Threat/Risk of Violence: Defense…protection against violence –

To protect yourself and your family you want to keep the bad guys as far away from you as possible. To do so a long-range rifle would fit the bill, along with a great set of shooting skills. But what about if the bad guys get right in your face? Ahhhhhhh, then you better have a way to deal with that as well. Since an “in-your-face” scenario might be actually so close you can’t bring a weapon into action you should have the ability to defend yourself with your bare hands to some reasonable degree.

Why be able to defend yourself with your bare hands? I call this the Castle Doctrine. Simply put, you are responsible for the safety of your home (i.e. your “Castle”) and all those that dwell therein. If you are not going to defend them, who will? Seriously, if you are not prepared to defend your family and friends that have taken refuge in your home what good are you? If someone else is going to defend them instead of you, is it really your castle? The whole concept of the Castle Doctrine is you being responsible for defending your home and the people in it. If not you, who?

OK, back to defending against the bad guy from a distance or in-your-face…

Why not an AR-15 against a bad guy that has come close-in and in your face vs. your bare hands? Because at close range it would probably be impossible to get an AR up and pointed at a guy. He could be so close that it is physically impossible to raise the rifle.

However, if he were just a few inches further away, you may be able to pull a knife. If there is maybe a foot or two separation you may have space and time to draw a pistol for defense. Add another foot or two of separation and now maybe there is enough space and time to employ an AR or shotgun.

If the guy is 100 yards away then an AR is going to be far more accurate than a shotgun. You get to 400 – 600 yards then the long-range rifle is a better choice than an AR.

Now look at all those variations as concentric circles with you and your family in the center. The first circle is your bare hands capabilities. The next circle is a knife as a defensive weapon. The circle after that is a pistol. Then a shotgun, then an AR, and finally a long-range rifle.

With each circle you keep the bad guy further from your castle, those you love and whom you are trying to protect. You have created defense in layers. You have an answer for each separate and consecutive threat. In other words, you have multiple layers of defense to protect your family. Each layer having a specific purpose.

Your goal is to keep all risks and threats as far away from you and your family as possible. However, as the threat gets closer you have defensive measures in-place to deal with it.Same can be said for defending your property, another aspect of my Castle Doctrine. You start by having strong steel doors with deadbolt locks. But you also have reinforcing bars to prevent your doors from being kicked in. But if the bad guys get inside the house you still have bedroom door(s) that are solid core and can withstand some amount of force being applied to them. Then you have a bathroom with a strong, solid door that you can collapse into; your Alamo.

However, you also have motion detector lights on the outside of your home. You have a stone wall or fence around your property. Between the wall/fence and you house you have one or more dogs. You have sensors on your doors and windows to alert you that someone is opening them.

As you look at your home defense system you once again see concentric circles of defensive measures starting very close in and extending to your property line. And those layers each provide protection against specific threats.

The same can be applied to:
• Injury/Sickness
• Communications
• Organization
• Dehydration
• Exposure
• Starvation

So let me start explaining “layers” in each category mentioned above. I am not intending this to be a comprehensive study designed solely for you. You know your situation better than anyone, take this information and apply it to your family. This series of articles is meant to give you food for thought, another way to view and improve your preparations for you, your family, and your castle.

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Related Articles –

• Tactical Vests
• Choosing the Right Gun
• Choosing the Right Pistols
• Choosing the Right Shotgun
• Choosing the Right Carbine/Rifle
• What is your favorite knife? FAQ – 3/17/2016

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