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7/22/14

Reader question: Survival strategies without firearms

A question came in from a British ex-pat living in Taiwan:

Everyone, every blog and every site I read (especially in English) always talks about self defense and using arms but what if you had none?

Everyone talks about bug out locations and protection through the use of arms but what if on route they were confiscated by the authorities and you found yourself unprepared with none?

I myself have a little place away from populated areas here in Taiwan and am fully conscious of the fact that if the laws break down and you are on your own, it’s gonna be hard.

Now I am about as removed as I can be BUT on an island like Taiwan which is heavily populated it’s impossible to be that far away from anyone looking for food or a place to hide.

So with that in mind and NOT having the availability of any arms, maybe as a question to your clearly wise audience “How would you defend yourself? Hide? Stand? Fight?”

This is also tough as there would be some weapons but not for all the masses and as a British Guy living in an Asian country blending in is not an option.

When faced with a violent aggressor or pissed off mob, there are two time-tested strategies - fight or avoid the trouble altogether.

On fighting:
In terms of fighting, there's an old saying - "God made men, but Sam Colt made men equal." Firearms are the great equalizer - a dude can outweigh you by a hundred pounds of muscle...doesn't much matter when put a couple rounds into his chest.

If guns are removed from the equation, you've got to do everything you can to stack the deck in your favor. Physical training, combatives and martial arts - that sort of thing.

Even still - when faced with multiple aggressors, even a skilled, fit combatant is at a disadvantage...especially if those multiple aggressors are armed and you're not.

And attackers almost always come armed, and they almost always travel in packs.

Never fight fair. Minimize any advantage an attacker might have. You'll want to be armed, and you'll want to have friends who are armed. The more the merrier.

If you don't have allies at your back, all the more reason to have something more than your fists and feet, even just to hit and run from trouble.

Even in a state that fears private ownership of modern firearms, there are usually still lots of options for weapons.

Black powder or air powered firearms are sometimes option.

Bows, crossbows and sling shots are all rarely banned and simple to make with basic tools or a trip to the hardware shop. They give you some range and can be deadly as hell.

The spear has been man's go-to melee weapon for a long time, and if you can't buy one, they are simple enough to make from natural or man made materials.

Machetes, bolos, parangs and similar blades are ubiquitous outdoor tools and can make nasty weapons, especially with some training added to the mix.

Blunt instruments - hammers, sticks, bats and so on are also an option. Outlawed exactly nowhere.

Knives of all shapes and sizes are everywhere and conceal easily.

And so on...lots of options out there. Training is key to effectively using them.

On Avoidance:
The survival blog-sphere honestly doesn't hit on avoidance enough. It's the true bread-n-butter of surviving in hostile territory.
If you can bug out before trouble comes to your door, do it. You've got to be ready to move and move quickly. Especially for an expat living abroad, evac'ing from trouble is usually the best bet.

Get out of the country and on a plane/boat to Europe, Singapore, Australia, etc. Yep, it might suck to leave property and possessions behind...but, it's just stuff.

If you can't but out of the trouble zone and you feel you're in danger of attack, then hide. 
If you remain in your home, make it look abandoned, already ransacked and not worth anyone's time. Build a hidden room, dig a spider hole, develop a concealed exit. If trouble comes knocking, you hide or bug out.
Outside of your home, take a page from the book of military snipers. Camouflage, ghillie suits and constructing hide sites. With some basic materials and a lot of skill, one can virtually disappear.

Build early warning systems - alarms and traps - and keep a watchful eye for trouble.

If the bad guys can't find you, they can't hurt you. If they do find you, you attack, break contact and run/hide again.

As an alternative, if you can't hide, then make yourself look like you're not worth the trouble involved. That could be looking like you have absolutely nothing of value - just another impoverished survivor (or worse - a sick/dying survivor). Or, you could grab the baddest looking airsoft machine gun and tactical gear available and hope the bad guys figure you're Rambo and would kill them all if they looked at you sideways.

Anyways, those are some of the basics - hope it helps. 

Tribe - feel free to jump in with your thoughts and suggestions as well.