Hiding Your Guns in Plain Sight - OTHER STUFF - Prepper Guns: Firearms, Ammo, Tools, and Techniques You Will Need to Survive the Coming Collapse (2016)

Prepper Guns: Firearms, Ammo, Tools, and Techniques You Will Need to Survive the Coming Collapse (2016)

OTHER STUFF

Hiding Your Guns in Plain Sight

Sometimes staying below the radar is important.

Anybody paying attention understands that our country is changing and some of the changes are dangerously contradictory.

We recognize that it’s becoming a dangerous place with mass shootings, bombings, and terrorist attacks. The government can’t, or won’t, protect us so the responsibility falls on our shoulders to make sure we and our families remain safe.

But it is also becoming a country filled with scared and foolish people. Nobody seems to embrace the concepts of self-reliance or minding your own business anymore. A large number of people have lost perspective on reality and they see everything they don’t understand as a threat. They have also been indoctrinated to turn to the government to solve every single problem, even those they imagine.

When a guy shows up at a tourist site during turkey hunting season, dressed in camo, it used to be that we understood he was taking a break from hunting and was checking out the local sights. Now they call a SWAT team, send everything into lockdown, and arrest the guy at gunpoint for the crime of mottled clothing. (It happened in Pennsylvania in 2013.) Recently, a Texas man out for a ten-mile hike to help his son get a merit badge for his Eagle Scout program was worried about cougars, wild boars, and other predators, so he brought his rifle. In the past we considered that smart thinking. This guy got arrested. He was perfectly legal, but the cops arrested him anyway and took his gun. The reason? He made somebody uncomfortable.

Yes, it’s a dangerous world out there, but the nanny state is making it much harder to protect yourself and your family. People freak out and call the cops over things that never would have even raised an eyebrow a generation ago. If they call because you have a firearm in public, even if it’s perfectly legal, you may be in big trouble. Death by cop, even with innocent victims, is on the rise.

Then there is after TSHTF to consider. As a prepper on the move in a time of crisis, it may be even more important to hide the fact that you have guns. You do not want to call attention to yourself with busybody people who will call the cops. Nor do you want any law enforcement you do encounter to know you have guns. You can’t possibly know how they will react and many will try to disarm you, or even shoot you. Both are death sentences in time of trouble.

A diversion bag is a good answer to the problem of moving guns unnoticed, now as well as after TEOTWAWKI.

It’s easy to conceal a handgun, but a rifle is much more difficult. Yet, where legal, it’s a very good idea to keep a rifle handy in a lot of situations. The trouble is that even a cased rifle looks like a cased rifle, unless you choose a bag designed specifically to not look like a rifle case.

With the right diversion bag, you can carry your guns out of your apartment without your silly Obama-voting neighbor freaking out and calling 911.

If you choose to keep a rifle in your vehicle, as many people do, it can become an issue. Some busybody looking in the windows will ensure that a cop is waiting when you finish your shopping. With roadblocks and random stops becoming increasingly more common, even the safest most law-abiding driver can expect to be stopped by the police at some point, and if you are bugging out, it’s all but a sure thing that you will encounter a road block.

If the police see a rifle in your vehicle, chances are good that even if the gun is legal, they will question you and maybe take your rifle, perhaps at gunpoint. But if they see a case for a tennis racket or a musical instrument they probably won’t give it a second thought.

Diversion bags make a lot of sense for today’s gun owners. Here are a few I have used and can comment about.

BLACKHAWK! has a rather extensive line of diversion products. There are also a few others I have used and highly recommend.

BLACKHAWK! Diversion Carry Racquet Bag

Nothing about this bag looks “tactical.” In fact, it looks like something my social worker neighbor might take to her tennis lessons. But then, that’s the point isn’t it?

images

The BLACKHAWK! Diversion Carry Racquet Bag lets me hide an AR-15 pistol in plain sight.

The twenty-nine-inch case has padded walls with an internal divider for carrying up to two handguns or an AR-15 with upper and lower receivers (up to twenty-nine inches long) separated. It’s also a great fit for a fully assembled and ready-to-rock AR pistol.

I can slip an AR pistol in one side and another handgun in the other with the padded divider separating them. Or I can break down an M4 carbine and slip the upper in one side and the lower in the other. Reassembly only takes a few seconds.

It comes in non-tactical colors like red/white or blue/gray for when you absolutely, positively have to convince them that you don’t have a gun.

Finish out your ensemble with Capri pants, Birkenstock sandals, and a Che T-shirt and you won’t be bothered.

BLACKHAWK! Diversion Wax Canvas Messenger Bag

images

The BLACKHAWK! Diversion Wax Canvas Messenger Bag carries a folded Kel-Tec SUB-2000 carbine and a handgun, hidden and out of sight.

This is a very stylish messenger bag that you would be proud to carry anywhere. It has a pocket in the back for a handgun and I’ve found that the Kel-Tec SUB-2000 carbine will fold up and fit nicely inside this bag as well. I can go out in public and nobody will ever suspect I have a handgun, much less a carbine, with me.

Vanquest

This company has some excellent diversion bags. Their Envoy 2.0 messenger bag will hold several handguns. It also will fit the Kel-Tec SUB-2000 carbine when it’s folded up.

Vanquest RACKIT-36 Covert rifle pack

images

Vanquest RACKIT-36 Covert rifle pack.

This is a bag that somebody who understands guns designed. It is large enough for a carbine, but looks like a sports equipment bag. The shoulder strap is fully adjustable for right or left shoulder carry. The “FASTab” zipper system gives you fast access to the gun.

The padded main compartment is 36x12x2 inches and has fastening points for the gun. Note the “36-inch” part. Too many so-called “diversion” bags are too short for an assembled M4 carbine.

Other bag makers say they keep them short because they want to keep the size small enough to hide that there is a gun inside. I get that and taking the gun apart is fine for transporting it, but if you are in a situation where you may need to get the gun into action fast, having it ready to rock is a huge advantage. The longer bag may or may not be a giveaway, but I’ll chance it to have my carbine in one piece and ready for action.

The large front pocket is lined with Velcro so you can attach carriers for magazines or a handgun holster. The padding significantly reduces the “print” of your rifle and magazines.

It’s available in several color options. This is the bag I grab most to carry my carbines. It’s well thought out and designed and well made. Best of all, I can carry the gun in a ready condition if I choose.

ThugCase M4

images

The ThugCase M4. Although the gun must be broken down, this case hides what it truly is and may allow you to keep your rifle in times of trouble.

Inspired by Al Capone and the probation era thugs who favored violin cases for their Tommy Guns, the ThugCase is a modern-day incarnation of the concept.

The outer hard-shell is made from heavy thermoplastic with protective molded lining inside. Velcro straps are installed to secure the contents. Each case includes a lockable latch. The case I have has three latches, the center one has a lock and comes with two keys.

I have the M4-size case. It’s designed to take a 16-inch-barrel M4-style carbine that is broken down. It will fit the upper and lower receivers, with an area to stash a couple of thirty-round magazines. This case will accept upper assemblies up to 25.5 inches long. It will handle most tactical style optics installed on the upper. The lower must have a collapsible stock to fit.

This is a very small case, so small that most people would never believe it has a rifle inside, which is a very good thing when you are trying to keep a low profile. But it’s also a very snug fit. My lower has an aftermarket grip that is slightly longer than the standard A2 grip. As a result I had to crush some of the protective lining and wedge it in the case to make the lower fit. I tried an upper with an aftermarket muzzle brake and it would not fit, but one with a birdcage flash hider fit well. For a standard M4-style gun with a 16-inch barrel fitted with a flash hider and a collapsible stock, this is the best option. However, if you deviate much from that, you may need a larger case. The M16 size will take uppers to twenty-nine inches. It can handle larger optics and will take a full-sized fixed stock. If I had it to do over, I would order this model as it gives me more options with my multiple AR rifles.

There are several other models for pistol-grip shotguns, AK-47 rifles, M14 rifles, and many more. Of course, there is one for a Thompson submachine gun. Plus, there are some generic foam-lined cases to fit most guns not specifically listed, or you can simply custom order a case to fit your needs.

The ThugCase is designed and produced in the USA by veterans. A percentage of each sale is donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

This hard-shell case provides a high level of protection and diversion. The M4 model looks like it is designed for a mandolin. When asked, I just tell them I am Vince Gill’s long-lost brother.