Self-defense, what do you recommend?

[Kolbjorn]

From what I've read left and right, the right to firearms in the US contributes a lot to prevent home-invasions.

Well.. unless you look at the data and discover two things:

1) Households with guns are more likely to be robbed
2) Guns are the most commonly item stolen from a home

Not exactly top tier deterrence.

[Animalhouse]

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.

[Deleted]

Never bring a knife to a gun fight!

Lets be real if you live in the US then 9 times out of 10 the person mugging you or wishes to do you harm will use a gun.

Plus not many people have what it takes to plunge a knife into someone but pulling a trigger well anyone can do that even under huge stress and fear.

The attacker is always faster with a knife even from a 10 meter distance running to you. As far as defense goes I'd follow self dense coarse .

[breadisfunny]

Best self defense: being smart enough not to get in a risky situation where you might need to defend yourself. That's where it starts at least. But if you live in a country with ridiculous gun laws where every next idiot can own a gun, well, tough luck. Nothing you can do about that, except move to a safer place. Shoot or be shot I guess.

this sounds like victim blaming and subtle nation bashing.

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Alright, so it's maximum effectiveness that matters, and you know best, better than the police and better than any and all researchers on the subject (not paid for by the NRA). Why don't you just get a HK G36 wth a serrated acid bayonet and a grenade launcher to be safe then? WHy draw the line, wherever it is you draw it currently?

that sounds like a great idea. in fact i think i'll install automated turrets with miniguns as well.

[Pony Soldier]

Rocket launcher

[Yvaelle]

I think the nice thing about pepper sprays is that if you're walking alone at night, you can have it in your hand while walking and no one is really going to notice, or mistake you for an attacker. I'm pretty sure walking around carrying a knife will generate some unwanted attention. Having a knife has the same concerns that other weapon types have, there are concerns about effectiveness unless you have it unleashed and ready to use (perhaps less so than a gun, but still).

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

[Orange Joe]

Yeah, like I said - maybe I am just too carefree in that regard. Or believe too much in the good of people.
Maybe I'd also have a different mindset if something happened. Who knows.


I understand that. I mean, it does come with it downsides too, and I never really felt like not having guns here would be a problem - but if you have the choice, might as well have one yourself.

Even though I support gun control. Guns are not as big of a problem as many like to make them out to be. Only reason we have high gun death numbers is mostly suicides. About 20k of the 30k gun related deaths a year are from suicide.

[yetgdhfgh]

I sincerely hope nobody listens to this advice ever for any reason.

Why not?

/chars

[Doctor Amadeus]

@Celista You could try one of these



It would also double as a very interesting conversation starter with guest.

[Ghostpanther]

Alright, so it's maximum effectiveness that matters, and you know best, better than the police and better than any and all researchers on the subject (not paid for by the NRA). Why don't you just get a HK G36 wth a serrated acid bayonet and a grenade launcher to be safe then? WHy draw the line, wherever it is you draw it currently?

I do have a SKS, which has a bayonet on it. Lol! But rather use the shotgun or .357 mag., that way, no need to worry about using a bayonet.

[Linkedblade]

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.

[Ghostpanther]

You bring up good points. I was thinking about wind, too, in regards to sprays, but I think that's more of a concern with bear spray (which tends to be more of a mist) than pepper sprays, designed for humans, which seem to be more of a stream.

Just tested the pepper spray that arrived in the mail, it was this pathetically tiny stream of pepper spray. Honestly, a newborn infant could pee out a stronger stream than this pepper spray did. Which honestly was pretty shocking to me. This is what they tell people is proper personal defense in emergency situations? I couldn't smell anything at all after using the spray. I'd have to be extremely lucky with aiming the spray into someone's eyes and considering the size of the stream, we would have to be less than a foot or MAYBE two feet for it to hit the target accurately. This was the product https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and I can honestly say the "impressive 10 foot range" was complete fucking bullshit. And it definitely did not provide "powerful stream delivery" as advertised.

Is there a website that actually rates self-defense products objectively? I think these Amazon reviews are bullshit.

I think the nice thing about pepper sprays is that if you're walking alone at night, you can have it in your hand while walking and no one is really going to notice, or mistake you for an attacker. I'm pretty sure walking around carrying a knife will generate some unwanted attention. Having a knife has the same concerns that other weapon types have, there are concerns about effectiveness unless you have it unleashed and ready to use (perhaps less so than a gun, but still).

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Honestly if someone pulled out a hand grenade I would probably laugh out of the sheer ridiculousness of it.

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.

[Theinquisition]

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.

[Ghostpanther]

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

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.

[endersblade]

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.

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.

[Ghostpanther]

@Celista You could try one of these



It would also double as a very interesting conversation starter with guest.

I think she wants something she can carry. lol!

[Yvaelle]

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.

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.

Training with it is important however. And should be a requirement for any gun purchase imo.

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).

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.

That happens all the time ya. Knife > Gun IMO.

[MisterBigglez]

Is it really that bad that you need to carry weapons just to feel safe? Absolute madness.

[Yvaelle]

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.

That is just so bizarre. Can't carry anything capable of causing serious bodily harm... That could literally be almost anything depending on how you use it.

[Doctor Amadeus]

I think she wants something she can carry. lol!

Fine!?

If they really want to rape you or take your shit, they will really have to think about how bad they want it. If they take your shit then they know you're coming with it.