Security

By J. Robinson

During TEOTWAWKI, long-term survivability will depend upon more than adequate firepower from a diverse gun collection. Historically, men and women who faced violence, conflict, and war did so not just with arms of swords, but also with armor. In dire times of combat having the ability to protect oneself and loved ones from injury may make the difference between life and death. Many preppers have invested substantial sums of money into firearms; surprisingly most have not acquired body armor. This is partly because many believe body armor to be cumbersome to wear and difficult to acquire. Luckily today’s armor is technologically advanced, comfortable to wear and easily obtainable.

Since the rise of civilization warriors have wielded swords, axes, and spears while relying on armor for protection. King Arthur and his fellow knights wore infamous suits of shiny plate armor; Vikings and Romans wore quilted fabric and hardened leather into battle for protection. Today’s common man wields firearms, but it’s vital that he also bears armor.

Armor was widely used primarily because of its simple design of using a wearable hard dense material to stop the penetration of projectiles and edged weapons into the body, while also absorbing the impact of blunt force trauma. Primarily this hard material has traditionally been leather, iron or steel. Around the mid-twentieth century, synthetic materials such as woven Kevlar started to be used for protection against small-caliber munitions like handguns but remained ineffective against larger caliber firearms like military rifles. In more recent decades, the use of special formulated ceramic has been substituted for ballistic rated steel in some applications. This is especially the case in regards to armor plates, which are very effective against stopping military rifle fire. Both steel plates and ceramic plates share the same heavy cumbersome characteristics of medieval armor. Thanks to the ongoing scientific advancements of plastics in recent years, high-density polyethylene can effectively take the place of steel and ceramic plates.

There are many different grades of high-density polyethylene. It’s very likely that several plastic bottles in your home have an HDPE label on the bottom, which is an acronym for high-density polyethylene. The toughest HDPE is ultra high molecular weight polyethylene or UHMWPE.

UHMWPE offers several impressive innovative advantages, the first and most important being weight. A UHMWPE 10 by 12-inch level III NIJ rated ballistic plate weighs about 3 pounds! This is considerably less than a comparable level III rated steel or ceramic plate. Personally, I have 2 AR500 steel 10 by 12-inch curved plates with an anti-spall base coating. Each plate weighs slightly over 9 pounds. I am in relatively decent shape and wearing 2 separate 9-pound plates for any extended period of time is exhausting and running a full sprint while wearing them is near impossible.

Having owned AR500 steel plates for some time now, I’ve come to realize that I will hardly ever wear them even during TEOTWAWKI simply because they are way too heavy and body armor is only effective if you’re wearing it. It’s probable that every day during TEOTWAWKI will be physically demanding due to the increased amount of labor required around your home to keep a functioning homestead running. Never mind trying to accomplish that increased workload while having an extra 18 pounds strapped your torso. I see no need for the additional burden of heavy armor when a lightweight option is readily available.

Be honest in regards to your physical condition, TEOTWAWKI will not be a time to start going to the gym. If you can’t successfully accomplish yard work or walk a short patrol of your property now while wearing a heavy plate carrier how will you ever be able to do so during TEOTWAWKI? It’s also important to remember how precious calories will be during a TEOTWAWKI scenario. Wearing heavy armor plates that equate to wearing a weighted workout vest will surely work up an appetite.

Please keep in mind whether you have steel or ceramic plates in your plate carrier, you must also factor in the weight of additional gear that will be on your plate carrier as well, including loaded magazines, first aid materials, a 2-way radio, and a water bladder. That’s why you must consider UHMWPE armor plates. 2 standard sizes 10 by 12 inch UHMWPE plates will weigh about 6 pounds, which makes all the difference in the world. With only 6 pounds of armor in my plate carrier I can wear it all day if need be and walking a patrol around the property is a breeze. Another precious attribute that made me decide to switch to UHMWPE plates is because steel and ceramic plates sink in water like concrete blocks, UHMWPE plates on the other hand actually float!

UHMWPE is actually neutrally buoyant and even though a typical size plate weighs 3 pounds they are still light enough to float on the surface of the water. It’s important to note that UHMWPE is a hydrophobic material and does not absorb any water and plates will retain their original weight no matter how long the plates are exposed to moisture. This is a huge advantage if you plan on being anywhere near water. If you happen to take a plunge while you have 18 pounds of steel or ceramic strapped to your torso you better remove your armor quickly because you will be sinking like a boat anchor. This is why the U.S. Navy was one of the first military branches to start the shift from steel and ceramic plates to UHMWPE plates. The UHMWPE plates will partially act as a life preserver and help keep you afloat. As lightweight and buoyant as UHMWPE plates are they are also drop safe, prevent spall and are capable of sustaining multiple hits.

UHMWPE plates are tough, tough enough to be dropped on the ground and not be a cause for alarm that you just turned your plates into paperweights. It’s nice to know that if you have butter fingers on occasion and drop your plates on the ground when you attempt to correctly position them in your plate carrier that no damage will come to the plate. This is not the case with ceramic plates. Dropping a ceramic plate from waist height can cause cracks to form within the plate, which will significantly degrade the ballistic resistance of the plate. The only way to confirm if a ceramic plate has cracks in it after a drop is to pay the price and run it through an x-ray machine. This is not the case with steel plates, however, if you drop a 9-pound steel plate from waist height make sure your wearing steel toed shoes otherwise you might have to get an x-ray for a different reason.

Steel armor plates could be lighter if it wasn’t for the concern of spall and fragmentation. Spall and fragmentation happen when a bullet impacts an armor plate at high-speed causing the bullet to defect into a different direction or to break up into pieces. For this reason, steel armor plates must have some sort of a material that acts as a shield to catch the impacted bullet, without it, a bullet or piece of it could easily bounce off the armor plate into a vital part of your body like your neck.

This is a concern and the reason why an anti-spall base coat build up is necessary with AR500 steel plates, but this additional base coat build up can add up to an extra pound in weight to the already heavy steel. Even with a standard amount of anti-spall material applied to a steel plate, it’s possible to have some bullet fragmentation leave the safety of the base coat material and enter another part of your body that is not protected with armor. Spall and fragmentation are not a concern in regards to ceramic and UHMWPE plates. UHMWPE and ceramic plates are designed to expand and hold the impacting bullet within the armor plate. These plates will actually increase in thickness after taking rounds. Of course, UHMWPE can do it at a fraction of the weight compared to ceramic.

When researching armor plates also take into consideration the multi-hit capability of the plate. The manufacturers listed in the next paragraph are producing plates that are rated to take a minimum of 6 rounds from a .308 caliber rifle. Not that you would necessarily still be standing in the same position after taking just a few of those hits, but it’s nice to know the level of abuse the plates are capable of taking.

The National Institute of Justice or NIJ is the U.S. Department of Justice regulatory agency that has established what constitutes different levels of ballistic resistance. Never buy body armor that is not NIJ rated! Level III NIJ rated plates have the ballistic resistance to stop at least 1 rifle round of 7.62 x 51 mm (.308) full metal jacket with a specified mass of 147 grains traveling at a velocity of 2,780 feet per second. Level III armor will stop rounds from a vast majority of military rifles including M-4s and AK-47 type rifles.

With that said, keep in mind that level III plates will not stop armor piercing rounds; if you believe you will be facing the threat of armor-piercing rounds during TEOTWAWKI, you will have to opt for steel or ceramic level IV NIJ certified plates and cope with bringing the weight back up to 9-10 pounds per plate, there are no manufacturers that are offering 100% UHMWPE level IV plates. Weigh your priorities! Having the advantage of being able to wear your plates all day long and even run with them far outweighs the concern of armor piercing rounds. Again, it’s likely that even if I had level IV plates I would hardly ever wear them because they are so heavy.

Several different companies offer UHMWPE plates including Spartan Armor Systems, RMA Armament, and DKX Max Armor, all of which offer NIJ certified ballistic grade plates. After significant research, I decided on 2 DKX Max UHMWPE plates. One being a 10 by 12-inch curved shooters cut plate designed for protecting the front of your torso and the second being a 10 by 12-inch curved square cut plate designed for protecting your back. The shooters cut weighs only 2.9 pounds and the square cut weighs 3.2 pounds.

The shooters cut has the top corners removed so the plate doesn’t interfere when raising your side arm or shouldering your rifle. You don’t have to worry about the rear plate interfering with your movements so having a square cut plate, which offers greater coverage just makes sense. Both plates are curved to hug your torso, which significantly increases comfort and makes wearing a plate carrier with plates for an extended period of time much easier. DKX plates are constructed of a premium type of patented UHMWPE called Dyneema.

On a weight-by-weight comparison basis, Dyneema is 15 times stronger than steel. Given the fact that armor plates are used to save lives it’s necessary to consider where the plates were constructed and the source of the raw materials. I feel more comfortable knowing that if a life may be on the line the product was manufactured in the USA from material in the USA and this is the case with DKX plates. So consider picking up a pair for yourself!

Currently, the majority of all law-abiding citizens in the US can legally buy body armor as long as you don’t have a criminal record. The only state that does not allow its citizens to purchase body armor is Connecticut. That is until the house and senate pass a bill outlawing civilian ownership of body armor.

There have already been steps taken by elected officials to ban civilians from owning body armor. For several years Representative Michael Honda of California with 7 bill co-sponsors backing him have been attempting to push H.R.378 the Responsible Body Armor Possession Act through the house and senate.

If passed this act would prohibit the possession, ownership or purchase of enhanced body armor by civilians with a few exceptions. The exceptions consist of allowing those who have owned armor prior to the date of the act passing to maintain ownership, also known as being grandfathered in. Additional exceptions would be granted for civilian personnel who work under a federal or state agency where the possession of body armor is necessary. This proposed act should serve as proper motivation to acquire body armor plates now while you still have the legal opportunity to do so.

If you too are a prepper, who has invested money in firearms that may be used to defend the lives of your loved ones during TEOTWAWKI, I urge you to acquire light weight UHMWPE armor plates for your protection, one day they might make the difference between life and death. Please remember, a knight that walks onto the battlefield with a sword and no armor is not ready for the battlefield.

Pepper spray is a non-lethal chemical compound that works by causing temporary blindness and is primarily used in self-defense (including animals) and for crowd or riot control. But is it legal in your state?

The quick answer is that pepper spray is legal in all 50 states although there are a few conditions and restrictions in some areas. Pepper spray is a great self-defense tool when a firearm, or lethal weapon, is not needed, not allowed, or if you just don’t like to use firearms. Whether you are jogging in the evening on a dark street or hiking in the mountains, there are numerous reasons for needing and choosing pepper spray, and consistently carrying it on your person.

It is easy to conceal and carry

Because of its small size, pepper spray is easy to carry and conceal. Common devices include (but are certainly not limited to) hip holsters or key chains that give you the ability to access and use pepper spray almost instantly. And it can easily be disguised.

It is affordable

Though prices will range, you can easily purchase pepper spray for under $10, making it an affordable self-defense option for anyone.

You can make pepper spray at home

In the event of a situation where you can no longer purchase pepper spray, here is a helpful guide on making pepper spray at home.

It is legal in all 50 states

Pepper spray is legal in all 50 states, though there are some conditions in place in certain states.

Pepper Spray Laws

Carrying and using pepper spray for self-defense is recognized and legal in all 50 states. But before entering a state, it is important to understand the varying laws in each respective state.

That is because possession or use of pepper spray may be limited or restricted in some jurisdictions. Some states have limitations that include:

• The size of the pepper spray container;
• The concentration of the pepper spray;
• The age you must be to possess or purchase pepper spray;
• Prohibitions against felons or others with a criminal history from possessing or purchasing pepper spray.

While many states may have restrictions, no state requires training or a permit to possess or purchase pepper spray, whether it is concealed or not.

A large number of states make no mention of pepper spray or similar chemicals and therefore have no restriction on their legal use. And there are some commonsense laws that are on the books in a number of states, such as a prohibition against using pepper spray on law enforcement officers.

Pepper spray is for self-defense purposes only regardless of the state and whether or not they make mention of pepper spray in their state statutes.

Disclaimer: These laws are subject to change at any time, and certain municipalities may have additional restrictions. Therefore you should check with your local law enforcement office to verify current statutes. See our full disclaimer here.

Here is a rundown of the laws in each, with the applicable legal statute (if available).

Pepper spray laws Alabama

Alabama has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Alabama. The only restrictions in Alabama concerning the use of pepper spray is in the commission of a crime.

“The crime of criminal use of a defense spray is committed if the perpetrator uses a defense spray including, but not limited to pepper spray, foam and any other self-defense chemical spray against another person in the commission of a crime or against a law enforcement officer while the law enforcement officer is performing his or her official duties.”

Read the Alabama statute here

Pepper spray laws Alaska

Pepper spray is legal in Alaska, with certain restrictions. State law prohibits the sale of a defensive weapon, including pepper spray, to a person under 18 years old. It is also illegal to possess in a school without the permission of school authorities.

“A person is justified in using nondeadly force upon another when and to the extent, the person reasonably believes it is necessary for self-defense against what the person reasonably believes to be the use of unlawful force by the other person.”

Read the Alaska statute here

Pepper spray laws Arizona

Arizona has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Arizona. The use of pepper spray is not allowed in response to verbal provocation alone or to resist arrest.

“A person is justified in threatening or using physical force against another when and to the extent a reasonable person would believe that physical force is immediately necessary to protect himself against the other’s use or attempted use of unlawful physical force.”

Read the Arizona statute here

Pepper spray laws Arkansas

It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship pepper spray to Arkansas, yet the container cannot exceed 150 cubic centimeters (150 cc).

“Except as otherwise provided in this section, any person who carries or has in his or her possession any tear gas or pepper spray in any form, or any person who knowingly carries or has in his or her possession any gun, bomb, grenade, cartridge, or other weapon designed for the discharge of tear gas or pepper spray, upon conviction is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. It is lawful for a person to possess or carry, and use, a container of tear gas or pepper spray to be used for self-defense purposes only. However, the capacity of the container shall not exceed one hundred fifty cubic centimeters (150 cc).”

Read the Arkansas statute here

Pepper spray laws California

It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship pepper spray to California. The pepper spray container must be less than 2.5 ounces. There is a prohibition against minors possessing pepper spray and selling to a minor. Also, there is a prohibition against individuals who have been convicted of a felony or are addicted to a narcotic.

“Notwithstanding any other law, any person may purchase, possess, or use tear gas and tear gas weapons (pepper spray) for the projection or release of tear gas if the tear gas and tear gas weapons are used solely for self-defense purposes, subject to the following requirements: No person convicted of a felony or any crime involving an assault under the laws of the United States, the State of California, or any other state, government, or country or convicted of misuse of tear gas shall purchase, possess, or use tear gas or tear gas weapons.

No person who is addicted to any narcotic drug shall purchase, possess, or use tear gas or tear gas weapons. No person shall sell or furnish any tear gas or tear gas weapon to a minor. No person who is a minor shall purchase, possess, or use tear gas or tear gas weapons.”

Read the California statute

Pepper spray laws Colorado

Colorado has no specific statute prohibiting or limiting pepper spray, or similar products. Therefore, it is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Colorado.

“A person is justified in using physical force upon another person in order to defend himself or a third person from what he reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of unlawful physical force by that other person, and he may use a degree of force which he reasonably believes to be necessary for that purpose.”

Read the Colorado statute concerning self-defense

Pepper spray laws Connecticut

It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship pepper spray to Connecticut. There is no specific statute concerning pepper spray.

Pepper spray laws Delaware

It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship pepper spray to Delaware, however, you must be at least 18 years old to possess pepper spray.

Read the Delaware statute

Pepper spray laws Florida

It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship pepper spray to Florida, but the pepper spray containers cannot be more than 2 ounces. Convicted felons are prohibited from possessing pepper spray.

“Self-defense chemical spray means a device carried solely for purposes of lawful self-defense that is compact in size, designed to be carried on or about the person, and contains not more than two ounces of chemical.”

Read the Florida statute

Pepper spray laws Georgia

Georgia has no specific statute prohibiting or limiting pepper spray, or similar products. Therefore, it is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Georgia.

Pepper spray laws Hawaii

It is legal to buy, use, possess, or ship pepper spray to Hawaii, though you must be at least 18 years old to purchase or possess pepper spray. The maximum size of a container that can be mailed is .5 ounces.

“Restrictions on possession, sale, and use of pepper sprays. It is unlawful for any person to use any pepper spray for any purpose except: Self-defense; Defense of another person; or Protection of the property of the person or of another person. It is unlawful for any person to sell or offer for sale any pepper spray in the city without a license.

It is unlawful for any person to sell, offer for sale or otherwise furnish any pepper spray to a minor in the city. It is unlawful for a minor to purchase, possess or use any pepper spray in the city. It is unlawful to sell or offer for sale any pepper spray on-premises where liquor or alcoholic beverages are consumed.”

Read the Hawaii statute

Pepper spray laws Idaho

It is legal to buy, use, possess, or ship pepper spray to Idaho.

Read the Idaho statute

Pepper spray laws Illinois

It is legal to buy, use, possess, or ship pepper spray to Illinois, though you must be at least18 years old to purchase or possess pepper spray. Moreover, the city of Chicago has a specific ordinance that prohibits the use of pepper spray in an enclosed room (a bar or restaurant) if more than 20 people are present.

“Carries on or about his person or in any vehicle, a tear gas gun projector or bomb or any object containing noxious liquid gas or substance, other than an object containing a non-lethal noxious liquid gas or substance designed solely for personal defense carried by a person 18 years of age or older.”

Read the Illinois statute

Pepper spray laws Indiana

Indiana has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Indiana.

Pepper spray laws Iowa

Iowa has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Iowa.

Pepper spray laws Kansas

Kansas has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Kansas.

Pepper spray laws Kentucky

Kentucky has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Kentucky.

Pepper spray laws Louisiana

Louisiana has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Louisiana.

Pepper spray laws Maine

It is legal to buy, use, possess, or ship pepper spray to Maine, though the criminal use of disabling chemicals is a violation of the law. As with most states, the use of pepper spray must be in self-defense.

“A person is guilty of criminal use of disabling chemicals if he intentionally sprays or otherwise uses upon any other person chemical mace or any similar substance composed of a mixture of gas and chemicals which has or is designed to have a disabling effect upon human beings.”

Read the Maine statute

Pepper spray laws Maryland

It is legal to buy, use, possess, or ship pepper spray to Maryland. Pepper spray is specifically outlined as a dangerous weapon, according to Maryland code § 4-101, but you also have the right to use pepper spray in self-defense. Also, a minor is prohibited from carrying pepper spray, concealed or not, between one hour after sunset and one house before sunrise.

“An individual who carries the weapon as a reasonable precaution against apprehended danger, subject to the right of the court in an action arising under this section to judge the reasonableness of the carrying of the weapon, and the proper occasion for carrying it, under the evidence in the case.”

Read the Maryland statute

Pepper spray laws Massachusetts

It is legal to buy, use, or possess pepper spray in Massachusetts, but there are several restrictions. It is not legal to ship human formula pepper spray to an address in Massachusetts, though animal spray can be legally shipped to the state.

It is illegal to purchase or possess pepper spray if you have been convicted of a felony, a misdemeanor punishable by two years imprisonment, a violent crime, or if you have been committed to a hospital or a mental illness institution.

While a firearms identification card was previously required to possess pepper spray, it no longer is, except for purchasers between the ages of 15 and 18.

Read the Massachusetts statute

Pepper spray laws Michigan

It is legal to buy, use, possess, or ship pepper spray to Michigan, but there are several restrictions. In Michigan:

• Pepper spray cannot be more than 35 grams of any combination of orthochlorobenzalmalononitrile and inert ingredients;
• Pepper spray cannot be more than 18% oleoresin capsicum;
• Pepper spray cannot contain an ultraviolet dye and not more than 18% oleoresin capsicum;
• Minors are prohibited from purchasing pepper spray.

“If a person uses a self-defense spray or foam device during the commission of a crime to eject, release, or emit orthochlorobenzalmalononitrile or oleoresin capsicum or threatens to use a self-defense spray or foam device during the commission of a crime to temporarily or permanently disable another person, the judge who imposes sentence upon a conviction for that crime shall consider the defendant’s use or threatened use of the self-defense spray or foam device as a reason for enhancing the sentence.”

Read the Michigan statute

Pepper spray laws Minnesota

It is legal to buy, use, possess, or ship pepper spray to Minnesota, though you must be 16 years old to possess pepper spray in Minnesota. An individual who is prohibited from possessing a pistol in Minnesota cannot possess pepper spray.

“A person may possess and use an authorized tear gas compound in the exercise of reasonable force in defense of the person or the person’s property only if it is propelled from an aerosol container, labeled with or accompanied by clearly written instructions as to its use and the dangers involved in its use, and dated to indicate its anticipated useful life.

A person may possess and use an electronic incapacitation device in the exercise of reasonable force in defense of the person or the person’s property only if the electronic incapacitation device is labeled with or accompanied by clearly written instructions as to its use and the dangers involved in its use.”

Read the Minnesota statute

Pepper spray laws Mississippi

Mississippi has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Mississippi.

Pepper spray laws Missouri

Missouri has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Missouri.

“Gas gun, any gas ejection device, weapon, cartridge, container or contrivance other than a gas bomb, that is designed or adapted for the purpose of ejecting any poison gas that will cause death or serious physical injury, but not any device that ejects a repellent or temporary incapacitating substance.”

Read the Missouri statute

Pepper spray laws Montana

Montana has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Montana.

Pepper spray laws Nebraska

Nebraska has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Nebraska.

Pepper spray laws Nevada

It is legal to buy, use, possess, or ship pepper spray to Nevada, though there are restrictions. Minors are not allowed to possess pepper spray and the maximum container is 2 ounces.

“Tear gas includes all liquid, gaseous or solid substances intended to produce temporary physical discomfort or permanent injury through being vaporized or otherwise dispersed in the air. The term does not include a liquid, gaseous or solid substance whose active ingredient is composed of natural substances or products derived from natural substances which cause no permanent injury through being vaporized or otherwise dispersed in the air.”

Read the Nevada statute here

Pepper spray laws New Hampshire

New Hampshire has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to New Hampshire.

Pepper spray laws New Jersey

It is legal to buy, use, possess, or ship pepper spray to New Jersey, though there are restrictions. You must be at least 18 years old to possess pepper spray. Possession by a convicted felon is prohibited. The device must be pocket-sized and cannot release more than 3/4 of an ounce of pepper spray.

“Nothing shall be construed to prevent any person who is 18 years of age or older and who has not been convicted of a felony, from possession for the purpose of personal self-defense of one pocket-sized device which contains and releases not more than three-quarters of an ounce of chemical substance not ordinarily capable of lethal use or of inflicting serious bodily injury, but rather, is intended to produce temporary physical discomfort or disability through being vaporized or otherwise dispensed in the air. Any person in possession of any device in violation of this subsection shall be deemed and adjudged to be a disorderly person, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $100.00.”

Read the New Jersey statute here

Pepper spray laws New Mexico

New Mexico has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to New Mexico.

Pepper spray laws New York

It is legal to buy, use, or possess pepper spray in New York, but there are several restrictions. In New York:

• It is not legal to ship human formula pepper spray to an address in New York, though animal spray can be legally shipped to the state;
• You must be at least 18 years old to possess pepper spray;
• The pepper spray container must be pocket-sized;
• You can purchase a maximum of two devices during a single transaction;
• Those who have been convicted of a felony or assault are prohibited from possessing pepper spray.

“Self-defense spray device shall mean a pocket-sized spray device which contains and releases a chemical or organic substance which is intended to produce temporary physical discomfort or disability through being vaporized or otherwise dispensed in the air or any like device containing tear gas, pepper or similar disabling agent.”

Read the New York statute here

Pepper spray laws North Carolina

It is legal to buy, use, possess, or ship pepper spray to North Carolina, though there are restrictions. You cannot carry a pepper spray container that is larger than 5 ounces.

“It is unlawful for any person, firm, corporation or association to possess, use, store, sell, or transport within the State of North Carolina, any form of that type of gas generally known as tear gas, or any container or device for holding or releasing that gas; except this section does not apply to the possession, use, storage, sale or transportation of that gas or any container or device for holding or releasing that gas.”

Read the North Carolina statute here

Pepper spray laws North Dakota

North Dakota has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to North Dakota.

“Dangerous weapon does not include a spray or aerosol containing CS, also known as ortho-chlorobenzamalonitrile; CN, also known as alpha-chloroacetophenone; or other irritating agent intended for use in the defense of an individual, nor does the term include a device that uses voltage for the defense of an individual, unless the device uses a projectile and voltage or the device uses a projectile and may be used to apply multiple applications of voltage during a single incident, then the term includes the device for an individual who is prohibited from possessing a firearm under this title.”

Read the North Dakota statute here

Pepper spray laws Ohio

Ohio has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Ohio.

Pepper spray laws Oklahoma

Oklahoma has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Oklahoma.

Pepper spray laws Oregon

Oregon has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Oregon.

Pepper spray laws Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Pennsylvania.

“The chemical mace or any similar substance shall not be considered as lethal weapons for the purposes of this act.”

Read the Pennsylvania statute here

Pepper spray laws Rhode Island

Rhode Island has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray, though you have to be at least 18 years old to possess pepper spray.

“Any person 18 years of age or over may carry on his or her person and use unless otherwise prohibited by law, any non-lethal noxious substance or liquid for his or her protection or the protection of others.”

Read the Rhode Island statute here

Pepper spray laws South Carolina

South Carolina has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to South Carolina.

Pepper spray laws South Dakota

South Dakota has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to South Dakota.

Pepper spray laws Tennessee

Tennessee has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Tennessee.

Pepper spray laws Texas

It is legal to buy, use, possess, or ship pepper spray to Texas, though state law says it must be a “small chemical dispenser.”

“Chemical dispensing device means a device, other than a small chemical dispenser sold commercially for personal protection, that is designed, made, or adapted for the purpose of dispensing a substance capable of causing an adverse psychological or physiological effect on a human being.”

Read the Texas statute here

Pepper spray laws Utah

Utah has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Utah.

Pepper spray laws Vermont

Vermont has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Vermont.

Pepper spray laws Virginia

Virginia has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Virginia.

“If any person maliciously release or cause or procure to be released in any private home, place of business or place of public gathering any tear gas, mustard gas, phosgene gas or other noxious or nauseating gases or mixtures of chemicals designed to, and capable of, producing vile or injurious or nauseating odors or gases, and bodily injury results to any person from such gas or odor, the offending person shall be guilty of a felony.”

Read the Virginia statute here

Pepper spray laws Washington

It is legal to buy, use, possess, or ship pepper spray to Washington, though you must be at least 18 years old to purchase or possess pepper spray. With permission from a parent, you can purchase or possess pepper spray at 14 years old in Washington.

“It is unlawful for a person under eighteen years old, unless the person is at least fourteen years old and has the permission of a parent or guardian to do so, to purchase or possess a personal protection spray device. A violation of this subsection is a misdemeanor.”

Read the Washington statute here

Pepper spray laws West Virginia

West Virginia has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to West Virginia.

Pepper spray laws Wisconsin

It is legal to buy, use, possess, or ship pepper spray to Wisconsin, though there are several restrictions. In Wisconsin:

• Pepper spray containers must be less than 2 ounces;
• Pepper spray must be 10% of less oleoresin capsicum (OC);
• Pepper spray cannot be disguised or camouflaged;
• You must be at least 18 years old to purchase or possess pepper spray, though there is an exemption for minors with parental permission.

In 2013, the state of Wisconsin updated and expanded pepper spray regulations.

“The Act removes the limitation that pepper spray be displayed only behind a sales counter and eliminates the requirement for a highlighted caution statement on its packaging. The Act maintains the statutory requirement for pepper spray to be properly labeled and to be sold with written safety instructions.

The Act removes the requirements for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to promulgate specific rules governing pepper spray standards, including the percentage of active ingredients, range of spray, weight, and safety packaging. The Act prohibits DOJ from promulgating or enforcing such rules.”

Read the Wisconsin statute here

Pepper spray laws Wyoming

Wyoming has no laws that prohibit individuals from carrying or using pepper spray. It is legal to buy, carry, use, or ship to Wyoming.

Another important consideration with pepper spray laws is airline travel. As you travel via an airplane there are TSA regulations you must follow. One 4 ounce container of pepper spray is permitted in checked baggage provided it is equipped with a safety mechanism to prevent accidental discharge. It is not permitted in carry-on bags.

This guideline gives you a better understanding of pepper spray laws throughout the country to help ensure you are within the law as you travel. Fortunately, for most adults without a criminal record, pepper spray is legal to possess, buy, and use (for self-defense purposes) regardless of the state you are in.

Along with the low cost and ease of use, this makes pepper spray a great non-lethal, self-defense option.

Here are some of my favorite prepping gear

Thank you for investing your time in this article, and I sincerely hope it has provided valuable insights to strengthen your survival preparedness. As a survivalist, I make use of a variety of tools and gear, many of which have proven to be indispensable in my journey. Here, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite survival gear, which I believe you will find beneficial as well.

These are affiliate links, meaning if you decide to use any of them, I’ll earn a commission at no additional cost to you. However, I assure you that these recommendations come from personal experience – these are the exact tools I trust, use, and confidently recommend to everyone, including my own family.

1. Long-Term Food Storage: ‘My Patriot Supply‘ is my top choice for emergency food supplies. Their selection caters to long-term storage needs, ensuring you’re always prepared.
2. Water Filter: Clean, safe drinking water is a priority in any situation. This water filter has served me well, and I trust it will for you too.
3. Versatile Cooking Solution: The Zoom Versa Cook Stove is a reliable, versatile cooking solution perfect for outdoor and survival scenarios.

I’ve compiled an extensive, frequently updated list of my top survival gear recommendations for your convenience. Equip yourself with the best and latest gear here.

Remember, true survival isn’t merely about making it through – it’s about effectively navigating and thriving in challenging circumstances. Equip yourself well, stay informed, and always be prepared.

If you’re looking to save yourself from the possibilities of a potential home break-in, it is high time you consider upgrading your front-door security. But how exactly do you get your security a notch- above? What measures should you take? Let’s explore!

1. First Upgrade your Locks

Locks are one of the most essential aspects of your front door security. So, before anything else, you need to invest in a good set of locks. One of the best options here would be a deadbolt lock. These locks are solid, hardy and incredibly useful.

Once you get the lock, make sure the deadbolt of your door completely extends to the opening of the door jam. This should be further reinforced with a strong metal strike plate.

Also, while choosing a lock, do make sure that the bolt doesn’t have any exposed set of exterior screws. This will ensure an added layer of security.

Finally, you should also take the time to reinforce your existing key locks. Using cylinder guards is a good idea here. These guards around your locks will prevent someone from trying to wrench your locks loose.

2. Next, Get a Security Screen

Having two doors is always better than having a single one. And this is exactly why you need a security screen. For the uninitiated, security screens are the pierced metal barriers that have enough space for extra locks. They are usually installed in the open along with the point of the ingress. This, in turn, prevents the possibility of attacks that involve kicking your door wide open.

The extra locks in the security screen will also prevent the possibilities of covert entry. This is because you have an added deadbolt and knob as an add-on for the security of your front door. The best part: since these security screens have pierced openings, you can easily open the door and see everything that’s happening outside without involving in the risk of getting yourself outside. Security screens offer more vision than regular peepholes.

While choosing a security screen for your front door, make sure the product is durable enough here is a nice one on Amazon.com. A durable and high-quality product will go a long way in preventing destructive entry. In fact, the stronger the metal is, the better will be your defense.

3. Then Lengthen the Set Screws

If you’re looking for a quick, affordable DIY home security hack, this is one of the best ways to go about it. For this, all you must do is replace your existing set screws with longer, 3-inch screws. But how does this work in the first place? Well, the idea is simple.

When your standard door is kicked, the pressure is exerted by the bolt of your deadbolt. Now, when you have smaller set screws, your strike plate will only be secured till the door trim. Since this trim isn’t usually strong, the strike plate will be easily destroyed.

Finally, your bolt won’t be able to extend anywhere. Luckily, with 3-inch set screws, you’d be biting along the stud of your door jam. This will further prevent your strike plate from being easily destroyed.

4. Consider Strengthening the Glass Surfaces

Most front doors are located at a proximity with windows. Some of them even feature glass windows on them. Either way, both the arrangements can cause major damage to your front door security, if not addressed the right way. There are three ways in which you can deal with the issue.

First, get rid of the glass so that if someone smashes it, they won’t be able to get their hands inside for manipulating the thumb turn on the other end.

Next, try installing bars on the glass. As you do this, make sure the bars are close enough, thereby preventing the possibility of anyone reaching them. Finally, place a security film on your windows to offer an extra notch of security.

This will keep your windows safe and prevent the possibility of sudden, unannounced disruptions. You can order a roll of security film from Amazon.com click here to check the current price.

5. If Possible Get a Surveillance System

If you really want to protect your loved ones from potential danger, it is high time you invest in a good surveillance system. A good security system will help you deter burglars while also identifying intruders. But in order for this to happen, you need to place the camera the right way.

To start off, try to place the camera right above your front door. Make sure this is completely visible from your subsequent street. Now, get another camera and position it directly, pointing to your door. This will further ensure that you get the footage from different angles. Since this will also give you the footage of the intruder’s face, it is especially useful.

Here is the wireless camera system that I use. I bought this from Amazon a few months ago and so far it’s worked great and super easy to set up. You can click this link to see it at Amazon.com.

In addition to deterring burglars, the right security system will also play a major role in helping you monitor your deliveries and kids when they play outside. At the end of the day, you’ll be at complete peace of mind.

6. Strengthen your Door Frame

If you’re really looking forward to proper home security, take adequate measures in strengthening your door frame. While most external doors are built quite sturdy, not all of them fall under this category. Also, if your door is hollow in the interior, it’ll be easy to break through even if its body is made from metal.

So, before anything else, check if your front door is completely solid. Double-check to ensure that it isn’t hollow in the interior parts. Since solid wood doors are much better than their hollow core variants, it is always better to invest in a good, solid door frame.

Also, while you strengthen the front door, don’t ignore your back doors either. Ideally, your back door will need the same degree of security as your main door. So, add deadbolts, sophisticated locks, and strike plates to your back door as well.

If your door is sliding, try getting key locks both at the top and the bottom. Alternatively, you can also get a metal rod and fit it along your door’s track. This will prevent it from automatically sliding open, while you’ve locked the door.

7. Door Jammers and Security Bars

Another way to strengthen the security of your front doors is by using sophisticated tools. While there are many tools that can help you here, some of the top options include:

Door lock Reinforcer – These tools are positioned along with the existing lock of your door for offering extra security when someone picks or tries to break the lock for forcefully entering your house.

These reinforcers are extremely portable, and you can conveniently install them by snapping them in place along with the lock. However, before investing in a good reinforcer, check if the device works with your lock because certain products don’t work well with smart and horizontal locks.

Door Jammers- Made from plastic or steel, door jammers are yet another common measure for notching up your front door’s security. Ideally, a door jammer will be placed on the floor while having a distance of at least half an inch from your door.

These devices are pressure mounted for added portability and can be easily removed during emergencies. Click here to see an example of a door jammer.

Door Security Bars- These devices are kept right at the center of your door for preventing burglars from directly kicking your door. While some are hardware mounted variants, others can be easily installed with their pressure-mounting functionality.

Available in plenty of shapes and sizes, you can easily adjust these bars with the width of your door.

8. Get Wide-Angled Peep Holes

One of the most common ways criminals intrudes into your privacy is by knocking on your door or ringing the doorbell. Once you gullibly answer the door, they forcibly intrude in your property. Yes, this can even happen when your door is partially open.

A good way to avoid this issue is by getting wide-angled peepholes. Once you have this installed, you’d get to know if the person at the other end of the door is carrying any harmful tools.

9. Consider Instaling Metal Grills

If you have a glazed or semi-glazed door, you can always notch up its security by getting decorative metal grills in the interior of your door. Alternatively, you can also add a protective layer along the back of your door’s glass.

If you’re planning to replace the glass or purchase side panel or glazed door, make sure the glass is completely laminated. In this way, it’ll hold itself in place even when it is completely shattered. Also, when a laminated door is installed from the interior, it can’t be easily removed from outside, thanks to its solid beading.

10. Strike Box

A strike box will strengthen your front door and prevent intruders from barging into your home. This is usually done by getting the existing strike plates replaced with a stronger structure that features a metal pocket, big plates, and a strong connection to the wall studs. For accommodating this added feature, you’ll have to enlarge both the recesses of your cover plate as well as the hole in your jam.

The Bottom Line

Once you adopt the given measures you will successfully end up securing your front door against burglars, strangers, and intruders. Since the given hacks are easily accessible and simple to follow, we are sure it won’t take you much time to get through.

by WL

We live in a suburb of a large metropolitan area. Our suburb is typically considered safe. Safe enough, in fact, that I know people who leave their first-floor windows wide open at night or when they’re gone for the day. Safe enough that people go for a walk around the neighborhood and leave their home unlocked. Safe enough that people warm up their vehicles unsupervised in the winter.

I have a background as a news reporter. I covered the police beats for several nearby suburban local papers; one suburb was surrounded by the “bad side” of the metropolitan proper. I’ve taken a concealed carry course, a “practical” conceal carry (click here to go to MD Creekmore’s concealed carry site) follow-up course, and a women’s self-defense course, as well as attended an ALICE training course at my place of work.

I intend to take more of such classes. I’ve read several books about personal safety and survival (click here to see a list of MD Creekmore’s favorite survival books). I work in a school – and am conscious of the safety of our students and staff at all times, am aware of what’s going on around us.

Much of what I write here seems like common sense, yet I’m continually amazed (and saddened) at how many news reports demonstrate that too many people obviously don’t think like me. Please ensure you talk with your children and parents about safety!

1.) Never be totally alone if you can avoid it.

I spent much of my young adult life, prior to being married, alone. As an only child, I’m used to being alone! Once an adult, I lived alone. I shopped alone. I went for walks around my apartment complex and at parks alone. As a college student, I often walked alone across campus or around town. I drove alone. I traveled far distances alone – to visit my parents or my boyfriend in another city 2 1/2 hours away.

Looking back on it, I can’t believe I took such great risks. I had a can of mace; I don’t even know if it worked and I rarely carried it (it was usually on my bedside table in my apartment). I didn’t own a firearm, had never shot a gun, and I’d never taken a self-defense course. My apartment did not have close-by parking and the path from the parking lot to the apartment was not well-lighted.

I was quite used to being by myself and apparently, that’s still normal: As I drive to work, I pass several parks. I am amazed at the number of individuals, many of whom are women, jogging and walking alone in the early hours of the morning. In the dark. With earbuds crammed into their heads.

Don’t assume that you’re safety is guaranteed anywhere!

Recently, an individual was walking alone after dark on a local bike path and was robbed at gunpoint in what most people consider a “safe” part of a nearby town.

Such incidents are avoidable — don’t be alone!

Many elementary schools have a rule that students must be in pairs (buddy system) at all times. It makes sense when you think about it — if a child falls ill or is injured, a friend or classmate is there to get help. Students should never leave a classmate alone in the locker room, or alone in any room; that way, there are two to witness anything that might happen.

The buddy system isn’t just for children: Be with someone you know as much as possible. Travel with a friend. Walk with a friend or coworker as much as you can. If you and a neighbor arrive home at the same time, make it a habit to get know that person well and walk toward your homes at the same time. Make sure someone knows where you are at all times when to expect you home.

If you can’t avoid being alone, ensure you know how to protect yourself. Carry mace or pepper spray (click here for pepper spray laws by state) and know how to use it. Consider getting your conceal carry and take many, many classes and get as much instruction in the use of your firearm as you can. Take a basic self-defense course — then consider enrolling in a martial arts class. You can never be too safe.

2.) Be aware of what’s going on around you, always.

Experts call this “situational awareness”, but I call it being aware of LIFE. Know what the normal condition is for where you are. Are you in a work parking lot? Do you recognize cars that are always there every day, or do you walk while texting on your phone or staring at your feet on the pavement?

Look around you! Notice which cars are typical for your work or apartment complex parking lot — people are habitual, they’ll usually park in or near the same spot every day. Only when you’re familiar with the “normal” will you notice if something is “out of place”.

Get to know people you see regularly. Know your coworkers (and their spouses or children if they frequently visit). Don’t just recognize their faces — really get to know them! Be nosy — have lunch with them, talk with them at break time or in the hall or in the restroom, while walking across the parking lot at the start or end of the day.

Ask questions — do they have kids/grandkids/pets? What are their hobbies? Do they read? What kinds of books do they like? What’s their favorite show? Get them talking, get to know them. They are your allies in this world!

3.) Listen to your instincts.

This is one right out of “The Gift of Fear” by Gavin de Becker – the concept was repeatedly discussed at my self-defense class.

Background: I worked at a public library years ago, shelving books in all the departments. There were some of the nicest people who visited the library frequently. And there were also some of the creepiest people that hung out there, daily. Men who, when I’d walk past them, gave me “the willies”: the hair on my arms would stand up, I’d get a shiver up my spine, and I wanted immediately to run away. Interestingly, I had co-workers who said they felt the same way about the same people.

Got the “willies” or the feeling that someone is “creepy” or that something “just isn’t right”? This is your body’s natural warning system. Humans are animals: we have instincts and senses, too: we’ve just been socially trained to ignore such feelings.

Don’t ignore your feelings, don’t ignore your intuition. If someone gives you the creeps or doesn’t seem “right”, get away from them instantly. Find a safe place where there are many people, or police, or security officers, and be aware if the creepy person follows you.

4.) Don’t ever leave belongings in plain sight in your car.

This is something I learned the hard way: my car was broken into when I was in college. They wanted my stereo system (it said “Pioneer” on it). They took my cassette tape carry-case (hey, this was in the 1980s!), my spare change, and a duffel bag (which contained a pair of dirty socks and a pair of jeans that had a rip in the crotch).

After that, I learned never to leave anything insight — it’s just temptation for those not-so-nice people looking into car windows. (I put black electrical tape over the brand name of my stereo and speakers, too, since the stereo and speakers were black plastic.)

As a police beat newspaper reporter after college, I was always flabbergasted at the number of people who would leave purses, wallets, or other valuables in their cars, in plain sight, even if only for a minute or two while they ran into a shop or store — and then were surprised to return to their vehicle to find their belongings gone.

Your purse, wallet, briefcase, backpack, keys (and your cell phone, tablet, or laptop) should NEVER be left anywhere — they should always be with you.

5.) Lock up!

Locks have a purpose and they don’t fulfill their purpose if you don’t use them.

When you walk into or out of your house: lock the door behind you. Always close the garage overhead door.

When you get into your car, lock the doors immediately. When you leave your car, always close your car windows and lock the doors.

If you are sitting out on the back patio, ensure your front door is locked. Make sure your front windows aren’t wide open for someone to easily pop the screen out and enter that way. (I read a police report recently about residents in a nearby suburb who were robbed, at gunpoint: they’d been on their back patio during the late evening hours, the dog was in the house and started barking.

The owners walked into the house and right into a man with a gun standing in their front room. The front door had been left open and unlocked.)

If you’re to be away at work (or home asleep), and you wish to leave second-floor windows open, ensure they’re not easily reached from a nearby tree, a roofline, or fire escape. Use the “part-way-open” locks many newer windows have that allow you to have the window open, but not open far enough that someone could climb into the open window, or open it further. Close your blinds.

Don’t leave items near windows, in plain sight, in your home (such as computers or large screen televisions to be easily seen by passersby); don’t leave televisions on screened porches.

Do leave lights on the outside and inside your home.

Simple, common-sense habits can keep you and your family from becoming a crime victim. It takes minimal thought and effort to ingrain these routines into your lifestyle, but that effort is worth it.

Click here for my most recommended home security/retreat defense plan for when the SHTF…

by Jessica W

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and do you feel fine? Are you prepared to fight for your survival, as well as the survival of your loved ones? Once we get to the ultimate end, everyone will be scrounging for household items to use to hunt, protect, and entertain their families.

However, the best of us survivalist will already have our packs ready. You may have already packed your essentials from listening to other guides on the internet or in print, but one thing these sources fail to list is a trail camera.

If you’re currently a hunter and a survivalist, you already have one of these to help catch your game, so here’s how you can transform it into an essential doomsday item.

Food:

At the first sign of the end of the world, everyone will fly to Walmart like wildebeest at the watering hole. It will be ten times as bad as people at the mall on Black Friday, and if you’ve seen any movie ever, you know that this is a bad idea. Instead of finding the food you need, you will be fighting against desperate people and may not make it back unscathed.

Therefore, a smart survivalist will have planned to store canned and packaged foods and items and tools that will facilitate hunting and sustain life. As a hunter, you know that having the best trail cameras can give you an edge over your prey.

These cameras monitor trails and animal behavior, helping you to predict when and where to catch the big game. This reduces the amount of time you need to be outdoors and can help you survive and out hunt your less-prepared neighbors.

Protection:

When your neighbors see that you were more prepared than them and have a large supply of essentials, they will come and hunt you. It is important that you have a protection plan to protect you and your loved ones, as well as your food and water supply.

A trail camera can double as a security camera to watch over your house or shelter. Live-streaming trail cameras can be set up in your yard and remotely monitored in the comfort of your home or sheltered location.

Since they are designed to go undetected in a wildlife environment, they are resilient against burglars, intruders, or vandalizes who want to disable any home cameras before an attack. You will be able to see them coming before they see you, and you will be more prepared for the imminent attack.

You can set multiple-up around the perimeter of your house and have a fully rounded security system.

Every survivalist guide lists thermal imaging devices as an essential item for surviving doomsday. Your trail camera can also act as a thermal imaging camera and 360-degree night vision goggles. Protection is a 24-7 job and a trail camera with thermal imaging capabilities can prepare you during the night as well as during the early morning hours.

You can use it while you’re out hunting to see if there are any intruders behind you, and it becomes your perfect set of owl eyes.

Entertainment:

The end of the world brings the end of many luxuries that many of us depend on for entertainment, and more importantly, to stay sane. Staying sane is extremely important during doomsday because it allows us to stay vigilant and focused during an emergency.

A trail camera can be transformed into a television to provide news as well as entertainment. You can use it to watch the people that come through your area and see how society is holding up. You may not trust them, but you can watch them and gain clues about how the outside world is doing.

You can also use it as a National Geographic channel and set it up to watch the wildlife in the area. Tracking the number and type of animals that come across your “television screen” may be fun for your children but also provide you with a sense of food supply and migration habits that may be forming in light of the apocalypse.

You can even use the trail camera to take still images of animals or people in the environment. This can be used as decoration in your home or shelter, and provide some solace from the deterioration and situation outside.

If you find yourself in a more civilized situation, with the ability of currency and a bartering system, you can even use these photos to trade at the trading post. You can trade them for other essentials you may need that your neighbors can provide for you.

Trail cameras are neglected in many survival guides but can be a handy tool for the pursuit of hunting, protection, and entertainment in a time when these items will be scarce. Many of you already have a trail camera in your home so you simply need to know what to do with it and how to prepare it and yourself for the imminent end of the world.

Resources

• Best Trail Cameras 2017 – Buyers Guide
• Using a Security Trail Camera to Catch Vandals

What kind of trail camera do you have? Have you used it for security? How did you do it and what happened?

by Charlie

There is no doubt that our home is the place where we spend quite a bit of time. It is the place we would like to be happy, safe and enjoy the best of time with our near and dear ones. It is quite obvious that we take all the trouble to spend the best part of our time, money and effort to ensure that our home is perfect in more ways than one.

There are quite a few things that we would like to take care as far as our home is concerned. To begin with, we would like to decorate our homes as best as we can. This does take some bit of thinking and at times, we also need to think out of the box.

Security Of The Home

Apart from decoration and comfort, you would, as a homeowner, do all that is necessary to secure your home. This is extremely critical and vital because of a number of reasons. There are increasing instances of home theft, burglaries, murders, and other such heinous crimes and activities.

Therefore, many homeowners spend a lot of money on fancy apparatuses and gadgets to secure the safety of the home and also its inmates. However, in this article, we will be spending more time finding out some simple, cost-effective and DIY ways that could increase the overall safety and well-being of homes without having to spend a fortune on the same.

Click the following link to read our article 12 DIY Home Security Hacks for Under $20 or better yet finish reading this article and then come back to it… it’s worth your time. Trust me on that.

We are confident that it will not only enhance the safety of your home but also help you to save quite a bit of money and the complexities surrounded by assigning the job to professionals.

Always Secure Your Doors 

Some of the biggest robberies and burglaries happen through the first door. There are enough research studies to prove that almost 34% of thieves find the front door or the main door of the homes, the easiest route to committing robberies and burglaries (click here to read our article on how to secure a front door). Hence, the first and foremost task is to secure your main doors as best as one can.

While installing the front door, there are a few things that you must always keep in mind. Be sure that you thoroughly inspect everything about the exterior doors. The frames of the main doors are extremely critical and it should be very strong.

The hinges must be well protected. Further, it is common for most homes to have a mail slot. The mail slot must be carefully located so that the burglars are not able to find out ways to use it to break or pry open the door.

There are some common DIY reinforcements that are quite good and have stood the test of time and have been proven more often than not. Installing a deadbolt is considered one of the best options to secure your main door. You also could look into the possibility of adding a striking plate.

Spending some money and upgrading from conventional locks to smart locks is also something that you could consider. The instances of burglaries have been reduced significantly whenever homeowners have installed a video doorbell – this is the most popular one at Amazon.com.

Professional home security and safety specialists always recommend reinforcing sliding glass doors. This is because intruders always have a liking for sliding doors. Make sure that the sliding doors are as well protected as you possibly can think of.

The old-school thought of using a dowel or a window bar in the track could prevent the door from being forced open. If you are looking for a high-tech solution, you also could add a door sensor or even a glass break sensor – here is a set of four at Amazon.con. This will help you get an alert when the glass door is tampered with. It should be good enough to drive away thieves.

Keep The Windows Locked

Apart from the main door, back doors and side doors, windows are considered to be the most common place where burglars enter the home. Though all windows do have latches inbuilt, experts believe that they are not of the best quality. In most cases they are flimsy.

A simple look and feel of it would most certainly help you to have an idea of whether the window latches need strengthening or not. There are many simple ways that could be used for beefing up security. These include key-operated levers and locks.

While this is the basic that you could do to enhance home security, here are a few more things that you could keep in mind. Using a window security film to reinforce the glass on the windows could be a good option – here is a roll of the type of window film that I’m talking about. You also should install glass break sensors and window break sensors.

Adding window bars, and planting prickly bushes just under the first-floor window could be useful tips. However, be sure that the prickly bushes are trimmed regularly and properly. You also could add backyard light in the night because thieves and burglars love to operate under cover of darkness.

Let The Landscape Be Lighted Well

Criminals, robbers, vandals, burglars, and other such people always would like to be discreet in their operations. They hate to remain in the spotlight. If you spend some money and have generous outdoor lighting you can keep quite a few such bad elements away. It does not cost big money but it is highly effective.

You also could place adequate lights around the back and front yards. The same applies to pathways, and also near the garage and various other outdoor structures. You will certainly make the intruders jittery and unsure.

Further, it could also be useful for you and the members of your home. You could almost rule out the risk of an accidental stumble and fall because of darkness or insufficient lighting.

You could make the outdoor lighting system more effective by following some simple tips. Go in for solar-powered lights (these are best sellers on Amazon.com) because it could help save energy. Motion-activated lights could add to the overall safety of the front yard, backyard and the home in particular.

You could use a timer when installing outdoor lights. This could help save energy and avoid wastage quite a bit. There are other things that also could be effective while planning cost-effective DIY home security. They include wireless spotlights, and also encasing the outdoor lighting systems effectively to prevent damage by natural and also human elements.

Do Not Lose Sight Of The Garage

An analysis of all major and minor robberies and home burglaries point out to one thing. The garage is becoming on the most sought after entry point for criminals. Though some garages might be away from the main house, they could have some costly and valuable items stored inside them.

You should always make sure that all the doors of your garage are locked properly. This is for both the exterior and also the interior. It also would be a good idea to have the garage door opener in the house rather than keeping it in the garage.

This will prevent burglars to make use of the same either from the garage or from your cars. Many instances of car theft have been reported because the garage door opener was not kept inside the main home.

There are a few more things that one should keep in mind. You could look into the possibility of upgrading to a smart garage door opener that is digitally operated. Keep the garage door window adequately covered.

This could help to keep the valuable things hidden inside. You also perhaps should seriously consider securing garage doors with the help of extra locks and this could include zip ties. Look for smart, cost-effective and DIY ways of home automation that also takes into account the needs and requirements of your garage.

Breaking into a Garage in 6 Seconds

Plan And Put In Place An Integrated Security System

It is important that your home should have some type of integrated security system. While there are many DIY options available out there, if you are serious about securing the safety of your home, you could look for professional home automation and monitoring system.

If you look around you will be able to identify some of the best home security options. There is something for every budget and to cater to each and every level of protection. You must sit with your family members and then evaluate your specific needs and cover each and every level of protection and security.

You could look into the security systems in your neighborhood and perhaps take a cue or two from the same. It also makes good sense to contact your local police department and get some idea about the crime statistics of your neighborhood.

You could decide on a security and safety system of your home, taking into account the threat perceptions that your neighborhood faces based on records and statistics.

Keep Your Wi-Fi Network Locked Down

There is no denying the fact that each and every home today has a wireless network. While this does make life easier for all of us, it also comes with its own share of problems and challenges. In most homes, your wireless network could be the doorway for all your vital financial and personal information.

When you use home automation, instead of making your home safer, it could make it vulnerable to an unwanted break-in. There are many tricks and tips that could help keep hackers away from your home network.

You should find out ways and means to ensure that your wireless router is well secured. Use the best of WPA2 encryption or enable WPA or Wi-Fi protected access. Ensure that all your home network and hidden and renamed regularly.

Spend some money and have a firewall in place. Do not cut corners when it comes to installing anti-malware and antivirus protection. Follow time tested and proven password regimens and protocols. Always remember to change passwords at least once in three months.

If you have kids in your home, use parental control software. Kids these days spend quite a bit of time going inline for fun and also for their education. Your duty as a parent is to ensure that your kids are kept safe from online predators and also cyberbullies. There are special routers, apps and software packages available for this purpose.

Try Eliminating Hiding Places

While there is no doubt that shrubs and trees help in giving a much better curb appeal, quite often they also become a handy tool for burglars to hide and execute their nefarious activities. It would be better to trim down plants and trees near your home that could be used for cover.

Instead, it would be a better idea to go in for smaller sized bushes and flowers. If you have windows that are adjacent to such plants and shrubs, you should either remove them or ensure that the windows are strengthened adequately.

This is a very simple way to secure your home and does not cost anything much. The main objective should be to thoroughly examine your outdoors as well as the indoors and be sure that you have done away with all possible hiding places.

Stools and ladders should be put away from the reach of possible intruders. Sheds, gates and other outdoor buildings should be locked properly. The use of security stickers and signs is also recommended. The role of a simple outdoor camera is vital and it could prevent many burglaries and thefts.

Have Security Cameras In Place

The importance of security cameras cannot be underestimated. We have all come across news articles where some of the most deadly burglaries have been foiled because of security cameras. They act as a big deterrent for the wrongdoers.

Even if burglaries and thefts happen, it is quite possible that these cameras could play a big role in finding out the culprits and have them arrested and punished as per the provisions of law. It also could help in recovering the stolen household belongings that in some cases could run into thousands of dollars.

You must do your research and choose the right home camera and surveillance systems. You must look for cameras having motion detection features, built-in wi-fi capabilities, night vision features, and the cameras should be nestled in a casing that is weatherproof.

The Final Word

In fine, the responsibility for ensuring home security lies clearly on the homeowners. Tenants will not be ready to invest money and time for obvious reasons. While there could be many who could propagate the use of professionals for doing the job, there are many DIY tips and suggestions that could help secure your home.

A few have been discussed above and if you look around, do your research and gather knowledge and information you will be able to identify a few more without much of a difficulty.

by Charlie

If you’re looking for simple and effective tips to secure your apartment without breaking your bank account then you’ve come to the right place……

Buying a ready-to-occupy or customized apartment is just one part of the story. There also is the need to ensure that the apartment remains in the best of the condition and also is safe and secure. It is common for most homeowners and tenants to hire professionals to take care of apartment security.

While there is no doubt that this could be a good decision, there are also many other options that could help you to secure your apartment without having to burn a big hole in the pocket.

How Do The Minds Of Burglars Work? ?

No burglar would like to get noticed as he or she attempts to rob or burgle a home. Hence, if they find that the home has surveillance cameras and other such monitoring systems, they would like to stay away from such homes.

Contrary to opinions and beliefs, robbers find day-time the most appropriate for burgling. This is because in most cases, the apartments and homes remain unoccupied and totally empty of human beings because of obvious reasons.

Robbers are intelligent in guessing whether an apartment is occupied or not. They look garbage bins, recycling containers and trashcans. A lawn that is unkempt and overgrown is a definite sign that the apartment in question could be unoccupied at a particular point in time.

Burglars always love to enter into a home without forced breakages as much as possible. They prefer improperly sealed or closed windows and doors as the easiest and safest means to break into a house and rob it.

Checking and testing the waters is a tactic that is often used by robbers and burglars. They knock at the front door or ring the bell and if there is a response from within, they come out with some vague and false stories. Professional robbers and burglars will not just break into the homes suddenly.

They certainly try and understand the overall plan of the home. They would rather break into the master bedroom instead of the kids’ bedroom. This is because they know for sure that some of the most valuable household belongings could be kept in the master bedrooms.

When we talk about intelligent security tips, we should bear in mind that robbers would not like to risk entering homes where there is the sound of a television or sound system running.

Now that we have some idea as to how the minds of the robbers work, we are happy to share some useful and pertinent information that could be quite efficient and useful. These ideas and tips will not cost a fortune and it could be completed just under $30. We firmly believe that they will be useful for all those apartment owners, who are running on a tight budget.

Further, it could be useful for those who are moving into an apartment on rent as a new entrant. Once a person decides to buy an apartment, in almost nine out of ten cases, he or she would have spent almost their entire savings and would also be in a big debt because of mortgage loans.

In such situations, spending a few thousand dollars more on answering for the question of how to secure an apartment could certainly be a tough ask.

They certainly would be on the lookout for cost-effective tips. We are sure that the following tips could be useful in more ways than one. They are all affordable but at the same time, we also believe that they are also efficient and perhaps even foolproof.

Get Inputs From The Local Police Station ?

Expenditure: Free – No Cost

There is no doubt that each and every neighborhood has a police station. It contains complete information about the law and order situation, in general, It has full details regarding the number of successful and attempted break-ins robberies and other such criminal activities.

They also will be able to give specific details about the specific localities that are at higher risk for such break-ins and robberies. This will help you to plan your apartment security accordingly and incorporate special features in areas that are more at risk.

Quality Window Locks

Expenditure: Under $10

According to cops and also experts who research burglaries and robberies, windows are considered to be the most vulnerable when it comes to home security. The job for robbers becomes easier if your window is located near a fire escape ladder.

Hence, you must try and find out ways and means by which it is possible to strengthen your windows. Simple and low-cost window locks can do the job adequately well. You have many options to choose from, including window wedge, sliding window locks and burgle bars.

You must do your research and then choose the right taking into account the exact needs and requirements depending on the type of windows that you have in your apartments. They are easy to install and by following simple DIY tips, anyone should be able to install the same.

Window And Door Alarms

Expenditure: A Pack Of 4 would cost around $20

This is another extremely cost-effective way of protecting your apartments from burglaries. It takes just five minutes to install these alarm systems. They work the same way as window and door alarms that are installed by security companies.

You don’t have to pay anything extra for monitoring the same. The siren or alarm is built right into the sensor. The sensors also have keypads. These keypads help in arming and disarming the system.

When you are home, you could disarm the system and open the windows and doors and enjoy some fresh air, especially during summer. They are extremely useful and robbers are paranoid about touching homes that have door alarms and windows.

Glass Break Alarms

Expenditure: around $12 or $25 for four.

Glass break alarms are considered extremely useful and effective in preventing robberies and burglaries. You could go in for window bars, or even choose a shatterproof film. These make it extremely hard for robbers to break the glass of your windows.

There are also vibration alarm systems that can be placed right to your glass window and is capable of detecting vibrations. If there is an attempt to break the window or open the window when the alarm is set, it will send a warning signal.

This will alert your neighbors and will also deter to robber to carry on further with the robberies. I like these ones that you can get at Amazon.com.

Door Barricades

Expenditure: Below $30

It takes just around a minute to install door barricades. The door is the most common place where intruders try their luck out. Just locking the doorknob may not be enough to completely secure your home.

Unless you have a deadbolt lock, it is quite easy for robbers to break through your door. These days even deadbolt locks can be easily broken open using sophisticated bump keys. This is where door barricades could come in handy. Check out current pricing here.

This is a device that helps to physically keep the door closed. They are much more effective than deadbolt locks. They could be perfectly suitable for rented apartments where the owners do not permit drilling holes in the floor.

Door Stop Alarms

Expenditure: About $7

If you are not keen on choosing the barricade route and are looking at some other efficient security tips then going in for door stop alarms could be the right choice. There are many apartment inhabitants who do not like to use the barricades even during the day.

This has a simple technology and it does work quite effectively and efficiently as far as securing your home is concerned. The alarm sits on the floor and a lever is pushed down when somebody tries to open the door.

Once the lever is pushed down, it sets off an alarm and sends an alert that somebody might have entered through your door. You can check out the ones that I use at Amazon.com.

Dummy Security Cameras ?

Expenditure: Under $8

If you cannot spend big money on real security or surveillance cameras, it would be always better to look for something that is less expensive but also effective at the same time. You could install something that is not real but looks almost real.

This will make the intruders believe that they are entering a high-risk area. In nine out of ten cases, it has been found that intruders would prefer keeping away from homes. At the end of the day, burglars know that there is no point in robbing or burgling if the chances of getting caught are extremely high.

Just the thought that the home is a high-risk target is enough to keep the intruders away. We are talking about a dummy camera. They are low-cost but they look almost like real. In fact, at times even experts find it difficult to differentiate the dummy cameras from the real ones.

It comes with a blinking camera and it blinks, thereby giving it a near-natural look. The battery that powers the LED blinking lights lasts for many months. Yes, it is a fact that dummy cameras are not like real ones in terms of functionalities and features. It can have the desired impact on the intruders and robbers and act as a powerful deterrent.

You can, later, if you wish to go in for a real camera so that the real needs and requirements are taken care of. There are different models and makes of dummy cameras and if you do your research, you will be able to come across some of the best ones.

As mentioned above, they look as good as real cameras and it takes quite a bit of time and effort to make out that they are dummy ones. Robbers work under a lot of stress and time is against them always. Hence, it is almost impossible. These ones at Amazon are low-cost for a set of four.

Home Security Stickers

Expenditure: Just $8 for a whole pack.

Home security stickers, work almost like dummy security cameras. You can place stickers that talk about security systems on your doors and windows. In most cases, it will act as a deterrent and will shoo away possible intruders.

This is because they will be convinced the particular apartment may not be the right one to break into. You could install the security camera up there and back it up with a warning sticker stating that “the home is under camera surveillance”.Robbers will for sure be terrified and would rather try their luck elsewhere.

Hence, by spending a small amount, you could keep your home safe and in good condition. It would be better to buy these stickers along with a dummy camera. These are generally sold as a bundle along with dummy cameras.

Even if the intruders miss out on the cameras will most certainly not miss the colorful and eye-catchy stickers that have big words stating the fact that the home is under surveillance. You could also do away with the dummy cameras and instead go in for stickers making bold and fearful announcements.

You could use stickers that talk about the cameras and monitoring devices being placed out of sight and in indiscreet places

Solar Spotlights

Expenditure: $26

These are easy to install and cost-effective ways to protect your apartment from unwanted intruders and robbers. They offer around 45 feet of illumination range. They come in weatherproof casings. They certainly can work on the psyche of robbers and intruders.

This is because they would always like to carry on their work without being seen. These outdoor solar spotlights could give everything away as far as the robbers are concerned. However, it may not work on cloudy days and dark winter months because of the lack of sunlight that is needed to power the solar spotlights.

Also installing these could be against the rules at some apartment complexes. 

Etched Glass Window Film

Expenditure: Under $15

This could be helpful for keeping prying eyes away from the insides of the apartment. It could keep valuables like jewelry, clothing, electronics, and furniture out of view. It will reduce the temptation psyche of the robbers.

It is user-friendly and can be installed using simple DIY steps. These window films while ensuring privacy do not hinder the flow of light inside the rooms. They are available both in readymade sizes and also customized sizes.

They do not have a sticky adhesive that could damage the window glasses. You must research and buy only fully opaque ones failing which may not serve the purpose.

Conclusion

The above are some simple hacks and tips to secure your apartment that will go a long way in enhancing overall apartment security. The inhabitants of the apartments or the apartment owners can do it on their own without the need for professional help (and the cost).

Finally, these tips are extremely cost-effective and could prevent big and gaping holes in your pocket in the name of professionally thought out and implemented apartment security tips and solutions.

by Tomwat01

Being one of the responsible property owners out there, it’s your duty to keep your residence protected as well as safe. However, it is not the fact that you will be able to do so only by investing a considerable amount of cash.

There are many ways to get the job done without breaking the bank and sometimes you can do it free of cost as well. In the following paragraphs, we will be mentioning some surefire DIY home security hacks that will come of use to every homeowner out there.

But, first, we will talk about those things which are actually going on in the minds of the burglars.

Things Going On In the Minds of the Burglars:

• In case alarm systems are installed in your residence, about 90% of the burglars will try to avoid entering your house.
• The favorite time for the intruders to enter your home will be the daytime when none is present inside.
• It will be possible for the burglars to understand whether your abode is vacant or not by looking at the recycling bins, trashcans, and a lawn that is overgrown.
• Nearly 30% of the burglars are in the habit of entering residences without exerting any force by means of an unlocked window, door or any other opening.
• On some occasions, these intruders may also knock the front door and in case someone answers from inside they will come up with some fake stories.
• Instead of going to the bedroom of the kid, the housebreaker will go directly to the master bedroom.
• Most of them will think that someone is within the house in case they hear television or radio going on.
• The thieves dislike a couple of things, in particular, namely curious neighbors and barking canines.

Next, we are going to mention the top 12 DIY home security hacks below $20.

1. Fortify the door

Expenditure: Less than $15

The first and foremost thing to protect your residence against robbers will be to strengthen your door. For this, you can do several things that will make sure that intruders cannot enter into your house forcibly.

• Make sure to swap the regular lock using long-throw deadbolts
• Prevent entry by using reinforced strike plates
• Make the door more secured by using long wooden screws drilled right into the doorframe
• Use a metal frame to replace the regular wooden frame
• Make use of more than 1 lock at various heights and a couple of them at the identical height
• Make use of a steel core door rather than a regular wooden door
• Make certain that the locking mechanisms are left exposed in the doors and windows

2. Make the sliding glass doors and the windows secure

Expenditure: Less than $10

The most common entry point of the intruders happens to be the front door. After the front door, the windows and the rest of the doors are the most common avenues of entering a house. Sliding doors, in particular, can be lifted from their tracks easily and this makes them vulnerable to the housebreakers. Windows are also targeted by these criminals.

However, it is feasible to keep something in the track of the windows and the sliding doors to prevent them from being forcibly opened. You may use a charlie bar in case of the sliding glass doors for this. Otherwise, using a wooden or metallic rod in the track will also not be a bad idea.

You can also secure the windows in the same manner. Screws can be placed in the tracks or additional locks can also be provided to the windows to make them secure.

Breaking into my own house – Sliding glass door is useless!

3. Contact the post office

Expenditure: Free

In case you are going to some distant place away from your residence, make sure to inform the local post office to place a hold on your mails. The same can be said of the daily newspaper delivery to your house.

In fact, a burglar can easily understand that your house is empty in case they see a pile of mails overflowing from your mailbox. A heap of newspapers at your doorstep will convey the same thing to them.

You might likewise request your friendly neighbors to collect the newspapers each morning while you are out of the station. This way you can avoid informing the burglars about the fact that your house is vacant.

4. False home security sign

Expenditure: Around $10

Criminals have plenty of targets in front of them and your house might also be one of them. Therefore, you ought to do something that will not encourage them to enter your house by force. You can make use of a false security system sign in the front yard. This will serve the purpose of protecting your house at a relatively inexpensive rate.

5. Affordable door and window alarms

Expenditure: Around $20

As mentioned earlier, robbers prefer to enter through the windows, and in case you do not remember to lock them you will be inviting your own danger. Try to get hold of several door as well as window alarms and install those on every window and door in your house. The alarm is going to sound once a window is opened by anyone within your residence.

6. Ensure that your house is taken care of while you away

Expenditure: Free

Suppose you are going to spend your vacation on foreign soil for a couple of months. In that case, make sure to request your helpful neighbors to mow the lawn at regular intervals during your absence. If the lawn isn’t mowed for a couple of months, the burglars can easily comprehend the fact that none is there in the house to take care of the lawn.

The same rule applies in case snow piles up in your backyard during the winter months. The absence of any footprint and snow shoveling will inform the thieves that your house is empty.

Consequently, always request or appoint someone to look after your home while you are away. This will aid you to protect your house from the burglars and you will also be able to avoid paying fines to the authorities that they can impose against your property.

7. Get a Dog

It is a fact that dog is man’s best friend, and this has been aptly demonstrated by the way in which the pooches protect their masters in times of need. Try to get hold of a dog for safeguarding your property while you are not there. The sound made by these animals will be adequate to drive any burglar away from your house. Even though your dog belongs to a small breed like a Chihuahua, the sound made by them will be enough to wake you up from your sleep in the middle of the night.

If there is ample time, you might likewise train your pet on how to safeguard your home. You will come across lots of dog-training classes out there, and one of them can impart the necessary training to your pooch.

8. Let everything be illuminated

Expenditure: Below $20

Robbers hate lights, particularly while they are about to enter your house in the wee hours. Lights will help to expose the hiding spots of these offenders and they will be in all sorts of trouble.

When it comes to outdoor lighting, it will be a smart idea to install motion-sensor or automatic lighting on the outskirts of the garage, the back patio, or any other entrance to your home. You will find different types of affordable options on the market to choose from.

For indoor lighting, you may make use of the outdated Christmas lights for lighting up your abode while you are away, and connect them to a lamp inside your house. You can switch on the lamp using a timer and switch it off as well from a remote distance. In this way, you will be able to make it appear that you are present in your abode.

9. Conceal the precious items

Expenditure: Free

It is the natural propensity of the offenders to enter your house stealthily and also leave it as soon as possible after stealing your valuable items as well as jewelry. Being a responsible property owner it is your duty to secure your home, and therefore, you should make every effort to protect these items in the best possible way.

For this, it will be a prudent step to purchase a safe which will help you to get the job done impeccably. You can hide the precious items within the safe in your abode. A safe that resembles an electrical outlet or a wall clock safe will serve you just fine.

10. Make the garage secure

Expenditure: Less than $10

It is not known to many folks out there that they ought to safeguard the garage from the intruders given that they are likely to store costly equipment right there, not to mention their cars as well. The garage can be secured in the following ways:

• Locking the door which leads to your room from the garage
• Closing the garage door such that it is impossible for any passerby to understand what’s going on inside
• Purchasing a motion sensor light and installing it above the garage
• Trying not to leave the garage door opener in your vehicle particularly while the automobile is parked in the parking lot.

11. Reconsider the “Hide-a-key”

Expenditure: Free

It is a fact that most of the individuals are aware of the “hide-a-key” trick. On some occasions, you would like to hide your key somewhere else apart from your residence which might include your porch, under a plant or a rock, the welcome mat, or any location similar to that.

However, the unfortunate thing is that the intruders are aware of this fact too, and it is rather simple for them to locate your hide-a-key and enter your house while you are outside. It is similar to leaving the keys on top of your vehicle’s sun visor. Burglars are experienced enough to detect them without much problem at all.

In case you plan to use a hide-a-key make it a point to find out a spot which is not in the close vicinity of the door which the key unlocks. Try to conceal the key somewhere which is at least 30 feet away from your residence. However, the most sensible thing will be to avoid using this option at all.

The reason for this is that in case you are being observed by any criminal that you are in the habit of checking a particular spot prior to unlocking the front door, they will be able to comprehend that it is the hiding place of your key. Thus, they won’t have any problem to force into your home.

12. Set up a video doorbell

Expenditure: Around $15

It will be possible to control who is permissible to enter your home with the aid of a smart lock while a video doorbell will enable you to observe who has arrived at your door. In case you own both of these helpful items, you won’t find it difficult to see who has come to your doorsteps and then it can be unlocked remotely in case you have no problems in letting them in.

The video doorbell will likewise allow you to monitor the porch in case you have any package delivered to you in your absence. You will come across lots of different types of doorbells on the market at present and you will never run out of choice till you find the one within your budget.

Conclusion:

All these DIY home security hacks are not only meant to provide your home with total security against any intruder, but these will also likewise aid in minimizing any possibility of your home to become the target of the criminals.

Apart from these above-mentioned home security tips and tricks, there are several more out there as well. Feel free to look out for these DIY home security solutions on the web where you will come across lots of video tutorials that will be available to you for free. Experiment with several of these hacks till you find some that are according to your preference.

If you’re looking to save yourself from the possibilities of a potential home break-in, it is high time you consider upgrading your front-door security. But how exactly do you get your security a notch- above? What measures should you take? Let’s explore!

✅ Upgrade your Locks

Locks are one of the most essential aspects of your front door security. So, before anything else, you need to invest in a good set of locks. One of the best options here would be a deadbolt lock. These locks are solid, hardy and incredibly useful.

Once you get the lock, make sure the deadbolt of your door completely extends to the opening of the door jam. This should be further reinforced with a strong metal strike plate.

Also, while choosing a lock, do make sure that the bolt doesn’t have any exposed set of exterior screws. This will ensure an added layer of security.

Finally, you should also take the time to reinforce your existing key locks. Using cylinder guards is a good idea here. These guards around your locks will prevent from trying to wrench your locks loose.

✅ Get a Security Screen

Having two doors is always better than having a single one. And this is exactly why you need a security screen. For the uninitiated, security screens are the pierced metal barriers that have enough space for extra locks. They are usually installed in the open along with the point of the ingress. This, in turn, prevents the possibility of attacks that involve kicking your door wide open.

The extra locks in the security screen will also prevent the possibilities of covert entry. This is because you have an added deadbolt and knob as an add-on for the security of your front door. The best part: since these security screens have pierced openings, you can easily open the door and see everything that’s happening outside without involving in the risk of getting yourself outside. Security screens offer more vision than regular peepholes.

While choosing a security screen for your front door, make sure the product is durable enough here is a nice one on Amazon.com. A durable and high-quality product will go a long way in preventing destructive entry. In fact, the stronger the metal is, the better will be your defense.

✅ Lengthen the Set Screws

If you’re looking for quick, affordable DIY home security hack, this is one of the best ways to go about it. For this, all you must do is replace your existing set screws with longer, 3-inch screws. But how does this work in the first place? Well, the idea is simple.

When your standard door is kicked, the pressure is exerted by the bolt of your deadbolt. Now, when you have smaller set screws, your strike plate will only be secured till the door trim. Since this trim isn’t usually strong, the strike plate will be easily destroyed.

Finally, your bolt won’t be able to extend anywhere. Luckily, with 3-inch set screws, you’d be biting along the stud of your door jam. This will further prevent your strike plate from being easily destroyed.

✅ Strengthen the Glass Surfaces

Most front doors are located at a proximity with windows. Some of them even feature glass windows on them. Either way, both the arrangements can cause major damage to your front door security, if not addressed the right way. There are three ways in which you can deal with the issue.

First, get rid of the glass so that if someone smashes it, they won’t be able to get their hands inside for manipulating the thumb turn on the other end.

Next, try installing bars on the glass. As you do this, make sure the bars are close enough, thereby preventing the possibility of anyone reaching them. Finally, place a security film on your windows to offer an extra notch of security.

This will keep your windows safe and prevent the possibility of sudden, unannounced disruptions. You can order a roll of security film from Amazon.com click here to check the current price.

✅ Get a Surveillance System

If you really want to protect your loved ones from potential danger, it is high time you invest in a good surveillance system. A good security system will help you deter burglars while also identifying intruders. But in order for this to happen, you need to place the camera the right way.

To start off, try to place the camera right above your front door. Make sure this is completely visible from your subsequent street. Now, get another camera and position it directly, pointing to your door. This will further ensure that you get the footage from different angles. Since this will also give you the footage of the intruder’s face, it is especially useful.

Here is the wireless camera system that I use. I bought this from Amazon a few months ago and so far it’s worked great and super easy to set up. You can click this link to see it at Amazon.com.

In addition to deterring burglars, the right security system will also play a major role in helping you monitor your deliveries and kids when they play outside. At the end of the day, you’ll be at complete peace of mind.

✅ Strengthen your Door Frame

If you’re really looking forward to proper home security, take adequate measures in strengthening your door frame. While most external doors are built quite sturdy, not all of them fall under this category. Also, if your door is hollow in the interior, it’ll be easy to break through even if its body is made from metal.

So, before anything else, check if your front door is completely solid. Double check to ensure that it isn’t hollow in the interior parts. Since solid wood doors are much better than their hollow core variants, it is always better to invest in a good, solid door frame.

Also, while you strengthen the front door, don’t ignore your back doors either. Ideally, your back door will need the same degree of security as your main door. So, add deadbolts, sophisticated locks, and strike plates to your back door as well.

If your door is sliding, try getting key locks both at the top and the bottom. Alternatively, you can also get a metal rod and fit it along your door’s track. This will prevent it from automatically sliding open, while you’ve locked the door.

✅ Use Sophisticated Tools

Another way to strengthen the security of your front doors is by using sophisticated tools. While there are many tools that can help you here, some of the top options include:

Door lock Reinforcer – These tools are positioned along with the existing lock of your door for offering extra security when someone picks or tries to break the lock for forcefully entering your house.

These reinforcers are extremely portable, and you can conveniently install them by snapping them in place along with the lock. However, before investing in a good reinforcer, check if the device works with your lock because certain products don’t work well with smart and horizontal locks.

Door Jammers- Made from plastic or steel, door jammers are yet another common measure for notching up your front door’s security. Ideally, a door jammer will be placed on the floor while having a distance of at least half an inch from your door.

These devices are pressure mounted for added portability and can be easily removed during emergencies. Click here to see an example of a door jammer.

Door Security Bars- These devices are kept right at the center of your door for preventing burglars from directly kicking your door. While some are hardware mounted variants, others can be easily installed with their pressure-mounting functionality.

Available in plenty of shapes and sizes, you can easily adjust these bars with the width of your door.

✅ Get Wide-Angled Peep Holes

One of the most common ways criminals intrude your privacy is by knocking on your door or ringing the doorbell. Once you gullibly answer the door, they forcibly intrude in your property. Yes, this can even happen when your door is partially open.

A good way to avoid this issue is by getting wide-angled peepholes. Once you have this installed, you’d get to know if the person at the other end of the door is carrying any harmful tools.

✅ Metal Grills

If you have a glazed or semi-glazed door, you can always notch up its security by getting decorative metal grills in the interior of your door. Alternatively, you can also add a protective layer along the back of your door’s glass.

If you’re planning to replace the glass or purchase side panel or glazed door, make sure the glass is completely laminated. In this way, it’ll hold itself in place even when it is completely shattered. Also, when a laminated door is installed from the interior, it can’t be easily removed from outside, thanks to its solid beading.

✅ Strike Box

A strike box will strengthen your front door and prevent intruders from barging into your home. This is usually done by getting the existing strike plates replaced with a stronger structure that features metal pocket, big plates, and a strong connection to the wall studs. For accommodating this added feature, you’ll have to enlarge both the recesses of your cover plate as well as the hole in your jam.

Bottom Line

Once you adopt the given measures you will successfully end up securing your front door against burglars, strangers, and intruders. Since the given hacks are easily accessible and simple to follow, we are sure it won’t take you much time to get through.

by Scott the Cop

If you are truly serious about issues of self-defense then you might be interested to know that the police are not required by law to protect you.  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the police have no constitutional requirement to provide anyone protection even if that person has a protection order from a court.  Going one step further, the police cannot protect you.  I should know since I’m a former police officer.

Quite simply, the police are not much more than the clean-up crew.  They clean up the mess after the crime, do an investigation and hopefully get lucky.  Eventually, they even may catch the perpetrator.  In nearly fifteen years of experience, I can count the number of times I happened upon a serious crime in progress on one hand.  As for arriving in time in response to an emergency call, I can count them on both hands.  The overwhelmingly vast majority of the time I caught the perp after the crime was committed.

In other words, you are on your own until the police get there.  To make matters worse, in 2011, every single state in the Union cut back funding for emergency services an average of 48%.  One state cut its funding a whopping 93%!  So, where does this leave you?  Basically, you’re caught between a rock and a hard spot.  Since you cannot rely on the police for protection, you’ve got to take matters into your own hands.

Self-defense is defined as the right to prevent the suffering of force or violence through the use of a sufficient level of counteracting force or violence.  To start off, you need to know the laws in your state regarding self-defense.  Knowing what you can and cannot do lets you know your limits.

No two states have the same laws regarding self-defense and some require you to try and retreat from your attacker if possible, even if you are in your own home.  However, this comes with some caveats:

1. The threat of violence must be immediate.

You’ve got to be in immediate danger to use force against another person.  Since you aren’t the government, you can’t do a pre-emptive strike on someone.

2. The fear of harm must be reasonable.

The courts use the “reasonable man” test.  What would a reasonable man do in the exact same circumstances?  The interpretation of this test varies from state to state.

3. The force you use must in proportion to the force used against you.

This is really subject to interpretation and according to the laws of your state.  What you can do in Texas, you can’t do in Rhode Island.

So, you know the laws of your state and now you’ve decided that no way, no how you are going to be a victim.  Good.  This is the right attitude.  What’s next?  Plan out what you will do in different situations.  Your mental preparedness is vital.  Let me repeat that, “Your mental preparedness is vital.”  Can you actually shoot a person?  It really is a big deal, but being mentally prepared ahead of time will help you through the ordeal.  When the time comes to pull the trigger and you hesitate, you might as well give the perp your gun.

As a cop, I played the “What If” game.  Whenever I had some mental free time, I made up a scenario and then decided what I would do in a given situation.  How would I react if a person pulled a gun on me during a traffic stop?  What would I do if confronted by a man with a knife?  I would go through several specific responses to a situation several times until it became ingrained.

What will you do if a perp breaks into your home?  Where do you draw the line as to how far he comes before you shoot?  What will you do if he decides to turn tail and run, but he’s got your laptop?  Do you have family members in your home and can they protect themselves?  You’ve got to think up as many questions as possible then come up with a reasonable answer to each of them.

Let me say something about burglars.  Believe it or not, if committed during the day time, as a general rule burglary is not a crime of violence.  It becomes a crime of violence when the perp knows you are home. Many daytime burglars don’t carry weapons and don’t want to confront the homeowner.  They want to get in and out without being seen.

The night-time burglar is a whole different story.  He knows that someone probably is home and he does it for the thrill.  He wants the confrontation and to instill fear.  The power trip from this is what the home invader is after.  You can rest assured that this type of criminal will hurt or kill you if you give him half a chance.  In this situation, I would be more willing to shoot sooner than later.

Preparing your home is the next step.  The question isn’t if you are being paranoid.  What you should ask is, “Are you being paranoid enough?”  If you’ve got shrubs or bushes that block a clear view of your windows, cut them to about six inches below the window sill.

You need to see in or out of your home.  Don’t leave ladders near your home.  This gives the burglar a convenient tool.  The same thing goes for objects he can use to toss through your window.  Don’t give a burglar a tool to use against you.

Don’t forget the inside of your home.  Place objects to defend yourself that you can use in a pinch in convenient and not-so-convenient spots throughout your house.  Your utility draw is a great spot to stick a big screwdriver or a box cutter.  Your kitchen is a wealth of weapons.  Bottles and cast iron pans will do a number on a burglar’s head.  I won’t even go into knives.  If you can afford it, have a couple handguns stashed in strategic places.

Speaking of guns, handguns are all well and good, but a shotgun is best.  The psychological impact of a shotgun is priceless.  The muzzle of a shotgun looks like a train tunnel when pointed at you.  No one in their right mind wants to face an angry homeowner armed with this type of weapon.  I’ve known suspects to defecate in their shorts when a shotgun was pointed in their direction.

If you can legally possess it, I strongly recommend the Mossberg Blackwater Series 930™ Special Purpose shotgun.  Hands down, this is your best bet for home defense.  It has an eight round magazine plus one in the pipe for a total of nine rounds.  It is semi-automatic, has a pistol grip with rifle sights.  These features are important.  You can hold and fire it with one hand while you use the other to hold your phone while calling 911.  Plus, you can use it for hunting.

Let me also say something about ammunition for the shotgun.  To begin with, I’d start out practicing with skeet loads.  You can get used to the idea of the big monster in your hands without becoming gun shy.  For your down-and-dirty loads, I would load it with alternating rifled slug and double-aught buckshot.  Although an express magnum round kicks worse than a mule, you won’t feel it if you need to shoot.  Your adrenalin will be pumping and you won’t notice to recoil.

Many people think that you can just point a shotgun and shoot from the hip.  Sorry folks, but if you think this, you’ve been watching too much TV.  A shotgun needs to be aimed just like a rifle.  Buckshot disperses in a shot pattern radially about 1½ inches per linear yard of travel from an 18” barrel.

That means that at three yards, the buckshot pattern is only 4½ inches in diameter.  Considering that your average gunfight is from a distance of only seven feet, this means you’ve got a real chance of your first shot missing if you shoot from the hip.

Since you’ve got to aim the shotgun anyway, alternating first with a rifled slug then buckshot gives you a guaranteed knockdown with your first shot.  A rifled slug is ¾” in diameter and weighs a whopping one ounce. That’s huge!  Plus, some companies load them up hot and the slug travels at more than 1600 fps!  That’s like a Mack truck hitting you at 200 mph.  When the slug hits your attacker center mass, it’s all over but the crying.

The aftermath is the worst part of what you’ve got to deal with, mentally, physically and legally.  If you’ve prepared mentally ahead of time, this won’t be too much of a problem.  If you do shoot someone, don’t try and rearrange the crime scene to make it look better.

I guarantee you that the police will figure it out.  I won’t go into the science of blood spatter and powder burn patterns; just trust me, you won’t get away with it. If you are justified in shooting an intruder, the truth will set you free.

You never, never, ever shoot to kill.  You shoot to STOP the threat of death or serious bodily injury.  It may sound like legal mumbo jumbo, which it is, but it is important legal mumbo jumbo.  The whole purpose of you shooting in the first place is to stop an attack involving serious bodily injury or death against you or another person. So, when the police ask why you fired, explain the situation and tell them you were in fear of your life.  Make sure you express regret and look remorseful, even if shooting the perp felt more like stepping on a cockroach.

Self-defense is a deadly serious business with deadly serious consequences.  I once shot a person and while I didn’t feel any remorse, I did have nightmares for years to follow.

Quote from Stratfor.com

“Dear Stratfor Member, We have learned that Stratfor’s website was hacked by an unauthorized party.”

by Gail S – reprinted here for 2012

I have a subscription with Stratfor.com.  The firm, under the tutelage of George Friedman, does an analysis of the data coming in from all over the world on political and economic matters, or at least those are the items that I find interesting to follow.  And that is the reason I have the subscription.

So on December 24^th, 25^th and 28^th the notes from Stratfor.com stating that they had been hacked and my info was potentially out there on the web for all to see were alarming!   (Thanks Anonymous! What did I ever do to you?),

Stratfor.com has responsible leadership.  They didn’t hide this incident nor did they take cover behind a bunch of liability issues!  They took quick action in informing folks of their problem.  They took additional steps in offering and paying for a year of protection for all of us impacted by the problem and then urged us to sign up for it.  They gave us some remedial steps on what to do and they notified the credit card company to which I had charged my subscription quickly. They did all the helpful things they could do in my opinion.

My mind, however, didn’t find it particularly easy to let go of the issue.  And so quickly I did the first things I could think of.

1. I called the same bank and had them re-issue my credit card with a new number.
2. I did a credit check with Equifax to make sure that, so far, no one had set up any accounts I didn’t know about.
3. I changed my username and password at my banks.
4. And still didn’t find myself sleeping well.

NOTHING YOU DO TODAY IS PRIVATE!  Today, nothing is private!  Google uses every bit of information they get from the websites you visit to make sure that what shows up to be advertised on every website you stop in is something that you have previously shown interest in.   And if you can follow my last sentence, then you are a better person than I am…

Examples:

My local newspaper’s website has advertising around the edges for a webshop I made to look at some snow boots.  Matter of fact, those silly boots, which I decided I didn’t want anyway are beginning to haunt me as they show up at nearly every site I visit!  I have a Facebook account, hi there boots. I make a stop at Amazon, hi again boots!  Well, you get the idea.  And if anyone thinks that Facebook is about privacy either, they are so sadly misguided! It is another privacy robber, no doubt.

So because of the wakeup call, I started asking myself questions and started looking at best practices.

1. What needs to be done to protect myself online?
2. What things do I need to watch for going forward that might be a warning of someone trying to obtain information about me that could hurt me.
3. What am I willing to do to ensure some privacy and what am I unwilling to do to give up the freedom of information and activity I enjoy on the web.

Protection:

1. On the sites you use the most, change your user ID’s and passwords often.  I set up an alarm on my calendar for this year to do it monthly.    Identify websites you frequent most often, make a list and change your user ids and passwords. Think about where you shop…Amazon, Emergency Essentials, etc. The banks you use.  The social accounts you use;  the subscriptions you have (like me).  To avoid forgetfulness, buy yourself a small index card file box and write down your sites, user id’s and passwords and keep it someplace safe in your house.  That way you won’t confuse yourself trying to figure what your latest password is.
2. Pick one credit card with a small limit to use on all online purchases. Use one that is at a bank or Credit Card Company where you have no other assets. Use only that one.  Should someone hack it in any way, you can have it canceled and a new one issued easily.  Hopefully, this will prevent a hacker from infecting accounts at other locations.  Or use a PayPal or the like service.
3. If you are using a home address to have items shipped, change that, right away. Get a P O Office Box or one of those commercial post office boxes and send everything there.  In a pinch, send items to your place of employment, but get out of the habit of shipping things to your home.  And change your mailing address on your credit cards so they go to the Post Office Box as well.
4. Google your name and see if your name and/or address show up anywhere. Mine did, and I am still trying to get that to go away.
5. You are entitled to check your credit scores once per year for free. Do it!  What you are looking for is someone using your credit data to set up accounts for themselves at different addresses and are using your name and account information to do so.
6. Get a credit check service, all of the big three Equifax, Transunion and Experian can help you with that. See the bottom of my post.  These companies usually charge a fee per month, but the insurance may be worth it to you.
7. Don’t do all of your banking online! Go visit the bank and ask them to look at your main accounts and make sure that your balances match theirs, more on this in a bit.
8. UNDERSTAND THAT NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF SECURITY, THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT YOU CAN BE HACKED OR WILL BE HACKED IN SOME MANNER SOMETIME. Prepare your mind for it and think about it often.
9. Never give out social security numbers or credit card numbers in emails.
10. Be careful to deal with only the most reputable dealers. Then you stand an honest chance of being informed promptly should a problem occur.
11. Get a good antivirus protection service and use it! I am not making recommendations on which one.  All of them still make a mistake now and again and let something through that shouldn’t have happened.  Let it update automatically.  For that matter, if you are running Windows, make sure their updates are automatic as well.

Things to watch for:

1.   Do not open or respond in any way to unfamiliar emails.  I have had 9 emails that I believe for sure are the result of the Stratfor.com incident.  Stratfor.com warned that there may be emails coming in from unsavory sources that would be attempting to get us to open them using “protect yourself from internet thieves, use our internet protection service” offers.  These were pretty easy to avoid when I saw them, they were from names I had never heard of.
2. Be careful that you read who your email is from before you open it.  I had two that I am sure came from people poking through some of my data because mixed in the body of the sender names were the names of people I know.  This made me sure that my information had been hacked by anonymous and that people were trying to find out more.
3. Emails: Since this hacking thing I have had two emails from my bank, both of which were asking for me to click on a link and go to the website and do something. They were Bogus and only there because somewhere in the data, they found my banking source.   Never, EVER click on a link to a financial institution from an email address.  If you need to go to your bank’s website, go to a clear web browser screen and type the bank’s web address in yourself.  If the bank is trying to get ahold of you, they will send will contact you via the mail if it is important.
4. Check your regular mail. We all are pretty used to getting the same junk mail all the time.  Should new or different solicitations start showing up in your email, pay attention as they may have obtained information about you from your use on the web.
5. CHECK YOUR BILLS CAREFULLY!  A lot of us get our bills online.  They may or not get paid automatically.  Stop!!!!!!!!   Make sure you look at all of them!  Check your phone bills for calls you may not have made.  Check your cable/dish bill for shows or movies you may not have purchased.  Check your credit card and online bank statements to make sure everything on there was something you purchased. When in doubt call and find out!
6. Here is the big kicker! And it is the reason for number 7 above.  Go see your bank. Check your bank balance with them.  There are hackers out there now that have the ability to mimic your bank’s website.  While they are busy draining your bank accounts, you are using your accounts just like you normally would knowing full well what should be in those accounts!  The mimicked account looks just like your normal bank account and you will not know the difference until you start getting bounced checks!  There is protection that will eventually make your account right and whole again, but in the meantime, you will have a whole lot of acid indigestion for a while getting things straightened out! 

What I am willing to give up for privacy:

At the moment I am willing to do all I have listed above to continue an online existence.  However, everyday something new comes to light that is alarming.  Today there was an article today about the FDA monitoring their employee’s private emails.  Yesterday it was Stratfor.com getting hacked.

I was in good company with the Stratfor.com hacking.  Apparently, the DOD, Bank of America, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Amex, and others were also involved.  Some 75,000 clients in all.  We all read the news that Homeland Security is looking at every Facebook and Twitter entry now.  Zappos.com, a subsidiary of Amazon was also hacked recently.  At some point, the price for being online may become too high.

I am just an average citizen of this country.  While I am not a happy camper with the political and economic attitudes and the present situation in this country, I am no threat to anyone’s security and I certainly am not a very rich target for internet thieves.

There may come a time when I just shut it all down and find a more private lifestyle.   What we are willing to put up with for an open style of communication is an individual choice.  It is not lost on me that all of this invasive activity has been taking place just as the SOPA and PIPA legislation was making its way through Congress.  Is it paranoia that makes me think it might be connected in order to urge us to let the Government protect us from internet piracy?

Who knows, just an idle question on my part…………..It does feel to me, however, that FEAR is what is manipulating us these days, be it fear of climate change, fear of the internet, fear of somebody else going crazy and using a gun irresponsibly, fear of another country, fear that we can’t be responsible for eating right, flushing our toilets right, using the right brands of detergents, etc. etc. etc.  All so-called reasons for additional government control over our lives.

I am just sharing my experience here.  Looking forward to your comments on additional ways and means to protect yourselves!   Good Luck to All!

Here are some additional sources for your consideration:

Credit References

Contact the three U.S. credit reporting agencies: Equifax (http://www.equifax.com/ or (800) 685-1111), Experian (http://www.experian.com/ or (888) 397-3742), and TransUnion (http://www.transunion.com/ or (800) 888-4213), to obtain a free credit report from each.

If you see any unauthorized activity on your accounts promptly notify your financial institution;
– submit a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) by calling 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877- 438-4338) or online at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

Credit Monitoring Service

Stratfor.com is paying for this firm to monitor the accounts of all of us who were involved.  CSID, a leading provider of global identity protection and fraud detection solutions and technologies.

Other Interesting Resources for hacking and other things:

Firestorm.com,   Check out their book called Disaster Ready People.

VPN

https://www.torproject.org/