Alternatives to firearms

I know its a little bit late i preparing for anarchy, but I would like to know about self defense. I suppose that in times of anarchy people are going to be running around with their guns and assault riffles, however I am not able to purchase fire arms. For those reasons, I was wondering what would be good alternatives to guns? I was thinking of getting a bow and arrow but I do not know where to start. Would something to hunt deer and bear be sufficient? I am open to other suggestions and alternatives. Thank you.

spears even if its just a long pointy stick it'll do some damage and will allow you to get close enough to finish off the prey or a crossbow as they generally require less skill to use than a normal bow but if you are hunting stuff that might decide to come at you some sort of shield might be good especially with a spike on it to stop it from crushing you into the dirt

Hmm let's see, an alternative to firearms...
Well there is running and hiding like a scared little bunny, that is an alternative.
Because you know your enemy will not handicap him/herself with stone age tools so....
Or you could just get a firearm and discipline yourself.

Bow and arrow is good.

Slingshot.

Of course, general fitness and health are probably your best bets.

You would probably want to keep away from having the use firearms as they would be dangerous to have and bullets would go pretty quickly.

Tools to make more tools!

Anything else?

reply to post by afsalazar


"I know its a little bit late to start preparing..."

Well not really, we all still have until 1st of April before it begins...

reply to post by afsalazar


Her you go mate, pyromaniacs wet dream quicker to knock up than an Essex girl

reply to post by afsalazar


Mate you get a good compound bow and also a longbow too learn the basics of bow hunting! Would also advise making a sling shot, wood or welded steel rod. My preference is a forked stick from either privet or willow with size 108 rubber bands and old shoe leather for a pouch. Have had many great hunting experiences with my sling shot using 00 or 01 size lead sinkers! Killed me a fair few rabbits and ducks with these primitive tools, good luck choosing your alternative !

reply to post by g146541


oh dear you belittle " scared bunnies " - but i can smell the fear in you from hear - you and others of your ilk cling desperatly to your gun - the gun is not going to save you - you have to do that - and over reliance on the gun is mistake number one

try learning that there are other solutions than " a gun " and smaet people learn to avoid situations where they need a gun - the dumb ones blunder in finger on the trigger telling them selves " i have a gun and i know how to use it " when the truth is they should say : " i have a gun and i know how it works "

Sling shots dont have rubber bands! they are two length of heavy twine with a pouch, one end looped around a thumb, the other end held untill the sling end is moving fast, then released, (in a nutshell, bit more complicated than that) 150 pound draw weight cross bow is the ideal, can be fired prone. (laid on the ground).

reply to post by ignorant_ape


I do not understand why you would assume this.
I am just stating fact here.
Men with guns rule the world.
Sure every once in a while someone gets lucky and manages to kill the overconfident well armed soldier.
But 99 percent of the time, the unarmed are either running or dead.
That is just the fact.
Lets use Iraq for instance.
US goes in and disarms the public at large, small skirmishes ensue.
Sure the the people of Iraq took a couple thousand coalition forces but the civilian death count is above 100000 in conservative estimates.
Men with guns win.
This is not the end all but, stacking the deck in your favor was never a bad thing.
I do like how you worded your statement however, you sure showed me!!

you should definitely keep a gun to protect yourself, but if you are looking to be stealthy and don't want to jump through hoops to get a silencer, then get a good compound bow to augment your arsenal.

I think there's simple advice to be found here.

Don't bring a knife to a gun fight.

I say this, though, without owning a firearm myself.

Crossbows and their smaller counterparts hand bows.

These are silent and just as deadly as any gun with the right practice and training. Another plus is that the ammunition is recoverable.

Originally posted by WickettheRabbit
I think there's simple advice to be found here.

Don't bring a knife to a gun fight.

I say this, though, without owning a firearm myself.

nothing wrong with bringing a knife to a gun fight as once both sides are out of ammo its time to start the knife fights and most armies still issue bayonets for when things start to get a little too personal

The alternative to firearms is getting shot in the face and having all your stuff stolen by bandits.

reply to post by pikestaff


I'm afraid they do have rubber bands my friend ! maddadzblogs.com... What you are referring to is a sling!www.grannysstore.com...

Many moons ago, a good friend of mine bought a sling from one of his survival catalogs. I had a good laugh about it until we went out to his barn and I saw the case of Ford Motor Company lug nuts he had ordered for it. Within a couple weeks he was able to bust a glass bottle at about fifty yards and knock boards out of the side of the barn with it. It definately takes practice though, my first shot went straight up into the stratosphere and we had to run for cover. It was pretty awesome and damned sure lethal for something as simple as two strings and a leather pouch... ancient armies were naked without them.

Just my opinion, but I would avoid compund bows, yeah it's great to have that much power and velocity behind your projectile, but in a long term SHTF scenario, where are you going to get that bow restrung or find suitable arrows for it? There's nothing wrong with a wooden or composite bow, mankind did pretty well with them for thousands of years, there's just a little more of a learning curve.

The atlatl has recently seen a resurgence of popularity as well, and using this ancient device, some folks can throw a spear as far as 850 feet with a fair amount of accuracy.

Of course if all that seems a little too paleolithic for your tastes, never underestimate compressed air, the most powerful gun in the world, which is used to simulate meteor impacts, runs on compressed air.

reply to post by twitchy


Yeah I'm all about traditional weapons ! But some folk can't learn em so like I said get a compound bow and a traditional bow and practice practice practice! U can always make a self bow if need be and you'll have your compound as back up. Use the sling shot for small critters.

Thank you op for posting this. I was wondering the same thing. I understand what people are saying when they are pro gun, but in these times before TSHTF I am afraid some people are not legally able to get access to a gun therefore they have no choice but to look for alternatives.

reply to post by afsalazar

Knives, friend. I always carry two, one is a lock blade pocket knife, the other is a stainless steel, ivory handled antique table knife I carry in a belt holster. I keep both razor sharp.