Authored by Jeremiah Johnson (Nom de plume of a retired Green Beret of the United States Army Special Forces) via ReadyNutrition.com,

There have always been times where we inadvertently put ourselves in precarious situations. In this case, your best bet is to trust your gut. If you don’t feel the situation is right, find the nearest exit and leave the area. We covered some of these times in our most recent article regarding attackers and how to handle them individually or en-masse.  In the article, we covered a lot of ground for scenarios that may occur during these “Good Times” prior to a societal collapse or nuclear war.  This article is taking those suggestions and applying them in a collapse environment. Before we begin, you must understand that the biggest difference is that in a post-SHTF scenario there are no rules.

In a SHTF world, it’s a different story.

The sad thing with laws and rules is that they only help protect the citizen from the law-abiding citizen: the system focuses on self-discipline and restraint.

7 Ways To Stay Alive in a Post-Collapse Society

As is extensively detailed in The Prepper’s Blueprint: How To Survive Any Disaster, life will definitely be different when the SHTF. You will not be able to rely on the law to protect you; however, you will also not be prosecuted under the law for some superficial or superfluous reason: your life and your family’s lives take precedence.  That being said, what do you do?  How do you handle these attackers…people that are intent on taking you down and taking what you have?  Let’s outline some basics that you can use post-SHTF.

  1. Never travel anywhere alone: always go in pairs with one to guard and watch over the other one.

  2. Never go anywhere unarmed: preferably with a rifle or shotgun, a main sidearm (pistol), a backup sidearm/piece, plenty of ammo for all of them, a fixed-blade knife, and a folding (lock-blade) knife at a minimum. Read more about SHTF firearms in this article. Yes, that is a lot of stuff.  Let’s make some further suggestions on these.  Mossberg 500 series 12 gauge shotgun.  .45 ACP main pistol.  .22 cal lr revolver or pistol…suppressor is optional but highly recommended.  Gerber Mark II fixed-blade knife.  Spyderco police model folding knife.

  3. Never travel anywhere without the rest of the family/group knowing where you’re heading: Don’t mess around with this one. If trouble arises, you cannot go off wandering on your own and expect anyone to come to your aid.

  4. Consider all strangers armed and potentially dangerous: If you wish to be the “Good Samaritan/Mister Rogers,” this is your choice. After the SHTF, however, the rules are off, and it is (paraphrasing Jack London) back to the Law of Club and Fang....

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