heritage seeds. If/when TSHTF we’ll be bugging out the MUCH shorter distance to my parents’ place in rural Nebraska. If we had to go on food, no need to worry about going through areas of dense population. Conversely, if that area is hit by some localized disaster, we’ll have enough space, food, etc. to welcome all of them here.

Living in the suburbs is not how I grew up and now how I imagined this move would go. But it’s not the end of the world and there are a few benefits.

I’ll keep posting here (another coming soon), but much less than before. Getting into a new home, a new job, and with the kids getting older just takes up more time. If I have to choose between doing and writing, do will win just about every time.

Suburban Survivalist Finally Moving West!

That’s right, after several years of looking for the right job east of the Mississippi; I’ve finally found it and am moving from the DC area! We are moving at the beginning of May and if I never see DC again that’d be just fine.

Two major things will be accomplished with this move. First, the probably impossible plan of bugging out 1,300 miles or more won’t be necessary WTSHTF because we’ll be well within a tank of gas of my parent’s farm in Nebraska (which is our family “retreat”). Even if we had to go on foot, the population where we’ll be is a small fraction of what we’d have on the east coast, and the terrain is much less challenging. Second, although we won’t actually be in Nebraska, we’ll be close enough to get home much more often to work on survival projects, go shooting, etc, so I’ll move from theory to practice in many areas.

Getting ready to move is why I haven’t been able to blog as much.

I’ve moved overseas and cross-country many times in my career and such moves often are an opportunity to make a fresh start. For example:

• While in the DC area I probably spoke survivalism/preparedness to one or two people I shouldn’t have, and aside from that am known in my office as a “gun nut.” So one goal is to seriously tighten up my operational security, or OPSEC. I probably will not discuss preparedness co-workers once I move, and will discuss firearms little if at all.
• Related to OPSEC, in the past two years I’ve purchased a substantial amount of survival items including all types of ammunition and firearms supplies, miscellaneous gear, storage food, silver, etc. Most of it was purchased online, leaving an easy to read trail of what caliber of weapons I have and in many cases what type (revealed by items purchases, like a Mini-14 scope mount). The UPS delivery man who goes to my parent’s house even commented on all the ammo he delivered in a short period of time last year. In the future I’ll try to make bulk ammo/gear purchases with cash at gun shows, or little by little at local shops, also with cash. Can’t do anything about the trail I’ve already left, but I can stop highlighting it.
• Following the move I’m not sure how much or even if I will continue to blog. My guess is that blogs like mine are not monitored now, or only loosely. That could change in the future and I may not want to have my thoughts and plans so nicely cataloged for those who might later be more interested. This includes big brother, or even if someone were to discover who or where I am. I’m on the fence abut this for now.

But for now it’s back to getting ready to move this family of five half way across the country! Moving is a always a hassle in general, moving three young children only compounds that, especially with the drive, but knowing we’ll no longer be trapped on the east coast if/when a major problem arises is priceless.

Those Damn Government Workers

As the economy has declined over the past several years we’ve all become more aware of federal spending issues, and it has become fashionable to bash those lazy, can’t-be-fired, overpaid government employees. A study by the Heritage Foundation in 2010 and another by the Congressional Budget Office in 2012 both found that federal employees are paid more than those in the private sector.

Guess what: I’m a government civilian employee, a fed. Yes, one of the snakes out to crush the life out of you.

Don’t worry, I’m not a secret socialist, this is not to disagree with the fact that some feds as a whole are paid more, and you’ll never hear me calling for more government, just the opposite. The federal government is getting smaller now and much deeper cuts will come. This is to add some context that media summaries of the larger reports don’t stress enough.

I decided to work for the government because I wanted to be in a certain field where you pretty much must be either a fed, government contractor, or military, and I’ve been all of those things at one point or another. As a side note, before I was evil I was stupid. Back when I came into the federal workforce and the economy was good, many people felt those taking government jobs, or even going into the military with a commission, were idiots, a lot more could be made in the private sector. Times change.

This is longwinded but has a point. From a survivalist’s vantage, if you think collapse is immanent you may not care much what goes on with the government as long as it doesn’t affect you directly before that happens. Fair enough. I tend to see us as being in a slow collapse right now that could trigger a fast one unexpectedly and must eventually if nothing changes, but it could also drag on for many years or even decades. Though I think it unlikely, we as a country and civilization could somehow not collapse with enough dumb luck (our politicians sure aren’t going to fix what’s wrong).

If this slow collapse we’re in does take a long time to wind down to TEOTWAWKI, how and where we cut the government does actually matter. In part how we can defend ourselves, but also how the rest of the world deals with us – especially in trade – is due in no small part to our military power. The Department of Defense is 35% of the federal civilian workforce. Unfocused budged can easily hurting our national defense.

This could affect our access to energy, other imports, policies on exports, etc. that would in turn influence inflation/deflation, what goods we have, and of course jobs. Maintaining some global influence will be important as long as we’re in this slow collapse.

In the larger scheme of things, we could cut defense out of the budget entirely and in a few years mandated increases in Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, and interest on the national debt would eat up that savings – and we’d not have a defense/military.

I’m not saying that because I’m in defense and trying to save my job. Being on the inside I can say yes we need to cut a lot but we’d better be damned careful where we do cut. We do have a lot of deadwood. There are people that are not productive, there are departments or divisions or offices that are redundant or of no real use. On the other side of that, we need to cut carefully and there are some dedicated folks who give it 110%.

Some of this anti-fed sentiment seemed to have fueled part of the rationale for a government shutdown in late 2011. The shutdown is an examples of something that sounds like a good idea but isn’t, unintended consequences. Yeah, let’s stick it to those government employees; give them a taste of furlough!

The problem is that government shutdowns end up costing the government more, even if federal employees aren’t paid for the time they’re off. I’m not saying this because I’m a fed, I’m saying this because it is in reality a lose-lose situation and I don’t want my tax dollars pissed away any more than the next guy.

Getting back to those reports and the public opinions they help drive. The studies control for years of experience, location, etc. One problem with this is that many of those in defense actually have occupations are not in the civilian workforce, but are comprised of highly educated employees. Many have security clearances and other specialized skills that just don’t translate that well.

That is the case with where I work, there is no good private sector comparison. We all have at least a four-year degree (most have advanced degrees), clearances, perhaps another language, and specialized experience and training. Where I work even the janitors have security clearances and get higher pay for it.

In this time of slow collapse the government is finally starting to downsize. Right now it’s mostly through attrition. Eventually it will be through axing entire departments, if we get that far if and before a fast/total collapse.

What can any of us do about it? Besides voting for candidates that we think will cut the budget with some thought and research, not a whole lot. But this doesn’t mean you’re helpless, you can add this to your list of indications and warnings that help you gauge where we’re at. Understanding they “why” can help you determine the “what” to do about it best for you. Sometimes that’s all we can do.

The cuts are coming for all of government and tougher times for everyone, but how it happens will probably matter. If we’re going to go down anyway, I’d rather not have the U.S. end up being China’s or even Russia’s bitch before it does.

And next time the anti-fed bashing begins, remember it’s not as black and white as some say. There are sometimes unintended consequences. Some feds are on your side.

Long-Term Ammunition Storage and Heat

While avoiding humidity is pretty much a universal theme on the topic of long-term ammunition storage, there is a lot of directly contradictory information when it comes to heat. I’d like your input if you have any experience or observations in this area.

The generally very informative Ammo Oracle at AR15.com has this to say:

The three primary killers of ammo are heat, moisture, and chemicals. Excessive heat will break down both the powder and the primer compound over time, causing erratic ignition and velocities.

Military guidance on how much heat is too much heat doesn’t offer much. Department of the Army Pamphlet 700–16, THE ARMY AMMUNITION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM for Logistics, does not list any temperatures, noting only that:

In general, ammunition must be protected from moisture and should be protected from temperature extremes when feasible.

Department of the Army Pamphlet 385-65, Ammunition and Explosives Safety Standards, says in Chapter 2, Field Storage of Ammunition:

When standard magazines are not available, buildings used for AE [ammunition and explosives] storage must afford protection against moisture and excessive changes in temperature and have means for adequate ventilation. . . The AE containing explosives or combustibles (such as, black powder, tracer composition, or pyrotechnic mixtures) that deteriorate rapidly in damp or high temperature environments should be stored under the best cover available.

And MARINE CORPS ORDER P8020.10A, MARINE CORPS AMMUNITION MANAGEMENT AND EXPLOSIVES SAFETY POLICY MANUAL, does not refer to heat or temperature at all, in regard to ammo storage.

Anecdotally, some say heat is bad, others note they’ve used ammo stored in very hot bunkers with no issues. Various old and/or surplus ammo from the 1950s or earlier not stored in cool conditions that still functions, and hand-loaded .223 ammo in a VA attic for ~25 years, working fine.

You can find dozens of forums or blogs that say one other, but I haven’t seen any actual studies. From a common sense perspective, seems like heat might affect ammo since it affects food and many other chemical compounds. But with a little more information, a lot of real-world examples seem to point to heat not mattering much, which might alter what passes for common sense.

From my personal experience (more anecdotal evidence), I’ve seen Conex boxes in the desert storing U.S./NATO ammo, and have personally used ammo stored in hot humid conditions for long-term with no problems. I’m talking shot shells (some old enough to be some sort of cardboard or thick paper rather than plastic), .22S/L/LR, various old surplus calibers (some with slight corrosion), etc. not in ammo boxes or with AC during the summer, for decades.

I’m leaning towards heat doesn’t matter as long as humidity is controlled.

What say you?

Review: USMC R.A.T. Boots

An October 2011 article in Survival Blog, Choosing the Right Footwear, coincidentally authored by Desert Rat in this case, brought up something that had been on my mind lately; replacing my 10+ year-old combat boots with something that would last a bit longer if/when TSHTF. Wouldn’t want to have to pull a Doug Carlton with duct tape.

I looked at REI and similar places for good hiking boots, but prefer military boots. Soon the relatively new USMC RAT (rugged all-terrain) boot caught my attention. The RAT boot is set to become a USMC standard issue item in 2012.

Made with a couple types of leather and 1000 denier nylon, and Vibram soles, polyurethane coated leather over toe and heel, they seemed like a winner. There are two versions, hot (with drain/vent holes on the side) and temperate (waterproof, with Gortex). Sound awesome.

The problem is price, from most stores for about $300. They are made by both Bates and Danner. However the Bates RAT boots were recalled after they began falling apart in Afghanistan. Danner is now the sole supplier.

That’s why you can find a lot of Bates RAT boots relatively cheap online, when the used to go for $300. These boots may or may not be part of the rejected/defective lots. For example, The Sportsman’s Guide (TSG) has the Bates version (hot weather) for $100, cheap due to “slight blemishes.” Or are they actually the defective boots? Seemed too cheap, but see below…

I eventually found a pair of Danner temperate RAT boots in my size on eBay for about $200 (eBay return policies can be iffy so you need to know your size for sure). The finish on the boots is outstanding, no break-in was required. The only problem is that they are too hot if it’s over 50 degrees with any sort of activity, like walking. I found out that these are also referred to as “cold” weather boots and Marines in Afghanistan also said they were too hot.

So I mistakenly thought “temperate” would be suitable for most weather in the U.S. Sadly not the case, walking a bit when it’s 60 degrees out had me ready to get the boots off soon. No doubt they’ll be great for winter, but it’s been an expensive lesson.

During my search I had contacted Bates to see if the boots for sale at TSG were from the defective lots. Didn’t hear back until after I’d purchased my Danner boots; they are NOT part of the defective lots.

I said screw it and bought another pair from TSG. Since I’ a club member there, got them for just under $90. Combined shipping with a bunch of other stuff.

The Danner RAT boots are superior in fit/finish to the Bates boots. The leather/nylon materials are a little bit nicer and better cut. The Danner boot went on with zero break-in while the Bates were a little stiffer, though I don’t think they’d cause blisters if I did a 20 mile walk from day one. The Vibram soles are exactly the same. Stitching on both seems to be excellent. The coyote brown is a bit darker on the Bates version, which I prefer. Laces on both are identical.

Overall I would say the Danner RAT boots are a bit better, if the Danner is a $300 boot, the Bates is a $200 boot, IMO. But for around $100 the Bates version from TSG is an excellent deal. I noted some really slight blemishes on the pair I got, nothing I’m concerned with at all. If you’re within a couple years of needing a new boot, I suggest getting some from TSG at they low prices while they still have them.

Now with two pairs to alternate, one for winter and one for the rest of the year, I expect these boots to last me 15-20 years at current levels of use. Probably a lot less if TEOTWAWKI kicks off as they’ll get more use, but we’ll cross that road when we get there. Would not want to get caught in something like that with only my old boots on hand.

UPDATE: Wellco also makes them, right now for sale at $140. I have no idea about the quality of these boots.

Guns and Ammo Finishing Touches

When you get to where you’re going, some GPS units say, “you have arrived.” That’s kind of what I feel like as I expect that before the New Year my brothers and I will have all standard rifles and carbines and standard caliber pistols (9mm) and shotguns (12 gauge), exceeded our minimum ammo stockpile requirements for all calibers/gauges we own, and have sufficient gear such as slings, scopes, etc.

Is it enough? No, it’s never enough. But if TEOTWAWKI happened on or after January 01, 2012, wouldn’t feel like we got caught with our pants down, at least considering firearms, ammo, and related gear.

For longer range rifles (~200+ yards), we have several more Mosin Nagant rifles than we can probably use – I expect others would show up and need them. Several of those rifles already have bent bolts, will soon have JMeck scope mounts, and will then be scoped with Nikon or Simons scopes.

We chose the Mini-14 Tactical (and here) for our carbine (300 yards max, closer preferred). While there are not as many customization options for the Mini-14 as for the more popular AR-15 variants, we determined that for a survival situation in which spare parts or a choice in ammo might not be available, the more rugged piston operated and sufficiently accurate Ruger will do just fine.

Recently Nutnfancy spoke about the importance of being, “Tactically Squared Away,” and Ryan wrote about having enough ammo of sufficient caliber. I agree with both. We’ve been slowly putting away thousands of rounds in all calibers/gauges, and the slings, scopes, mag pouches, dump pouches, etc. that are needed. We’ll be using MOLLE II FLC vests to attach needed pouches and other items (these days very cheap, shop eBay).

At one point I thought it best to get rid of (for us) odd caliber weapons so that we don’t need to worry about the logistics of spare parts and ammo for them long-term. But I eventually decided that unless obsolete, having a variety of non-standard caliber weapons – or a way to use ammo for them – is fine. For example, we don’t have a .38 special or .357 magnum, but an adapter will allow us to shoot that ammo from a 12 gauge shotgun. Adapters are available in a varied of calibers and gauges.

For guns, ammo, and related gear we’re there – but will keep adding, especially more magazines and ammo. Can never have enough. But the new priority for 2012 will be food stockpiling and growing…

Interactive U.S. Population Map

CNN has an interactive U.S. population map based on 2010 census results. You can view populations in several ways including by county, which I find useful. I consider this sort of information when looking for jobs and planning bug out routes. As a general rule, less people in bad times is way better.

Fitness for Survivalists

Recently Ryan and Jarhead Survivor (and Part 2) have written posts on fitness, and even though I’ve commented at both those blogs I’ll post my 2 cents here, too.

It’s a good idea to keep fit all the time and not just for survival situations. We all know that but don’t always keep in shape, including myself at times. The last few years I’ve gotten back in gear on fitness, but with a few setbacks, more below.

What sort of fitness do survivalists need? Depends on a few things, including what scenario you think is most likely and are preparing for, and age.

In my opinion, the U.S. is currently in a slow collapse that will someday trigger a fast one. I think that if we continue on our current most likely path, a fast collapse will eventually be triggered through financial collapse. I suppose and EMP (manmade or solar induced) or something else could speed that up, but unless something big changes the calculus, I think our civilization is doomed.

From that starting point I think we’ll need to be physically capable of doing a few things; 1) a lot of walking, 2) moving, lifting, and carrying heavy things, 3) doing work that requires repetitive motions over long periods of time, and 4) less often than 1-3, moving very quickly at times.

In the early stages of collapse, fire fights might be more likely and the need to move fast will be there (I’m focusing on accuracy and long-range shooting rather than close quarters situations). But I also may need to bug out on foot and push a cart (jogging stroller in my case) for weeks/months.

So some form of weight training and cardio exercise is probably what most need. I jog, rather slowly at about 6 MPH for 4-8 miles several times a week, and lift weights heavily relative to most. I’m not looking to win any speed races, run a marathon, or be a body builder, though exercising will usually cause weight loss and build muscle mass, generally improving appearance.

Ryan noted I need to add FAST to my routine. Me, not so much. Him, yes. Ryan is an officer deployed to a war zone (also younger – it matters). I don’t know details but assume he’s in a combat arms branch and therefore has a much higher probability of getting into combat where he may indeed need to run like hell, and perhaps carry a 250+lb pound buddy out of danger, etc. If I get deployed to a war zone again, then that’s a different story.

I gave up on fast – knees can no longer take the punishment of running at 9 MPH for 10+ minutes. I work with a lot of retired military and know two guys whose knees aren’t screwed. I literally see guys late 40s/50+ gimping around at work all the time (I work for a big organization with a lot of retired military, along with AD, reserves, CIV, and contractors). Running fast is why those knees are shot, and I don’t want to make mine worse.

I did fast for awhile and am not real old (pushing 40), but decided I’d take a lesser score on my physical fitness test (max two events, do middling on the run) rather than kill my knees like I had been doing in an effort to get a better score. It was the right decision.

When they lose mobility, they start to balloon up, I’ve seen it over and over. A lot of the fat retired guys aren’t lazy, they just can move anywhere near like the used to, combined with a slower metabolism as they age.

Same with lifting as we get older, I see a lot of guys (formerly in outstanding condition) blow an elbow or shoulder, and it all goes to flab.

Keep as fit as possible for your age without sabotaging yourself a couple of decades down the road, it will matter IMO.

If my joints are shot when I’m 50 (or older), having been fast now won’t have been much benefit. Balance is the key, it’s a long race.