Joe Wolek replies to post: "American tourist stabbed 10 times in La Boca, Buenos Aires"

Police officer Luis Chocobar

Joe Wolek, the American tourist stabbed in Buenos Aires replied to my post "American tourist stabbed 10 times in La Boca, Buenos Aires"

Message from Joe Wolek:

I just came across this upon looking for info on the event that changed my life as I prepare to head back to Argentina for the court case against my surviving attacker and the officer who came to my rescue. I am Frank Joe Wolek who was stabbed in La Boca. I just want to clarify a few things. Yes, La Boca can be dangerous, but so can any place. This could have happened to me in just about any city in the world if I had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is still many great places and people in La Boca. Second, and most important, it really angers me that immediately people think that I was threatened. That is not the case. I was attacked, immediately. There was not threat with the knife as in saying, “Give us your stuff or we’ll stab you!” It was immediate and from behind. In that situation there is nothing to do but try and fight back. It is instinctual. All of this happened in 10 seconds or less. It was only when I actually saw the blade coming out of my body and blood spurting did I totally realize what was happening, and at that point the shock made me freeze and release. For some reason people always think there is an initial threat at a robbery. Even the police and the courts in Argentina still fall back on this belief in my case as if that is how a robbery always takes place. I am certain if there had been an initial threat, and therefore a decision to be made, I would have done the correct thing. Here there was not, and when one is surprised attacked from behind there is nothing else to do but fight back, it is the bodies instinct pure and simple and takes a moment for logic to come into play…
-

Hello Joe,

Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

I’m sorry you had to go through such a terrible situation. I remember reading about it when it happened, how the doctors miraculously saved your life. As you may probably be aware of, Matthew Gibbard, a British tourist, was recently killed in Puerto Madero during a robbery attempt outside his hotel. In January this year Swedish tourist Christoffer Persson was shot in the leg during another robbery. He survived thanks to a woman that was passing by that applied a tourniquet using her tshirt but due to the severity of the wound his right leg was amputated below his knee.

About my post regarding your attack, I didn’t mean to offend you in any way. I’ve seen similar situations happen right in front of me several times in Buenos Aires. As you well explain, there’s no warning, no interaction of any kind, they just snatch and if they don’t get it in their first attempt they simply attack the victim. Sometimes even if they do, they attack you still out of pure cruelty.
I’m sorry to hear that that the police and courts in Argentina are acting this way but unfortunately I am not surprised. They always try to blame the victim, or at least imply it partially. “He resisted…” is one of their tricks so as to make it sound that way. In reality its people being attacked and caught completely by surprise, as you well say, not resisting but “freezing” due to the complete shock and surprise of the attack.

Things are not looking good at all in Argentina, especially now with the “new” old people back in power who are well known for being “garantistas”, always blaming the victim. I’m sure you’re aware of the ordeal and persecution suffered by the police officer that shot your attacker, Luis Chocobar, accused of murder, for shooting the man that stabbed you. In any other normal country Chocobar would receive a medal and considered a hero, but Argentina is just hopeless and keeps embarrassing us.

Again, I’m sorry for what you had to go through and please accept my apologies if anything I said sounded in any way offensive, it certainly wasn’t my intention. In this website we try to learn from these situations, see what could have been done better or at least try to learn to avoid these situations to some extent, but we also know very well that its easy to look at these cases from the comfort of our homes while sipping tea and not caught by surprise by a vicious criminal in the middle of the day.
Kind regards,

-Fernando

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Sweden: How to Prepare for the "Multicultural" Changes

“Street Survival Skills” Book Review

Loup over at Full Spectrum Preparedness did a pretty in-depth review of my latest book, “Street Survival Skills”.

This is a fully objective review, I didn’t send a copy for him to review, he procured one himself so shout out to you Loup and thanks for supporting my work! (Link to the review in his website).

“Street Survival Skills” is available in Amazon and covers a number of practical skills, focusing mostly on safety and self defense but also covers more general practical preparedness concepts, from power outages to cooking and water purification. Lots of drawings and sketches throughout the book explain skills and tips in detail.

If you have the book already and liked it, please take a minute and leave a review in Amazon, it would be greatly appreciated.
Take care folks!

FerFAL

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

See? This is why you need a fenced perimeter!

This weekened in Merlo, Buenos Aires. A 19 Year old burglar tried to jump the fence and got caught. He cried for help and woke up the home owners.

This kind of thing happens fairly often. Back in the day, in my old neigborhood a couple came back home one night to find a dead burglar hanging from their fence, bled out.

Some time  before that, a tragic story was somewhat similar, but this time the couple came back home to find their own son dead. He forgot his keys, tried to jump into the house and got caught.
Anyway, fences just work. Keep in mind though that they are no joke.

FerFAL

Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

This is what REAL SHTF looks like in a Farm or Homestead

The genocide of white farmers in South Africa continues and it seems that the main stream media cant be bothered to cover it. What those people have gone through and still go through today is unbelievable. Still, it is a lesson on what happens when a government is no longer providing security for the population or in the case of South Africa, when the government officially declares open season on white people.

For those that think you’ll be able to remain safe in an isolated homestead while surrounded by vicious animals, think again:

South African farmer's wife, 45, relives the horrific moment a gunman raped her in front of her children after shooting his way into their home, molesting her daughter and forcing her into sex by threatening to kill her son

A South African mother was put through a 'living nightmare' by a rapist who held a gun to her children's head to force her into sex.
Nicky, 45, was raped in front of her children by 32-year-old Sebenzile Simane - who also sexually molested his victim's daughter after shooting his way into the farm house.
Simane, who also tied the family up and stole their money, was handed two life sentences and a total of 173 years in prison after he was found guilty of the string of violent crimes in South Africa's Eastern Cape.
The white-washed £1.3million farmhouse - set in nearly 1,000 acres of land - had belonged to the family for a century and Nicky's two sons, aged nine and 15, and her 13-year-old daughter had been brought up there.
But Simane apparently felt he had been wronged by Nicky's farmer husband and came seeking deadly revenge on the family.
The family home was so remote that their nearest neighbour was a mile away and did not hear the gunshots at the home.
After surviving the horrific ordeal the family is now planning to move to Australia to set up a new farm there.
Campaign group AfriForum says that Afrikaner and European farmers are under daily attack in the country.
Sebenzile Simane, pictured has been given two life sentences for the string of violent crimes in March last year.
Describing what happened on March 23, 2018, Nicky said a stream of bullets came blasting through the patio door, narrowly missing her 15-year-old son's head.
Nicky said: 'With the bullets smashing through the windows I can only describe our feeling as being hunted like wild animals.
He shot his way through a sliding patio door to get in. 'What followed I can only describe as four hours of pure hell – just sick torture and depravity,' Nicky said.
'He held the gun to my nine-year-old son's head and threatened to shoot him unless I complied.
'I told my little one to be quiet or else this man would kill us. All I saw were his silent tears rolling down his little cheeks for the next four hours. The sight of that will be with me forever.
'He tied us all up with fencing wire so tight that our hands lost their circulation and turned grey.
'He shouted at my children that he was there to kill their father and that he would chop him up in front of them. He said that when he came through the door they would watch him butchered. He then repeatedly threatened to shoot my eldest son's feet off if he didn't obey him and then ordered him to rape me. I had never heard such a sick thing before and was totally mortified.
All I could do was beg him not to make my son do that. He just kept pointing the gun at my son's feet and saying he would shoot them unless he raped his mum in front of his brother and sister.
The white-washed £1.3million farmhouse - set in nearly 1,000 acres of land - had belonged to the family for a century
'I begged and pleaded with him not to do this and to take me to another room and take me instead.'
Explaining what happened next, she said: 'He grabbed me and forced me to my bedroom and raped me there. There was blood everywhere as I had already been badly shot. I could do nothing as my hands were tied behind my back.
'He then brought my 13-year-old daughter to the bedroom, undressed her and attempted to rape her. He was sexually molesting her and all I could do was beg for mercy and to take me again.
'So instead of raping her he forced my beautiful innocent daughter to watch as he raped me again.
'I cannot describe the anger this man displayed toward us and I knew as he raped me that if my children had any chance of survival I had to get this man away from them and the farm house.
'You don't care about yourself - you just don't want your children to die and you do all you can.'
Describing how she finally shook the man off, she said: 'He had tried to start our car outside but couldn't get it going so in a bid to buy my family time I told him to take my bank cards and pin numbers and to let me drive him to town to the ATM.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7147287/South-African-mother-45-raped-children.html)

People, enjoy life, live where you want and how you want but don’t kid yourself about what a worst case scenario would be like.

FerAL

Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

AK47 and AR15 Vs Burglars: Rifles Used for Home Defense

 Last week a homeowner in Huston, Texas, used an AK47 to fight off 5 armed home invaders, killing 3 and wounding the other two in the process.

 https://www.tacticalshit.com/texas-man-with-ak-fights-off-5-home-invaders-killing-3/ 

An Oklahoma man killed 3 home invaders a couple years ago with his AR. There’s been several other incidents where AR15 have been used as well.

https://www.dailysignal.com/2018/03/14/8-times-law-abiding-citizens-saved-lives-ar-15/ 

 These incidents where ARs, AKs or other rifles are used just go to show how superior firepower can be a serious force multiplier in these events. It is still a big mistake to overlook a survivalists main weapon, his handgun. People that do so will find themselves without a handgun OR an rifle when they need it the most.

 That doesn’t change the fact that, whenever possible, more bullets and/or more powder pushing them is preferable. You can get to a rifle? By all means use it. Same for body armor.

An auto shotgun would also be a great choice so as to fill up a hallway with lead when several intruders break in. An auto shotgun loaded up with buckshot, putting down nine balls of lead at a time with each trigger pull would be both devastating at close range and safer than raining .30 caliber love all over the neighbourhood. Either way, rifle or shotgun, using the best firepower at your disposal makes a lot of sense.

 FerFAL  

Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

7 tips for Securing a Cash Stash at Home

Hey Ferfal,
In your first book you made it clear 'Cash is King.'
But I would like your ideas on where to hide/stash that cash (i.e.; hidden money belt, certain areas of the home, etc)?
Also how many different stashes should I have? I just had a neighbour steal my jar of cash from my very rural back yard. I'm still sick about it.
-R
.
Hello R,
Thanks for your email.
A jar full of money just sitting there would not be my first suggestion. :-) As you just experienced, crime happens everywhere, including otherwise safe, rural communities. And sometimes it’s the people around us that commit these crimes, people we may even know.
The typical burglar lives within a 2 mile radius of his target This is average. The distance may be greater in rural areas of course, but the point still is, its people around your area, probably people you know. But back to your question.

A few tips:

1) You know your own house better than anyone, after looking around and giving it some thought you can probably think of a little corner or hidden space somewhere where anyone not familiar with your house would have a hard time figuring out. That’s where you want to hide it.

2) Make sure you REMEMBER where you hid it. Better yet, tell your wife/kids. My parents hid some of the nicer jewellery my mom had before a trip. When they came back they though it was so well hidden they might just leave it there for safe keeping…  a few years later they FORGOT where they hid it and no matter how much they looked they never recovered it. This kind of thing happening in extremely common.

3) Hide it in a sealed bag so as to protect it against humidity and bugs. I wouldn’t hide it where rats can get to it but if you do you want a metal container besides the bag.

4) Find a place that is somewhat easy to access while being well hidden. Putting money inside an interior hollow wall may be very well hidden, but impossible to check on it or access the money in a convenient manner. For example, a hollow door on the other hand could have a piece of wood that is removed on the hinge side when opened to access the money. Pretty well hidden yet convenient to access.

5) I would have at least two stashes. Start with a big gun safe, heavy and bolted. You need one anyway for your firearms (if you don’t have one, you should). Getting your guns stolen is no joke and happens all the time. Keep in mind that in average, burglars spend less than 10 minutes in a house, so a safe is a good idea. A good safe can about the same as a handgun or as much as a good rifle (fire, EMP proof). Whatever your budget is you should have one (or 3, like I do) Makes no sense to have thousands in guns and not put a few hundred into securing them.

New and Improved E.M.P Proof Steelwater Extreme Duty 22 Long Gun Fire Protection for 120 Minutes 

6) Combine the safe with a home alarm system and security camera. The security camera works with a cellphone app and the motion detector lets you know if someone broke in. These Cameras are cheap, cost 25 bucks and are the best value you'll ever get in security.

Ring Alarm – Home Security System with optional 24/7 Professional Monitoring – No contracts – 8 piece kit

7)You could keep a second cash stash in a small, well-hidden safe. If you live in a dangerous area where you are likely to be held at gunpoint during a break in, It wouldn’t hurt to have one of these store bought cheap safes as a decoy. You could keep some fake precious metals, fantasy jewellery. Hope that helps!

FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Texas home Invasion: 7 year old tortured in front of parents

People, just a reminder. A post to put things back into perspective.
So you have your little subcompact gun, tiny enough to carry it concealed behind your ear, because that’s what all the cool kids are doing these days.
And then this happens.

'Cowards' placed boy, 7, underwater in bathtub as parents watch during home invasion, sheriff says

You need to be reminded of this, believe this can happen to you tomorrow. Can happen to you today. Your wife tortured, your kids tortured. Only then will you change the mentality from what little gun goes best with your skinny jeans or digs in less into your super thin, ultra-sensitive skin into wanting the most ammo and most powerful gun you can shoot fast and accurately and above all, into having the instinct to kill people with a fork if necessary.

They are animals. Worse than animals they are monsters and need to be destroyed whatever it takes.
Once this reality sinks in and is fully assimilated then believe you me, you will no longer care for what’s comfortable or what’s cool. You will want effective killing tools. Several of them. You will want to master them and above all and most important, you will have the determination to use them.
Things like these, it’s a daily occurrence in places like Buenos Aires. I’ve been living in that reality for more years than I care for. You know what we didn’t talk about with like-minded people? How can I carry a smaller gun with less ammo. That’s the kind of thing discussed by first worlders, people that down deep don’t think they will ever need a gun.

FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

The Best investment in home security you’ll ever make

They have been around for a while but if you haven’t looked into installing a home security camera, you really should.
Having an alarm is a great idea and you should have one installed, no doubt. Also hardening you home with a good front door, locks, etc.
But no matter what you do, the truth is that with enough time (and it usually takes them surprisingly little) any criminal can break into your home.

Wifi security cameras are worth their weight in gold. Not only can they notify you with their motion detection feature that someone broke in, you can also check to see whats going on inside your house while you are away. You can set it up so that is notifies you to your cellphone, sends a picture or video of whatever triggered the alarm or even listen and speak through it to whoever is inside. They are a must have for your home and for any property that is left vacant during extended periods of time. Maybe the best thing about these cameras is not just letting you know someone broke in so that you can call the police, even describe the burglars, but that it allows you to capture images of them for future identification.

Zmodo Wireless Two-Way Audio HD Home Security Camera (2 Pack) with Night Vision $39.99

This one is the #1 seller, has top reviews in Amazon and should do fine, but look around for other models in case something else fits your needs better.

That’s all guys. Just a very high value tool in case you don’t have one already. Not a lot of money and in general they are pretty simple and fast to install and set up with your phone.
Take care.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

South African Crime Documentary

Message:
I saw these videos on South African crime on Lauren Southerns YouTube
channel and remembered that you did some post about this very thing. I
placed a your link in her comment section and thought you may want to
see the documentary she is doing on South African crime. I have been
watching her content for a while now. She has good content and a good
head on her shoulders, like yourself. It is tragic that this is not
reported in international news more. Thanks for all your good work,
 -P

Thank P, those are worth watching.

It actually remind me of Argentina a lot. Driving by and seeing all houses with reinforced doors + bars on every single window and gates all over the place. Many have electrified fences as well. On poor neighbourhoods you see barb wire, broken bottles on the top of walls. Gated communities with heavy private security, neighbours hiring their own security, or in some cases organizing themselves.
These are the solutions people just try to come up with when the government fails and people have to fend for themselves. Out in the country its hardly better with people getting killed like we see in those clips.

I had the pleasure of meeting some young South African expats many years ago. They were young people like myself back then and they were simply fed up and looking to leave SA. They didn’t want to live their lives like that and I can fully understand that.
Finally, something interesting said in one of the videos, about your life being spent “indoors” when crime is that bad. Again, reminds me of Argentina. You rush from one house to another, or to a mall or gated community with security, always worrying about being safe.  You’re living in South Africa (or South America) but the time you spend doing outdoors stuff is seriously restricted by how dangerous it is.

FerFAL

Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Coligny Riots: More trouble in South Africa

"They are throwing rocks at the house and are coming through the walls - please hurry," the panicked voice of a woman, speaking Afrikaans, shouts into a two way radio.
Minutes later her home was in flames after being hit by petrol bombs.
The attack on the Rietvlei maize farm, on the outskirts of the remote South African town of Coligny, came just half an hour after two white farmers were granted bail for the alleged murder of a 16-year-old black teenager.
Pieter Doorewaard, 26 and Phillip Schutte, 34, are accused of throwing Mathlomola Mosweu off a speeding pick up truck on April 20 after catching him picking sunflowers.
An autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of Mathlomola's death, but the facts of the case have mattered little in Coligny, where the case has inflamed long simmering racial tensions.

Riots and fears of race war as South African farmers bailed over black teen's death

...

I’ve always been very interested in the situation in South Africa, especially from the Afrikaners white farmers perspective.
It gets rather little attention from the main stream media but having actually met with some Afrikaners I believe their struggle is just packed full of valuable survival information. What do you do in a worst case scenario, in a country ravaged by crime, corruption and even the government itself turned against you? Under constant attack and kicked out of their land, Afrikaner farmers have mastered the art of defensive homesteading, showing us how to harden and defend an isolated residence but ultimately showing how such a strategy is doomed to fail eventually. Many of them have quit and moved to more secured communities in the city. Many others have left the country entirely. Unfortunately, thousands have died as well, while a few still remain, struggling to keep their way of life.
In this recent incident, two farmers are being accused of brutally killing a teenage boy in Coligny outside Lichtenburg. This death sparked a mass violent protest in the small maize-growing town. In a space of a day, three houses and three trucks were torched.
The link explains in more detail how events unfold and how it quickly escalated to rioting, looting and houses being torched.
http://m.news24.com/news24/Columnists/GuestColumn/the-shape-of-things-to-come-20170509
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Home Owner’s son kills 3 Home Invaders with AR-15

 
The three The three home burglars that got killed
23 year old Zachary Peters shot the 3 intruders with an AR-15 rifle after they broke into his home, carrying weapons and wearing black clothes.
The link to the story includes more info and the audio of the 911 call, which is worth listening so as to understand better what happens when talking with 911 during such situations.
This goes to show how important it is to teach our kids safe gun use from an early age. I know of much younger children, even pre teens that have used their father’s gun  to protect themselves and their families.
Also its important to remind everyone about the risks of gun handling by children that are too young or not mature enough to handle such responsibility. Be extremely careful with this given how common that type of accident is when it comes to children and firearms.
If your child is old enough, besides safe gun handling the KEY thing to teach  is proper identification before shooting any target. This right there saves lives and avoids tragic shootings of friendly fire.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Choosing the right shotgun ammo for home defense

Burglars Explain how they Broke into Homes

Home security is a top concern. It is today and it sure is after a socioeconomic breakdown. Maybe one of the weakest point I see on nearly all American preppers is home security. Having guns means you have means of self-defense, it doesn’t mean that your house is more of a hard target.
This article from 12News is well worth the time it takes to read it and has some good first-hand information about how burglars operate.

Here are the top five lessons:
1)Burglars will look for jewellery, electronics, cash, credit cards and guns. One burglar said that NRA stickers means there’s guns to be stolen.
Not mentioned in the article but I know this to be true, many criminals also look for drugs, legal or otherwise, either for personal consumption or for selling.

2)All burglars CHECK IF YOU ARE HOME. They knock on your door and if someone answers they ask for directions, pretend to be lost or to be looking for someone else. Some even pretend to be doing surveys.

3)They prefer breaking in early morning or afternoon when people are working and kids are in school. Most of them access through UNLOCKED windows and doors. Some kicking down the door if locked.

4)The ideal house to break in? They looked for homes with big fences and overgrown trees or bushes. “Homes AWAY FROM OTHER HOMES, blind spots, older window frames, cheap wooden doors,” wrote a burglar. “Large trees, bushes or shrubs around the home, or very reserved and conservative neighbours,” wrote another inmate.
“Nice home with nice car = A person with money,” another said.

Simplisafe2 Wireless Home Security System 8-piece Plus Package

5)How to make your home a hard target? Keeps doors and windows locked. Large dogs are one of your best deterrents. Smaller ones don’t seem to do the trick nearly as well. Install an alarm, most intruders said they would leave immediately if a security alarm went off.
Most burglars consider a car parked on the driveway to be a sure-fire sign of someone being home. TV or radio noise also made them think twice about breaking in.
“Put bars on your windows and doors, get an alarm, keep an extra car in the driveway, keep lights, TVs and radios on when you leave your home,” read one questionnaire.
“Home alarm, know your neighbour so they can report suspicious people around the neighbourhood,” said a burglar.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Hiding Money: What worked in Argentina?

Hiding Money: What worked in Argentina?

here's a link about old-school "banks".

http://www.threethriftyguys.com/2014/04/money-hiding-spots-from-the-great-depression/

of course, with metal detectors, ground-penetrating and thru-wall radar, hiding things within

your home is harder. what were the best options for Argentinians? what do you recommend?

  .


Hello,
Thanks for the link, very interesting information. Most of the common hiding places are mentioned there. Inside dry walls, under floors, inside furniture and doors.
I can tell you that I’ve seen it all in Argentina, people have hidden money and precious metals in all sorts of places.  The problem is that when your family is tortured you tend to give it all up, so keep that in mind. Hiding valuables is part of a larger security strategy, otherwise it can fail. As for home invasions when people aren’t home, again, I’ve seen it all. I know of houses that had been completely picked clean, including the toilets, faucets and other installations being removed and stolen. Another option is burring your money and gold, sealed air tight and buried in PVC tubes. If its paper cash alone then a metal detector wont find it. A word of caution though: Make sure you remember where you buried it and do tell some other family member about it in case you forget!

First Alert 2092DF Waterproof 1-Hour Fire Safe

My advice is to have two safes, one more visible, maybe your gun safe, and a smaller, fire and water proof one, very well hidden. This strategy is pretty solid and I know for a fact about people that suffered burglaries and the criminals failed to find the second safe.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

WROL? You better know your Local Laws

Colorado homeowner robbed at gunpoint may face charges for killing suspect
"...any occupant of a dwelling is justified in using any degree of physical force, including deadly physical force, against another person when that other person has made an unlawful entry into the dwelling, and when the occupant has a reasonable belief that such other person has committed a crime in the dwelling in addition to the uninvited entry, or is committing or intends to commit a crime against a person or property in addition to the uninvited entry, and when the occupant reasonably believes that such other person might use any physical force, no matter how slight, against any occupant." 18-1-704.5 Use of deadly physical force against an intruder."
One of the things I constantly remind people of is the importance of reality-based survival and preparedness. It’s hard to think of another field of study where fantasy and reality get mixed up so often and to such extent. I participate in various forums and always look forward to people’s thoughts and concerns. It is amazing to see how many times people take fantasy as facts, make unfounded assumptions or even prepare based on completely fabricated suppositions.
A favourite classic of mine: “When SHTF no one will care how much silver/gold is worth”. Really? What makes you think that? Based on what exactly are you making such assumption? Do you have examples of this ever happening? These are just some of the questions such people have no answer for.
In the case of firearms and self-defense shooting, another myth I work hard to dispel is the idea of “WROL”. The weekend survivalist, uneducated other than his Master’s degree in The Walking Dead Sciences, gets on his tactical soapbox and begins: “cuz.. after SHTF… you know… there aint no police… cuz everyones on his own and the law don’t matter no more.. cuz dat’s WROL.. ya know… without rule of law”.
OK, so maybe this is a mild exaggeration but dear God its concerning how many people out there go for a slightly more polished version of what I just quoted.
The reality is a tad more complex. For those of us that have been through what self-claimed experts theorize about, and have gone a step further beyond just having personal experience and spent literally years seriously studying and researching these topics, we know better. The simple truth is that society doesn’t disappear, it may get chaotic at times but it’s still there, and more relevant to the topic the laws don’t go anywhere the day you’re brought to justice and asked to answer for your actions.
The problem with all these fantasies about going out shooting raiders and looters is that there are real looters and real criminals out there. Before the world goes Mad Max and you start kidnapping people and using them as walking blood banks because the world run out of food (but somehow managed to retain the ability to build the most insane custom vehicle with horrible fuel efficiency) before any of that happens you will have to go through very hard times. You will have to avoid getting kidnapped in parking lots or carjacked, defend your home from home invaders, somehow make your home safe when away, find ways of defending your income, you will have to survive for REAL, not Man vs Wild but REAL SURVIVAL folks, do you understand what I mean by this?
Argentina is a country where unbelievable things have been happening for years. It’s a country where those that manage to survive have to go through their own trials in more than one occasion and many fail to make it through every day.
I’ll give you an example. Argentina has suffered an 80% inflation since 2014. 40% for 2014, 40% for 2015. That’s official World Economic Outlook numbers. That’s the second worst inflation in the world after Venezuela, where people kill each other over a pack of food. That’s double the inflation of Iran and almost four times the inflation of Ukraine. Just ask yourself, how would you cope yourself with prices going up 80% in two years? Where would you be, how would you support your family?
And yet, the world hasn’t ended. No Mad Max, just the same crap as always, only worse. When it comes to crime, you better know how to avoid trouble, you better know how to defend yourself, but you better know the law as well because the minute you screw up they will come after you.
This is true for Argentina and its true for America as well. Before you prepare for Mad Max, before you ride eternal, shiny, and chrome, you have to survive the real world. You have to survive the looters and well organized criminals yes, but before that you have to survive the carjacks in parking lots, the meth heads, muggers and home invaders, and you have to survive them within the margins of the Law. Sorry friend, no WROL for you. The law is still very much there, not to protect you, but to answer to. And if you fail to be prepared to do so, if you’re not prepared to fight armed with your firearm but also armed with the knowledge of your local laws, you won’t have to bother with preparing much because you’ll have the State housing you and feeding you, in prison.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Why you need not one but Two safes

Paragon 7750 Electronic Wall Safe, Hidden Large Safe for Jewelry, Small Handguns $108.99

Some of the advice I have to give based on my experience in Argentina after the economic collapse may not be as useful for everyone. Most Americans simply don’t have to deal with that level of crime and violence, let alone on daily basis in their local towns and cities. The thing is, as the world “keeps moving”, like Stephen King once wrote, a lot of that advice becomes increasingly relevant.
In my book “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse”, I explained that you want not one but two safes in your home. One of them more visible, maybe were you keep decoys or less valuable items, and a second well-hidden one were you keep most of your cash, precious metals and other valuable items. The reason for this advice is twofold.
First, if someone breaks into your house and they find the safe, they will assume this is where you keep your valuable items and focus on that safe. Rarely will they bother looking for a second safe and even if they do it should be very hard for them to find. This reduces significantly the chances of getting that second safe broken into.
Second, and this is one of those hard-earned lessons for many in Argentina, if someone breaks into your house and manages to put a gun to your love one’s head, you will tell them where the safe is and you will open it for them. In this case, you better have some believable decoys in that safe so that they feel content with it. With a bit of luck they will be happy with that and consider it a good day’s “work”.
Well, it turns out that having such a second safe has proven to be very valuable for this forum member over at survivalistboards where home intruders that broke into his house when he was away failed to find that hidden safe and therefore managed to save its content.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.