Observations On Staying Alive By Michael Bane
BY Herschel Smith
4 years, 2 months ago
Via Ken’s place, Michael Bane gives helpful observations.
• If you are not armed all the time, you are a fool. The time for fond illusions of safety has passed.
• This is something I’m often deficient in, but I think we all need to be carrying less lethal weaponry in addition to a firearm. I just ordered a bunch of pepper spray (Sabre Red) to remedy that. I have bear spray for the car (you never know when you’re going to be attacked by bears in these strange times). In our upcoming episode of YOUR BEST DEFENSE, Cecil Burch notes that inside a car, gel makes more sense the spray because you don’t want all that pepper spray in your car or your kids. BTW, have you ever tried/had to function in a gas environment? The mob gets practice in that every night they riot. Consider taking a course…I recommend my friend Chuck Haggard.• Understand that if you use that gun or any weapon, for that matter, the full power of the state, in the form of state attorney generals bought and paid for by George Soros and Michael Bloomberg, and the media will be leveled against you. If you don’t have some form of concealed carry insurance (mine is through USCCA), sign up today. Have a criminal lawyer programmed into your phone, and talk to that lawyer IN ADVANCE. Yes, it’s going to cost you money up front, but in all likelihood (as in Kenosha) you are going to be charged with murder rather than hailed as a hero. That’s kinda a big deal.• THERE IS A YUUUUGGGGEEEE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROTECTING YOUR HOME AND FAMILY AND DOING A MARSHAL DILLON DOWNTOWN! It behooves you to understand that difference. Most states do not allow the use of deadly force to protect property, but it is all hellishly complex, giving you lots of gears to be caught up in. Trust Andrew Branca. I do.• Should you do decide to go ahead with such an act, assume you will have to use the gun you are carrying. The current batch of urban terrorists are unlikely to melt away at the sight of a firearm. They are not scared of you or the gun. KNOW THE FREAKIN’ LAW in your state and community on lethal force! Standing over a couple of cooling bodies with a smoking AR is a bad time to consider the legality of your situation. THIS IS THE TIME TO NOT BE STUPID, KIDS! Read this:• Gabe Suarez once made a great point to me…people talk about who/what they’re willing to kill for, but the big question is actually what/who are you willing to die for, or spend the rest of your life in prison for? Gabe has made that type of hard decision. Cecil, Mike Seeklander and I have talked about that very point in the show going up next week. Where is your line in the sand? You’d better know that when you step out of the door with a gun.• In ANY case, assume the peaceful protestors/terrorists you are facing are also armed. A brick is a weapon. A skateboard is a weapon. A frozen water bottle is a weapon. A gun, even a crappy zinc pistol, is a weapon and can kill you stone dead. I think we have to assume that at least some members of the mob have guns, and that number will probably be increasing.• Understand that even in the best case, an armed individual can be overrun by a mob. And when they catch you, they are unlikely to be all that happy with you. I said in my book TRAIL SAFE that none of us needed to go looking for “High Noon,” because “High Noon” would eventually find us. THE GUN IS NOT A TALISMAN AGAINST EVIL! It only matters when it goes “Bang!”• If you are facing guns, you must be thinking about your situation at at least a semblance of a military level…when you have to move, which direction are you going? WHERE IS COVER? Where is concealment? Where is more ammo? If you are at home, does your Spousal Unit or your kids know what you are planning to do? IS THERE A PLAN? There sure needs to be. And everyone needs to know it.• You are carrying first aid/trauma gear (caveat, Riley is a friend, but I like his stuff), right? And you know how to use them, right? You don’t? GET THE TRAINING! The ability to save a life, maybe your own, is now a necessary skill. Start here.•. The police are not coming. The ambulance is not coming. The first responders who would have been on the scene in minutes in the Old Days — say, February — won’t be there for you. It’s just you and what supplies you have at hand.
• YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN! Now more than ever.
He’s right about all of it, of course. As readers know, I’m just now looking into med kits, I’ve been thinking about less than lethal weapons, and I have no carry insurance.
On September 1, 2020 at 10:15 pm, Bill Buppert said:
I carry all the time. For those living in Soviet states, the wasp spray in the big can can be fired accurately in someone’s face up to 21ft and it is not pleasant.
On September 2, 2020 at 3:06 am, Nosmo said:
It doesn’t hurt to have multiple non-lethal options. Pepper spray for starters, then – depending on the laws of your state and/or lesser jurisdiction – an impact weapon, such as expandable baton, truncheon, leather sap or kubaton. Some of those may be legal, some may not. ProTip: Read and study the laws you are subject to BEFORE carrying. Having your public defender read the law to you through the cell bars is not the recommended procedure.
“Your honor, I politely asked him to leave me alone, he kept attacking me so I sprayed him with the same pepper spray the police use, he kept attacking, so I hit him in the elbow joint with a baton, he kept attacking, so I had no choice but to apply lethal force with a firearm to defend and protect myself” sounds light years better than “Yep, he swung at me so I shot him.”
And know where you are – you may be 100% legal at home but drive 20 miles, enter an adjacent state, and things change.
Seriously consider open hand training. You don’t have to become Chuck Norris or Jet Li, but being able to deflect and impede bare handed is a very worthwhile skill. Remember, none of this is intended to suggest you should stand over the vanquished foe, fist in the air while the theme to “Rocky” plays in your head. Avoidance first, if that fails, minimal engagement to deter, then escape and evade.
On September 2, 2020 at 8:21 am, Fred said:
Technically, self defense lawyer retainers are not insurance. But, in that, as with all insurance the more you have to lose the more insurance you need. If you’re smart and don’t live in a commie state you may be fairly good with criminal charges but the civil suits will, by design, wipe you out. And civil suits will follow…
CCW Safe, is one such retainer paid yearly with a hotline number 24/7. Consider all the options carefully based upon YOUR need of both criminal and civil defense.
There are couple of things about the article I could pick at but instead; this all assumes we are still operating as a country under the law of Self Defense. YMMV, as mine does, as to whether this is still the case.
On September 2, 2020 at 8:34 am, Ned2 said:
“this all assumes we are still operating as a country under the law of Self Defense”
On the money, Fred.
Things have changed. The police will not help you, the local DA and court system will not help you. We are on our own.
My advice is to stay away from these melees for the time being, and avoid crowds as a daily routine. Let them destroy their own towns and cities, and wait.
On September 2, 2020 at 10:57 am, Fred said:
@Ned2, Melee is the exact word I was looking for. Thanks.
On September 2, 2020 at 11:33 am, Bad_Brad said:
Fred, Ned2
Exactly the way I see it with one caveat. Eventually these attacks will transition into suburbia. A lot more bang for who ever is paying the bills buck. If their goal is fear, confusion, destruction of this country they’ll do it well before Nov 3rd to keep as many people as they can away from the polls. Doubtful they’ll show up on Saturday at 3:00 in the afternoon. Home/Neighborhood defense needs to be a consideration.
I’d still get the carry insurance. It’s cheap. I use USCCA
On September 2, 2020 at 11:51 am, s said:
Shoot, Shovel (or some other variant), and Shut Up looks more appealing every day. I realize that a higher visibilty event with lots of witnesses (like a riot) would be almost impossible to practice SSS, but in certain instances, it’s looking like you are safer dealing with the problem and disposal yourself rather than involving any “authorities” and getting tangled up in the legal system where the deck is stacked against you. If it’s a case of righteous self defense before God Almighty, why does the state have to get involved? I used to think SSS was kind of a half-baked idea perpetuated by rednecks in order to scare people off their property. I now see it as a legitimate option where it can be pulled off.
On September 2, 2020 at 1:51 pm, Duke Norfolk said:
I opted for CCW Safe. Compare and judge for yourself, but they have a plan for current/former cops and military (Protector Plan) that is a great deal at $99/yr. Note: You must have a concealed carry permit, even in a constitutional carry state. They also have a plan if no CC permit, but at $220/yr it’s worth getting the permit to qualify for the cheaper plan.
https://ccwsafe.com/page/protector-plan
On September 2, 2020 at 2:01 pm, X said:
I never hurts to have an 18″ length of iron pipe under the seat of your truck, or a pipe wrench or a big crescent wrench. “No officer… it’s not a weapon, I was working on a plumbing job.”
You could always be “on your way to a baseball game” with a mitt — right next to the BAT — in your vehicle.
The jury is going to have a hard time convicting you if you were innocently “on your way to a baseball game” when Antifa thugs attacked you and you had no choice but to bash a few heads in with your Louisville slugger…
On September 2, 2020 at 5:40 pm, Ned2 said:
Nice tip, Duke.
I like the fact family members can be covered as well. As someone that lives in a Constitutional carry state, getting a CCW is no big deal.
Still, the best way to win a street fight is not to get into one in the first place. Be aware of your surroundings and leave the area at the first sign of trouble. In these times, defending yourself with a firearm and escaping the resulting chaos might be feasible, indeed easy, but with the advent of 100% electronic coverage you’ll be lucky not to be identified eventually.
On September 2, 2020 at 6:12 pm, joe said:
i don’t carry non lethal for a number of reasons…depending on how you carry your toys, you may not have time to go lethal…if it’s gas/mace/gel, and you haven’t been exposed to it before, you may be in for a surprise…and if you do use and have to go hands on before you can go lethal, it’s getting all over you too…if it’s windy your are screwed…always have carried med kit…read somewhere once if you are willing to take a life, you have to be ready to save a life…and it may be your own you are saving…2 mins and you bleed out…at the minimum, tq and Israeli bandage are a must…
On September 2, 2020 at 10:46 pm, Foot in the Forest said:
As Remus said Avoid Crowds