A few questions

Welcome Newtoprep glad you found us! I am sure someone here will be able to give you feedback!

Hi there and Welcome to APF.

To answer your question about security is not as simple as buy a gun or get a dog or put up steel shutters over your windows, it depends on your personal circumstances, where you live, how many in the family and what resources, experience and finance you have!

I did not write this to confuses you, but to give you some incite to the ways of prepping! Just keep asking questions and there are some great resources out there on the net! Just Google what you need to learn about..

Cheers,
Gary

After seeing this post I thought I could take another liberty to butt-in and offer some of the info I have access to for others - from here they can look further and make their decisions.

(Sorry Ausprep {Wayne} can't take up your offer to message you, unless I sign up and become a member - but I see this site is linked or has a connection to the following two public media services of Twitter and Facebook from what I can see - These are two of the insidious data collection programs that have been active now for some time - and no, I am not paranoid, any of this can be checked by doing a quick search on the web - I have been around and worked for enough departments to know that you can not be too careful, definitely not take these intrusions into our private lives lightly - also why do we need a micro chip in our licence now - if not for data collection and tracking purposes - drones have become very adept at using mobile phones as a tracking lock signal, ask Al-Q higherachy in Pakistan or Afghanistan - oops, sorry you can't now. So why not from a high frequency chip in our drivers license as well??).

After reading the posts on this section I became somewhat concerned - dogs (domestic fidos) are very much a real danger to people - post teotwawki. Go to the 'Google God' and see what comes up on a global scale.
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one example;
2013 U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities - Dog Bite Statistics - DogsBite.org

www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2013.php

(above link refers to the info directly below for verification - however every country pretty much faces this issue).

2013 U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities.

2013 fatal dog attacks by breed

2013 dog bite fatality chart


In 2013, one fatality involved dogs from two different breeds, thus producing a "death credit" total of 33 rather than 32. Four dog breeds each contributed to one death, including: rottweiler, husky, boxer and shiba inu.(looks like the chart wouldn't copy and paste - can be accessed from link provided).

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We have issues here in Australia with feral dogs dingos and dingo crosses have killed on Fraser Island and Uluru in past years. Pig hunters have lost some pretty serious and vicious dogs over the years and I am sure they have cross bred and have not starved - as recently as last year an unidentified type of wild dog was being blamed for the deaths of local pets in T'ville re- an article in the Townsville Bulletin.
There is good reason why the Military, Police and Corrective Services use attack dogs - it plays on the human psych. Russia breads a special type of Siberian dog for guarding its prisoners (these dogs are monstrous in size and aggression), then there is the dog breed that is specifically bred to guard stock (they are left to grow up with livestock and protect them from wolves etc. overseas have reportedly attacked their owners) and there are several other breeds that are know to return to aggressive states without contact with humans. Many countries do have regular fatalities each year Russia and Mexico are two that immediately come to mind with urban dog packs an issue. But there are others than these that experience dog attack issues yearly. In the 80's on an exercise in Holsworthy we actually had to issue live rounds to night pickets after some were 'treed' by feral dogs (that happen to be/or were in large numbers in that region at that time). On a side note - feral cats are a threat to our survival as they can devastate an area of all life. I have had more than one good hunting spot devastated by feral cats with not even a lizard left to be found. FYI - they get very bloody big, left to their own vices and hunting abilities.
So personally I do see the family dog as a serious threat, post any disaster.

I was curious about that spray that was mentioned in the post earlier (are you in
Australia?) - and yes if your unarmed the best method is to ram your fist down the dogs throat and keep pushing - unfortunately if there is more than one dog attacking your stuffed, and dodging dogs tracking you - best thing is - I think I seen some one post this already - try to out run the handler!!!

Now to personal security - the main objective is for your place to 'NOT stand out'.

Post disaster the first thing I will look for are houses with solar panels - ATM I am of two minds, they could be a valuable resource to me or they could be a beacon to others and make my place a potential target if nearby - this will be a wait and see from me, and will depend on what the crisis will be before I make my decision on this - but it bothers me when 1/2 the houses near me will stand out so bloody well with panels on their roof.
The idea is to look unimpressive - blend in or look to be too much trouble to get into. Although I can not go into a great detail of measures you could adopt - for various reasons, especially the legality of it - my advice to you is to go out the front and look at it from the eyes of a person who is the aggressor and ask yourself, 'How would I get into that place?'

Look for those weak spots that stand out - do the same at the back - that's a good start. Let your imagination run wild with the thinking process of the K.I.S.S. principle for securing the weak spots (plant some thorny/spikey bushes or tallish cacti would be a help to strengthen a weak point) - 'Keep It Simple Stupid' should become your motto!!! My deterrents can be deployed within 4 to 6 hrs should the need arise - an hour is all I need for a starter for me to feel secure - the rest of the time is gravy for preparing my home. Then after some probing from the Zombie Hordes, those that are left should start to think,
'Bugger this - there are easier targets than that one.'
As my nearest support person is a couple of hours away - I need to be able to stand alone until we team up for mutual support. I am in Nth Qld - until last year my nearest place for support was almost 1000ks to my south. At that time there was no cavalry to ride in to save the day - so it was up to me to use the tricks I had been taught.
By the way I seen in threads on a few forums about morality - reality check time - look at the news!!!
The crimes are more heinous each day - if you look weak you are targeted.

Unsure of the motive for this one, but:- I read today a 47 year old was attacked by 3 or 4 youths, 1 was 17 according to media reports. Another was An old blind guy, who was harassed recently on a bus at the Gold Coast by two young women - other passengers videoed the attack for police, but failed to intervene. Get my drift!!!

Morality will soon take a back seat when others are faced with a serious dose of reality.

During T/C Yasi, I think was one of the best example I have seen in a long time of people showing there true selves. There was a fight over a 5 ltr fuel can. People were fleeing the coast because of B/S reports from first hand posters a thousand kms away and posting on line in certain social media outlets. People were becoming stranded because servos closed because they ran out of fuel.

We have been made aware of the issue of social media being utilised to keep tabs on private civilians and many of us find ourselves 'listed' on various lists thanks to programs like 'keystroke', Element 14, The Patriot Act (yes it reaches us in Australia as all our internet providers are US based and it's there home base - so to speak - then once your electronic info is on U.S. soil it is for them to look at an assess and filter through the PRISIM Program),The Five Eyes, NSA with it's PRISIM PROGRAM and facilities for collecting Meta-Data and various other information collection services people need to be careful with what they say on line and what they post. (NB; that is merely a few of the surveillance programs that are in use to spy/pry into our lives. Even the apps downloaded onto your phone relay back Loc, Time, etc).
We are currently in the middle of a silent cyber war.

Can someone please tell me why I can't register on this site?
I was called away earlier when I was halfway through registration and had to start again when I returned, so I am thinking this may be the problem.

Below is what comes up on the registration section titled;

Forum Registration

Please enter a valid username.

Forum Username
This is your unique username on the forum. You can change your name others see by updating the "display name" in your forum profile. Note: usernames may only contain a-z and 0-9, and may be no longer than twenty characters

I prefer the term, forward emergency planner myself.

Hey Newtoprep,

I know this is old but this guy ferfal in Argentina reckons a hand gun is the go for personal protection. He says been there done that, which is more than can be said for me. ferfal.blogspot.com.au/2008/10/thoughts-on-urban-survival-2005.html
Personal defense is a big subject.

@ The Northern Infidel

"drones have become very adept at using mobile phones as a tracking lock signal, ask Al-Q higherachy in Pakistan or Afghanistan - oops, sorry you can't now. So why not from a high frequency chip in our drivers license as well??)."

Sorry dude that's different technology. A drone will use GPS or/and Mobile Phone Tower signals or/and IR from a buddy on the ground. The chip in your credit card/drivers license works by induction and has no power source. You have to get quite close to read the chip. Sensors placed all over town and all connected would work though, to identify you and your precise location if you sat down, for instance. So as it is now most people have these chips in their c/cards and eftpos cards ($100 Limit I think). You could do rather well just walking around with the right kind of scanner. Some people keep their cards in little faraday cages LoL.

Sure! If you're defending from your doorstep you're not in a great spot, knowing well before what might be coming your way gives you time to act accordingly, be it flee, be it push back or whatever. It's easy to throw one flaming bottle of petrol and most homes are engulfed, yet another reason you need to be forward. Perhaps a mob is kicking in doors coming down the street. Working with neighbors/friends/neighborhood is a good plan in most situations and indeed what to do would depend on the situation. If things are out of hand nuts [unlikely] then having a means of repelling may well be a way to increase your survival chances. No defense can stop people for ever, it only slows them down.

My thinking is that the chances of such things happening are pretty tiny, and as a prepper, I look at those chances and prepare for them anyhow. The chances of a natural disaster much more likely [particularly the area I'm in] so I have plans that work to that effect also such as indeed being able to leave the house with 2 mins [mostly to grab the cat/paperwork] makes perfect sense and is already rehearsed and understood. Our bags are permanently packed in the cars and we know the possible escape routes, to also check the emergency warnings if we can and we know where to go in such situations well. Prepping to me is about risk management, reducing risks where they are. I don't break the law [well never knowingly] as that only increases my risk unnecessarily, I have insurance, I keep extra food, some spare cash, have money saved for bills when they come in, etc. I'd argue that it's risky 'not' to have a firearm if you consider there any chance [it's almost zero but not zero] at all of some kind of turmoil.

Thanks for the clarity on your position. I'm enjoying the interesting perspectives. Indeed, this is true, the use of force is the last resort and if all else fails, I agree wholeheartedly. Your example shows ways of dealing with it without armaments as such, particularly working as a community. Was it because the population was unarmed? I would imagine that they'd bring out sticks and butcher knives if need be and in force also. Since it's 'very' general and based on anecodtal evidence [I'm cool with spitballing, it's just not reliable info], this could be due to both a need in that they have more issues with violence/crime and because they have less policing per crime. That is their police are ineffective, corrupt and a paper tiger. It's also to do with attitudes, such as here in Australia can you imagine how much crap you'd be in if you sought your own justice. We're all about protectionism, that is not take personal responsibility. This is misplaced I feel, police ought to be 'investigating' crime done as that's all they can do, they can't possibly protect people other than the providing risk that people who want to commit crime have in being caught.

It's also likely that crime levels/violence in an IQ population of 98 [Australia] are generally lower than many regions around the world [it doesn't matter what nationality, it's fairly similar] than that of 80-85 [most 3rd world nations] and this is about the ability to think of future outcomes for choices.

I'd not underestimate community spirit in Australia, or most of European based societies, one of the reasons we're having issues in society is actually to do with the desire to 'do good'. Of course if your good is misplaced then you might be doing bad. Like if you're told it's good to take from people, then your 'doing good' is going to be bad. The prevalence for the bad to excel in such environments, the encouragement it offers where people don't understand morality well is rife. To take advantage of another for your own gain 'might' be seen as good for instance, yet, it is a hypocrisy, a double standard born from confusion of what good and bad are. When it's clearer what good and bad are, we see droves of good coming. Think about it, the number of people who help out an old person who falls down or similar. You see it with any disaster here in Australia both the on the ground support and gift giving, which is incredibly generous. Would I put my faith entirely in the community.. no. I plan for many possibilities.

So, I do question your belief that most Aussies are about themselves, though I do get how it seems with the confusion of what is the right thing to do. We see this in politics where the 'good' thing to do is to 'take' [taxation] and give it to the supposed poor and struggling. If there wasn't a desire to do good, there's be NO way that would go on! When it is clear what is good, most people do good most of the time.

To bring it back to the point I think you're bringing, you're correct in that a plan to build ties with the people around you is a better plan, even day to day this can help in a disaster [whatever that is] in many ways. Let me tease a little and say building ties within your community of gun owners is better still Though really getting involved with the community, even employing locally, shopping locally, supporting the community in various ways brings assets that cost almost nothing and yet is how since antiquity communities both survive and thrive. You cannot ignore that kind of evidence. Rural communities still group together fairly well, akin to the joke of becoming a local taking 35 years. If you can't build ties around you then having a bunch of friends in close proximity is the next best thing. I plan accordingly in prepping, I'm not prepping for me alone, I'm prepping for the people I can support as well as me, nobody should face disasters alone.

Oh and I hope you join our community here bud, your commentary is well thought out and I for one would like more of it.