[Saltygoy]

The best weapon imo is a keen since of BS. Living in the French quarter New Orleans for about 8 years I became very keen on who is standing where and why. I could often avoid a conflict before it ever occurred. Brass knuckles were always a favorite for a quick evasion and if they pursue then you put holes in them. I like the indestructible umbrella idea I might see if I can make one out of aluminum. I boxed for two years and two years is more than most people so you’ll have the upper hand. Also living in a majority black area. Wear baggy clothes dress to where you feel like a bum. Much less hassle. Work boots and jeans attract the attention of the undesirable

[Stacey]

I would like to add laser pointers to this list. During a self-defense situation, a laser pointer turned on and aimed at the eyes of your attacker will buy you several seconds, or longer, to make your move.

[Anonymous]

A fair point, but I’m speaking exclusively about self-defense, and under no means do I advocate the use of offensive violence for any purpose outside of Minecraft. Being aware of your surroundings, carrying a torch, wearing practical footwear, taking videos with your smartphone hardly count as militia training. People in the Occident have been largely bred to eschew violence initiated by individuals by long-standing, homogenous cultures, since at least the birth of the modern Nation-states with conscript or volunteer armies, and modern, civic police forces. That epoch is coming quickly to a close, and people who are not inclined to believe that they need to be proactive about the physical safety of themselves, their family, and their property need to acknowledge that.

I was going to write an article about perimeter security as well, but that would probably have to be two articles; urban and rural, or perhaps more accurately, American and European. I think Americans think a great deal more about this than most Europeans do, because of the very-efficient, well-trained, and unrestrained (by Civil Rights laws) police forces of most European countries have had for about two centuries. Americans have always lived in a large, frontier-like land, where the law was enforced locally, and with immediacy, into the modern era. High-trust societies like late-Christian Europe didn’t have aboriginals, blacks, and Chinese coolies running around causing havoc, with few exceptions (Gypsies).

America, shockingly, didn’t even have Federal standards for the training of Federal Law Enforcement officers until the late 1960’s, and I have met former cops who were hired in the early 60’s 30 minutes after arriving in town, given a loaded gun, a uniform, a badge, and a car. No reference, no background check, no formal training, nothing. It’s more rigorous to be an unarmed security guard these days than it was to be a cop for most of America’s history.

[Anonymous]

My thought is, in your other post you say no fed posting. But in my experience a good way to get people to start saying dumb things is to talk about weapons and fighting. So why bring it up? People should be able to figure out how to defend themselves on their own.

[Anonymous]

One thing I learned while traveling overseas is that in some nations, carrying literally anything can be considered a criminal act if a law enforcement officer wants to charge you with carrying it as an offensive tool (pepper shakers, scissors, a large, dry salami, etc), so your best bet is to maintain plausible deniability for any tool you carry. That is, you should carry items that normal people might keep on their person for any number of daily activities, i.e., not a large, dry salami, since it’s doubtful that you’d eat that whole thing for lunch. Examples of things you might carry that make excellent defensive tools (when you cannot legally carry a gun, baton, pepper spray, or a knife) are:

1) Canes or walking sticks. These are especially useful if you want to act like a cripple, or have had actual knee injuries in the past, and you can carry them anywhere, even on airplanes. However, if you’re young and fit, it’s gonna stand out like a sore thumb, and it may also have the negative side effect of making you look like an easy ‘marke’ for criminals who think you won’t be able to run away.

2) High-powered flashlights. This used to be a rather expensive option, but nowadays, even bog-standard standard illumination tools are brighter, cheaper, and longer-burning than Surefire-brand flashlights of 20 years ago. In any kind of terrorist attack darkness is your best friend. For example, during the Mumbai Massacre of 2008, in one of the locations (the Taj Hotel, IIRC), quick-thinking security personnel shut off all the lights, and allowed victims to hide from the grenade and rifle-wielding Islamic gunmen, who were better-armed than the worthless police. Under the cover of darkness later that night, firefighters were able to rescue some 200 hostages by placing ladders at the windows, and letting them climb down. If you are on the interior of a building during a terror attack, disable anything that illuminates the area; terrorists don’t carry NVGs. Stay put once you find some place dark, and if you’re found, blind them with your flashlight, and FLEE. Delusional Gameness will get you killed: “This is a land of wolves, and you are not a wolf.”

3) ‘Unbreakable’ umbrellas. These are a personal favorite of mine, offering all the benefits of a cane or walking stick with fewer drawbacks; like a cane, you can carry them on airplanes without suspicion. However, if you’re traveling in a desert region, this will look a bit odd. Make sure you use it as a parasol if it isn’t raining; better to look like a weirdo than a paranoid who carries an umbrella on a bright, sunny day in an arid region.

4) I hate to say it, but SMART PHONES. Yes, this insidious surveillance-device has likely had a bigger impact on the reduction of crime in North America than abortion has (note: I think the Freakonomics explanation for the reduction in crime rates is a demonstrable and abominable lie). PRO TIP: Don’t carry a newish phone. If it’s expensive, it WILL make you a target for thieves, unless you’re built like a Viking. A slightly-less desirable smartphone will have UHD video, streaming technology, a lockable interface, voice recording, GPS data, and, uhhh, I think they work as phones as well, but I don’t know. The ability to call 9-1-1, 9-9-9, 7-7-7 or whatever the hell it is in your country is certainly an effective deterrent to criminal activity ESPECIALLY IF YOU TAKE VIDEO OF THEM! Do not take still photos; always rely on video, since stills from video can be captured and used as photos of equal resolution, and you also get sound; even if you get attacked and knocked about, and don’t get any clear images, an audio record of the events is invaluable to a victim (sometimes even more so than video). When in doubt, take a video; that’s 30-60 pictures a second.

5) Water bottles. What? Yes, but keep it full; don’t drink out of it. Carrying a water bottle is seen as totally pedestrian these days, but in a pinch, you can WAIL ON A MOFO with a FULL water bottle. You get a single-walled, stainless steel water bottle with a good gripping handle, such as a nylon sling, and you’re bloody dangerous.

6) Practical Footware. I taught a female-oriented marksmanship class once, and I noted that there was about 20 women (and three men there), and only one (man) was wearing shoes; everyone else was wearing flip-flops, sandals, heels, etc. “You all are aware that we’re going to be shooting on an outdoor range after this, yes?” said I. Ladies, I love your legs (and that area just above them), but for the love of all that is holy, WEAR SHOES YOU CAN RUN IN. ALWAYS. If you’re not with a man who can fight a pack of chimps off, wear tennis shoes. I don’t care if your female friends mock your fashion sense; you need to be able to run. No sandals, no flipies/shower-slides, no heels, no platforms, none of that silly shit. Men, stop being lazy when you go to the store; you can put on some shoes. Your life is worth more than fashion or convenience, and running barefoot across a parking lot after a bomb goes off is not at all fun, I imagine. Bonus: Keep your nails short. If you have to punch someone, having long-finger nails will hurt you as more than them, and if your nails break off, it’s VERY PAINFUL FOR YOU. Hitting with the palm of your hands “Tiger Claw” style is MUCH more effective than a fist, but most people don’t know a palm-strike from an electric bike.

7) KEEP YOUR HEAD ON A SWIVEL. Be aware of everything that is going on around you. If someone makes the hairs on your neck stand up, do not ignore that feeling; it is borne of several thousand years of evolution, including knowledge about people you didn’t know you had. Fuck being impolite; if someone makes you feel uneasy, stare at them; mean-mug them. If you think they’ll confront or attack you, make a scene; shout obscenities at them, knock on the doors of random houses or apartments; go into buildings or places you’re not supposed to if the door is unlocked, and close the door behind you, RUN, anything to get away from them, or put them on the backfoot. Perspicacity is your best weapon. Judo only helps if you’ve failed to be wary.

Thoughts?

[Author]

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