Prepping – Security

Security is a concept that Chris talks about a lot in his computer babble. I want to talk about a different kind of security, though. Prepping security is a multi-layered woven mess of gods-only-know-what. Still, it’s vitally important to untangle the knots and figure out what you’ll do should shit go south.

The first aspect of security is always the most simple and visible. How do you protect you, your family, and your stuff? We’re all 2A folk here, and so firearms and other munitions are a part of what we do to keep ourselves safe. Firearm security requires a lot of practice and information, ranging from knowing how to use your firearm in a safe and rapid manner to how to store it both safely and securely. Along with firearms, you have other lethal and non-lethal methods of physical protection. These include knives, IEDs, tasers, bear spray, bows and arrows, slingshots, atl atls, and other fun “touch them from a safe distance” tools.

For grounds security, I always recommend the usage of high decibel horns. A friend of ours was having problems with teens defacing her garage with swastikas, and it was very disturbing to her because she’s Jewish. I suggested an air horn as a non-lethal response, something she very happily used. The first (and last) time the miscreants came back, when they opened her gate they got blasted with a huge air horn that alerted the entire neighborhood, and apparently left behind a fecal sample for the cops to work with. This is a “works once” sort of thing, of course, because once Bad Guys know its there, they can find a way around it. Still, if you have hidden trip wires, change them on the regular, and switch things up, it works, and works well.

Glitter bombs and shit bombs also work wonders, while the popo is still at work. Again, this is a non-lethal response so you’re unlikely to get into trouble. It does mark the offender well, though, and makes it very easy for the popo to find them. It’s also disturbing when it happens, so anyone who’s stupid enough to trip it is going to be freaked out. And I’m here to tell you, as the parent of children, glitter is forever, like herpes. That person will never be able to show their face in your neighborhood again, because no matter how much they bathe, you’re going to notice your signature color sparkling in their hairline or up their nose.

All of that is amusing, especially to those of us who value our privacy, but they are also valid ways of warning people off. Stupid criminals are surprised and upset by these kinds of non-lethal deterrents, and it’s likely to warn them off without much work on your part. Smart criminals might set them off the first time, but it lets them know that you’re actually paying attention. Also, no matter how good you are at what you do, if you criminally set off one of the non-lethal traps, it’s going to warn everyone in a large radius. Whether you get marked with the glitter or shit or whatever, it makes noise, and lets the people on the property get their act together. In the case of “post apocalyptic raiders,” it also might make them think that you’re only interested in non-lethal deterrents, which could be fun/interesting if they choose to go farther onto your property.

Other types of security are also important. We’ve talked about the gray man. It’s part of op-sec to be “one of the crowd” when you’re out and about. No one needs to know that you’re prepared for whatever the world throws at you. Whether that means you’re armed when out and about, or you have other means of keeping yourself safe, blending in is important. When you stand out, you make yourself a target. Part of this is that if everyone in your neighborhood is getting FEMA meals, YOU go get FEMA meals. If you privately share those meals with less fortunate folk who really need it, no one other than you and they need to know. What the public needs to see is that you’re just like everyone else. They need to see NOTHING different.

Where do you store your excess food? Don’t tell me. Don’t tell anyone, in fact. Especially don’t tell your neighbors. Where do you store ammo overflow? Where are your extra firearms? How do you keep all this stuff safe and secure, so that neighborhood kids don’t come across it, and it’s safe from FEMA and the government, as well as other preppers? Do you have faraday bags or cages? How do you keep them secure? What do you store in them? Can you get at their contents easily? Should you be able to get at them easily? You have to give thought to all these security concerns.

I can tell you that I have food stores in and around my home that only I know about. I have other stores that some of the family know about. I have indoor stores, and outdoor stores. I have accessible stuff, and stuff I’ve got hidden away in hard to reach places, because that’s safer if someone comes and cleans out the house. If someone comes to raid or clear out my house, they’ll find a small amount of stored food and an empty house. They can take what they want. Once they’ve left, we can come back to our home and know that we have food they didn’t get, lighting, generator for once it’s safe, etc.

Information security (knowledge, not computer) is also important. You have to know what you know, and have at least a good idea of what you don’t know. Plans within plans are the way to go. Have not only a Plan A, but B, C, D, and maybe E. Have different plans for different scenarios. Know what you’ll do if you bug in, bug out, or are caught out and about when emergency strikes. Know where you’ll meet your family in different situations. You can write it down, but be discreet about it. If you can trust your family to remember it all, commit it to memory and destroy the written evidence.

And at the end, I say as I always do, you have to practice this stuff. All of it. Practice using your firearm, not just at a standard range, but with moving targets, with targets partially hidden by non-targets, and at different distances. Get to the point where you can pull your firearm out and put lead downrange within a couple of seconds or less of noticing a target. Know what’s behind your target. Don’t just practice it once. Go out and do it, again and again, until it’s as natural as typing or cooking or taking a whiz. Repeat until your body does it even if your mind is distracted; muscle memory is the key to all good training, imo.