Machetes, Shotguns, and Caps: Spain's Doomsday Kit

Machetes, Shotguns, and Caps: Spain's Doomsday Kit

What do you have at home to defend yourself if everything collapses tomorrow? The question, framed in a prepping context, has an uncomfortable answer: in Spain, almost nothing that truly works. Firearm legislation is so restrictive that most participants admit they would be defenseless against someone with a rifle in a collapse scenario. The comfort, they say, is that things are different in the United States: there are bunkers, supplies, and armaments to spare. Here, a fairground machete and a licensed hunting shotgun.

What weapons can be legally owned in Spain

The first conclusion of the exchange is that Spanish law leaves little room. You can own a machete, an axe, or a knife without issue, as long as you do not carry them in the street. One participant recalls being gifted a black machete at a fair at age 13, when no one objected; today, he jokes, he would have ended up in a cell. For firearms, it gets complicated: an E license allows guiding a shotgun, and some recommend a Mossberg 500 with a pistol grip, measuring just 70 centimeters and manageable at short distances. The key, they insist, is firing from the hip, not like the shoulder-mounted stance in movies.

The debate quickly shifts to caliber. A .22 defender argues it is cheap and easy to handle, but the counter is blunt: in a close-range assault, five .22 shots may not stop an attacker, who would still have time to inflict damage before bleeding out. The 12-gauge shotgun, with the right cartridge, disintegrates anything within a 30-meter radius; changing the cartridge extends range beyond 100 meters. The problem, they admit, is that in a Mad Max scenario, ammunition would be scarce and stores looted.

The problem of manufacturing your own ammunition

Here the exchange becomes technical and, at times, hopeless. One participant explains that pellets can be made by melting lead and passing it through a perforated can over a water bottle. It worked, he says. But the real hurdle is primers: without them, no cartridge matters. The answer is to reuse primers from toy pistols, carefully scraping the primer and placing it in a previously fired one, perhaps with a drop of glue. Laborious? A lot. Antiestéticasible? Yes, claims the proponent. Another openly doubts it, recalling that pistol primers for metallic cartridges are already scarce, with waits of 30 to 60 days in some stores.

The alternative is black powder and muzzle-loading weapons, but another wall appears: black powder requires a license, and muzzle-loading primers are purchased with it, narrowing the margin for maneuver. One participant points out that France does not require a license for these items and that one can simply cross the border to stock up, though he warns of the risk if caught with black powder at a checkpoint. Prices, however, have skyrocketed: another contributor laments the absurd pricing of primers and caps.

Machetes, Axes, and the Human Factor

Beyond armament, the consensus is that the most important weapon is determination. One participant quotes Ernst Jünger to argue that true freedom lies with those willing to go out with an axe to defend their home. The phrase sparks reflection on self-concept and personal revolution: without it, they argue, there is no way to stand when only you and your home remain. Another summarizes it crudely: any bladed weapon, without training, skills, and determination, only serves to have it taken from you and used against you.

The legal aspect also weighs heavily. Several contributors agree that, given current laws, defending your home with a weapon could end with the defender on trial. One takes it to the extreme: if you kill someone in self-defense, he says, you must dispose of the body or flee to Belarus, because the real enemy is the judicial system. The statement is hyperbole, but it reflects widespread distrust of justice permeating the discussion.

The Contrast with the United States

Comparison with the United States is inevitable. One participant notes that there are people prepared for a Mad Max scenario in the US, with supplies, armament, and bunkers to impress. In Spain, however, gun culture is residual and legislation is restrictive. Another contributor nuances that sports shooting exists in Spain and that few countries compare to the US in the quantity and power of weapons in civilian hands. The implicit conclusion is that, in a collapse scenario, the advantage would lie with those having access to firearms, and in Spain, that is a very small club.

Compressed Air Weapons and Other Alternatives

In the final part of the exchange, compressed air weapons appear. One participant mentions a HATSAN Striker 1000 S of 24 joules .25 caliber and an Aitact ED of 24 joules .22 caliber, and recounts that with the former he burst a beer cap and a can at 15 meters without needing a drill or bit. They are not war weapons, but they serve for hunting small animals or deterrence. The conversation also mentions the possibility of cutting shotgun barrels with an angle grinder to make a sawed-off, a practice that, they warn, is illegal and dangerous.

---

In the end, the discussion leaves a bittersweet portrait: fairground machetes, hunting shotguns, toy caps, and much determination. The Spanish arsenal for the end of the world fits in a cupboard and does not come close to that of any neighbor in the southern United States. The question is no longer what weapon you have, but whether you would be capable of using it. And that, no matter how much it is debated, cannot be bought in any store.