Get Home Bag / Daily Carry question

[Aitrusak]

I've got a question, and I'm hoping the knowledgeable folks here have some advice for me. 

First, some perspective on my situation.  I work on a military installation (not military myself, just work there).  That means that I'm not allowed to carry while at work, not even supposed to have a weapon in the vehicle at all.  If I carried onto base, I'd have to notify the guards at the front gate, then proceed directly to the Armory, wait for somebody to unlock it, and check it in.  Then reverse the process to get the gun back at the end of the day, only expect to wait up to 30 minutes for somebody to arrive to unlock the Armory.  I have no problems carrying a heavy pack (75+ lb) for extended periods of time.  My current GHB weighs about 20 lb sans water, about 5lb more if I include winter clothing, but I usually dress to egress so some might left behind depending on the conditions.

Door to door, I live 10 miles from work along back roads.  Easily walkable in an emergency.  Family's backup rally point is 65 miles away through open country on an open freeway, secure and far enough from danger and upwind should something bad happen.  Testing shows that I can walk it in 3 days, 2 if I'm alone and pushing the pace.  It would take 4 or maybe 5 if I had my family with me, and my youngest goes to school on base.  I would avoid the highway in an emergency event and stick to the rail line, which runs parallel to the freeway virtually the entire way.  Alternate rally point is a similar distance, but on backroads and through small towns and forested areas.  Theft not much of a concern - I rarely go into town and crime in my neighborhood is low, and the vehicle is garaged at night.  If something should happen, travel to safe points would be the priority.  Water is findable along all routes, and hunting would be opportunistic shots at small game during travel, but not a priority. 

My question is this: what would you suggest I do regarding having personal protection ready?  I don't like the military's rule about not being able to conceal carry on base, and I won't risk my job over it.  However, I wouldn't be doing right by my family if I didn't have some means of protection.  I've been thinking about having a field-stripped handgun double-baggied as part of the GHB, possibly stashed at the bottom of the bag or in some compartment that's not easily gotten to from the front driver's seat so as to have an explanation if a random search turns something up.  I have been the subject of a search maybe twice since I started working there in 2005.

9mm or .22 are the calibers I'd likely go with simply because it's what I have already and I like to keep things simple.  Something cheap and reliable.  This could also be a ditch piece if need be.

Thoughts / opinions?

[NWPilgrim]

If you don't want to risk your job then obey the rules completely. Don't try to hide it.  You never know what circumstance may lead to a random or targeted search: terrorist threat, auto break-in investigation, co-worker snitch, former girlfriend, etc.

Is it reasonable at all to park off base?  If you can across the street or a few blocks away at mini-mart and arrange permission with he owner, or a large supermarket or truck stop lot.  If parking off base then would definitely want a locked safe/box for storage.

I worked at a commercial site for many years that had a no guns on premises rule.  But I kept a gun in a locked box in the car anyway as I figured I could easily find equivalent work elsewhere on the slim chance my car was ever searched.  In my state it would not have been a criminal offense just a private dismissal.  I never carried inside the buildings in any manner.  But the military is different in that a serious infraction like that could ruin your career and it would be nationwide and if it resulted in an dishonorable discharge that will show up on most future commercial job background checks. So I would not risk breaking the military rules.  Goes double if you are an officer.  A private may be given a little slack because they are kind of expected to be young and reckless a bit, but even a 2nd Lt is held to a very strict standard (from what I saw of my daughter's living on base).

The second idea would be: is there anyone living close by that you could leave a gun with?  That would be a hassle to drop off and pick up every day but if you have a close buddy it might work.  The bad thing is that in a disaster or terrorist emergency the base armory probably is not going to release personal weapons right away.  The armory might be OK for day to day, but would be much worse when you really might need it.

[Aitrusak]

No, can't park off base.  The base is kind of separated and out on it's own.  Nobody lives near the base that I know.

I'm not enlisted or an officer, I'm a civilian working on the base. 

I get what you're saying with regards to risking the job.  That's why I'm so hesitant to go this route.  In the end, I might just end up going with pepper spray or the like.  It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing.  I had considered caching something just outside the gate, but that's on private land and I don't think I could get permission to do so.  It's all farmland for the most part.

[NWPilgrim]

Yeah, I forgot that part of your post about being a civilian on base.

I would look to other means of protection given the remoteness. A firearm is always preferred for a equalizer, but we should not be totally dependent on them either. You want protect at distance and close in.  Is a crossbow legal in your state and permissible on base? Although a good knife should always be at hand, I would like to have a stout pole/walking stick if I was confronted by an attacker (with a knife or club or fists, or even feral dog).  Pepper spray helps with distance as well, but can be ineffective sometimes and depends on wind direction; so a good tool but should not be the only one.  you may also want to consider additional personal protection like a kevlar vest, leather jacket, etc.  Nothing gives 100% protection (OK an A-10 Warthog comes close) but anything you can do to up your odds of survival is good, balanced with cost and practicality.

[Carl]

  If the emergency required the family to relocate then a stop by the home to gear up should not be problematic in the confusion of a mass evac.
As for hunting on the 10 mile trek home ,it won't make sense nor the 65 mile walk as enough calories can be carried.Though a fishing kit might
make a good way to augment food carried in a much quieter fashion.
  If you plan to shoot you way out of trouble you must remember that unlike all the overblown movies,the real world
is no where near as trigger happy as the imagination.I bet a pistol could be hidden in the space behind most glove boxes where the cabin air filter
is on most vehicles and the glove box carry a screwdriver to allow access if you are really insistent on having a firearm nearby.
The realistic need for a firearm on a 10 or 65 mile drive is really slim though ,
I would not risk the trouble of discovery with the very slim chance of needing a weapon.
I do believe and do carry though mostly at home and the BOL where chance of need is higher.
How many times have you needed to fight your way home or to the BOL?

Just my opinion.

[CarlD]

I assume you are looking for how to access the firearm if  SHTF and you need to get home.

Why can't you separate the pistol into two or preferably three pieces, and put each in a sealed separate metal container and bury them off base but near the base so you can retrieve them when you leave the base if needed.  If one container is found no harm done as there is not a functioning firearm. Bury then somewhere on the route home so you can retrieve and assemble if needed.   

Alternatively, find a business that will let you store your firearm.  Bank with Safety deposit box.  Businesses that have a safe, such as a law firm.  Pay the lawyer for an hour of his time and ask him to keep it in his safe until you need it.  Think about other businesses that would have safes and stop in and make friends and ask if you can pay a small fee for them to store it. You need to think about family owned businesses that can open the safe anytime versus national businesses where the employees can't open the safe but only drop things into it.

I would not risk going onto the base with it under any circumstances.

[endurance]

Regarding the gun on base, don't worry about your job as much as your liberty.  Having an unauthorized weapon on a federal facility is a federal felony.  Your job would the the least of your worries if you got caught.

The answer is toeing the line with what you can have.  A knife less than 2.5" in length is usually legal.  Pepper spray is also usually legal.  Bear spray in your car might be worth considering (30' range and multiple doses compared to a typical pocket pepper spray). 

I'd bury a five gallon bucket at halfway point to your rally point with food and emergency supplies, but I wouldn't risk a weapon that could be found by a kid.  Hunting is far too unreliable to depend on for food.  I can't tell you how many times in my life I've come back after a week of hunting and had nothing to show for it.  Being on the move, evading bad guys, and traveling cross country, I find it unlikely you'll be able to reliably bring in food every day unless it's on your back. 

Make sure your distances are realistic.  I've hiked 104 miles in five days with a light pack (28 pounds) and I can assure you it's far harder than most people think.  I trained for over a year to be capable of that level of hiking.  I'd recommend planning on 8-12 miles a day if traveling cross country with no trail, 14-16 if you're fit and on good quality trails.  Hiking 20 miles in one day is one thing, hiking 20-30 miles on consecutive days is a whole different animal.

[CR Williams]

Is there a rental storage facility close to the base?

It's not optimal, but renting a unit and storing a weapon there might be the only practical thing you can do.