Homeland Defense Weapons in Terrorist Times
By Brian Woodworth - www.valmet-weapons.com

The subject of survival weapons has been a popular topic for quite some time. For many it started in the Cold War scares of the 60's and 70's. Modern Day survivalists continued this discussion in the 80's and, as the Iron Curtain came down, discussion of this decreased. With recent terrorist events, many of us are wondering how we can protect our families and ourselves in these uncertain times. Being prepared is now a fact of life that all of us must deal with. This article is to help those people with the desire to protect our freedoms and our way of life.
Many don't think there is a need for a firearm to protect your home and family. I think that this is a naïve attitude. Simply take a look at recent events such as the Los Angeles riots after the Rodney King verdict, and the need for a firearm becomes evident. Rioting can, and will, take place after natural and man-made events. Examples that could cause this type of reaction are terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and even reactions to court verdicts. During the Los Angeles Riots, lives and businesses were saved through the presence of a firearm.

Weapons for the home

The majority of our time is spent in our homes. We need the ability to defend our homes and families. Most households in America have a firearm. Typical firearms found are the common pump action 12 gauge shotgun or a .22 rimfire rifle. Both of these can be put to good use for this environment.

What I suggest for a home for defense is the following:

- Pump shotgun: Easy to shoot and learn, devastating results, very intimidating, and very economical.

- Pistol: Requires more training, harder to shoot accurately than a shotgun for the average user, much more compact and easy to move around with inside. I view the minimum caliber for the pistol as .380 acp and up. Common defense caliber's are .380 acp, 9mm, .38 Special. .357 Magnum .40 S&W, .45 acp. Glow in the dark sights for your pistol are available from several sources such as Trijicon, and Meprolight. These are valuable tools for your choice of a pistol.

- Carbine type rifle: Can be used if a person is recoil sensitive to a shotgun. Several carbine type rifles from the M1 Carbine, to the latest Kel-Tec, Ruger, Bushmaster, or Beretta Storm carbines. They offer a low recoil, very easy to use solution. Many of these carbines are economical as well. Several of the carbines such as the Kel-tec and Beretta use the same magazine found in many pistols. This is a very nice advantage. Carbines offer several advantages such as higher ammo capacity, lower recoil, and lower muzzle blast than a shotgun or a pistol. They are quite accurate as well.

Other suggestions for home defense items include:

- Phone / Cell phone: I keep both a telephone and cell phone accessible in my home.
- Flashlights: Powerful flashlights such as those made by Surefire, Streamlight, and Maglite are very popular and useful. Several companies make flashlights that attach to your weapon. These units are quite useful.

Outside of our homes I would suggest that we look at survival firearms in the situations that the average person encounters in a normal life. Since most of us work 8 - 10 hours a day, we should think of what we would carry in that environment as a start. Terrorist events are frequently timed for the most victims to be present…. Which means during the daytime and evening hours. My first choice for a defensive weapon outside of our home would be a pistol. This allows the best options of concealment, and more importantly, the fact that we are able to carry the gun on our person. For most of us, carrying a firearm during the day will depend on our state laws, or where we work.

Another factor to consider in your choice of a handgun is the environment in which you are in. Carrying a full size .45 auto in the middle of summer in South Texas may not be the best choice. A good start for a defensive handgun is 9mm and up. Smaller caliber's may be the only option depending on how large a pistol you are able to effectively conceal. Get the gun that you feel the most comfortable with and practice with it frequently. Breaking down these factors, some excellent choices of defensive pistols are as follows:

Hot Weather

Hot weather presents the most difficult carry environment. Light weight clothing in many cases prevents carrying a full size handgun. My personal choice for this is a Seecamp LWS-32 or a Glock 26. Both are very small, offer excellent corrosion resistance, and are powerful for their size. The Seecamp is a .32 caliber auto, which in many eyes is too small of a caliber for defense. I view the .32 round as a LAST DITCH caliber, when I cannot carry a larger caliber handgun.

- Kel-Tec P-11 or P-32 - Nice light, economical guns. Easy to use.
- Beretta Tomcat
- Seecamp LWS-32 - Ultra small, lightweight, easy to conceal
- Smith & Wesson Centennial - Very small for the power
- Glock 26 / 27 / 33 - one of the best choices in my opinion for size versus power

Normal weather

- Ability to conceal a handgun increases. Allows a choice of larger caliber, larger size handguns Sig P239 / P228 / P239 / P245.45 auto - Springfield
- Armory, Kimber, Colt, etc.
- Mid and Full size Glocks
- Beretta 92 / 96 series - Extremely reliable
- Ruger pistols: Economical, and high quality

Carrying a firearm for protection is a serious decision. If you invest in carrying a firearm, invest in a high quality holster for your choice. Carrying concealed means exactly that. You do not want others to know you are carrying. A high quality holster will help you in this matter.

Bottom line for a pistol is get the pistol that suits your budget, and feels comfortable to shoot. Invest both money and time in ammo, and practice! A pistol that you are proficient with is a great start for a survival type weapon. Before you carry your pistol into harms way, make sure it is totally reliable with your choice of ammo. I suggest shooting a minimum of 200 rounds through your pistol with your choice in ammo…. BEFORE carrying it. You do not want to have a pistol jam in a defensive situation.

Other items to carry for personal defense are:
- Extra magazine / ammo for your pistol
- Pepper Spray
- Flashlight - Surefire makes the best in my opinion
- High quality folding knife
- Cell phone


Other weapons and solutions

In some cases carrying a pistol is not feasible. In most states carrying a firearm locked in the trunk of your car is an option. Check out your state laws before doing this. Most states allow the carrying of an unloaded firearm in a vehicle if it is locked in a separate compartment, such as the trunk. I know several people that have installed locking compartments within the trunk of their car to secure their weapon. This allows us to carry a more appropriate survival firearm, such as a shotgun, rifle, carbine, or even a pistol. I view this an ideal situation for a military type "Homeland Defense" rifle. Military type weapons are durable, and can take a beating.

MY personal Choice for this type of gun is a high quality military type carbine, rifle, or shotgun. Good choices for this are:

- Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun
- Military type rifle or carbine: Offers rugged, tough and reliable weapon to the user

In all cases select a weapon which you are comfortable with, and practice with it. It is much better to have a lower cost firearm and actually be knowledgeable of it, than to spend a fortune on a weapon and never train with it.

Spend time thinking about the items you need for the defense of yourself and your family. Flashlights, cell phones, extra ammunition, and more importantly… having a plan are frequently overlooked items. The time you spend preparing for this will pay off in the future with the safety of your family and your home.

Links

http://www.kel-tec.com/

http://www.glock.com/

http://www.sigarms.com/

http://www.mossberg.com/

http://www.springfield-armory.com/index.shtml

http://www.kimberamerica.com/

http://www.berettausa.com/

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/

http://www.bushmaster.com/

http://www.trijicon-inc.com/

http://www.meprolight.com/

© 2003 SierraTimes

 

dude, how did you get internet access way out in the middle of Montana? Did your militia all pitch it and get you a satellite?
BDV

 

Big daddy ,he's in toledo ,but don't get him mad !
world war three could start ! He HE HE

Nice if we need to order will contact him!

Rich

 

Don't mind him Joe, he is from the flaky side of Colorado. The closer they get to Boulder, the closer they think they are to Berkeley.

 

Joe!
I'm surprised in all your insight into home defense you never mentioned the first line.
Mans best friend
The jet black Pit Bull Terrier!

After that they're begging to be shot!
use anything .22, .380. whatever.
Just don't shoot...........
THE DOG!

 

What about some long range hardware. No good Militia would dare leave home without these.

Bigger bang.



Bullets with an attitude.

 

alanscott,
Any invasion of Boulder would have my full support! I hate that place...
That reminds me, I have to drive a truck loaded high with PVC pipe through Boulder tomorrow. DAMMIT!
BDV

 

I like Pit bulls but man I don't trust them puppies! Always see bad stories about them...but it's probably the way they were raised!

 

My first thoughts exactly. Talk about playing to a stereotype.

You can have all the guns and dogs you want, it won't help you when the white guy next door that speaks perfect english decides he's going to blow up your neighborhood in the name of Allah or Ronald McDonald.

How will all that stuff protect you from some guy/gal releasing bio toxins into your water supply and air.

How does advice on what handgun to buy that is the most concealable and best in hot weather protect you from a dirty bomb, or the next Joe Sixpack on the street that decides he's going down and you're going with him?

The whole idea behind terrorism is that you can't defend yourself against it.

Waxy

 

Thats very true;
The word Terrorism is self explanitory.
I agree with you that there are just to many ways and means for the terrorist to commit acts of terrorism, therefore trying to "defend" against it is futile. Government actions to weed out terrorist organizations will most likely prove the most effective in the long run.
I only advocate home defense against the regular run of the mill whacko not the religious zealot type.
The dog is the alarm additionally She will slow down or stop the intruder which buys time to get to the safe and well everyone knows where this goes from here.
now if the Intruder has any "'dirty devices" well that's outta my hands to defend against.
Franklin

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Waxy
[B]
You can have all the guns and dogs you want, it won't help you when the white guy next door that speaks perfect english decides he's going to blow up your neighborhood in the name of Allah or Ronald McDonald.

really????
how about "stop, or I'll shoot"

How many people you suppose wish that someone besides the terrorists was carrying on any of those airlines?

How many people do you think wish that they had a gun in their car at Columbine and could have stopped it early?



The whole idea behind terrorism is that you can't defend yourself against it.


Sorry, disagree.
The whole idea behind terrorism is that it messes up your daily life/routine and that they (the terrorists) are willing to pay with their life, while their victims are not willing to defend themselves. Someone has to stand up to these thugs.

I really enjoyed the post, and yes I'm in Montana, but the original poster isn't.

 

Quote:

really????
how about "stop, or I'll shoot"

I suppose that might work, on the one in a million chance you'd actually catch him in the act, but remember your point about not being afraid to die.

Quote:

How many people you suppose wish that someone besides the terrorists was carrying on any of those airlines?

This one I won't touch, let's just say I disagree.

Quote:

How many people do you think wish that they had a gun in their car at Columbine and could have stopped it early?

Doesn't Colorado permit carrying a handgun and have one of the highest rates of people carrying hand guns? Why didn't someone then stop it? People probably did have guns in their car, but to think they could have done anything under those circumstances is completely unrealistic.

Quote:

Sorry, disagree.
The whole idea behind terrorism is that it messes up your daily life/routine and that they (the terrorists) are willing to pay with their life, while their victims are not willing to defend themselves.

That is the intent of terrorism, but that doesn't change the simple facts about how they go about terrorizing.

That's suggesting that the people of New York would not have defended themselves. I say they would have, to the death, if there was a way for them to have done so. The fact is nothing those people could have done, no matter how well armed they were, would have prevented the outcome of the attack, thus my stance on being able to defend yourself.

In the case of Columbine, perhaps if every student and teacher was armed you could have reduced the number of casualties, but you certainly couldn't have prevented the incident. Would you want to go to a school, or have your kids go to a school, where every student and teacher was armed? I know I wouldn't.

I'm not aiming this post at you Bozeman, just trying to make a general point. I understand the reaction of wanting to do something to protect yourself, but in the case of terrorism it's a false security. Arming yourself as the original post mentioned is really no more effective against a terrorist attack than the government's plan of plastic and duct tape.

Get up everyday, go about your normal life without fear, and rebuild the economy, that's how you render terrorism ineffective.

Waxy

 

BozemanBeast Some people would rather stick their heads in the sand or believe in Lala Land.