Do you carry a self defense weapon in daily life?
trackercasey76
Posts: 781 Member
In another post I saw that Nunchucks were illegal in NY, and it got me thinking. Do you carry any form of defense weapon in your day to day life?
I live in Michigan and we have pretty decent concealed carry laws. I am certified (State and NRA) concealed carry and pistol instructor. I almost always have my 9MM on me as well as a knife on my belt, the knife is a multi tool type so it's more of a basic tool than it is defense weapon.
I live in Michigan and we have pretty decent concealed carry laws. I am certified (State and NRA) concealed carry and pistol instructor. I almost always have my 9MM on me as well as a knife on my belt, the knife is a multi tool type so it's more of a basic tool than it is defense weapon.
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I keep a steel shafted ball-point pen on me most of the time (which I have trained for SD with).
It's useful as a pen, it's easy to keep with me, and I can even carry it on a plane.
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No. My self-defence concessions for day-to-day life are wearing trainers (never heels), generally trousers that I can kick in, and being piercing-free.
I don't expect piercings would have been my style anyway, but after a couple of impromptu safety lectures on self-defence to the class by the instructor I had as a teen, I've never been able to see nose-rings and such as anything other than a vulnerability.1 -
no i did carry pepper spray in my pocket when going out in my old neighborhood a few years back which was pretty ghetto - but where i live now is quite safe. i do keep a crowbar by the bedside out of habit from living alone as a single woman, but i have never used it on a person.1
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I'm in the UK and it's illegal to carry anything which is intended for use as a weapon without good reason (it's fine to carry to and from lessons but we always transport our weapons by car), this includes kubotan, shuriken, kusari, nunchaku. Knives can only be carried if they have a folding blade less than 3 inches in length and guns are not allowed
Having said that, I keep a kubotan on my key ring, and am currently sleeping with my son's katana (blunt but looks lethal) by the side of my bed. Like HeliumIsNoble I wear trainers almost all the time, when I do wear heels they're chunky boots that I can run in and would do some serious damage aimed at a knee or a groin.
Part of my reason for training in kobudo is that we learn to adapt our techniques to use everyday objects - a walking stick, and umbrella or just a large stick off the ground is easily used in place of a staff. We have had lessons where we have concentrated on using a rolled up newspaper or a shoulder bag as a defensive weapon.
I have never needed to use a weapon to defend myself, but I have noticed recently that as my son gets older/taller he is increasingly becoming a target of verbal attacks, and I worry that it is only a matter of time before someone tries something physical. At 6 feet tall he tends to stand out, and one thing karate/kobudo teaches him is to carry himself with confidence so that hopefully as he gets older people will see him as a threat rather than a challenge.1 -
@LuizH I'm with you on the every day weapons. I hope NEVER to use one, but I want to be able to if ever that day comes. and if it comes down to it in court, training + nearby items is not the same as carrying a weapon.
Here are some cool tactical pens:
https://www.amazon.com/PARKER-Jotter-Ballpoint-Stainless-Chrome/dp/B0017D5WXY
(this is what I carry)
http://gearmoose.com/the-10-best-tactical-pens/
Another good thing for your son.. the fact that he knows what he can do, means he isn't going to be out to prove himself just because some fool decides to challenge him... the power to walk away is the ultimate self defense.0 -
[quote="bwmalone;c-41168281Here are some cool tactical pens:
https://www.amazon.com/PARKER-Jotter-Ballpoint-Stainless-Chrome/dp/B0017D5WXY
(this is what I carry)
http://gearmoose.com/the-10-best-tactical-pens/
[/quote]
I like those, I love the fact that I can fly with them
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And here's me wondering how to get my old broken kitchen knife to the police station for safe disposal without being stopped by the police and being charged with carrying a concealed weapon! (UK)1
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You're supposed to contact the local police station first (on their local phone number, not 999, obviously!) to discuss it and let them know you're coming in.Bluebell2325 wrote: »And here's me wondering how to get my old broken kitchen knife to the police station for safe disposal without being stopped by the police and being charged with carrying a concealed weapon! (UK)
It's like the legislation provisions for how you can get a car to the garage to be MOT'd if the previous MOT has already expired. I've seen people think it has to be towed there, because if the previous one has expired, it's illegal to drive the car on the roads. However, you can drive directly to the garage for a pre-booked MOT appointment, and if stopped by the police you must be able to confirm you have this appointment.
I think we can all see that this is to stop idiots who had no intention of having their car MOT'd claiming "I was just on my way, officer, really" every time they're stopped!
I would personally wrap it up very well in bubble-wrap and tape, and then brown paper. Then, on the outside, write 'broken kitchenware for police station'. Then another carrier bag, and put it in the boot of the car, if you're driving. The object of all this is to make it clear the knife would be inaccessible in a hurry, and couldn't be used opportunistically on the way.
If you are stopped, that will substantiate that you're not just saying, "oh this old thing in the glove compartment/my bag? Oh, I was totally going to drop it off at the station, officer". Then the police officer can confirm with the station that you already said you were going to drop a knife off.
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How do you get a new kitchen knife? I would drive to the local store and buy one, but if you can't transport it, how do you get a new one? Can you order it on line? Can the delivery driver deliver it? WOW, I could not imagine living in a place that I can't even have a kitchen knife.0
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You just walk into a store and buy one. But you leave it in the plastic packaging until you get home.1
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i suppose that's better than carrying it home unwrapped, clenched in your fist on the subway
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That's something I've never considered (transporting sharp tools in UK) - I have heard of the knife problem before, but not expressed in everyday life like this. That's worse than transporting a gun here in the US (in most states)0
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It just isn't a problem. (I'm meticulous enough about the law to have panicked about a house I rented because the rental contract prohibited having offensive weapons on the premises!) But I've bought lots of knives and not worried a bit. Moved house lots, too. No police officer is going to misunderstand new kitchen implements in your shopping bag, not in a million years, not even if you're a student walking home from the 24 hour supermarket at 3am. They're sold in secure packaging. Only carrying a loose blade over three inches would be a problem.
Honestly, I promise.
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my car keys. If I'm in a dangerous situation I'm going to stab them with my keys and run to safety and/or the police. I got the idea for stabbing someone with my car keys from a woman's self defense show I watched lol.1
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Usually being 300lbs and looking like an A-hole is enough to avoid trouble, but I've always thought about it. The legal aspect of it gives me enough of a headache that I've always thought it just wasn't worth it for me. Trying to figure out what's legal and what's not, and then even if it is legal but the police view you as a threat. So many different ways to get yourself killed. I try to depend on situational awareness, and being more of a homebody anyways I'm not likely to be places where trouble is easily found.2
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@jamespatten3576
The legal aspect is daunting, not carrying a weapon per se but just having a black belt and getting in a brawl of any sort.0 -
jamespatten3576 wrote: »Usually being 300lbs and looking like an A-hole is enough to avoid trouble, but I've always thought about it. The legal aspect of it gives me enough of a headache that I've always thought it just wasn't worth it for me. Trying to figure out what's legal and what's not, and then even if it is legal but the police view you as a threat. So many different ways to get yourself killed. I try to depend on situational awareness, and being more of a homebody anyways I'm not likely to be places where trouble is easily found.
Not sure where you are located but I have found exactly the opposite with the police. When the cops find out you are legal to carry they relax a little because you have passed a federal background check and have been looked at extensively. I too am 300 pounds and look like an a-hole (and a 2nd degree black belt) , but I'm too old to get may *kitten* kicked and too young to die.
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trackercasey76 wrote: »jamespatten3576 wrote: »Usually being 300lbs and looking like an A-hole is enough to avoid trouble, but I've always thought about it. The legal aspect of it gives me enough of a headache that I've always thought it just wasn't worth it for me. Trying to figure out what's legal and what's not, and then even if it is legal but the police view you as a threat. So many different ways to get yourself killed. I try to depend on situational awareness, and being more of a homebody anyways I'm not likely to be places where trouble is easily found.
Not sure where you are located but I have found exactly the opposite with the police. When the cops find out you are legal to carry they relax a little because you have passed a federal background check and have been looked at extensively. I too am 300 pounds and look like an a-hole (and a 2nd degree black belt) , but I'm too old to get may *kitten* kicked and too young to die.
Yes, agree, to old to get *kitten* kicked, too young to die. As I said I thought about it. The cops might relax when they find out you're legal to carry, but the way a lot of them are so trigger happy and scared it can become an "if" and not a "when". The news and YouTube are full of videos where cops shoot first and ask questions later. Not convinced it's just a few bad apples anymore. Don't get me wrong, I'm for concealed carry, it just doesn't fit MY needs. I could find myself in a situation where it would be beneficial, and in that case I'm screwed, but at the moment it seems like it has more potential to cause me grief then do me good at the moment, but situations change and are different for everyone.0 -
I grew up in a family that were all active hunters and sportsmen - we had no less than 5 guns in the house at any given time, and I was given no less than 3 guns as birthday presents before the age of 16. I was a competitive trap shooter, and did pistol and rifle quals in the military as well.
But now my take on it is quite a bit different:
I've faced one SD situation in the real world in my life and have had several students over the years that have had to defend themselves as well.
None of these encounters involved guns, and all were resolved with a minimum of injury to the defending party.
I have a cousin who ended up shooting and killing someone in self defense who was on his property. Even though he was technically legal to use lethal force, the legal battle went on for almost 5 years and cost him more money than he wants to admit to the family, but as I understand it.. it's extremely high.
I'm not saying that I would never need one, nor am I disparaging anyone who chooses to carry - but it's just not for me.
So for me, I train with the weapons that I can carry anywhere and are a bit more friendly with the law - mostly my body.1 -
I look at carrying a gun much like wearing my seatbelt. I’m 42 and have never needed my seatbelt. But I wear it everywhere I go just in case I do need it. But it is a very personal choice and one that should not be taken lightly.1
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Hey I live in Canada and don’t carry anything but a pen knife. That’s a tool not a weapon. I can understand smaller people carrying something I guess. I don’t think Americans understand how unusual their gun culture appears to people from other countries. That is not meant to be political, just an observation. It is very unusual.3
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The "Gun Culture" is overblown in the media. Guns are a part of American history, and written in to the constitution. It seems unusual to me to not be allowed by the government to have guns.0
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i think it depends on where in the states you live @trackercasey76 @thecraigferguson. where i lived earlier in some urban ghetto areas - it was a very real problem. i had drive-bys on my street, was in my house when a kid got shot and killed at the end of my block, saw armed police in the middle of the afternoon searching on foot behind the neighbor's house for a suspect, etc. the final straw was when a couple got assaulted right across the street of my house in the evening - the guy was clocked over the head with a pistol and the woman was assaulted in the bushes. i moved out that month. now i live out in the sticks where i can practically leave my door unlocked. but i feel like as a female, there's never a time i leave the house without feeling aware of my surroundings and being slightly on the lookout/defensive.2
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i think it depends on where in the states you live @trackercasey76 @thecraigferguson. where i lived earlier in some urban ghetto areas - it was a very real problem. i had drive-bys on my street, was in my house when a kid got shot and killed at the end of my block, saw armed police in the middle of the afternoon searching on foot behind the neighbor's house for a suspect, etc. the final straw was when a couple got assaulted right across the street of my house in the evening - the guy was clocked over the head with a pistol and the woman was assaulted in the bushes. i moved out that month. now i live out in the sticks where i can practically leave my door unlocked. but i feel like as a female, there's never a time i leave the house without feeling aware of my surroundings and being slightly on the lookout/defensive.
That's not a gun problem, it's a crime problem.0 -
Let's not turn this into a political debate. There are other places for that.1
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I always carry at least one pistol, a flashlight and two knives. But I am also in law enforcement so I have the freedom to do so pretty much anywhere.
I would definitely recommend at least carrying a surefire or streamlight. A bright light is an effective weapon in and of itself, let alone have an impact and control tool in your hand. Thoughts?3 -
BaldIrishMonk wrote: »I always carry at least one pistol, a flashlight and two knives. But I am also in law enforcement so I have the freedom to do so pretty much anywhere.
I would definitely recommend at least carrying a surefire or streamlight. A bright light is an effective weapon in and of itself, let alone have an impact and control tool in your hand. Thoughts?
That is a good idea. It goes in the same vein as I was taught by my previous sensei - use every day items as weapons. I was told that the Okinawans were predominantly farmers and when under Japanese repression they were forbidden to carry weapons. So they used farming equipment to defend themselves - the bo staff was used to carry water, the nunchakas were used for threshing rice, the tonfa was inserted into a communal grinding stone and used as a handle to grind rice grains into flour, etc.
A flash light not only would temporarily blind and disorient an attacker, if it is heavy and sturdy enough could inflict quite a bit of damage!1 -
I live in North Carolina. A state with liberal laws for weapon carry.
Permits for concealed handgun.
EDC. Folded knife and a compact handgun.
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Other than my keys, generally, no, I don't carry anything that is designed to be a weapon outside of my own training and experience. If I'm mildly sketched out by the area I'm in, I will hold my key(s) in 'attack ready.' If I'm on my bike, there's a good chance I'm carrying my helmet, which can double as a (very expensive) club.
Mostly, though, I would go with simple awareness. Being aware of my surroundings, who is where and when - and always having an "out." Some of this stemmed from my martial arts training, a lot of it stemmed from being a cop for awhile, and most of it stems from being a motorcyclist in California where drivers are idiots with 2-ton death machines at their disposal.
Oh, and resting *kitten* face LOL.2
