Can't beat a gun, buuut if killing someone or pulling a trigger is something you cannot do then a big can of pepper spray is NASTY.
I was in a room were pepper spray was just sprayed and DAYUUUM. Couldn't imagine getting hit in the face with it. My ex is a cop and she hated getting pepper sprayed more than anything. I once bought her a stun gun flashlight combo and it was a POS. Completely unreliable and IF it worked would only last for one shock. I have seen many resist taser/stun gun but pepper spray to the face...someone is having a bad day.
“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.”
r.i.p. alleria. 1997-2017. blizzard ruined alleria forever. blizz assassinated alleria's character and appearance.
i will never forgive you for this blizzard.
Never pull out a knife and walk around with it. A knife is meant to be felt, not seen. Don't wave it about, don't gesture or threaten with it. Real life is not a samurai movie, or an old western, you don't want them to draw their own weapon if they have one - you definitely don't want to inform them of your intentions to duel.
You want to leave your hands open and unsuspicious as much as possible until they are in stabbing range, preferably if their attention is away from your hands (ex. staring contest them, move your other hand about, etc), then you want to draw and stab in a single motion ideally. Your goal is to put the blade in them and pull it back out before they know you even have a weapon.
You can have it in your pocket or have your hand on a hip or pocket holster though easily. A decent folding knife is pretty concealable even in your hand, but again it's best if it looks like you are unarmed until you are in a position to injure/kill them.
Don't try to finish stabbed people off either: it's dangerous and risky. If they let go of you after being stabbed, back up out of reach and either run if you can get line of sight, or if you can't get away (ex. they are too near the only exit, you are protecting a third party, etc), keep your distance and let them bleed out a bit, call for help: once they are wounded and you are still armed, time is your ally. The wound, the shock of your attack, and the panic (even if nobody comes to help, they don't know that either) will do more damage to them than a second telegraphed is likely to: so DoT (bleed + shock + panic) them and kite
@Celista You could try one of these
It would also double as a very interesting conversation starter with guest.
Milli Vanilli, Bigger than Elvis
You can always learn melee self defense and learn to shoot. Nothing wrong with carrying or cc'ing something in places that it is allowed.
She had some silly thoughts about guns for self defense however. And her bias toward the concept was evident. You do not need to be a combat trained veteran for them to be used successfully as a self defense weapon. Training with it is important however. And should be a requirement for any gun purchase imo.
There was recently a young girl out jogging by herself , when a guy ran up to her and grabbed her, unknown to him however was she had a knife in one of her hands and she fought him off by stabbing him 3 times. He ran off. True story.
Keep it simple.
If you are interested in getting a firearm, I would recommend a simple .38 revolver. It's small, easy to maintain and clean, and is relatively cheap. There's no point in you getting a complicated semi-auto.
If you have the time to invest, go to a concealed carry course. I'm not sure how it is in OR, but in most gun-friendly states its a 8 hour course and a background check.
I encourage every law abiding woman to be armed, and get trained on the proper use of a firearm to protect themselves.
Ultimately, firearm or not, your best defense is going to be using common sense and having situational awareness.
One needs to know the knife laws in their state before you start to carry any. Ohio has very vague knife laws when it comes to carrying them concealed. Even a small pocket knife can be considered to be a deadly weapon here. What they have here is a illegal to carry concealed, any deadly weapon which is capable of causing serous bodily harm. The only exception is a handgun, if you have a carry concealed handgun license.
The problem with pepper spray is that you can build up a resistance to it. When I was going through ASF training they sprayed us on a daily basis, to where by the end of the course it didn't bother you near as much. At the start I could barely breathe, much less see, by the end of it I could complete the entire course we had to run while sprayed. MACE, on the other hand, is a lot harder to resist, but it also isn't easy to come by anymore. But pepper spray is just that, it's made with peppers. Just as is with eating them, you can eventually get used to them being in places they shouldn't be, like your eyes and nose. IT SUCKS doing it, but it's possible.
As to the OP, I'd say something like Jiu Jitsu. Not only is it good for self defense, but it will get you into shape. It's something you can practice every day, never need it, but still get a benefit from it, rather than a gun or spray or taser that just sits there and can potentially be used against you.
It needs to be an instinct, I didn't say you need to be a veteran, I said you need the fluid motion of a veteran. If you don't know how to operate your weapon it will only harm you to draw it in a dangerous situation. Drawing it, loading it, clicking the safety off, taking aim, acquiring your target - you need to do all that still while someone is trying to assault/rape/stab/shoot you. It can't be a conscious process, if you have to think about how to use your gun, you won't use it correctly when the time comes.
FYI I have a restricted license in Canada and am a gun owner. It just sits in a safe. My concealed carry is a knife. Everyone knows how to use a knife. We all have 1000+ hours cutting vegetables, preparing meat, opening boxes, jousting with imaginary enemies in our kitchens when nobody is watching, etc. Operating a knife is instinct for every human alive, a gun is a machine that is not native to our lives unless you make it so (or, are a veteran/LEO, etc).Training with it is important however. And should be a requirement for any gun purchase imo.
That happens all the time ya. Knife > Gun IMO.There was recently a young girl out jogging by herself , when a guy ran up to her and grabbed her, unknown to him however was she had a knife in one of her hands and she fought him off by stabbing him 3 times. He ran off. True story.
Is it really that bad that you need to carry weapons just to feel safe? Absolute madness.