Black Bag Confidential

This article is not to help the hardened criminal or repeat offender ease his or her time behind bars. The following information is for someone who is going to jail for the first time. Knowing these survival tips could not only lessen your troubles, but may also prevent you from injury and death.

You should always approach shooting ranges with safety as your No. 1 priority. So here are several pieces of must-have gear to help you stay safe — as well as help you improve your training whether you are at an indoor or outdoor range.

Like me, Caleb Lee is a gun guy. We both like guns, believe you should train regularly with them and maintain they are the best home-defense weapon. If you’re finally ready to bite the bullet and invest in a firearm for home defense, read Caleb’s assessment of a shotgun versus an AR-15 in today’s article.

There’s a lot of information to cover in this week’s must-read articles — from an easy way to test (and toughen up) your home security to what you should do if missile sirens sound.

If — or rather when — the SHTF, there will be no one to help you, no government aid riding into town on a white horse, no place to go out of harm’s way. And if you assume organizations like FEMA are going to help the huddled masses, you’re in for a very rude awakening. Luckily, there’s a simple solution at the bottom of today’s article.

In this week’s mailbag, I address one reader’s question on how much cash you should keep on hand for an emergency — and how to keep it safe. Plus, survival food recipes, choosing an emergency stove and more.

Today, Cade Courtley discusses a particularly dangerous cold weather scenario that frequently occurs in early winter or during the spring thaw when ice-covered lakes, rivers and ponds aren’t as safe as they appear.

Today, I want to share with you the top three security threats we will most likely face in 2018 — here in the U.S. as well as around the world.

In this brand-new series on “Survival Stories,” you’ll learn how to avoid becoming a hostage in a robbery gone wrong, the one thing you should always do before you go hiking and the best way to survive a direct hit from a tornado.

This week’s roundup of must-read articles covers protecting yourself from viruses of all kinds as well as how to stay warm in a winter blackout, what to do to avoid being kidnapped and one more reason you should be able to evacuate your home in 10 minutes or less.