From Ken H: Perhaps my greatest concern is the out of control debt and spending. The PIPER will be paid! What are your suggestions on this coming disaster?

Answer: The disaster will come. We just don’t know if it will be tomorrow or 10 years from now. As far as money, I would invest in gold and silver coins, as they may be the only things of value after a collapse. Next, I would establish an emergency money fund that is enough to cover six months of living expenses. Even if the dollar loses value, in the aftermath of an economic crisis, you still may be able to use cash to buy necessities – at least in the short term. Of course, this is another reason I recommend building up six months to a year’s worth of food storage and emergency supplies because this will allow you to ride out almost any disaster.

From Brooks M: I have always used Gibbs lubricant on my weapons; though have been trying Froglube recently. I once saw a pistol lubricated with Gibbs that was being stored in a container of water. Had no visible rust on it I could see. Can’t really endorse this myself, but seems worth further research. Any thoughts?

Answer: I’ve tried a lot of gun lubricants but I have never tried Gibbs. I’ll have to buy some for the next time my guns need cleaning. Thank you for passing this info along and I’ll keep you posted.

From Pat C: TSA Seattle recently made me give up a tactical pen. Stated they are now prohibited on commercial aircraft. True or false?

Answer: I’ve never had an issue flying with my tactical pen. However, when it comes to confiscating items, every TSA screener can have a different opinion. When I fly, I typically put my tactical pen in my laptop bag. When it goes through the scanner it looks like a regular writing pen since it is a pen.

From Cindy F: Keep up the great work with your daily articles and survival gear! I have a BIG question: I am worried that “the Bad guys” read your articles as well and may even use some of your survival gear. Specifically, I am referring right now to your lock pick set! Your tips have steered me in the right direction, BUT I worry that they might steer the “Bad guys” the same way!

Answer: The thing about criminals is most of them are looking for an easy target. The average burglar isn’t a criminal mastermind and many of them are simply looking to steal things they can sell or use to buy more drugs. In other words, the majority of criminals aren’t going to take the time to learn how to pick locks like you are doing or learn other survival skills. They are lazy and I don’t worry about them.

From Ricky V: While reading today’s “Travel Advisories” it occurred to me that I don’t recall ever reading which car window(s) you should break if you end up in water. I probably should reread your book. I likely just missed the advice, but if you could address that issue again, it would be most helpful.

Answer: If you ever find yourself in a sinking car you will typically have 30- 60 seconds to escape before the car is submerged. Now, once a car is in the water it’s very difficult to open the doors so you immediately want to roll down the windows. The longer you wait to roll down the windows the harder it will be to do so. If you can’t roll down a window and you need to smash one out, use whatever window is closest to you. You want to kick in the corner of the window (where it’s stiffest) and not in the middle to break the window. If you are using a hard object or a tactical pen, you still want to strike in one of the corners of the window.

From Bill A: Just got to the 11 items you carry, and was semi-amazed to discover they are precisely what I have been carrying for years and what I always instructed my troops to carry. Great minds ya da ya da yada. I also carry items 12) Butane lighter (sometimes now an electric arc plasma lighter) and 13) A small collapsible pen and pad of paper.

Answer: I’m glad to hear you’ve been carrying critical items that could save your life. I agree that carrying a plasma lighter is a great addition. There is no doubt it could come in handy during an emergency. A pen and paper are also useful for leaving notes during an emergency and this is why I always carry my tactical pen.

From Lewis B: Good afternoon, Mr. Hanson! Yes, indeed, our privacy is being slowly encroached upon by the U.S. Government. However, we are in a state of war with the terrorist groups that seek to kill us and destroy America. Therefore, one could view this latest abridgement of our privacy rights as a needed compromise to allow our security agencies to do the work necessary to protect us from additional terrorist attacks. So we have to hope that Congress has built in some safeguards for us American citizens. In wartime one needs to make some sacrifices. Thanks for your always informative and enlightening missives. Lewis B.

Answer: It’s always a fine line and a slippery slope. We need to keep an eye on what our government does and to try to keep Uncle Sam as honest as possible.