How do we defend ourselves if society collapses?

[bigpaul]

The Op is in Scotland ...my family are from Scotland ... perhaps go old school, pal, and gie em laldie wie a big thistle! If Thistles are not classified as an offensive weapon, then they should be. No offence to anyone here. I am trying to give us all a doom-break, just for a bit of fun. It sometimes feels like a curse to be able to see the bigger picture as we all do and not be able to do much about it, if you get what I mean. I am not trying to be flippant or make light. I think it is a UK thing - we try to make a joke out of stuff when it is looking bad. I reckon some of you lovely people get this.

sarcasm is a British thing, some people dont get it!!

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

I was going to suggest growing fences out of "devil's walking sticks" but, wasn't sure if it would grow there or become invasive.

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The bark of these are good for toothaches. Just chew it. But yeah, they really grow some sharp barbs!!

 

[bigpaul]

Blackthorn bushes planted in the garden will force any intruders into going down a certain path where they can be met.

 

[Holly1]

I was going to suggest growing fences out of "devil's walking sticks" but, wasn't sure if it would grow there or become invasive.

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Pretty sure I saw this in a BDSM shop *eyes watering* ... again a stupid attempt at making a joke. No offence meant here. Does that actually grow near you? Oh my giddy aunt - that is ferocious! I thought brambles round the ankles was bad. I promise to never complain about blackberries again.

 

[Holly1]

The bark of these are good for toothaches. Just chew it. But yeah, they really grow some sharp barbs!!

Is it because when you chew it that the mouth is cut to ribbons and that pain is much worse than the original toothache though?

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

The leaves are medicinal as well.
Devil's walking stick AKA
Toothache Tree - Your Roadside Source Of Pain Relief And Other Survival Aids - Prepper's Will (prepperswill.com)

Other uses: topical pain relief of wounds, scent masking for hunting, insecticide, garden repellent for rabbits...

 

[Holly1]

The leaves are medicinal as well.
Devil's walking stick AKA
Toothache Tree - Your Roadside Source Of Pain Relief And Other Survival Aids - Prepper's Will (prepperswill.com)

Wow, I wish they was a native plant here!
Dang!
I just looked it all up on my most hated place ever ... Amazon Arailia Spinosa £14.99p for 50 seeds. All legal to buy in the UK here.
Folks, get you a bum-rippin', toe-curlin' , gum-shreddin', toothache-killin', zombie-shreddin' ankle-hurtin' beastie of a plant which seems somewhere between barbed wire and novocaine!
You will not be disappointed.
Now let all take a second to give thanks for our friend in Texas (patron Saint being the God-given AR) who led us all to this knowledge. Thanking you kindly, cousin. Guess what is on my next purchase list?

 

[Arcticdude]

Just saw an ad for an air rifle that shoots arrows. Would that be legal in the more "enlightened" gun free parts of Europe?

 

[Oddcaliber]

When society collapses the rules go out the window. Think like Charlie did in Vietnam.

 

[DrHenley]

I was going to suggest growing fences out of "devil's walking sticks" but, wasn't sure if it would grow there or become invasive.

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We have thickets of these on our land, I never knew what they were called, we just called them thorn trees. The thickets are really spooky looking because they don't have limbs.
But they aren't half as intimidating as the swamp locust trees...

 

[user 7482]

If there is a total economic and social collapse of society, how do we defend ourselves? Its all very well being a prepper now, but are we not going to end up with a situation where there are armed militias that will simply take over our resources? I have just purchased a small farm in Scotland. While I have resources at present, how would I stop others taking it over by force? If a gang turns up with guns, there is practically very little I can do about it. The situation is even worse here (and much of the world), as unlike the USA, we are legally prohibited from having guns. The criminals don’t care, as they have guns anyway. Even if I did have a gun, there is no way I could fight off a heavily armed militia on my own. It's a practical question and I wonder what we do about it? Do we try and form our own militias? Or do we abandon farming / land and live in the wilderness as hunter / gatherers?

Spread your resources. Don´t keep them all in one place. Dig some cellars or little caches.
Learn how to fight. The quarterstaff for example is historic.
Learn how to improvise weaponery. Do some chemistry and physics, be careful and quiet.

Man, I just read some of your weaponlaws. They shut you further down than we are here in Germany. I didn´t believe, this is possible.

 

[Mountain Dragon]

Just saw an ad for an air rifle that shoots arrows. Would that be legal in the more "enlightened" gun free parts of Europe?

Bows and crossbows are legal because they are sports equipment. Air riffles are legal because they are sports equipment, but only if they haven't to much Joules. So i guess the arrow-air-gun you have seen is somehow an legal sporting equipment.
OK; in this way... I'm swiss. we first do and wait someone tells us it's illegal. In other countries they check before.

 

[Frostbite]

You could move to Australia, where we can still own sniper rifles, like yours truly with a .375 Cheytac:

Or even pistols like this .357 magnum revolver:

 

[radiogoon]

Where do the guns go when your done shooting?

 

[GaRp58]

sarcasm is a British thing, some people dont get it!!

Almost like Stalin said: Dark humor is like food...most people do not get it.....

 

[GaRp58]

We have thickets of these on our land, I never knew what they were called, we just called them thorn trees. The thickets are really spooky looking because they don't have limbs.
But they aren't half as intimidating as the swamp locust trees...

That is a honey locust tree. The seeds and seedpods are edible. Good for coughs, small pox, stomach, throat cancer, antiseptic, anesthetic, colon cancer, breast cancer, larynx cancer....measles...

 

[tmttactical]

That is a honey locust tree. The seeds and seedpods are edible. Good for coughs, small pox, stomach, throat cancer, antiseptic, anesthetic, colon cancer, breast cancer, larynx cancer....measles...

Hopefully those seeds and seedpods fall to the ground, because I won't be climbing that critter to harvest seed. LOL

 

[MaterielGeneral]

That is a honey locust tree. The seeds and seedpods are edible. Good for coughs, small pox, stomach, throat cancer, antiseptic, anesthetic, colon cancer, breast cancer, larynx cancer....measles...

Democrats?

 

[GaRp58]

That tree and the ginko tree are two of the oldest trees in the world, the spines were to protect the trees seeds long enough for them to mature completely and NOT GET EATEN by animals who would normally crawl up the tree and devour them since they are sweet. You can make a sweet drink or even sugar from pods. They do fall down and should be collected for use. If you take about a quart of leaves and the spines, crush them, put them in a jar and cover them with moonshine or vodka, let it stand in a lightly sunny window for a few weeks, you get an infusion after straining the leaves out which is good against whooping cough and other coughs...

 

[Frostbite]

Where do the guns go when your done shooting?

The .357m is my daughter's, so it lives in her bedroom. My guns, which include 6 pistols and 7 longarms, stay at my place, in 2 safes to prevent them being stolen.