I recently got these things cause some of y'all on my other question said I was being too extreme packing on my road trip so I decided to invest in other self defense weapons to stay safe. But now I'm wondering if these are actually any better?
When traveling somewhere new, do you bring a weapon for protection?
And yes I understand in some places knuckles and stun guns are illegal. I'm speaking in general are self defense weapons helpful for protecting women?
You should be mindful of the local laws and ordinances concerning conceal carry restrictions or prohibitions on items classified in that area as nuisance or mischief weopons, which are weopons that are perceived by law enforcement as having no utility or practical use other than to cause problems and injure someone unnecessarily. If a police officer does not see a particular weopon as effective in inflicting the least amount of physical damage or pain necessary to save a life in the face of imminent threat of death, but that weopon can cause injury in an assault or from carelessness by the owner of that weopon, than it may fit that criteria of an object or device that only has the potential for inflicting great bodily harm without benifit as a hunting tool or for self defense. Throwing stars, darts, brass knuckles, switchblades, and any other such device or implement targeted by legislation in that state or community as intended for malicious mischief or criminal assault. Throwing darts and those sticks with the metal studs in the head that truckers use to check air pressure in their tires have been targeted as unintended weopons by the manufacturer but to dangerous to be legally owned or carried. The sticks truckers use are rarely an issue with police officers if it is found in the possession of an interstate trucker on a delivery run, but can be an excuse to search a vehicle or person that does not seem to have a legitimate reason for carrying such a tool on their person or inside the passenger side of their vehicle. In plain sight might look less suspicious than under the driver's side seat or under a trench coat, depending on the circumstances the suspect is being searched for.
Brass knuckles are not a self defense weapon, and only has utility as a conversation piece or a method of inflicting defeating tissue damage or life threatening internal or cranial injuries in a they just viscously premeditated assaulted or torture. Mob interrogation scenes in Quinton Tarantino movies come to mind. Brass knuckles are illegal to carry, if not own outright, in some parts of the United States.
The best defense against aggression or assault is prevention. Being proactive in avoiding a dangerous situation is always going to be more effective in protecting your health and property than any options for defense you intend to utilize after the fact. You will never be able to draw a weopon fast enough to defend yourself in a blind ambush or a situation where you may not have the calm demeanor or attitude to methodically draw a weopon and use it effectively. If you only become aware of an attack by the introduction of a bullet to the back of your head or a knife blade running the width of your throat than you are dead before you realize it's to late to defend yourself.
Using what you have in your hand to distract an attacking blow or distract an assailant with a blinding blow to the eye or nose can be achieved with 1 second's advanced notice, and you don't need a lot of force to buy yourself valuable second's that can save your life by contacting authorities or seeking protection in a crowd of people or a secure structure, like a car or home.
Weopons that look dangerous will attract the wrong kind of attention from police authorities or paranoid people who also carry weopons and use poor judgement when defending themselves against a perceived threat, when you might be mistaken for a perpetrator, rather than someone just trying to hard to avoid becoming a victim. People who perceive themselves as targets of violent crime tend do more damage to like-minded people who also carry weopons, than dangerous criminals looking for an easy mark usually do.
Don't become a victim of your own lack of foresight 🤕⚰️🥀
I mean there is both sides you either use the weapon effectively getting away or they use it on you themselves.
What happens is either good/bad luck or some skill but in reality you are not gonna know until it happens. Therefore it's always a gamble. To myself I am not a gambling man really so to go out of my way to get a weapon just to gamble shrugs.
And I am sure most people wouldn't know how to react in such a situation, even people with training have known to freeze up in a real action case imagine getting your weapon out to only freeze sounds bad to me. But also you may not freeze and it may go down exactly the way to get you out.
Sounds like a bad hand to me though. Which is why I am more on the side not a fan of self defence weapons. However a spray I think works much better it don't need to be pepper spray even just a lynx I carry around anyway what do you think that would do to someone if sprayed directly at their face?
It would not hurt them permanently granted but it don't need to, it's merely a distraction to get away. I know if I was attacking someone they sprayed that into my face I would be more focused on the face my eyes are now stinging and I need to rub them or find water.
But also who knows maybe the attacker just ignores it power of will focusing on you rather than his pain. Which is plausible.
Overall no matter what I try to say it kinda always looks bad. Which is why it's just better and simpler to be with other's, power in a group and if one wants to be alone it's a gamble either way if a fateful day of an attacker comes. It's a dammed if you do, dammed if you don't.
As I said in my opinion on that last question I just agree with more the laws set here on them which is mostly a negative view of having them along with just never felt concern about such things (Indeed there is a difference somewhat between been a woman and man there). Though I do go more positive on a spray kinda thing since it's a pretty simple thing to use and you could just so happen to have it anyway.
Another thing weapons I suppose is they need to be somewhere you can get to them. Now an attack may notice a specific weapon on you unlike compared to an everyday item so there is a technical advantage to having something to surprise an opponent, if you try to pull out a knife he may know exactly how to respond and was pre-paring for that. Again though spray has become common knowledge to the same effect really.
Honestly best option would be to find something that is not a weapon but can be so if needed that they wouldn't see coming. Personally I always had an idea of using my house keys just to try jam into somewhere that hurts as it's always in my pocket easy to get out and unexpected and small by the way I am not saying this would be effective at all lol just something that always randomly floats in my mind.
Yeah... if they get close. I just get a glock or a byrna and that'll do it for me. But items like this like brass knuckles, keychains... stun gun... can help IF they get close enough to touch them. Brass knuckles probably won't work because that means you gotta hit them and they can't fight back or stop your punch. So your opponent needs to be blind and small as a baby for these to work.
However, the kitty ring is really good. had one of those until i scratched myself with the thing, and took it off. And the ran off from me somehow. :(
Self defense classes/training is the best, combined with the weapons. Someone with no training carrying them around, fairly useless unless your attacker is pretty bad at attacking you.
In rural America here, calling the police is a hour long prospect, running away isn't really an option as they can chase and know they got the time to hunt you down and catch you.
Bear spray is good too, on people.
Opinion
99Opinion
This is a basic Carhartt jacket. It will defeat every last one of those gas station self "defense" tools. Stun guns and tasers must make direct contact with skin in order for them to achieve maximum effectiveness. With enough drugs in ones system, they are rendered useless as well.
This is a Ka-bar, it will fuck your shit up.
This is a Glock 19. It will also fuck your shit up.
Some variation of the above two items are the only proven self defense tools that I would stake my life on. "B-b-b-but I live in (sht-hole country that treats me like cattle), I can't have those things!"
I would say any weapon with any kind of range.
1) Fire arm. (Lethal)
2) Pepperball gun. (Non-lethal)
3) Taser. (Less-than-lethal)
Of course, these may or may not come with legal issues, though if you value your life, then it should be worth it.
But to be perfectly honest with you, any weapons you have are only as effective as your awareness in the best case scenario. Because if you allow an attacker to get too close to you, then you're options start to plummet rapidly. Especially if you're a woman being overpowered by a male. Having a pocket knife or pepper spay should only be considered as a *last resort,* because at that point, you're in serious trouble.
Most attackers prefer to ambush. Not only that, but they would also like to deal with you as FAST as possible, even with witnesses watching. Once you take these things into account, you'll start to realize that being alert and aware of your surroundings is your BEST line of defense. That, and having friends around.
My number one recommendation is pepper spray. It's probably the best combination of most effective, non-lethal, easy to use and cheap. One needs to use it once or twice (take note of wind direction!) to get a feel for what it will and won't do, the range, etc, but it's really great. I carry one in my motorcycle gear, (Moto being my main mode of transport, so I'm wearing it 75%-90% of the time when I go out).
The issue I have with all the things you listed is you have to be in close quarters with the assailant, whereas pepper spray can be used up to around 20' away (I think waiting for them to close to 10'-15' is the most effective and still relatively safe range). Brass knuckles, knives, Kuboton-type weapons require some prowess or skill to use. Brass knuckles can improve your punch, but you still have to be able to punch. Knives honestly are probably more dangerous to an unskilled user than they are worth, aside from a scare factor, and if the scare factor doesn't work and you end losing the knife to an attacker (who may have gotten a small injury that just made them more angry), that's bad news.
I don't know what you were packing previously, but I'm assuming a gun (s)? While that is fine to keep in the car for an extreme situation, having a pepper spray in your pocket is much less liability, light and easy.
Most of those are illegal to carry in California, especially if they are all plastic and undetectable by metal detectors, they fit over the knuckles, or any knife that is disguised as something else.
Anyway, all of those weapons are weapons of absolutely LAST resort. They all require you to be way too close to a bad guy - who is almost certainly bigger, stronger, and has longer reach. They are also weapons that are mostly only useful when used by surprise - they are too easy to defend against if he is anticipating the attack. They are certainly better than nothing at all, but only by a small margin, and you would really need both surprise and an iron will to survive - even if you severely wound or kill your attacker in the process, and even if YOU are severely injured in the process.
A gun is a much better option, but you would also need training - on the order of once a week for 6 months - before you are going to have a real advantage AND have enough experience to not get yourself in serious legal trouble (you are criminally and civilly responsible for every round you fire). That's exactly the same thing I tell men, by the way.
The good news (in the US anyway) is that concealed carry is available in most states, and in 25 of the 50 states, they have Constitutional carry, meaning if you can legally own a handgun, you can carry it concealed, no permit necessary.
A female college friend of mind carries a small billy club in her purse. I asked her if she has ever used it. She said once. She was leaving a bar, around 1:00 AM and this creep was following her. She turned around and screamed at him to fuck off. He walked forward to her and she grabbed her billy club and cracked him across the face. He went flying off unconscious on the ground. She got in her car and took off.
I always wondered what if he was just walking to his car, which was next to hers?
Only with the knowledge of how to use them and a willingness to do so. If your fear response is freeze or flee, those things are useless. You’re better of with pepper spray and/or a blinding flashlight. A whistle and air horn wouldn’t be bad ideas either.
If you have a striking weapon you will have to strike the person for it to be effective and you can't just do it a little if someone is really determined enough to assault you they probably won't back down if you just it them once with something spiky.
I'd say something like pepper spray is probably easier because you just have to push the button and yes some people can overcome pepper spray but it will affect them a lot no matter what and you can run away while they're stunned/surprised.
With striking a lot of women never do this and in a panic it can affect you and it can be easy to avoid or shrug off. If you have some kind of training and experience then yes but otherwise I wouldn't say this will keep you safe.
Yes they can be, but you need to be drilled in using them under pressure.
I would say that pepper spray, and a pointed kubotan are the best options for most people.
Knives are okay, but are potentially lethal, guns are good outside of close quarters, when they're likely to be taken from a weak person and used against them. Lethal weapons also require a martial mindset and the ability to kill with intention, to be used properly, hesitation will likely lead to being disarmed.
Hope it helps. Whatever items you choose, make sure you practice with them.
Fight on sailor scouts LoL
It depends on if the woman can use them effectively or not. Most stun guns are bullshit and won't stop anybody. The problem with stun guns is you have to get too close to your attacker and they can just grab your arm if you're not fast enough.
Don't listen to these fucking idiot snowflake liberals, they are not going to be there to save your ass. Always take your gun when you go on a road trip and never travel alone unless you have to. Do the best you can to ensure your safety and survival and don't ever think twice about it. You may have to pull over on the side of the road at night to take a piss or for a flat tire, and the wrong kind of help might pull up behind you out in the middle of nowhere. What the fuck are you going to do then? Wait 20 minutes for the cops?
Not really. You need a gun if you're serious about protecting yourself. Only in the case where it's illegal to have that gun should you consider something else, and even that should be something you can engage at a distance. You'll lose in close combat to a man. The people claiming you're too extreme are idiots.
I suppose, if you know how to use them, and are very skilled in hand to hand combat, then YES! But without the appropriate training, do I think that 5ft,1in me weighing less than 120lbs could beat a 6ft 2in 280lbs man because I had brass knuckles? NO! Not a Friggin chance! A concealed firearm, on the other hand? Now that’s an equalizer!
Unless you're a badass, no weapon that requires you to be proficient with it to be effective is gonna save you.
They'll just grab your wrist and take it from you, thus possibly using it on you
It's better than nothing obviously and you might get lucky, but a gun and some training will go a lot further in keeping you safe
Hell, no.
If your assailant is close enough for any of those items to be useful then he's also close enough to take them from you and to assault you.
Also, their effectiveness depends directly upon your strength, speed, and mental clarity in a moment of extreme fear and panic.
Lastly, those weapons are meant to cause substantial pain but they're very unlikely to stop an attacker's body from functioning enough to bring the attack to an end. If there are drugs and/or alcohol involved your attacker may not even be able to register any pain. You must significantly impact their body's ability to follow their brain's perverse instructions.
If a firearm isn't an option then a quality pepper spray is your best choice. Make sure to get one that shoots out like silly string and feels like a heavy oil. It will be much less likely to blow back at you in a breeze and will be more difficult for them to remove from their eyes, sinuses, etc.
Good luck.
Consider just getting a *really* powerful torch.
You can blind someone with it, get more information yourself to make informed decisions and use it as a blunt weapon if need be.
You can use it to alert others about the situation getting help.
And unlike those other weapons it could help against someone armed with a gun as the light beam is effective at some range and instantly.
And using it won't necessarily be considered a attack allowing you to avoid triggering agressive behavior in a number of situations.
You can then follow up with one of those other tools.
And it's useful outside of battle and won't be considered a weapon in most situations, so less need to worry about being shot by day law enforcement etc for using it.
I can't say yes or no it depends on the women and the situation. I man just having then is not enough you have to know how to use them, then knowing how to do some does not mean you would be or are effective at using it.
I think you brain is the best and most effective weapon.
No I don't carry weapons, I mean I have knife in my car because that's more of tool then anything... but in a pinch I would use it as a weapon. But it does not make me feel any more or less safe knowing its there. I mean I have never stabbed anyone so who can say if I pulled a knife that that would make me safer or put me at great risk. It all depends on the situation and how well you use your brain. But people that carry weapons usually tend to default to the weapon before their brain can kick in.
Generally those self defense gimmicks like brass knuckles, kitty rings, kubatons, balls and chains, etc. aren't very practical and can actually end up hurting you more than your attacker. Nothing but a gun is 100% and even then: it all depends on the skills of the user. If I were you I'd either get a stun gun or mace. Pepper spray is so strong it will have you coughing just to be near the guy after you spray him down, so you can imagine what it would do to him. If I'm not packing heat then I couldn't trust my life to a dinky spiked thing that barely fits my hand.
Whatever has the most stopping power that a woman is actually willing to use. A gun is the simplest but most normal people, in the moment, have a problem with possibly killing someone even if it is to save their own life. One of the reasons for this is because it is rare for an assailant to just roar and charge at you. There are usually a lot of hints leading up to it but never much that is definite until they have assured themselves that they have controlled/disarmed you. So when do you shoot? When does one decide that a person can no longer be classified as socially awkward but instead classified as a threat. That line is real hard to draw and can be crossed well before there is time to react..
they all can be helpful and useful. THe issues is you have to fully commit to wanting to damage the person up close and personal with those. Not every woman will feel comfortable jamming a spiked weapon into the flesh of another human, so they might hesitate at the most crucial moments.
I think a woman should carry pepper spray, maybe some brass knuckles and a knife.
The kitty rings, you maybe can use instead but you should be thinking Bout the situation you're gonna use this stuff.
Are you sure you're the type of person to full force punch someone in the face or neck with a kitty ring on? Are you going to remember to really put your body and hips into the swing so it penetrates? It's not easy as movies make it seem to stab someone.
Look deary, any untrained weapon you carry can be just as easily used against you. In my youth numerous times I disarmed and beat shit out of rival gang members.
So don't think simply carrying a gun or spray is going to help you. You need to LEARN to defend yourself. Not simply buy shit off the shelf and hope it defends you!
The reason people suggest self defence classes instead of just "packing" is two fold. Not only do you train to carry yourself better and learn how to spot and overcome threats. But you build a more confident and active mindset that assailants abhor.
They want easy victims, not ones who will fight back. If 100% of your fight is a knuckle duster, then you're basically already a victim when it falls out your shaking hands.
You can also add your opinion below!
