Isn't survival about not being prematurely deceased? If we were to analyse on a statistical basis the reasons for premature deaths then major cause of premature death would be (in no certain order) – Tobacco, Obesity, Auto accident, Drug and Alcohol abuse, criminal and accidental use of firearms. In the US the rate of premature death by firearms is actually quite high (varies between 20,000 and 30,000 US excess deaths per year by gunshot wounds) When we compared this rate to animal attack such as bear attack, would you criticise someone who carries bear repellent as someone who is paranoid in the same way. Tobacco, Obesity, Drug and Alcohol are personal choices, they are within the individuals control. Generally they do not represent a specific instantaneous life threatening event such as a crazed gunman.

In most survival circumstances the one thing that allows an individual to survive a life threatening situation is the ability to make decisions and use or form tools to their greatest effect (using the brain) so as to improve their personal chances of survival against the threat which exists such as exposure to the elements, lack of water etc. Most on the forum would carry a wide range of tools such as a PSK or a BOB. At the end of the day, in the urban environment you need to look at the threat probability level to get an understanding of what appropriate tools you need to carry and why.

Would you advocate that US soldiers in Iraq give up their body armour because they are paranoid about being shot to death simply because the probability of premature death from gunshot wounding is simply higher than in the United States. Does your car have airbags or ABS breaking? These are technological solutions to improve your chances of survival in a motor car accident. If you think these are viable innovations or you think that a PSK or BOB is justifiable then I think that you should come up with a more scientific reason for not carrying a product like the imaginary FlakPak when considering the deadly statistics of the US gun culture.