If your post-SHTF plan involves bugging in, you must consider how well you can defend your home against possible threats. This means you have to strengthen your home’s defenses. Adding surveillance systems, physical barriers and traps to your defensive perimeter is all well and good, but you must also consider your own personal armament. (h/t to SurvivalBlog.com)

Proper defensive infrastructure, such as perimeter barriers and alarm systems, are very important for home security. However, you must also strengthen your defensive armaments.

Each member of your homestead who is capable of bearing arms should have a rifle, either an AR, an AK or something similar. Also consider handguns, shotguns and submachine guns for defending yourself in close quarters combat situations and get a bolt action rifle of some kind, like a hunting rifle, for long range shooting. If you aren’t able to procure all these firearms and you must choose just one, get a rifle. (Related: Simple strategies you can implement NOW to significantly improve your home security.)

Enhance your armaments with add-ons

Iron sights are great and you should definitely master them. However, if you want to enhance your self-defense capabilities, consider other weapon sight options as well. Red dot, reflector, laser, thermal and holographic sights are significant investments, but they will help your already capable aim. Furthermore, if you feel like you may have to defend yourself against threats that are beyond 50 to 100 yards away, having a telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, can save your life.

Scopes will give you the option of finding and engaging targets at longer ranges by magnifying your sight. Consider your home and how far you can see without obstruction from any of your windows. If you’re in an urban setting, then a 1x or 2x scope may be more than enough for you. If you live out in a farmstead with a wide, open field of vision, you can go as high as a 4x or even 6x scope. Remember that, in general, the least magnification that can give you a clear image of your target is the best scope magnification to go for.

Furthermore, flashlights and night vision devices will help you see and identify your target before engaging with them. Weapon-mounted lights will be useful for perimeter defense, but it should not be used as a primary tool for observation, especially if you’re counting on not giving away your location. If you don’t want to draw attention to yourself at night, consider night vision gear such as night vision goggles or night vision attachments to your weapon sights. These will amplify the sources of light in the area, such as from the moon and from far-away lights, to allow you to see in the dark. However, keep in mind that night vision devices are significant investments.

Suppressors, also known as silencers, will also be a great add-on to your gear. They don’t totally get rid of sound like you see in movies and video games. However, if you’re shooting at targets, they won’t be able to detect where you’re from if you’re using a suppressor because it reduces the noise of the muzzle blast and effectively eliminates muzzle flash. Be prepared to do a lot of paperwork if you want to purchase a suppressor. This includes paying a $200 fee to the ATF.

Remember that having the best gear available on the market can only do so much if you don’t have the skills and tactics to utilize them effectively. Perimeter defense will rely on your personal, intimate knowledge of your property and its surroundings. This means you must correctly identify probable avenues for attacks, clear out defensive positions that attackers might use, and figure out your own personal plan for defending your home.

Note that all this effort will take a considerable investment to implement. Don’t spend all your money on scopes and night vision devices in one shopping spree. Plan and be patient; all that gear won’t go anywhere. Get started now with little things, like buying some ammunition or buying the correct firearm for your situation. Those small investments will add up to a fully secure home.

Sources include:

SurvivalBlog.com

SurvivoPedia.com

GunDigest.com

NRAFamily.org