I recently received a comment from one of my readers, and what she said really made me take pause and think about how blessed we are to have the rights we do here in America. Here is the comment that she posted:
From Laurel: ” I envy your right to bear arms – in Tasmania all weapons have to be licensed and their use justified – which makes things difficult and survival almost impossible in a SHTF situation. I can see myself being limited to throwing stones or spitballs at would be invaders! “
I have asked her to write a post on what it is like to live in a country where guns are pretty much outlawed and you are worried about SHTF. If she agrees and writes the post, I will post it here for all to read. She also got me thinking about what a person could do, if they had no guns, to defend themselves. It is for this reason that I have decided to make todays post on improvised weapons for just such a situation. While I’m sure that she doesn’t mean that she would actually be using rocks, I was thinking maybe we could give her a couple of ideas that she hadn’t thought of. Now I know that a lot of my readers may know of other weapons, and I would love for you to add a comment at the bottom of this post and detail how to build and use or provide a link to the information on how to build them. Maybe together we can give Laurel some new ideas on what to do when you have no gun. Who knows, we may need to use them ourselves sometime.
If I had no gun, I think my first choice would be a Bow and Arrow. They can be made from items found in nature and are easy to build from PVC pipe as well. Bows are stealthy, as well as accurate, with a little practice. Arrows can be made from wooden dowels and bird feathers added to the end for fletching. Coins can be flattened with a hammer and easily made into a formidable arrowhead. There are also many types of trees that produce limbs or young trees that are straight and also make excellent arrow shafts. A head shot with one of these would diffidently take a person out of the fight in short order. There are many books and articles on the internet that describe step by step on how to build them. I will add a list of links at the bottom of this post for you to get more information on the items listed in this post. I have several of these as they are very quiet and give a tactical advantage to the user. I also recommend that every Prepper have at least one or two of these in their preps for SHTF.
A knife and a spear are also an option and while requiring you to be much closer, the spear could easily take a person down and allow you the opportunity to get in close and finish them off. These can both be easily purchased on the internet, or built from commonly available materials. I have seen spear heads that were made from pounding a piece of concrete rebar into a flat piece of metal then shaped into a very formidable spear head. I for one would not want to be on the receiving end of one of those. Like I said, they would force you to get in closer but would definitely get the job done. Knives are the same way, while not ideal for attacking from a distance, they are still an option. I have own several guns, but still keep a nice selection of knives and spear heads in my preps as well.
While not often thought of as an offensive weapon, fireworks can also be a very good weapon. I keep a nice supply of the mortar rockets in my preps. These are the ones that you light and drop in a tube and they shoot into the air and explode with a loud boom and large display of colored sparks. Firing these from a piece of thick walled PVC Pipe into and enemy’s camp would quickly disorient them and cause severe burns and hearing loss as well. I’m not sure if they sell these in his country, but if they do, they make a great improvised weapon. Firecrackers can also be used to create a diversion and allow you and your team to get in closer for attacking without guns. Good firecrackers can create the illusion that they are being fired on and force them to take cover. This would be especially effective in an area where guns are pretty much outlawed as they would not be expecting gunfire from their attackers.
I recently read a very good article on making homemade Napalm by dissolving Styrofoam into gasoline to create a weapon that will burn very hot for a long time and stick to just about everything it touches. It can be put into bottle, balloons, and other containers then lit and thrown at the enemy. Not something that I would want to have to deal with, but in an emergency, it would be nice to have and would definitely make the enemy think about continuing the fight. Just be careful and not get it on yourself as it will cause severe burns. Please see the link below for more information on making and using it safely.
If you are forced to fight with rocks, then remember that David slew Goliath with a rock and a hand sling. Golf balls also work well in these. Hand slings have been used for thousands of years in battles and their effectiveness should not be overlooked. You can also use a slingshot to launch small rocks and ball bearings at your enemy if it comes to that. A well placed head shot with either of these weapons can kill or at least take an enemy out of the fight. While they do take a lot of practice to get good at, they are well worth the effort to learn. I keep several good slingshots in my preps along with a good stock of steel ball bearings just for good measure.
As I mentioned in the beginning, I am sure many of you have additional ideas that you could offer up, in addition to these and we would all love to hear them, so please take the time to share your ideas with us below. I look forward to reading your ideas. Thanks again to Laurel for inspiring the post and to you for taking the time to read it. It is all too easy to take for granted the blessings we have while living here in America. Be thankful for our right to bear arms and because it is a right worth fighting for since many have made the ultimate sacrifice to insure we have this right. When you see a Veteran, take the time to thank them for their service and for protecting our right to keep and bear arms. Until next time, keep on prepping!
-The Sargent-
LINKS:
Homemade wooden Bow: http://survivalistprepper.net/make-homemade-long-bow-wood-hardware-store/
Homemade PVC bow: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-PVC-Bow-and-Arrow
Homemade Arrows: https://lifeandlongbows.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/aba-arrow-builders-anonymous/
Forging a spear head from an old garden hoe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNG4P8fzR3k
Making a spear head from rebar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q8uv3scTro
How to use a hand sling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSreXRMhrO4
How to make and use a hand sling: http://slinging.org/index.php?page=making-and-using-the-venerable-hand-sling—lynn-p-ballard
How to shoot a sling shot accurately: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaW0BUgeb98
Flare gun. Think, 12 ga., single shot, flame projectile.
Weapons are only good as the person behind it. But for the helping one person in need, she can make a slingbow, or use a fishing speargun. Because in most countries it’s easy to have a fishing license.
david did kill goliath: however, goliath didn’t own a gun. the giants we try to slay after teotwawki, will own guns. own a gun or die.
I think it would all be over if all I had to defend myself was a slingshot, and spear tip.
If things get this bad, there will be plenty of firearms lying around waiting to be collected.
I think the best option is not to be found in a situation as dire as explained. If one does find themselves this desperate, they were lost from the start!
Contrary to popular opinion – Laurel is a lady! Most of the sharp and pointy objects sold on Amazon do not deliver to Australia and to make matters worse – Australian customs would not permit them to enter the country without a valid reason – ie collector or self defence academy. But the other links are great for do it yourself versions and I will certainly look into them. Cheers Laurel
Not being familiar with the name, I was unaware. Thank you for pointing this out. My apologies Laurel. 🙂