On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was driving on Interstate 95 in Massachusetts, listening as the attacks unfolded on the radio, heading toward Boston to teach a three-hour seminar. When I got to the office where the class was being held, it was only the sobbing receptionist that broke the deafening silence to greeted me. We decided to press on with the training program. During the class breaks, we watched the towers burn on television. To describe it as surreal would be an understatement. When I got home early that afternoon—already wearing my handgun, as normal—I took a rifle, and shotgun out of the quick-action safe and put one on each side of the house.
That probably seems extreme to some, but at the time, nobody knew how far the attacks would go. I was not expecting terrorists to attack the rural section of the state I lived in; what I feared was panic. If the attacks had continued, or gotten closer to home, fear could have set off panic, rioting, and looting.
In the weeks following 9/11, I increased my stores of food, water, and yes, ammunition. While I had enough ammunition for personal defense, I didn’t have enough for social unrest. If that doesn’t sound like a logical enough excuse, I expected ammo to become quite scarce and expensive—which proved to be true.
The food I stored has since been consumed and rotated, and the ammo stash has increased, despite my ongoing attempts to deplete it. Now, with recent events, we have more reasons than ever to stock up again.
Probability of Crisis
Before you say social unrest caused by a terrorist attack in this country is not likely, keep in mind that a terrorist attack is not the only thing capable of inciting civil chaos. Think “Act of God.” An earthquake, volcano, hurricane, or any other kind of devastating natural event can bring a polite society to its knees.
Anytime unprepared people are left to fend for themselves, chaos will ensue. People will be killed for food, water, shelter, and just for the “fun” of it. Law enforcement will be all but non-existent, and society will be a free-for-all with criminals reigning terror over the rest of us. Before you say “not likely,” think about two words: Hurricane Katrina.
The physical and social effects of Hurricane Katrina were a national tragedy, not just because of the flooding, but also for the ineptness of government officials at all levels. Local, state, and federal governments all failed miserably in their feeble attempts at providing assistance. Katrina is but just one recent example, but it proved without a shadow of a doubt, that we can only depend on ourselves for our safety and survival.
Even though the impending doom of the storm was known well in advance. The government could not provide for the victims’ need for food or shelter, and it could not protect them in any sense of the word. However, what is probably most disturbing is that, not only could the government not stop the looting, rioting, murders, rapes, assaults, and robberies, but police—at the direction of elected officials—purposely disarmed law-abiding citizens, thus eliminating any chance for personal survival in the face of violence. Imagine watching a gang rape your wife or daughter because the police, while they couldn’t evacuate you or bring you food or water or stay and protect you, had time to swing by and confiscate your guns for the “greater good” and safety of the whole.
The atrocities that occurred after Hurricane Katrina galvanized the country. I hope it finally started to sink into our collective consciousness that we have to be prepared to take care of ourselves—whether it be a personal attack, terrorist bombing, or natural disaster, we can not depend on anyone else for our safety and our survival.
Value of a Handgun
In the shadow of Hurricane Katrina, survivalists, or should I say realists, stocked up for what is commonly known as SHTF situations. While I’m sure that it’s been going on for quite a while, I recently noticed an interesting trend in what ammunition people are stock piling—there is a significant bend toward stocking rifle ammunition. While that may sound reasonable, since we all acknowledge the fact that rifles offer far better stopping power than handguns, I think a handgun may be more appropriate for the average citizen. Before you jump all over me for that transgression of thought, allow me to explain; it’s not that I think a handgun is more effective, it’s that in times of social unrest, I think a handgun is more practical.
Defending yourself at home is one example. In my training classes, I often ask the participants what type of weapon they prefer for home defense. Typically, more than half state that they prefer a shotgun because of its devastating stopping power. They usually change their mind, however, after I run them through a home protection scenario where they must negotiate corners, open doors, operate light switches, and control the movements of family members.
A shotgun, as well as a rifle, is a two-handed weapon and is virtually impossible to operate effectively with just one. For instance, to keep from giving your position away and to prevent a gun grab when negotiating travel ways through the home, a gun should not protrude beyond a corner or through a doorway. To survey around a corner or pass through a doorway, a long gun must be lowered or raised to keep it from view. Due to its length and weight, that’s not easy to do with just one hand. Nor is it easy to get a long gun back on target in a hurry from a raised or lowered position if you are controlling it one-handed.
The same is true with the operation of door handles and light switches. Furthermore, in a dangerous situation, family members may need to be physically controlled. You many need to hold them at bay behind you and/or guide them in a particular direction. This forces you to control and operate a long gun with just one hand.
While a short-barreled rifle or shotgun is most often the weapon of choice for law enforcement entry teams, there is quite a difference between an entry team and a typical homeowner. First off, police entry teams are highly trained and practiced. Second, they are a team. One officer can operate the doors and deal with innocents while other members make entry and take care of business.
If we consider our ability to live and operate in a society that is plagued with ongoing and excessive violence, yet still partially functional, the handgun will simply be more practical in most likely defensive scenarios—both in and out of your home. If you need to venture out of the house, carrying a visible long gun will most likely instill panic, as the public will not know if your motive is self-defense or crime. To a criminal, your weapon may broadcast “shoot me first,” or you may become a gang target for the purpose of relieving you of your weapon. In your workplace, a long gun will most likely not be looked upon with kindness, to say the least. A properly concealed handgun would incite none of those reactions.
If, during a crisis, you are wandering around seeking help, the presence of a visible long gun will most likely deter any assistance from coming near you. Think of the people standing on their roofs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina waiting for a lifeboat. How likely is it that they would be picked up if they were holding an AR-15, AK-47, or shotgun?
Carjackings also are a serious and common occurrence in times of riots and looting. If you are traveling, the manipulation and firing of a handgun from a car is far easier than a long gun, regardless of how easy it looks in the movies. A handgun can also be easily passed back and forth between driver and passenger if needed. Imagine that you are going 60 mph through traffic while trying to manipulate a rifle into position. Easy right? All you must do is aim and fire without killing yourself or a bystander. While not easy or recommended, in a life-or-death situation, a handgun can be fired much more effectively while driving, or even while parked for that matter.
As I stated in my premise, while a handgun does not offer the best stopping power, it does offer far greater practicality in terms of its operation in various situations and it will not incite panic since its presence can be hidden.
Weapon Choices
In times of social unrest, there are many considerations regarding choosing your weapons that may not apply to normal criminal defensive situations. Defending your property’s exterior and interior perimeter spaces from multiple attackers or repeated attempts will probably necessitate that you arm family members, neighbors, or both, depending on your tactical situation. While you may be properly armed and trained, consider the fact that you may find that your neighbors are not.
If you’re like most gun owners, you own several different types of handguns in various calibers. In a perfect civil defense scenario, all of your handguns would be of the same make, model, and caliber, so ammunition, magazines, and parts can be shared. The world is not perfect and having a dozen or so identical guns in hand is highly unlikely. The best choice of weapon for a shared security situation may in fact be a revolver, since you will likely be giving guns to people with limited understanding or training in firearms or personal defense. Revolvers hold an advantage over semi-automatics since they are easy to learn and quite intuitive.
Thinking Ahead
Whichever way you go, be sure you have plenty of ammunition. It is best to store it in a cool and dry location. I store fully-loaded magazines and spare ammunition in GI ammunition boxes with desiccant packs. The GI boxes are sealed with a rubber gasket to help keep moisture out, and they are easy to pick up and carry as well.
The police confiscation of handguns from law-abiding citizens that we saw in New Orleans clearly demonstrates another reason to have multiple firearms. While we now have a federal law, making gun confiscation illegal in times of crisis, are you willing to bet your life on it? Store your guns and ammunition in different locations. That way, if some get illegally confiscated, you will have others available.
Value of Long Guns
While I feel handguns make for a more practical choice in most situations, long guns do have a place in personal defense. To defend against certain home invasion scenarios, I would grab my handgun and gather my family in a previously agreed upon safe room. Once secured, I would use a long gun to defend us against anyone attempting to breach the safe room. This necessitates having a room in your house designated as a safe room and having it stocked with long guns and spare ammunition. It is good to keep a cell phone there as well to contact the police.
In the case of severe civil unrest, if a need to face a mob arose, a rifle or shotgun would, of course, be preferred. A long gun is preferable in the case of a need for intimidation and deterrence, such as sentry duty. Lastly, there are few substitutes for a long gun should you find yourself needing to hunt for food.
In time of riots, disasters, and terrorism, you will have no idea what you will need and when. The idea of getting out of town will be moot as roads will be jammed with evacuees. You will have to rely on what you have stored, your training, and your ingenuity in order to survive. Your handgun may just become your best friend.
If you had to choose only one, or designate one as a primary go to gun, would you choose a handgun, rifle, or shotgun? Give us your choice, and make your case as to why it is the best, in the comment section.
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I agree and have been saying this for years. While I keep several guns staged around my house, my go to gun is a Taurus Judge with 000 ought buck and 2 speed loaders with 45 Colt as backup.
I think the best personal protection weapon is the one you have at hand. Talking about different calibers and firearm characteristics is great, but the real issue is to be really good with whatever weapon you have at hand when the perp decides to B & E. I’m a Ruger fan and have been for 50+ years. My current weapon of choice is a Ruger KP-89, 9mm pistol which is my usual carry gun. When I go to church on Sunday, I carry a Walther PPK/s, .380 semi-auto (which my church authorizes). During my activities here around the homestead, I usually will have a Ruger GP-100 in .357 mag. It all depends on what activity I am involved in. The key is to be VERY proficient with whatever firearm you have at hand. BTW: I’ve heard it said that the purpose of a pistol is to provide return fire until you can get to your rifle, which is not always true. (I was armed Bank Protection Officer for 5+ years and had no rifle available). I stand by my original statement that the most appropriate self defense weapon is the one you have at hand. My wife, on the other hand, has a Ruger .22mag revolver since her hand strength is not enough to work the action on my semi-auto’s.
Well written, well thought out, sir.
I chose both. I have handgun and long gun available. One small point you didn’t touch on are the rifle/pistols, the shorty versions like the HellPup and FoldAR style firearms. However, most people would not have one around and neither do I…yet. However, like you, my sidearm is always on me. Thank you for a very good article, sir.
As the poster above has noted, beans, especially pistol caliber carbine’s are ideal for this scenario.
Something like the CZ scorpion Evo can be held and fired in one hand with the stock folded.
They can have red dots and lasers, and usually feed from 20 or 30 round magazines.
With the stock unfolded, Headshots out to 100 yards are easy.
The Vector comes in 9mm and .45. for those who want a more powerful cartridge.
A pistol caliber carbine can handle everything from indoor home defense, to fighting your way out of a riot to dispatching packs of wild dogs