Revisiting my small BOB/GHB

[Scythe13]

(30 March 2014, 19:10)NorthernRaider Wrote: Scythe stop talking BS, there is almost no way on gods earth anyone in the UK especially in large numbers can carry a shotgun with them as part of a GHB unless they work for Rentokill or as a game keeper and only then when they are at work. 99.99% of the population could not and would not be allowed to keep a gun in their car 24/7/365.

Actually I said as you assumed people would swing it like a Neanderthal and it would bend, which a cheapo one would bend just as a broom shank would snap, but used wisely as a distance maintaining tool or stabbing / blocking tool it would work as well as a short stabbing spear or quarterstaff. AND ITS LEGAL AND REALISTIC.

You do live in fantasy island laddy,one day you may grow up but I doubt it, people MAY obtain a shotgun after TSHTF, but who the hell is going to be able to pop into a gun shop on the day the SHTF and buy one?? it takes weeks to get a SGC.

This article is about legal GHBs we can all carry NOW, not after TSHTF but NOW and no civilian is allowed to carry any fire arm in the UK for self defence.

YES we do have gun shops and YES you can buy guns, you fill out lots of forms, buy and install gun cabinets at home and wait weeks for cops to come and inspect your security gear, if you want to do that the day TSHTF then you are ever dafter than I thought.

Feel free to walk through Taunton or Minehead every day with a SG or FA slung over your shoulder as part of your GHB, see how long before you get tazored.

Your request to be returned to the losers in the blocked senders section is granted.

Why would you carry a GHB if you're only a short walk from home? Also, why would you only apply for a SGC WTSHTF? You've been prepping for over 30 years, so clearly have some sort of firearm available to obtain food easily enough. 30 years is enough time to get a FAC and a SGC. You don't just magic one up in days or hours, some places take months! Which is why people should be applying for them ASAP.

Oh and I wouldn't recommend anyone leave a firearm in their vehicle for anything longer than necessary!

Also, please note than an air pistol is small enough to have in a bag and easy enough to conceal. Plus it's a damn good deterrent. I wouldn't recommend carrying one around with you, but since we are looking at a SHTF scenario, law and order will be pretty low, and walking through a town centre would be a pretty dumb idea anyway.

Much better sense to get out of a build up area and go around it, as I was discussing with Danzord on the weekend when speaking about how to get to family members in other towns.

[Scythe13]

Please also note, since we are looking at a WROL situation, i.e. the poop has hit the fan, then the legalities of 'public carry' will be null and void. So, in much the same way that a GHB may well carry an illegal knife, as could a GHB carry a legally owned shotgun.

[NorthernRaider]

You just don't get it do you, this is not the Walking Dead Zombie apocalypse we are talking about, this is REAL LIFE, so its a 99.% chance your GHB will be used to get you out of a natural accident , flood, blizzard, storm, terror attack stopping transport systems, or a major power cut, or criminal riots, or industrial action, fuel shortages or simply breaking down far from home. The chances of a WROL event are far outweighed by a natural disaster or localised crisis.
Please for gods sake stop bloody waffling and floundering around you are just digging yourself into a deeper hole.

[Scythe13]

The thing is NR, in most of those situations, you're not going to be using a GHB are you? You'll only use a GHB in a WROL, total collapse style situation.

Okay, we'll look at the scenarios you're using:

natural accident. I'm not 100% certain what you mean by this, but I'll assume you mean like an earthquake, volcano or something like that. In those instances, I'd just take the loss of the shotgun and suck it up. Thank goodness for insurance. In those types of situation, if you have time to get to your bag, you have time to get out with your stuff. If it's not a total collapse, you'd probably have access to your car, or you could just wait it out. If traffic was that bad, and there was no way your vehicle would be okay, then you just grab what you can and get out. Maybe even call the police and say about the loss of the weapon, because your car was swallowed by an earthquake. I really would prefer you better explained what you mean by natural accident.

Flood. Simple enough. Respond the same way the people in the Somerset Levels did. "I was out shooting ducks and the flood caught me. Please come and pick me up. I am priority as I was caught out with my shotgun." Faster pick up and response time. Alternatively, "I was out shooting and the flood swept everything away." But if you live in a flood plain, you'd get out well ahead of time and not even need a GHB. You'd have been away on a week's shooting holiday. It's not a massive die-off situation, so needing a GHB when the emergency services are there is really not needed.

Blizzard. You'd stay put. No need for a GHB. In a blizzard you'd be better off at least staying near your vehicle. There was that guy a few years ago that stayed alive on Mars bars and melted ice for something like 3 weeks remember? Leaving a vehicle in a blizzard is not often a good idea!

Storm. Same as the blizzard, but if you did leave, you'd probably get further by leaving in your vehicle then grabbing stuff out of it and going on food. I doubt traffic would stop, as people would be unlikely to abandon their vehicles. Again, if you had to leave your vehicle, call the police and explain you were coming back from hunting, you are priority to be picked up.

Terror Attack Stopping Transport System. So what? The tube stops running? The busses stop running? No biggie. If it totally shuts down the roads, I'd just had to abandon the vehicle, then call the police and explain to them the situation, then get my gun back. If it's not total WROL, I doubt the threat to my life would be too big at that time anyway. No need for a walking cane either.

Major Power Cut...thank goodness my car is not a part of the national grid!

Criminal Riots. Thank goodness I am in a car and able to drive away from it. Again, if you are trapped in your car, call the police! Explain you are priority number 1 because you have a firearm and don't want the rioters to pick it up. Then get out and stay in contact with the police while you move with it in your hand. If you are near the police, hand them the gun, at least you're away from the riot. Granted there is the chance they'll shoot you, but if you just comply, then you should be okay. Maybe locked up, but because you called the police nice and early in the situation, you should be okay in a court of law. This situation a shotgun would not be of much benefit. I'd genuinely just accept the loss then explain to the police the situation. Good old insurance to recoup the loss of shotty.

Industrial Action. Like what? A miner's strike? How would that stop me driving home? The type of industrial action that would stop vehicles running is very unlikely to pose threat to my life. Stay put and wait it out.

Fuel Shortages. Thank goodness I have a full tank and tend to have extra in the boot of my car. Enough to get home over a 200 mile journey! Phew! Once again, unlikely to pose threat to my life unless it leads to a total collapse, in which case it will be WROL and a shotgun would be pretty handy!

Breaking down far from home. REALLY? You'll abandon your car 'far from home' and walk back? I'd get the services to pick me up and fix my car for me. Or my wife to come and pick me up. Or a friend or neighbour. Or a taxi to a local hotel. Or set up a tent (always at least one in the boot of my car) and wait until the AA came along to help. Maybe, if I'm feeling adventurous, I'd even venture and knock on someone's door and ask to use their phone...providing my own phone is out of battery or has no signal. I drove for 3 hours in the snow to rescue my wife on Dartmoor when it snowed. When I got there she managed to get to the motorway and didn't need rescuing. But there's always better options than walking home, if you're a long way off.

In a huge percentage of survival situations, simply having good shoes and a waterproof jacket is going to be enough to get you away from the danger zone. To get home, you don't need a huge amount more gear. The bolt cutters you mentioned would be 100 times more useful if you're around a city, than any shotgun or walking cane. But for self defence, in a WROL situation, where you'll need a GHB, a shotgun or other firearm, is going to be infinitely more effective than a walking cane. Even a funky titanium one, as much as I love titanium, wouldn't be that great.

If it's not WROL, then the need for a GHB is hugely limited! Let's say you're visiting me, down here by Taunton. If TSHTF and it's total WROL, would you rather walk back with a stick for defence, or a shotgun? Okay, now let's say you've broken down and it's not a WROL situation. It's normal life, and you've broken down. What would you expect me to do? "Well NR, time to get your GHB on." or would you expect me to say "Mate, that's harsh luck. I know a mechanic that can sort that out. I get you're allergic to cats, there's a Premier Inn close by, I'll give you and the family a life there, or you can pop up a tent in the garden or the local woods."

The requirement for a GHB would be severely limited to complete societal shutdown, in the vast majority of cases!

The only one where I see a HUGE difference between wanting a shotgun and preferring a walking cane would be strutting around a city that suddenly broke out in a riot. But I'm not saying carry a GHB with you everywhere you go. That's not only unrealistic, but it's pointless. Good shoes and waterproofs will keep you dry and get you away from the vast majority of bad situations.

[Midnitemo]

my take on this stick v shotgun much as i'm into gun's i personally don't think you need either but i'd go with the stick as its not going to get you into trouble of the legal kind...a GHB is just that...i can't see much likelihood of you having to defend yourself at this early stage of an event, people are panicking you may get trampled but i doubt you'd be attacked , people have not grasped the situation yet and don't know what they want or need and the crooks and the chav's wont have mobilised just yet....all i have is a knife or three, all legal and heaven forbid i need something a bit more meaty then i shall improvise with such as a staff/spear//iron bar etc

[Scythe13]

Good point MNM. We've totally gone off topic. There's me being the kind that gets annoyed when this happens, getting dragged into this. Sorry everyone.

I refer back to my previous (first post) less gear, lighter bag, better movement options.

A stick as a self defence weapon, there are much better options, but for a GHB...neither stick not shotgun. Legs, and feet to just travel. I'd rather have good optics (I'm really into my optics at the moment, you'll all see why in a few weeks time) to be able to check out anywhere that looks suspicious. Then just travel.

[bigpaul]

I've got to admit that the only situation I would abandon my car and WALK home would be in a WROL/societal breakdown i.e. SHTF, if its NOW I will call out the breakdown service or my local garage mechanic. if there is a disturbance/a traffic jamb/ an accident/or any number of other reasons for traffic delays I will find an alternative route to drive, this is one reason why I don't use motorways very often, a heck of a lot of my driving is done on back unclassified roads AKA "deep Devon LANES". I do carry a small "emergency " bag which COULD be used post SHTF to walk out of the area but it could also be used NOW to remain in place until help arrives.

[BeardyMan]

Nice little discrete fight stopped is a wilson tactical monkey fist. 3/4 inch steel ball bearing wrapped up in beautiful 550 paracord. Go for the head, or the joints (shoulder / clavicle / elbows / knees) then run.

I don't think a shotgun is going to be something anyone wants to lug around with them. And if it's WROL, then you should have cut that bad boy down straight away.

Walking poles? Very handy to have, not just for self defence, but you can use to prop up a bivi / tarp / shelter should you need it in the field.

My GHB is now a Hazard4 Plan B, so pretty slimline. I only have 30 miles to walk home should I be forced to take that route, so I don't carry much at all. I have a jetboil zip in there and some food & water, torches and light sticks, few knives (maybe a few too many), and spare footwear (if I'm not in boots), 5 lighters, FAK, energy bars, blister pack, 50 meters of dyneema (not sure why I've not replaced this with paracord yet), leatherman and a few other bits.
But, I'm sure I don't need all that for a 30 mile wander back home, especially in this spring / summer, so I'll be revisiting my pack and dumping the unnecessary items. I may even pop some pictures up in a new thread, as I've not seen a GHB / BOB picture thread for a while now.

[CharlesHarris]

I have enjoyed reading this thread, but will not post anything further, as it would simply muddy the waters. Your reality in UK is so different. It makes me think and appreciate simple things which are different. KBO.

[NorthernRaider]

Charles the nearest analogy you could make to compare our two nations would be imagine if Manhatton was an island ( oh it is) grossly over crowded with a very diverse population (Yup) but the white majority feels threatened by the more recent ethnic minorities ( more yup),with loads of lefties ( oh it has) and strict and gun laws ( Yup again) connected to the continent by tunnels.