Don't be surprised if your doctor asks you about guns

[Victoria33]

Six of one...
I have plentiful potable surface water, plentiful game, and plentiful wood, both for building and for heat, out there in the bush. If SHTF, I do not need to maintain a castle - I will hold to 'castle' thinking while I can, but I can go 'ranger' at any given moment... I will trade all that for a little cold any day.

Desert, not so much. Water is scarce and needs to be made potable, game is scarce, and endless days over 95 degrees with no means of mediation makes for a tough set of problems if you get kicked out of your castle.

@roamer_1
@Cyber Liberty

My purpose in preparing for an emergency, and why I wrote the book, is to keep a family living as normal as possible so they don't have to "live in the wild".  I would not live in a desert or in a state with extremely low temperatures.  However, the desert would be worse than low temperatures.  Using instructions in my book, if a family has to leave their house, they can take their life saving items with them as they are portable.  They will not be too hot or too cold with these items.

Ii have used all the methods in my book to live well after a  hurricane takes out power or anything takes out power.  I had that happen one time when I had to leave the house suddenly - power suddenly went off and I had just gotten husband out of the hospital after a serious surgery.  I had to get him to a cool place because he was so ill.  The electric company said they didn't know why it went off and didn't know when it would come back.  From Galveston north through Lufkin, Texas, hundreds of miles, there was no power and east to west it was off for many miles.  Luckily, the car was full of gas and I had cash, so put him in the car and started west as a neighbor had spoken to her sister, and there was power 50+ miles west.  It was dark and no stop lights worked.  It was very dangerous on roads until I got out of city roads.

I was not prepared then to get out of the house quickly, and didn't have enough methods to stay cool in the house.  Now, I am prepared for staying or leaving.

[XenaLee]

@Cyber Liberty
@roamer_1

Not to worry, Cyber.  I have battery fans with unending battery power and certain type missing fans that cool the ambient air around you and special type towels that do not drip water but hold water in them and one goes around your neck and will cool you down for hours as water evaporates, before you need to dip it in water, again.

I have gone through numerous hurricanes, losing power, in hot weather and stayed cool.

Winter is not a problem, either.  Have devices to keep you warm.  I do not want to be in subzero weather.

I have seven ways to cook and will never run out of fuel.  Will never run out of pure water - I can make pure water out of water in a ditch.

Even if the water is contaminated with biological agents?  I figure if we ever do get "hit"... they will throw everything they've got at us.  They'll figure they have to.

[roamer_1]

I was not prepared then to get out of the house quickly, and didn't have enough methods to stay cool in the house.  Now, I am prepared for staying or leaving.

@Victoria33
Yep.
And I got caught  needing to walk off a time or two, and had a more than uncomfortable time... But that's how we learn, I guess.

I will maintain the castle... Of course it is the best and easiest place for me to survive. I have about 2 years worth of food and wood, with unlimited water. It is ready to go unplugged ~wholly off grid~ with no loss, but for the freezers and the fridge...

I also have two incidental fall-back positions, where I can move my 'castle' if I have the time to load it up.

One is a co-op where I have an honorary membership, and where I have contributed better than a year's worth of arms, wood, and long term freeze-dried food. My whole family is represented there, and that is where we will go if our primary locations are compromised.

The other is an off-grid, off-map hunting camp where I have a small cabin and a large root cellar, again with an emergency cache of arms and food, where I can personally disappear indefinitely.

Both are incidental - Neither was prepared for the purpose of SHTF, and I am not really a prepper in the proper sense. but either one will serve as a secondary 'castled' position where I can go and hunker down long term. Both have the capacity to absorb my entire storage from my primary position, if I can move it there, and both will serve admirably as a cushion and a jumping off place if I have to go ranger.

And lastly, if the need arises, I can always go ranger, with nothing more than my go-bag.  I am capable of indefinite primitive living, and I am well trained to live off the land. To be honest, in my present condition, I don't know that I can survive like that, and I certainly couldn't care for my family like that (like I once could), but even with a couple fairly bad physical strikes against me, I would still bet my chances are better than most - depending upon the season when walking off became necessary.

It's more about thinking and know-how, and managing risk, and that mindset is still there, regardless of my physical ability.

So while I can, I will plan to 'castle'... At my primary, or either or both of my secondary locations - With access to all three, I reckon I can live for around 5 years without a whole bunch of trouble.

My pickup also works as an extension of that - with full tanks, the doghouse on the back, packed full of food, and a canoe on the top, I could live pretty good for a fairly long time, without having to go full native... with comms and rudimentary solar, and mobility so long as there are fuel and funds available. Add the trailer, with a 4wheeler and/or snow machine, and I am pretty set for a few months, even if I have to take off in the dead of winter.

And lastly, just walking off, if I had to.

It is a pretty good way, with several distributed methods, and options - all with advantages, albeit with diminishing returns. And again, it isn't done with a prepper mindset - It's more a way-of-life that leaves me with those decided advantages.

[Victoria33]

@roamer_1

Yes, you are a "prepper" as our parents were preppers. This word, in modern days, has come to represent "crazy" people with guns and beans living in the wild.  "Survivalist" is even a worse word for these people.  These are mainly militant groups.  That is not what my book is about, although there is a self defense chapter.  It would be ridiculous not to include a way to defend oneself.

The original preppers were our parents/grandparents.  You and I are old enough to know how our parents/grandparents lived.  In my parent's generation, there was no government hand-out if an emergency happened.  They grew food, they canned food, they had pigs and maybe a cow and had chickens.  Their food was all around them; it was my grandparents who had wood stoves for cooking and staying warm.  In preparing, as in prepper, I simply returned to how people lived before they had power.  My grandparents had no electricity and I went there with my parents when I was a child.  I saw how that worked. 

I also studied American Indians, how they did it.  There are several American Indian recipes in my book, mainly their simple breads.  A few are the same breads our cowboys made and ate on the range along with the first settlers in this country.  Hoe bread is there.

There is a section of my book titled, "We Did It To Ourselves".  We depend on others to keep us alive - utility company power, utility company water, grocery store food.  I worked out ways to live without the power company, the water company, the grocery store.  This is life insurance like car insurance, house insurance, but living is more important.

I don't know anyone at the power company and don't know anyone at the water utility.  I am not willing to let them decide whether I live or die.

[Texas Yellow Rose]

It's part of the annual physical questions, like are you depressed, are you sexually active, does anyone in your home make you afraid. When the ask me 'Do you have a gun in your home?' I always answer honestly "No I do not have A gun in my home", I mean why take it out on the doctor or office personnel for asking a question the government makes them. I mean it's not like most people don't lie to their doctors most of the time anyway.

That's right and I HATE those questions and won't answer ANY OF THEM.  Those physical questions were for me.  A doctor DID ask one of my granddaughters questions about guns and cigarettes in the home.  My daughter had already schooled them in what to say.

[GrouchoTex]

The only person I am aware of who has been asked this question was my daughter and son-in-law.

About 3 years ago, it was a new family doctor they were going to.

They asked why was that relevant, but didn't get a straight answer.

My son-in-law seems to think it was because he was a Navy vet.

[roamer_1]

Yes, you are a "prepper" as our parents were preppers.

@Victoria33
That's right.

The original preppers were our parents/grandparents.  You and I are old enough to know how our parents/grandparents lived. [...] Their food was all around them; it was my grandparents who had wood stoves for cooking and staying warm.  In preparing, as in prepper, I simply returned to how people lived before they had power.

That's right too - Except in that most of that is still so here - I grew up that way. We always had power and gas heat, but it was treated as supplemental. Shoot, we JUST last year, finally got rid of the outhouse. I grew up with chickens and beef, butchering our own and canning it up over a wood fire. I grew up with a truck garden, processing and canning all that... I grew up hunting and trapping and fishing... It isn't far removed here, even from this generation.

I also studied American Indians, how they did it.  [...]  A few are the same breads our cowboys made and ate on the range along with the first settlers in this country.  Hoe bread is there.

Yep... a part of my every day... We ate bannock bread and fry bread last week... Pemmican is part of my normal.

There is a section of my book titled, "We Did It To Ourselves".  We depend on others to keep us alive [...] I am not willing to let them decide whether I live or die.

True that. It is why I so often can't comprehend my countrymen. My brother lives in Nashville TN area, and according to him (and his lifestyle) no one goes outside in the summer... the heat and humidity is too oppressive... So all the spaces are air conditioned, to include recreation facilities... Don't all them folks know that if the electricity goes down, they'll be forced, unready, back into the elements? Our conveniences have utterly sapped our independence.

[driftdiver]

Even if the water is contaminated with biological agents?  I figure if we ever do get "hit"... they will throw everything they've got at us.  They'll figure they have to.

@XenaLee
Depends on the agents, but yes with the correct tools the biological agents will be filtered out.  Most bio and chem agents are sensitive to UV as well.  I'll let you do a search on biological agents and water supply to confirm as I don't want to appear on any more DHS alerts.

The CDC site does list water as a method of distributing some of these weapons.  https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/sarin/basics/facts.asp

A ton of variables so its safer to filter all drinking water.

[XenaLee]

@XenaLee
Depends on the agents, but yes with the correct tools the biological agents will be filtered out.  Most bio and chem agents are sensitive to UV as well.  I'll let you do a search on biological agents and water supply to confirm as I don't want to appear on any more DHS alerts.

The CDC site does list water as a method of distributing some of these weapons. https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/sarin/basics/facts.asp

A ton of variables so its safer to filter all drinking water.

Call me paranoid... but I'm surprised they haven't already done something to our water supply.  It would follow. Except that... if they have dreams of taking over the USA, it would be harshing their buzz too in the long run. 

[Victoria33]

Even if the water is contaminated with biological agents?  I figure if we ever do get "hit"... they will throw everything they've got at us.  They'll figure they have to.

@XenaLee

The entire water system goes away if the entire power system goes away (except for people who have a well).  The attacker doesn't have to put anything in the water as it isn't going anywhere.  No point to put something in it, just turn off the power.  People start to die after three days without water.  Look up Berkey water purifier on line and read how it works to provide pure water.  It is a "purifier" not just a filter.

So, take out all power, stop all water.  To infect all water in the country would be hugely difficult to do.  A Berkey would purify it but a rogue country isn't going to poison "some" water; they are going to take out all the power, thereby stopping all the water and killing millions.

[driftdiver]

Call me paranoid... but I'm surprised they haven't already done something to our water supply.  It would follow. Except that... if they have dreams of taking over the USA, it would be harshing their buzz too in the long run.

@XenaLee
From my Air Force training making these agents really isn't the hard part.  Delivery is much harder.  yes you can hit small numbers of people but hitting an entire city is actually quite complex and would require a lot of resources. 

Putting any of these in a water supply would require a large volume of whatever they were using.   I think our govt is also watching those places fairly closely.

[XenaLee]

@XenaLee

The entire water system goes away if the entire power system goes away (except for people who have a well).  The attacker doesn't have to put anything in the water as it isn't going anywhere.  No point to put something in it, just turn off the power.  People start to die after three days without water.  Look up Berkey water purifier on line and read how it works to provide pure water.  It is a "purifier" not just a filter.

So, take out all power, stop all water.  To infect all water in the country would be hugely difficult to do.  A Berkey would purify it but a rogue country isn't going to poison "some" water; they are going to take out all the power, thereby stopping all the water and killing millions.

I probably can't afford what they're charging for that filter.... but there's a creek in walking distance from me where I could get water if I ran out of my supply.  Would a Brita pitcher work?  lololol

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

How did we go from doctor's asking about guns to water purification exactly?

[XenaLee]

@XenaLee
From my Air Force training making these agents really isn't the hard part.  Delivery is much harder.  yes you can hit small numbers of people but hitting an entire city is actually quite complex and would require a lot of resources. 

Putting any of these in a water supply would require a large volume of whatever they were using.   I think our govt is also watching those places fairly closely.

Probably....but considering stuff I've heard/seen lately, I wouldn't stake my life on their effectiveness.

I guess I'm more worried about the desperate people in and around the big cities who have run out of stuff when TSHTF.  I probably watch too much TV (The Walking Dead) though....hahaha.

[driftdiver]

How did we go from doctor's asking about guns to water purification exactly?

Don't look at it. I blame the wommen

[Victoria33]

I probably can't afford what they're charging for that filter.... but there's a creek in walking distance from me where I could get water if I ran out of my supply.  Would a Brita pitcher work?  lololol

@XenaLee

No, Brita is not a purifier, won't purify raw water coming from a creek or anywhere else.  Boil creek water.

[XenaLee]

How did we go from doctor's asking about guns to water purification exactly?

Are you the Forum Topic Monitor today? 

Good to know.

[XenaLee]

@XenaLee

No, Brita is not a purifier, won't purify raw water coming from a creek or anywhere else.  Boil creek water.

Yeah, I have a fireplace and lots of firewood.  I was just kidding about the Brita.  I can afford a 'little' more expensive filter system than that...lol.   Do you know of any in the $200 range?

[XenaLee]

Don't look at it. I blame the wommen

We love to fundamentally transform threads, dontcha know.

[driftdiver]

Yeah, I have a fireplace and lots of firewood.  I was just kidding about the Brita.  I can afford a 'little' more expensive filter system than that...lol.   Do you know of any in the $200 range?

@XenaLee
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002Z63U8G/ref=asc_df_B002Z63U8G5449988/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=395033&creativeASIN=B002Z63U8G&linkCode=df0&hvadid=193156951420&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11996039567185829515&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012086&hvtargid=pla-309012006224

[Jazzhead]

You may be right about suicides. Personally though if that's the reason for the question, it's kinda foolish.  As with murder, if a person wanted to off himself, there are other ways to do so without firearms.  So if a person is suicidal, should we take away not only his guns, but also his knives, medications, maybe even his gas range?    Seems silly to me.

The numbers are grim:  According to the latest numbers I found,  60 percent of all adult firearm deaths are by suicide.  And 51 percent of all suicides are committed by gun.

Guns are quick and efficient killing machines.  An individual wracked by temporary depression will turn to a gun when the impulse strikes;  whereas if there was no gun in the house he may think twice, or three times, because of the need to plan and the fear of having to suffer a slow and painful death.   

The numbers don't lie - if you have a gun in your house, it is far more likely to be used by a family member to commit suicide than to prevent a home invasion.  Lots of rational folks conclude that the best way to protect your family is to keep a gun out of the house.   

Go ahead and lie to the doc when he asks his questions.   But think about your family, your friends, your fellow church members and your colleagues - most all of us know someone who has been touched by the tragedy of suicide.  And in half of those cases, statistically,  that person may well be alive today if there weren't a gun in the house.   

[thackney]

The numbers are grim:  According to the latest numbers I found,  60 percent of all adult firearm deaths are by suicide.  And 51 percent of all suicides are committed by gun.

Guns are quick and efficient killing machines.  An individual wracked by temporary depression will turn to a gun when the impulse strikes;  whereas if there was no gun in the house he may think twice, or three times, because of the need to plan and the fear of having to suffer a slow and painful death.   

The numbers don't lie - if you have a gun in your house, it is far more likely to be used by a family member to commit suicide than to prevent a home invasion.  Lots of rational folks conclude that the best way to protect your family is to keep a gun out of the house.   

Go ahead and lie to the doc when he asks his questions.   But think about your family, your friends, your fellow church members and your colleagues - most all of us know someone who has been touched by the tragedy of suicide.  And in half of those cases, statistically,  that person may well be alive today if there weren't a gun in the house.

The numbers don't lie.  When guns are not readily available, it doesn't prevent suicides.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/05/30/national/social-issues/preventive-efforts-seen-helping-2016-saw-another-decline-suicides-japan-21897/#.Wt4vlYjwY2w

[roamer_1]

Yeah, I have a fireplace and lots of firewood.  I was just kidding about the Brita.  I can afford a 'little' more expensive filter system than that...lol.   Do you know of any in the $200 range?

I have no means of purifying... no filters, no chemicals...
But I do have stock pots to boil on a wood fire, and if called for, can convert that easily to a water still. Learn how to make a still and have the parts available... it's a simple thing.

[driftdiver]

The numbers are grim:  According to the latest numbers I found,  60 percent of all adult firearm deaths are by suicide.  And 51 percent of all suicides are committed by gun.

Guns are quick and efficient killing machines.  An individual wracked by temporary depression will turn to a gun when the impulse strikes;  whereas if there was no gun in the house he may think twice, or three times, because of the need to plan and the fear of having to suffer a slow and painful death.   

The numbers don't lie - if you have a gun in your house, it is far more likely to be used by a family member to commit suicide than to prevent a home invasion.  Lots of rational folks conclude that the best way to protect your family is to keep a gun out of the house.   

Go ahead and lie to the doc when he asks his questions.   But think about your family, your friends, your fellow church members and your colleagues - most all of us know someone who has been touched by the tragedy of suicide.  And in half of those cases, statistically,  that person may well be alive today if there weren't a gun in the house.

@Jazzhead
Any actual proof of this?

Men are far more likely to use a gun.  Women tend to use drugs, cutting or other method that doesn't 1) mess up their face and 2) make a mess.

Suicide rates in Japan are quite high and their gun ownership is low.   Which tends to undercut your theory all to hades.  Suicide is far more complex then the availability of firearms.   

Of far more importance is proper care for those who have mental health issues and proper support for those who need it.

Ironically when gun control isn't the topic liberals (yourself included) are known to argue for the legalization of suicide.

[driftdiver]

I have no means of purifying... no filters, no chemicals...
But I do have stock pots to boil on a wood fire, and if called for, can convert that easily to a water still. Learn how to make a still and have the parts available... it's a simple thing.

Boiling will sanitize the water but it won't purify it.  The difference being bacteria and viruses are killed by high temperature but chemicals like pesticides, lead, radioactive fallout are not.   So it depends on the source and the circumstance.  Additionally, boiling requires a lot of wood.   Something you may not want to run out and cut when food is low.

Stills will purify, if you have the wood.