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Israeli police are in the midst of a campaign encouraging citizens to hand in their unregistered weapons, with no fear of prosecution and no questions asked. One person they likely didn’t expect to show up was a 78-year-old grandmother who arrived at the police station in Kiryat Gat with a virtual arsenal in tow — four crates worth.

Alexander Wolfe wrote an excellent post today discussing Go Bags and Bug Out Bags. I am going to talk about my thoughts on 'lines' of gear. In doing so we will talk about go bags/ assault packs/ get home bags and such.  First line gear is the most basic survival and defensive gear. You really shouldn't be leaving home without it. Military- Survival gear (knife, fire, etc) and weapon with reload. For most deployed personnel the weapon is an M4 variant but that doesn't really matter. Civilian- EDC/ Survival gear and potentially CCW pistol with reload. You can see mine...

It’s no secret that a lot of people do not prepare for the worst. Whether it’s an economic collapse, a natural disaster, man-made disaster or any other kind of an emergency, it seems most households are not properly equipped to handle a crisis. This was apparent with recent events like Hurricane Sandy and the severe weather disasters in the Midwest and south in the middle of last year.

One of the largest concerns during a disaster situation is when to leave. Hurricanes, floods, chemical leaks, societal breakdowns and terrorist attacks – all cause major evacuation disruptions in urban areas when too many people are trying to flee at the same time. We have seen this with such disasters as 9-1-1, Hurricane Katrina, and evacuations from mass wildfires. While it is important to listen and keep up to date on the current status of a disaster, as a societal whole, we have placed far too much emphasis on the government telling us when the appropriate time to evacuate is....

One Step Closer... "Conservatives and liberals are kindred spirits as far as government spending is concerned. ... Since government has no resources of its own, and since there’s no Tooth Fairy handing Congress the funds for the programs it enacts, we are forced to recognize that government spending is no less than the confiscation of one person’s property to give it to another to whom it does not belong -- in effect, legalized theft." Walter E. Williams, Professor of Economics, George Mason University Have you ever heard of SB 3341? Probably not. Have you ever heard of the "Precious Metals...

In last article I wrote about surviving combat and how I experienced it during my year in war. Today I write about the aftermath. Survival is not only hard on your body but can also kill you inside. So you survive but you are just empty shell. You all heard of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) but I call this just being dead inside. But this does not have to be like that. First let me tell you about Alek. I know Alek for many years now, I met him during one hiking trip I did with my survival group...

· Amoxicillin 250mg AND 500mg (FISH-MOX, FISH-MOX FORTE) · Ciprofloxacin 250mg and 500mg(FISH-FLOX, FISH-FLOX FORTE) · Cephalexin 250mg and 500mg (FISH-FLEX, FISH-FLEX FORTE) · Metronidazole 250mg (FISH-ZOLE) · Doxycycline 100mg (BIRD-BIOTIC) · Ampicillin 250mg and 500mg (FISH-CILLIN, FISH-CILLIN FORTE) Clindamycin 300mg (FISH-CIN) · Sulfamethoxazole 400mg/Trimethoprin 80mg (BIRD-SULFA)

Imagine if suddenly, and completely without warning, the world experienced a total blackout – no electricity, no mobile phones, no banks, no internet, no TV, no emergency services. Nothing. Highways quickly become jammed with cars that have ground to a halt; an aeroplane falls from the sky; a satellite view of the planet shows it rapidly plunging into darkness. As it becomes apparent that the lights are never coming back on, nations are plunged into chaos, mass riots break out in major cities and, without electricity, governments are toppled. Into the vacuum step ad-hoc militias, armed and ready to enforce...

Being able to effectively communicate with family and friends during an emergency is critical. In the past we’ve seen disasters quickly take down the infrastructure needed for cell phones to operate as well as situations where cell towers were undamaged but overloaded. When too many people try to use the same means of communication the cellular networks can quickly become overloaded and calls simply will not go through.

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — First responders from across Los Angeles County are practicing for the “big one” Thursday in a drill designed to measure the response to a magnitude-7.8 earthquake. The exercise is hosted by the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management and will take place downtown from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. “It’s our game day. The NCAA basketball tourney is starting, it’s their game day. It’s our game day for the Los Angeles County Chief Executive Offices, Office of Emergency Management,” Emergency Manager Kenneth Kondo told KNX1070. This year’s functional exercise will feature the California Integrated Seismic...

Some foods to consider for longer term storage are: Carbohydrates: white rice, pasta, wheat, oats, dehydrated fruits and vegetables, sugars, honey, fruits, roots and tubers (cook these well) and cereals. For those with wheat allergies, click here. Proteins: legumes, eggs, nuts, peanut butter, canned meats and fish, oatmeal, grains, wheat, quinoa, seeds, MREs, popcorn Fats: whole milk, ensure, peanut butter, oil (preferably plant based oils), nuts and seeds Vitamins and Nutrients: Vitamin C, Vitamin D, vitamin powders, dehydrated fruits and vegetables, seeds to grow vegetables and for sprouting, survival bars

Short notice for auction of survival supplies in Spring Valley, California. I get emails from these folks and have bought a lot of stuff in DC area. Here is a chance to maybe buy a few things...

Defenders tend to stand behind door openings..... Shoot waist high about 4 plus inches beyond the door frame. Lay in a couple of shots - 4 plus inches and 10 inches. That will cover and girth of anyone in any stance. Shooters may be either standing or crouched behind the door opening. This way (4 plus inches) will get the best chance of hitting them. If you aim higher and they are crouched over you will miss. If they are either crouched over OR standing you have a MUCH greater chance of hitting them. A shot to the head or...

Self Defense Inside the Home: Avoiding over-penetration - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 9:53:15 AM · 17 of 29 jongaltsr to EXCH54FE I learned to pay attention to shadows. To differentiate between clouds moving overhead, Trees blowing in the wind and such. I learned to differentiate between reflections passing my window by listening to hear if at the same time a car passed by or if the reflection was my dog by listening for his nails on the sidewalk. That is something you pick up in battle. That is something you pick up when you want to survive another day. Yes,...

SEALs aren’t supposed to find themselves in trouble that they can’t get out of. That’s why the Navy is seeking to buy 300 new survival kits for the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, sometimes known as Navy SEAL Team 6. They’re the guys who raided Osama bin Laden’s compound in May 2011 and sent him on an all-expenses-paid trip to the bottom of the Indian Ocean. Save for the downed stealthy MH-60 Black Hawk chopper, the mission was a grand success. But, being military men, they have to prepare for worst-case scenarios. That’s where Wednesday’s solicitation for what they call...

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — As their mother lay dead in the middle of the night, a 4-year-old Oregon girl dragged her seriously injured younger sister from a crashed car and the two huddled under a blanket — and waited. [...] The girls finally got help after two commercial fishermen spotted what appeared from a distance to be a basketball-sized gash in an alder tree along State Highway 401 between Astoria, Ore., and Naselle, Wash. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/On-a-hunch-fishermen-find-crash-site-2-sisters-4298227.php#ixzz2Lay8rQ3U

"Oh, Lord, give me strength to survive the current, the hindsight to respect the formers and the sense to know the difference."

Many years ago, years before I moved to the country, I was what would be considered "a prepper." I saw disaster every time I turned on the TV, or read the news on the internet, or visited forums that talked about stockpiling beans and bullets. I panicked, thinking I could never have enough control for the sake of my family, never be "prepped" enough. So I got out of town, and bought a place in the country. Now, I call myself a homesteader. I don't have to store a year's worth of beans in 55 gallon drums. I can just...

In 1978, Soviet geologists prospecting in the wilds of Siberia discovered a family of six, lost in the taigaSiberian summers do not last long. The snows linger into May, and the cold weather returns again during September, freezing the taiga into a still life awesome in its desolation: endless miles of straggly pine and birch forests scattered with sleeping bears and hungry wolves; steep-sided mountains; white-water rivers that pour in torrents through the valleys; a hundred thousand icy bogs. This forest is the last and greatest of Earth's wildernesses. It stretches from the furthest tip of Russia's arctic regions as...

So, I'm sure at least one person here on FR has wondered what happened to me, maybe two of you. Before I really really stopped posting, many of us had discussed the possibility, and or the desire, to get out of the city to our own little homesteads and try to grow some food, for security, for peace of mind, for whatever reason.Well, my family did it.Two years ago we made the jump. We bought a place in the country, and have spent the past couple of years setting up our little homestead. We have a big garden, many chickens,...