There are tens of thousands of murders each year in America, about one every twenty-one minutes. Homicide is the second leading cause of death in the general population aged fifteen to twenty-four years, and the first cause of death for black males between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four. More teenagers and young adults die from gunshots than from all natural causes combined.
 
It is reported that five percent or more of all high school students carry guns to classes. One million semi-automatic guns are made in the U.S. each year and are replacing the handgun as the preferred weapon. Millions of AK-47 rifles are imported from China… and they don't go to the military.
 
If the social fabric unravels, we're pretty much on our own. Government protection, if widespread breakdown occurs, is extremely limited. In the 1992 Los Angeles riots, police were quickly overwhelmed. In some areas they simply withdrew, leaving the citizens at the mercy of crazed mobs. The 2005 New Orleans anarchy following hurricane Katrina is another reminder. So don't plan on help from 911 or the troops. You must prepare to be able to defend yourself.
 
Here are some specific things to do for protection. These may be unnecessary if nothing ever happens, but if something does happen you will forever thank yourself for taking measures now while there is opportunity:
 
1. Secure your neighborhood—talk with neighbors about the possibility of violence coming to the neighborhood and what to do. Begin neighborhood watch programs and get a list of neighbors and telephone numbers so that you can readily communicate. During widespread rioting, gangs in Los Angeles left all areas where there was determined resistance and instead went in search of places that offered easier pickings. Residents rolling dumpsters into the road, illuminating the intersection in front of the barricades, and standing armed behind them kept one neighborhood intact. Hour after hour vehicles filled with predatory gangs approached the barricades but moved on once they determined the area was not going to be an easy target. The threat of "frontier justice" left the neighborhood unscathed.
 
2. Secure your home—security includes fences, floodlights, alarms, good locks, deadbolts, unbreakable windows, and metal doors.
 
3. Be prepared to be self-reliant; store a supply of canned goods, dried foods, the new MRE military rations, and other non-perishables. Dried fruits, dried meats, and whole grains have good shelf lives. Purchase a water filter that can be used to purify drinking water. Also, consider a first-aid kit, home generator, cellular phone, battery operated radio, and an assemblage of camping equipment including stove, lanterns, coolers, sleeping bags, tent, and other basic survival gear.
 
4. Prepare an escape route. Know where you can go and how you can get there under your own power if violence threatens the neighborhood. Predetermine a rendezvous point with your loved ones.
 
5. Have portable money. Maintain a supply of cash. Have traveler's checks and currency on hand. Even some bullion gold and silver coins are a good idea in the event the banking system fails or currency becomes worthless.
 
Relocate to safer areas. Even the Marines know when to retreat. If in a high crime area consider moving to a more remote city or rural area. Also consider a climate that would not threaten you if you were forced to live outside for a period of time.
 
Get tough. Be prepared to defend yourself against an attacker. This is something that could happen at any moment walking down any American street. Eat healthy and exercise. By so doing you will likely be more fit than your attacker. By engaging in a regular aerobic and weight training fitness program (as discussed in a previous chapter) you can be a force to reckon with. Being able to run away is a great skill, and even hand-to-hand defense measures such as employed by the elite military can be learned. Talk to local martial arts teachers about quick-study personal defense classes.
 
Every time we hear of a shooting our thoughts go to gun control. That's because emotion always precedes rational thought. Yes, if all guns could be outlawed—and everyone followed the law—our problems would be solved. Unfortunately, only the good citizens would follow such a law, the criminals wouldn't. So under such a law the bad guys would have guns, the good guys wouldn't. People who have self-defense sprays, stun guns, real guns, or other weapons at least have a fighting chance.
 
Be politically astute. Support law, order, and policies that encourage education and self-reliance. Socialism and libertine pressures will always exist in society. It is up to citizens to recognize the naiveté of these ideas and their danger to the ultimate safety and fabric of society.
 
If you let yourself be vulnerable you will likely be victimized. Ignoring danger does not make it go away. Don't assume that just because you have never been attacked it will never occur, or because your community has always seemed a place of stability, security, and justice that it will remain that way.