Please share your real life "SHTF" experiences

[Jonesy9]

one racial riot.While in college, a friend and I were in downtown Boston and stopped by an outdoor concert being put on by the local hip hop station (we were attracted to some of the "talent" we saw entering the venue). We had missed most of the concert but a rap group was getting ready to come on (don't remember who it was, not a gangsta group though). We took up positions at the back of the crowd and looked down upon about 5000 high school city kids.

The crowd was getting unruly while waiting for the rap act to come out. This was shortly after the LA riots and the MC kept saying "this is not LA, please remain calm". Mob mentality quickly took off from there. A young black man in front of me took this opportunity to finish his 40 oz. malted beverage and launch the empty down from our perch into the crowd below, obliterating one girls face on impact.

Then, then SHTF and the whole crowd went bezerk. Rocks, forties and anything to cause damage was launched into the crowd. The Irish contingent of city youths was ever ready to brawl and immediately started the fisficuffs. Various gangs of blacks sought out the whites with shamrocks and any other gang rivals.

I saw two small caliber handguns being discharged into the air and one being shot into a crowd of girls. A white kid behind me was getting knifed and the younger kids were eying us suspiciously.

As we grasped the danger and we're trying to get out of harms way, my friend was engulfed in a bear hug by a huge black man in fraternity sweats. As I turned to attack, I recognized him as a high school football teammate who had been bussed to my school from the city. He suggested that we leave under his care and we hightailed it out of there just as the BPD showed up and began cracking heads. Those batons do quite a bit of damage! we watched the ensuing riot unfold and continue down the street from the window of a bar across the street. The mounted police were now out and scattering the rioters. I saw several heads get cracked as the cops swung from their saddles and kicked the crap out of anyone who didn't make a run for it as we sipped cold beers and thanked our luck that we got out unscathed.

I learned that it only takes seconds for that mob mentality to make the SHTF. I was so surprised by how quickly it all went bad.

 

[fish2xs]

Wow!

I was going to post the story about the time I clipped my
toenails too short until I read TABING's post. How about it
sir? Can you post a bio?

 

[Snake Eyes]

You know, sometimes I feel kinda, um, silly about keeping my SLR-95, four loaded 30-rounders and another 200 rounds of boxed ammo in my truck at all times.

After reading this thread....I'm thinking about picking up another short-barrel shotgun to add to the mix.

Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean I shouldn't be prepared!

 

[Sportcat]

One time, at band camp...

 

[Dave R]

Twice, no rioting or firearms usage.

Loma Prieta quake in '89. Home less than 10 miles from epicenter. No power for 3 days. Local grocery stores had lines almost a mile long. Letting a few people in at a time with flashlights, cash only... No problems because anyone who could drive could go far enough to get back to "civilzation". So no starvation or shortges. But could see how things could go bad if damage was more widespread, or resupply ot possible.

Moved to southern Fl in time for...

Hurricane Andrew. Just caught the edge of it, but my wife was in Homestead the day after w/ relief efforts though the Church. She said it looked like a nucear blast site. There was isloated looting/confrontations there, but she didn't see any. Same dynamics as above. Damage was limited enough that most people could drive to resupply points so no one went hungry. Two days after the storm, I went to Home Depot to buy some screen to replace our minor damage. The line at Home Depot went to the back of the store, and most people had a generator and bbq grill. The people in front and back of me said the same thing. They want the generator for running power tools for repairs. They want the grill to cook. (Another lessson on what you need if TSHTF)

If damage was more widespread, or people could not resupply, who knows what could have happened? As it was, our neighbors pulled together very well. Lots of sharing of supplies, lots of joint repair work, etc. Most people are good people. I'm not sure that holds up when starvation sets in. Does that make me a paranoid?

 

[LASur5r]

SHTF situations?

Depends on what you mean....

See if these situations qualify?

Gun related:
Watts riots....Walking home from high school, saw rifles being handed out in the street to some of the locals. Went straight home loaded my dad's M-1 Garand and whatever mags he had. He was a mailman...worried about him as we were close enough to the riots to smell Watts burning. He came home drunk as usual. We bought more fire extinguishers after that.
East L.A. riots (My dad bought a home right off of the main drag where the rioting occured)...had my Beretta then...had to buy more magazines after that riot. Learned to sleep on the floor whenever this kind of thing happened. Later on, found out people in some neighborhoods do this a lot even though they have nice furniture in their house.
Riot(small one) on the Hollywood strip when a bunch of visitors wanted to go see Hollyweird on New Year's eve. Crowd went from drunk to mean as they surrounded cars driving on Hollywood Blvd. and barely moving, the rioters started rocking the cars and pounding on the windows. I agree with some of the earlier posts....caught in that situation, either stay quiet or better have everyone packing with lots of ammo and extra magazines. Car can't move much with that many people and cars on your bumper or on all sides of you. Learned to pack extra guns and extra mags after that one(in case someone in the car wanted to defend themselves,too..
L.A. riots....my daughter's kindergarten was near the Parker Center (police station) two blocks away...neighborhood is mostly businesses.... Lucky she and the wife were home sick that day so all I did was head home and start loading the extra mags for my Galil .308. (I miss my Galil...had to sell it when they were going to pass the ASW law in Cali. at the time) Found it very calming to load up all available magazines as we made preparations to fortify the house and set up prepicked firing positions. Some neighbors who were WW2 vets came over and checked up on us. We're on a hillside, ( commanding view from several houses)...then we all went about making sure every body was organized and ready to defend our hillside. Learned that with my family involved, I really wanted to take our BOB's and bugout.....couldn't leave the neighbors behind though....I guess?

Do these times qualify? That's why, when people say, WTH? about assault weapons? Ask them what they are going to defend themselves and their families with should the social fabric tear?
Each time, the LAPD CHP, National Guard, and Sheriff's stepped up to the plate, bless their hearts...but not until most places were burned down, looted, and people attacked in the streets...one lady and her baby was attacked at the flashpoint for the LA Riots (half a block from where Reginald Denny had his head bashed with a rock)...she was an aunt of my cousin's....the mob attacked a defenseless woman and her baby(amongst others)...and the powers that be don't want us to have weapons which may help us and our families' survive when TSHTF....?
--------------------

Sorry, this one hit home so I had to come out of retirement...Good to see a lot of you guys taking up our cause.

 

[artherd]

Uh, I drove through Vallejo at 1 in the morning last night.


I hope I never have to face anything of the kind posted here. But I will do my best to be prepared just in case.

 

[Ryder]

I was on a ship in the North Atlantic back in 1974 with 200 other guys when a race riot seemed like a good idea to somebody for some unknown reason.

I was 17 years old, no gun. Happened after lights out (a few red lamps) and I was in my bunk when the SHTF. Bunks were stacked 3 high and mine was the center bunk surrounded with curtains and located in a far corner of the berthing area. I always slept fully clothed (Semper Paratus). Me and my Buck knife watched the festivities through the only crack in the curtains. I only closed those when the bunk was occupied. They knew where to find me if they wanted to play. Nobody poked their head into my space. If they had I was prepared to keep it as a souvenir. Closest the violence got to me was about 12 feet.

 

[JohnKSa]

I'm glad that I didn't have the weapons in the home at the time. I'm especially glad that I didn't have one on my person. Only one of two things could have happened, they would either have been stolen or they could have contributed to me being murdered.

Are you saying that if you had the chance, you'd rather go through it all again, just like it happened, than fight back?

Is that how all the other victims feel too?

 

[Dionysusigma]

You can do amazing things with the benefit of adrenalin and that weird "slow time" effect you get in emergencies.

Too bad that doesn't include running up walls and dodging bullets (or stopping them with your mind)...

When I was 11 our house was hit by lightning. I thought my brother was watching "Gettysburg" and had turned up the speakers a bit too loud, but... We all ran outside while Dad took on the burning attic with a fire extinguisher and went back inside after ~30-45 mins. Guns weren't needed (obviously).

It's not the emergencies I've been through that worry me. It's the ones that are coming up that do...

 

[MaterDei]

Are you saying that if you had the chance, you'd rather go through it all again, just like it happened, than fight back?

First of all, I would never want to go through it all again.

There were 8 of them. They were all armed with either a shotgun or a pistol, some with both. They came into the room through both entrances at the same time. My wife, in laws and kids were there too. To quote Shakespeare, 'The better part of valor is discretion'.

I've had twelve years to think about what I did right and wrong.

Wrong:

I should not have moved there to begin with
I should have had some form of early warning system (e.g. a dog)
I should have 'hardened' the doors when I moved in
I should have had some form of weapon available to me so that when my dog gave me warning and the fortified doors slowed down their entrance I would have had time to react appropriately.

Right:

I acted correctly considering the fact that I had put myself in a no win situation
I became very active in the search and capture of these oxygen thiefs.

fwiw, several of them are still in jail, for murder. They committed murders both before and after our run in with them.

You might disagree with my assessment and I respect that. In fact, I would like to know what you would have done differently, given the situation.

btw, I never considered myself a 'victim'. I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

[Sportcat]

Mater,

FWIW, given the situation and circumstances you described, I believe you acted properly. Thank God no on was killed (in your family).

8 armed intruders against one armed GG and several unarmed family members probably would have turned out even worse.

 

[ysr_racer]

I ran out of beer during the SuperBowl once. Talk about panic

 

[JamisJockey]

Hurricane Andrew

Dave,
I remember seeing on the news that some innercity residents were going into the suburbs to loot. I remember seeing a picture of a child, about 10, with one of those 'street sweeper' shotguns, sitting in front of the damaged family home. Some people were painting 'looters will be shot' on thier houses!
When I move back to NC, I will have to plan for hurricanes accordingly.

Did a search for andrew looters and came up with this
http://www.stormsurvival.homestead.com/looters_page1.html

 

[WonderNine]

I live in the middle of nowhere. Everyday is a SHTF experience....

I've had a SHTF mentality since I was 5 years old. I guess I'm a damn weirdo!

 

[Prodigalshooter]

My only SHTF experience is very personal; I was diagnosed with cancer less than a month after my 41st birthday. That was back in 91, I'm still here and got a clear ticket, as clear as any of us anyway.
That's it, but when it happened, it was pretty intense.

 

[Dorian]

I was diagnosed with cancer less than a month after my 41st birthday. That was back in 91, I'm still here and got a clear ticket, as clear as any of us anyway.

Keep on truckin trooper!

 

[thefitzvh]

Pentagon, 9-11. No real use of firearms by my unit, we had NG for security. My unit was tasked to help with search and rescue. Spent a LONG time out there digging people out, tagging and bagging, etc. Most horrifying and sad experience of my life, and i still shed tears occasionally because of it. Saw some that I wouldn't wish on anyone.

I've discovered that a level head is more important than an arsenal. There were guys that didn't have a level head who were out there, and a few of them ended up in trouble (drinking, car accidents afterwords, etc.)

i'm currently working on a book about it. we'll see if I finish it. Would like to see it made into a screenplay to get the story out. No one really hears about the pentagon so much, and I hear 9-11 refered to as the attack on the WTC ALL the time. I think if everyone had to see what I saw, then the War on Terror wouldn't seem like such a bad idea to them...


James

 

[Sportcat]

James,

God bless you.

 

[thefitzvh]

Thanks man. I'm actually at the tail end of a bit of insomnia right now, and that sentiment helps a lot.

Funny, last person I told this to (at my VERY liberal college) said that it was the military's fault for pissing off the terrorists in the first place...

Luckily, I value my freedom, and didn't react. I wanted more than anything to smash this guy's head, and I'm not a violent guy.


Everyone that's posted so far has had some pretty rough times. How do you get over it? I'm frankly tired of losing sleep over it. It's been over 2 years.


James

 

[MaterDei]

James,

The two things that helped us heal from the SHTF experience my family experienced were:

1. Time
2. Prayer

Good Luck.

 

[artherd]

James, on behalf of the human race- thank you.


I am sorry you have to deal with idoits (regardless of their political motivations.) I'm 3,000 miles away, wasn't there, and only know of one acquantiance I lost 9/11, but I want to rip that moron's head off and beat him with it.

I cannot imagine how you feel. You and MaterDei are in my prayers.

 

[AnklePocket]

Held up while delivering pizza for Domino's while opening the door to my car. The gun was in one of my nostrils. Looking at the wrong end of a gun was the single most surreal event of my life. My brain couldn't handle it for a few seconds. I grabbed the gun, pointed it away from me and strangled the guy. Not much more to say after that other than a few housekeeping details. I was physically sickened by the thought of what could have very easily been a different outcome.

A few months later 3 fine gentlemen burst into Domino's at exactly 11:30PM - closing time. I was with the manager watching the whole scene through the one-way glass. He started losing fine motor control. I had him load all of the money in a bag before the guys (it was one while one stood watch and another put everyone else in the freezer) came back. We handed him the money and he put us in the freezer. They were caught and I spent a lot of time at police line-ups, court, detective time, ect. I applaud the police work there.
I since learned that the victims are almost always killed in freezers so as to muffle the sound. The word seems to be that you must fight for your life if on the way to the freezer. I guess I/we got real lucky. Kinda gives credibility to the RKBA arguement.

I'll force someone to actually eat Domino's Pizza if I ever see the wrong end of a gun again.

 

[thefitzvh]

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but does anyone know ANYTHING about the publishing process? I'd like to finish this bad boy up and try to get it published somewhere.

Thanks

James

 

[45R]

One time in College I ran out of Top Ramen.