On Firearms and Preparedness

 (Just some things that came to mind today while I was perusing the internet. We as prepared individuals have a tendency to get way to worked up on the gear, as opposed to skills. Gear only helps us accomplish a mission.-Kyle)

One of the first things many people look at when they start to become prepared is firearms. Firearms are a “fun” part of preparedness, especially if you are a gun person already (we are!). On the preparedness forums we frequent, the firearms section is easily one of the busiest sub-forums. People will endlessly debate what rifle is “the best” for a disaster scenario. There is nothing wrong with that debate, or people having different opinions on the matter. The problem (and this is a common theme in the preparedness and firearm worlds) is when people get too wrapped up in gear selection, instead of letting the mission dictate the gear.

                 

           You must decide why you need a firearm, and what you need it to do for you, before you can think about which firearm is best for your situation.  Let the mission, or what you want to accomplish, drive your selection of equipment. If you do it the other way around, it’s quite likely you will end up trying to adjust your preparedness plans to fit a specific firearm. If you plan on increasing your level of everyday preparedness, you may be looking at a handgun for concealed carry. If you are worried about home invasion, you may be looking at a rifle or shotgun, depending on your preference (and a lot of other factors, but that’s a different post entirely). Finally, if you are concerned about a Black Level (Click for the Dragoon Disaster Scale) event, where the grid is down and there will most likely not be any police to come when you call, you might be looking at a fighting rifle.

                 

           Remember, you can’t eat bullets. On the other side of that, all the stored food in the world does you no good if you can’t defend yourself and your supplies. Preparedness, like most other things in life, is all about balance. Only two sorts of people think that all they need to survive is a weapon and plenty of ammo. One group is made up of those that are simply uninformed, and their idea of survival comes from zombie movies. The others are like this guy (Link thanks to the Organic Prepper), and think they don’t need supplies because, with their firearms, they will simply take yours. Do yourself a favor, and don’t be like those people. If your only plan is to take from others by force, it won’t end well, I promise you. 

Kyle

DSPS

18FEB2014

What is Your Mindset?

   Most of the time when I wake up in the morning, everything is normal. It isn't much different than yesterday... same home, same car, same job, everything. Some small things may change, needing to scold a kid, maybe clean up a dog mess, but for the most part, our lives are scripted to a certain degree. Humans like to have structure in their lives. All of this holds true every day for most people, but every day, bad things happen around the world. Ive thought a lot about the people directly effected by 9/11, or the tornado in Joplin, MO, Hurricane Sandy, and other terrible events. More than likely, not one of them woke up thinking about that day being "The Day," where they would be an unwilling part on the opening salvo of the modern War on Terror, or where they would be thrust into a very real survival situation. Now, this is what drives me. Its is where my passion lies. It is my mindset.

I will Prevail.

Allow me to be clear. I do not live in fear. I live with the knowledge that any day could be my day, and that I need to, and will be prepared.

Mike
11FEB13

Dragoon's Rules of Survival #2- Always Have a Knife

    Rule #2 Always Have a Knife

    Not only should you have a knife, but it should be right for the job. The knife is probably one of your most important tools not only for every day life, but in an emergency situation. At Dragoon S/P Solutions, we carry a few different knives, and pack others for more specialized uses.

Why Carry a Knife? 

   Its easier really to ask why you wouldn't carry a knife every day. Almost every day I find a reason to pull out a pocket knife, at home or in the field. I can understand if you have a job where a knife is unauthorized. If that is the case, have one in your vehicle kit or get home bag. A knife is one of those things that hard to improvise in an emergency. Not impossible, but also not something you want to have to do before you are able to accomplish the task you needed the knife for in the first place.
  

What Knife Should You Carry?

    I'm not going to go deep into which knife brand, style, or steel type here. That is a different topic entirely. Pick a quality knife (not a gas station or flea market special) that you feel you can truly trust. I carry a folding knife on me every single day. I see a folding knife as much less threatening to the uninformed public than a fixed blade. Remember the concept of preparedness in layers. My folder should do everything I need from a knife until I get to my get home bag or bug out bag.
    In your GHB we suggest a decent fixed blade. Your GHB is built to take care of you in an emergency until
you get to your actual supplies. This knife should also be solid and dependable. You should also consider a multi-tool, unless you usually carry one on your person daily. In an urban environment, a multi-tool may be far more useful than a fixed blade knife.
    In the Bug Out Bag, most people will have at least one fixed blade knife. Some carry several, but I believe that to be overkill. I have two knives in my Bug Out Bag. Because any bug out plan I have takes me through and into rural areas, I have an ESEE Laser Strike. I also have an ESEE Junglas. The Junglas would be over-doing it for anyone that wasn't planning on doing serious wood processing.

  Make sure you carry enough knife for the job, something that is comfortable and more than anything else, something you can rely on. You never know when you will need a good piece of steel at your side.

Kyle
29AUG2012

Dragoon's Rules of Survival #1 Part II

#1. Do Not Neglect the First Weapon.

Part II. Mental.

    The human mind is probably the one thing that brought us to the top of the food chain. Think about it for one second... Humans were not blessed with the tools of survival that the animal kingdom received. We have no claws for fighting or hunting.We don't have a thick hide or fur for protection from the elements. Our vision, hearing, and sense of smell isn't nearly as developed as most animals. The one advantage God saw fit to give us is our brain. No other species has the raw brainpower we do.
     The human mind is capable of amazing feats of true greatness. With it, we created civilizations, music, art, and infrastructure. The first time man was able to find a rock that made a spark, or saw that he could take a naturally occurring brushfire and make that fire work for him, we started to become the masters of our environment. We humans were able to take a world that that we were not built for, and mold it to our needs.
    The first part of Rule #1 was about your body being your primary weapon. I may have gotten a bit ahead of myself. Your mind controls your body, and that makes your brain your true primary weapon. One cannot function without the other though. If you prepare the body, but neglect the mind, you will fail. The same is true the other way around. Like everything in life, you have to strike a balance, and that balance will be a personal one.

 Like the old saying goes, knowledge is power. Your mindset will dictate your actions. How are you preparing your mind to help you prevail? If you aren't mentally prepared, but have a great bug out bag, nice AR, and six-pack abs, where does that leave you when your life as you know it collapses?

Square One.

    There is no replacement for a prepared mind. With a prepared mind you have a shot at surviving an emergency situation, no matter what happens to your gear. With all the right gear, you will fail if you don't have what it takes under that high speed kevlar helmet. Or tinfoil hat. Or whatever headgear you prefer.
 
    How do you work on your mindset?  Unfortunately, there is no short answer to that. Every person has to decide what they will do, and how they will make themselves mentally prepared. One thing I always did before a mission in Afghanistan was do mental reps. It was something they always preached in football, but I didn't really understand it then. Now I do. It works in the real world too. If you carry a weapon daily, mentally run through the process of trying to deescalate a situation so that you don't have to draw. Then run it differently, in a situation where you do have to. Wargame as many situations as you can think of. You will eventually run into a lot where there is no simple way to win. Be honest about your abilities in these mental reps. You should know what you are capable of from training.


   Skillsets are also part of mental preparedness. As a person who is interested about survival and preparedness, I have researched and practiced...
First aid, combat medicine, natural medicine, wild edibles, self defense (armed and unarmed), alternative energy, wilderness survival skills, emergency management, amateur radio, bushcraft, firecraft.... you get the idea. We live in an age where if you want to learn something, it is basically at your fingertips via the internet. If you think you may need a skill in an emergency situation, now is the time to learn it. There may not be time later. Don't count on just building a "survival library" either. Buying the Special Forces Medic Handbook is not going to help you treat that GSW in the field, and having an SAS survival manual will not mean you can live out in the woods the rest of your life. There may come a day where the only things you truly own are what you can carry, and trust me, the human mind can carry a lot. Make use of it.

Do not neglect the first weapon.

-Kyle
18AUG2012

Dragoons Rules of Survival #1

Rule Number 1- Do Not Neglect the Primary Weapon.

Kyle- This is part one of an ongoing series of the Dragoons Rules of Survival. Every person should develop their own set of rules that dictates their life. These are ours, and most are just as applicable in every day life as they are in an emergency or survival situation. Take 'em or leave 'em, apply what you like to your world, and develop your own Rules.


    In the survival and preparedness community, just like all others, sexy sells. Firearms, high speed bags, gear, even bandages and light weight food options. A lot of people focus on the nicest AR-15 with the newest gear they saw in a gun magazine. They stack ammo and mags deep for their rifle and pistol, make sure they are clean, well lubed, and combat or range ready at all times. All that is excellent! The rifle is what most people in the military call their "primary weapon." For the common person trying to prepare, I believe it is a different situation entirely. YOU are your primary weapon. There are basically two parts preparing you to be a fully functional, well rounded, primary weapon in the fight to survive. I will break down the first part after the jump.