You may remember Trump himself bringing attention to this…
“These aren’t people. These are animals. They’ve spread gruesome bloodshed throughout the United States.”
He was talking about the notorious MS-13 gang — founded in Los Angeles in the 1980s and believed to have as many as 10,000 members in the U.S.
MS-13’s members are known for their distinctive tattoos… and for their extreme criminal activity, best summed up by the gang’s motto: “Mata, roba, viola, control” (Kill, Steal, Rape, Control).
They’re vicious… they’re organized… they’re feared… and they’re EFFECTIVE in ensuring the survivability of their gang by making it well known that they are NOT to be f*cked with!
While I would never elevate the status of these complete wastes of oxygen…
What Made This Brutal Group The Most Feared In The Western Hemisphere Can Also Be A Blueprint For Your Own Defense And…
Here Are 4 Secrets You Can Learn From The Dreaded MS-13 Gang For Surviving The Violence Of A Post-Collapse World…
1. Safety In Numbers
Gangs band together for strength, power, and a sense of identity and belonging.
Having worked with members of some of the most violent gangs in the U.S. during some of my post-military security details, I’ve seen first-hand just how well-organized many of them can be.
There’s no dissension in the ranks… no wishy-washy “rules” to be debated… and no individualism.
The power of the gang always take priority over the individual.
That’s why, in the aftermath of a collapse, emergency, or extended shutdown of our infrastructure, gangs like MS-13 – as well as other organized groups such as rival gangs, motorcycle clubs, and domestic “militias” – will have an instant advantage over law-abiding citizens as everyone battles over limited resources like food, water, fuel, and shelter.
The “lone wolf” trying to guard their home and supplies won’t stand a chance.
In the aftermath of a crisis that strips away – even temporarily – the “rule of law” in your area, you will fare far better if you have your own “gang” – what we call a “Mutual Aid Group” (or “survival team”) to band with for the greater good of all within your group.
These groups do take some time and effort to organize, train, and maintain… but it’s arguably the most important step you can take now to give you and your family greater odds of survival when the world goes to hell.
2. Wear A “Warning Sign” To Repel Your Rivals
I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures just like I have…
MS-13 gang members can be spotted immediately by their fierce facial and body tattoos.
These tattoos show the world around them who they are and – with their reputation to back them – why you should fear them.
Now, you don’t have to run out and get a Mike Tyson tribal tat on your face… but you should examine your own methods to project a “don’t f*ck with me” message to the beggars, looters, thieves, and groups who may target you in the absence of any functional security after a collapse.
But I’ll be honest – this is pretty tricky and most preppers royally screw this up!
For example, don’t make the mistake most preppers make by spray-painting a “Looters Will Be Shot!” plywood sign on your front lawn.
Now, that’s totally fine if you also have a platoon of badasses who can back your message up… but if it’s just you and a pea-shooter, all this does is advertise to others that you have firearms and ammunition that they may come knocking for.
A better method of repelling targeted attacks and begging from unprepared citizens is to go the opposite direction and project that you are just as bad off as they are.
For example, one trick I’ve shared with our “inner circle” members is to have some white camo face paint on hand, as well as some smelly, unclean clothes you can slip into.
When clean water is scarce in your area, a thin layer of white camo on your face – combined with the look (and smell) of your unwashed clothes – can make you appear “sickly” to others.
But this isn’t a guaranteed repellant to everyone – and there may be others who are so desperate that even you could be worth a nighttime raid for whatever scraps they can get from you.
Which is why you need to be ready for the rest of these lessons…
3. Be Prepared To Abandon “Humanity”
Calling the MS-13 “animals” for their level of brutality isn’t that far off the mark.
The laws and norms that are firmly established in a civilized society are exactly what MS-13 wants everyone to know don’t apply to them.
In a collapse environment, I firmly believe that those who can abandon these civilized norms the fastest will fare the best in a battle for resources.
The reality is, we’re all “animals” at our very core – and the level of instinctual brutality you may have to tap into when facing a violent threat is already within you.
The question is, how “brutal” could you become if your and your family’s life was at stake?
The “how-to” to awakening your own primal instincts of survival is a bit much to go into here, but it’s a topic you should consider now in order to put in place the plans you need to avoid danger where you can – and “become dangerous” when you have to be.
4. Know Your Weapons (And How To USE Them!)
In a Newsweek article focused on the MS-13, former police officer Mark Stephens laid it out straight…
“Machetes, that’s one of their weapons of choice. Machetes and guns… and that’s only if they want you to die quickly.”
Stephens was talking about an incident in which MS-13 gang members EXECUTED one of their own members with a machete… to send a message.
In fact, the machete has become the gang’s go-to weapon to symbolize their strength and strike fear into their rivals and victims.
This is something I know very well…
When I was in the military, the machete was my own personal back-up weapon… especially in combat.
But a couple of important factors here…
One, I’ll take a firearm of any kind over any other weapon for survival.
You can’t “machete chop” a bullet – and to be safe, you absolutely should have a good firearm and ammunition for your primary defensive weapon.
And second, just as with ANY weapon (knife, gun, whatever), a machete is only as effective as the person who wields it.
As deadly as the machete is, once the ammo starts running dry and guns break down, get stolen, or even confiscated, I think machetes will become the weapon of choice for many, due to all the same factors for why MS-13 has made it its weapon of choice.
Therefore, your ability to use the machete and other weapons is something I believe you should be training with now as part of your “combatives training”.
I know that sounds extreme… but I’ve seen in combat just how quickly the machete became a go-to backup for regular civilians and for me, I never want to be the “white belt” facing off against a better-armed and better-trained enemy.
The weapon of the Gurkas ,the kukri, makes a very good weapon.
I have machetes, canes, soviet style trench tools, and angle steel I can sharpen. Metal baseball bats, framing hammers, and kitchen knives as long as 12″ blades.
One more thing: the kukri is a great weapon for women. We gals have to be a bit more inventive: for obvious reasons!
The senior weapon needed to make the other weapons fully operational: An exact understanding of the human mind (both the analytical part and the subconscious “Reactive Mind”) and the ability to control your own and others’. Including the ability to comfortably confront anything along with freedom from non-survival reactions, like freezing, hesitating, confusion, fear and incorrectly perceiving situations. Each of those automatic reactions make weapons inefficient or useless. (An achievable solution exists in the book, “Dianetics – The Modern Science of Mental Health” written by L Ron Hubbard, who was in active duty in WWII in the Marines and the Navy and survived several bouts with death.)
Well put and exactly right. Your mind IS your best weapon! All the other physical tools, implements and systems are just extensions and force multipliers. If you lack the will or the determination or the smarts to use them correctly when necessary, then all the fancy weapons in the world are just dead weight.
And yes, Dianetics is a great answer for both preparation and recovery. I’ve used and seen it used for both getting the mind fully alert to provide the best solutions possible, and for rehabilitation after trauma to help with both mental and physical healing. (It’s not just for battle or emergencies, but that’s the focus of this article.)
I live in the SF Bay Area…. strongly anti-gun. Hard to get a CCW. They dont honor my CCW’s from Utah, Nevada, Florida. I carry an Emerson wave knife always. I have trained in Aikido, Judo, Chuck Norris studios Target Focus Training. I keep a nice Machete hidden in the truck of my truck. (At home, I have G17, G19, G26, USP40, M1Carbine, 590A1 distributed around my house).
Yard work using machetes of various lengths and weight is helpful.