Entry is limited to home owners and only guests who are on an approved list. Vehicles (assuming we are still driving them, as in Argentina, not Bosnia) will need a system of ID cards and gate passes that change frequently. In other words, your ‘hood needs to come up with a community defense plan, with a rotating gate guard duty etc.
In this case, the gate guard will stop most casual entry attempts by robbers. In the event of a larger attack, the gate guard force is at least a trip wire, a loud one, so that if the gate is attacked, the community quick reaction force (QRF) can be alerted. They should practice call outs regularly, with a system of audible alarms such as car horns, whistles, etc.
If a force is attacking your gated neighborhood that is so big it will overwhelm your QRF of, say, a dozen men with semi-auto rifles, you are in a Bosnia-type situation, and God help you. Or, the attackers might represent the govt in some form, such as the local police or National Guard coming to inspect food supplies and confiscate “excess” amounts under anti-hording laws.
Obviously, fighting off the National Guard isn't going to work, they will just bring in more firepower. But turning a suburban neighborhood into a single-access gated community with armed guards at the gate, backed up by a community QRF, will work for 90% of cases. Robbers and home invaders are going to pick an easier neighborhood, such as one on a grid of streets and avenues that can't be turned into a gated community.
One weakness I see in Suburban environments is you aren’t allowed to have livestock. After TSHTF those rules will go away but it will be difficult to buy some chickens at that point.
Good commentary, and on a much bigger picture issue, but FYI, I was pinging you to the video linked in post #11.
I’ve told you this before but I’ll repeat it for the benefit of newcomers to the forum.
About 8 years ago my wife and I started our Neighborhood Watch because of some problems we were having. We ended up with a pretty good sized group of folks, about 45 or so. Over the next few years we identified like minded individuals and got to know them. Then we formed a sort of Super Neighborhood Watch with this group.
These are the folks with supplies, skills, weapons, ammo, etc and who were willing to work on the planning. Now it helps that there are only 3 ways in or out of our little corner of the world. A few well placed cars will block those. Then we started scoping out good spots for fighting holes, 2nd floor shooting positions, and things of that nature.
Ranges to known landmarks were learned, likely avenues of approach for bad guys identified, you know, stuff like that. Now could we hold off a determined Company of the Illinois National Guard? Nope. Could we put a serious-ass hurt on them? Yep. But this isn’t what we’re seriously worried about anyway.
If the ING gets called out on Mr. and Mrs. Suburbia then we’re all pretty much f***** anyway and we might as well go down with the slides locked back. But if we’re up against roving gangs of feral entitlement zombies, well we’ll rather quickly convince them that the pickings are much, much safer and easier elsewhere. And I figure that’s about the best we can do.
The NW thing had another unexpected side benefit. We got to know the local cops pretty darned well. So when the crap hits the fan we won’t be just some bunch of unknown yahoos with guns. We’re a known quantity to them. Will that make any difference? I don’t know. Is it something we may be able to use to our advantange? Maybe.
Take care my friend. I have a feeling we’re in for a very interesting 2012.