Here is an example of the Training and Education we pass on to ZERO Team Members:

DEFENSE

Weapons:

There are many types of weapons that one can use for defense. Up close and hand to hand the hatchet, ax, combat knife, anything you can use to defend yourself and defeat your foe is acceptable. Close quarters combat weapons are things you should be comfortable with and able to use effectively.

Remember, a Zombie dies from a penetration wound in or through the head or from completely burning. The bite of the Zombie is what you must avoid! Some of the ZERO team members and members at large have secured Shark Mesh from Dive Shops and Scuba Suppliers. It is virtually completely bite proof and can be used in movement from one place to another, to secure your area, Zombie clearing operations, etc., etc., other forms of body armor are useful and helps to protect you, but very few body armor manufactures make armor to cover the arms, legs and neck and head, Shark Mesh does. Also many of the Renaissance Fairs have actual Blacksmiths and Armor Makers that sell and can make you Mesh Armor and Chain Armor but it is expensive. Some of the thick Work coats and Police, Military, Hunting coats and jackets are thick enough to stop a bite from penetrating the material. Protect yourself the best way you can, but never to the point where you find it hard to maneuver and act or react.

A good quality well made sharp blade such as a sword, battle axe, samurai sword, long dagger, hatchet, any such weapon should be part of your self defense arsenal. Also Projectile Weapons like the Crossbow (rifle type and pistol type), Bows and Arrows (arrows with simple sharp heads, hunting heads, all types of different arrow heads made for hunting), as long as they are sharp and can penetrate your target! Air guns, like the pellet rifles and pistols that shoot the sharp pointed pellets, they can penetrate into the brain via the eyes, side of the head and through the ear canals! Anything that you can use for defense is good, as you go along you can gather better, bigger weapons, but use what is at hand. After all you cannot reason with, negotiate with or talk down a Zombie. The Undead have one goal, to eat you!!!

Some of the most popular guns are pretty much any type of shotgun with the 20 G and the 12 G, and even a 10 G now, are extremely good if you use the right ammo, such as Slugs, Sabots, Buck Shot (such as 00 Buck, 000 Buck and #4 Buckshot), and some of the larger size game loads, all with high brass for more power. Shotguns cause massive damage to a body and can also hit several targets that are close together at once. There are also the 16 G, 28 G and the .410 G, make sure you have the right ammo for the right gun.

Pistols are extremely good since they can be maneuvered and used in tight situations and close quarters easily, and yes, size does matter! Some of the larger and absolutely powerful pistols are the .50 Cal., the .45., .44 Magnum, .41 Magnum, the .40 Auto, 10mm, .357 Magnum as well as some of the more common smaller rounds such as the .38 Special, .38, .32, the .380 Auto, the .320 Auto and the 9mm. The .22, .22 LR and .22 Magnum are pretty plentiful and easy to carry large amounts of ammo for.

Rifles are a definite necessity! They are you most powerful and distance weapons. There are so many rifles, or as some people call them “long guns”, the Mini-14 and AR-15 are very good assault and defense weapons, they are a .223 Cal., or also listed as 5.56 NATO, the .308 Win. (7.62 NATO) is very good and has a very good punch! Also the rifle calibers 30.06, 30/30, .303 British, 7mm, .375, .444, .460 and the .50 Cal. There are many weapons for multi rounds to be used as defense weapons such as the AK-47, Mini-14, AR-15, Barrett’s .50 Assault Rifle (it is a very heavy and awesomely powerful weapon), and of course the very abundant .22 Cal., like the .22, .22 LR and .22 Magnum rifles. Also in time of emergency you may be able to find the Police and/or Military weapons such as the M-16, M-60, M-203, M-4 and other such weapons.

The type of ammo you use will also make a difference. We already touched on Shotguns, lets look at Rifle and Pistol ammo. The main types of bullets are Full Metal Jacket rounds (FM or FMJ), Semi Jacketed Hollow Points (SJHP) and Hollow Points (HP). The FMJ usually goes through a target and can hit other targets also, not too bad. The SJHP and HP rounds tend to expand and even explode inside a target causing extreme damage and destruction which is good for a total kill and quick stop! There are also other types of ammo such as Ball (usually lead rounded bullets), Wad Cutters (a flat lead round that at close range can make a nasty hole), and the hard to get Glaser Safety Rounds or Blue Head as they are sometimes called, they completely explode inside a target sending massive frags throughout the target, a VERY mean bullet! There are Black Talons and Rhino rounds which are made to penetrate even Body Armor and there are Metal penetrating rounds, Armor piercing rounds, both pretty self explanatory, good to have when you have a target on the other side of a wall, or someplace that needs that type of tactic, also these rounds can pass thorough many targets. I was told that there was a soldier in Vietnam that had loaded his pistol with Armor piercing rounds and several enemy soldiers were coming up a narrow trail, single file and his fired his first round and it went through five bodies, now that was from a pistol, a rifle with the same type bullet could pass through even more bodies in a tight single file situation.

The Internet can help you find a fantastic listing of, and resources for Sniper Rifles, Assault Rifles and Assault Shotguns, Pistols, Ammo, Optics, Rifles, Shotguns, Flare Guns and Flares, Edged Weapons, Military Surplus, Police Supplies, Survival Equipment and Supplies.

Always be completely trained and have total knowledge of your weapons and weapons you may use. Military Manuals, books concerning weapons and resistance should be studied and used in training and readiness. Practice! Even tools are good weapons, nail guns for instance, great penetrating power and the bigger the nail and the more powerful the Nail Gun, you can get more than one Zombie per nail if they are close together!

Always know your weapons, everything about them. Keep your weapons clean, sharp, ready to use. Always ready to use and functioning at full potential! Know what your ranges are, the power and damage of your ammo, always keep plenty of ammo for all your weapons.

Pick the weapons you know you can operate and use easily. My suggestion is this, have a good rifle or assault weapon for distance, a shotgun for closer defense and for massive damage against groups and mobs, a good pistol for close range and hand to hand type situations as well as a long blade, a good combat knife and small ax or hatchet. Flare guns and flares are good for use against groups or mobs and to start fires in areas where the concentration of Zombies, the Undead, are massed or when they are starting to crowd your Safe House, or Fortified location, (we will talk more about types of places to secure and fortify).

Just in case of ammo shortage, remember this. The .357 Magnum can also fire .38 Special rounds (bullets) and .38 rounds. Do NOT try a .357 through a .38 pistol of any type!!! What I teach you here concerning mixed rounds in other guns applies exactly the way I tell you, not in other combinations!!! The .44 Magnum can also fire .41 Magnum rounds. The .22 LR (Long Rifle) can fire .22 and .22 Shorts. Remember, the right rounds for the right guns!!! Only try these combos when you are out of the ammunition you need!!! Make your shots count. As they teach in Sniper School, “One shot, one kill”. That is NOT always possible, that is why you practice and also use a shotgun or fully automatic weapon to break up the Zombie mobs and gain some working space. When you have your Safe House and Fortified location, a good scoped high powered rifle and a scoped assaulted weapon, up on the roof, can help thin out the Zombies, also if there are other survivors they will know there is a safe place to go.

Safe Zones, Safe House and Fortified Locations:

Some places that are highly desirable during a Zombie outbreak would be place that has everything you need to maintain a long term survival situation.

A Super Wal Mart, a Mall, a Super Target or Super Kmart, places that you can clear out any Zombies inside then secure all the doors, docks, etc., etc., lock the doors and let down the security gates, or barricade the locked doors. A place with all types of food, drink, water, dried goods, canned goods, an emergency generator, batteries, guns and ammo, knives, archery equipment and supplies. You and your team members and fellow survivors can use the refrigerated items and produce first, have lots of water in bottles, etc., medical supplies, pharmacy items, even lantern fuel and white gas that can also be used to rain down on the Zombies from your security points on the roof. You can hold out for a very, very long time in places like the ones listed.

If you are in a house, secure all windows and doors, and you should have had time to build up a long term supply depot in your house, canned foods, bottled water, all types of weapons and ammo, guns, bullets, bow and arrows, crossbow, gas supplies, possibly an emergency generator, all types of survival gears and medical supplies, even some of the Military MRE’s and other such survival needs. Lumber, boards, hammers and nails are a necessity, (also a Nail Gun can do some serious damage to a Zombie’s head).

Gun Shows are a great source for items, the Internet, being a member of ZERO, all can set you up for the possible Zombie nightmare, you never know!!!

Remember your pets, take care of them too! They are good companions and especially dogs are keenly aware when something is out of sorts and since the Zombies are undead and rotting, dogs and pick that up long before we can. So your pets need to be cared for and supplied also.

Make sure you and anyone else who needs special medications or diets are also well supplied and ready for a long time in this type of situation.

The United States Department of Defense has a very interesting training program for the Military that started several years ago. They use the Xbox and Play Station Gaming Systems to train soldiers and special operations units in Shoot –Don’t Shoot situations and tactics, stealth, weapons and Team Work. They “play” as Teams with games like Ghost Recon (many different games and scenarios), likewise with Rainbow Six, even HALO, it keeps the individuals sharp and the Teams tight.

Many people also do not know that the Governments of the United States, Canada, England, France, Germany and several other Countries do in fact have special units that investigate Paranormal claims of all types as well as claims of Vampires, Zombies, Aliens, Werewolves and other creatures and beings. These units are very real and very covert. The U.S. Military Remote Sensing Units are well known throughout the World in the Scientific Communities.

With crime on the rise and things like Home Invasions on a very sharp rise it pays to stay sharp and well armed, well supplied, clear headed and on the ball!!! It helps keep you ready for what we are on the lookout for!

Recently there have been reported claims and stories of Zombies in Cuba, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Africa, virtually everywhere, some small, some large, always involving the Government and Military and some Law Enforcement Agencies, however, if a large outbreak(s) happens, well, it will be overwhelming for these agencies and groups, we will be on our own until things are under control and order restored!

Why do ancient race and civilizations speak of Zombies and the Undead? How many books, stories, movies, legends, myths, alleged sightings are there? Is there a reason and foundation for all this? Yes.

Take a Hunters Safety Class and get certified and learn a lot about shooting and weapons. Take a NRA Gun Safety Class and the Concealed Weapons Class, earn a Certificate there also. Go to the Agency in your area that issues Conceal Weapons Permits (Police Dept. or Sheriff’s Office) and apply for a Concealed Weapon Permit (CWP).