Rolling Back Civilian Disarmament Laws in America

Firearms freedom is on the march across America. In recent years, there have been many legislative successes for American gun owners, and I’m pleased to report that some of the best have been in the American Redoubt states. Onerous gun laws that had placed too much arbitrary discretion hands of a few political appointees have been rolled back. Meanwhile, “Castle Doctrine” and “Stand Your Ground” laws have been enacted, and strong assertions of State Sovereignty have been enacted. This animated graphic from the Wiki world, showing the advance of non-discretionary (“Shall issue”) CCW permits, is guaranteed to make Chuck Schumer …


Mike Williamson on the Flash Mob Trend

SurvivalBlog readers should take the time to read through a fairly lengthy piece about flash mobs that was recently published in Wired magazine. I note several threats, including: Random “bombings” of activity. Organized criminal events. Organized social events that get out of hand. Police over-reaction. Civil rights over-reaction. It would be a good idea for all teenagers to be aware that even a legitimate, law-abiding gathering can be turned into a riot by a few troublemakers and a measured police response. If the crowd looks too large, or questionable, then leave early. If you have to ask if it’s safe …


Two Letters Re: Fire Protection 101

Dear Mr Rawles, In regard to the article by Firefighter Charles on fire protection, I imagine (and, indeed hope) that I won’t be the only person who suggests a qualifier to the advice on what to do with a fire in a cooking pan.  My understanding is that one should NEVER put water on a pan which holds oil or fat, because the resulting explosive burst of steam and fat will leave anyone attempting the exercise with extensive, serious burns. I realize that Firefighter Charles dealt with grease fires earlier in the same paragraph, but wondered if it might be …


Three Letters Re: Self-Defense Advice

Mr. Rawles,  Reading your blog on Thursday, I was interested in the Self-Defense Advice posts. I absolutely agree that unless you have mastered the basics and developed the muscle memory that comes with it, learning Self-Defense from a book or from a video or from an online program is difficult to near impossible. That said, if you have the muscle memory and skills that come from training for a number of years, and you have someone of equal or greater skill level to work with you, it might be possible to obtain information from a book or video, but it …


Economics and Investing:

Fallout in America from Europe’s debt bomb, as a hedge fund perishes: WJB Faced 25% Interest on Debt Ahead of Brokerage Shutdown AmEx (American Expat) sent us this: In Greece’s Sour Economy, Some Shops Are Thriving Cue the dramatic gloom and doom music: Hungarian Yields Soar, CDS Hits Record As Bill Auction Fails Greek Prime Minister warns of March default–Lucas Papademos says Greece may default on its debts in March unless unions accept further cuts to salaries. Items from The Economatrix: Against Euro And Yen, Dollar Defied Reality Peter Schiff:  Now’s A Perfect Time For A Gold Rally What’s In …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From Kevin S.: Three Simple Internet Privacy Tips (And 1 Super Secret Ninja Move)    o o o Will your defensive architecture stand up to a sledgehammer? Consider this: Possible One-Man ‘Wrecking Crew’ Responsible For Countless Destructive Robberies In Harlem    o o o Several readers sent this: Oklahoma Woman Shoots, Kills Intruder: 911 Operators Say It’s Okay to Shoot    o o o AmEx (American Expat) sent this: Drought Doomed Ancient City of Angkor    o o o R.C. flagged this news item: Moving trends: More people leave Northeast


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The likelihood America will become more and more like Detroit is growing – rapidly. Politicians now control the banking sector, most of the manufacturing sector (including autos), and a large amount of media. They are threatening to take over health care and the production of electricity via cap-and-trade rules and subsidies promoting solar power. These are major threats to the wealth and well-being of America. America is under siege by corrupt socialists.” – Porter Stansberry


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 …


Combating The Darkness Within, by Paul B.

I am a new arrival to the survival community.  Until recently I was just another mindless suburbanite going about my daily routine blissfully ignorant of the world around me.  It was only by chance that a series of events happened in my life that opened my eyes to needs of survival preparation.  I won’t say that I was completely clueless about survival, but rather it simply wasn’t real to me.  Yes, I knew that tough times are just over the horizon but I simply believed that I would make it through somehow.  Ironically, it was the housing crisis that completely …


Letter Re: Converting a 1973-1991 Suburban to Cummins Diesel

James, Thought your readers may be interested in the articles on Converting a 1973-1991 Suburban to Cummins diesel engine. The staff at Diesel Power magazine is publishing a set of articles during the course of this year on the details of converting an Older suburban into what they call the ‘Doomsday Diesel Suburban’. The first article linked) covers swapping out the existing powerplant and converting to a Cummins diesel. Regards, – Allen C.


Four Letters Re: Self-Defense Advice

Sir: I noted that some letters responding to the subject of unarmed combat (self-defense advice) referred to Tae Kwon Do as a form of self defense. I have been involved in the martial arts for over 40 years and my opinion is that most modern martial arts are sport forms and not suited to real world self defense. Even mixed martial arts (MMA) forms while formidable, concentrate on fighting in the ring (or octagon) and not on the street. My current pick for self defense instruction would be Krav Maga – Israeli hand to hand combat. It has the following …


Economics and Investing:

Greeks must avert economic collapse, euro exit: leader R.B.S. sent this: GAO 2011 Annual Report Reveals: The United States is Still Broke! Patrick S. suggested this: Signs Point to Retreat in Consumer Spending.   Items from The Economatrix: US Job Market Ends Year In Better Shape Crisis Conditions Grip Eurozone US Factory Growth Shows Jobs Might Be Picking Up Oil Begins 2012 With A Bang, Prices Up 4%


Odds ‘n Sods:

I heard from my Editor at Penguin Books that my best-selling nonfiction book "How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It" is now available at Sam’s Club warehouse stores, and it will also soon be available in Costco stores! Both offer a price that is competitive with Amazon’s, so here is your chance to buy a few copies for gifts, without having to wait or shipping, or to pay for shipping.    o o o I recently watched the re-make of the western movie True Grit. Overall, it was a fine film that was more than …



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 …