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Do You Need a Weapon? Most martial arts experts agree an armed fighter almost always has the advantage over the unarmed fighter -- even if the unarmed man is proficient in empty hand self-defense. One obvious lesson is to avoid any conflict against armed opponents. The other is that maybe you should consider carrying a weapon. Is this an option for you? What if you are absolutely against using weapons of any kind? There are a number of choices you can make in the "non-lethal" category. Some of these items receive heavy promotion and they seem like they should work. Unfortunately, many of them don’t work at all and can’t really be considered weapons. On the other end of the force spectrum, some self-defense weapons -- like high-power rifles or combat knives – might not be the best choice for you either. Surprisingly, your choices will mostly come down to three types of weapons; impact weapons, edged weapons or projectile weapons. Still you ask yourself, do I need a weapon? Generally, experts advise that you should use a weapon to defend against another weapon. In other words, you employ deadly force to protect yourself from deadly force. Defending yourself from someone with a weapon with only empty hand techniques could be the most challenging task advanced fighters will ever undertake. For the average citizen, it is almost entirely catastrophic. Take "Angelina", for example. After being served with an order of protection, her estranged husband kicked in the door to Angelina’s apartment and began brutally stabbing her. Pausing in his murderous onslaught, the ex-husband walked back to the front door in order to close it. Angelina lunged for the phone in the bedroom and dialed ‘911’ for help. The ex-husband, further enraged, began stabbing her again. A male neighbor, alerted by Angelina’s screams charged empty-handed into the apartment to help, only to be driven out by the ex-husband’s slashing knife. Angelina fled the apartment in a desperate attempt to escape the deadly attack. The ex-husband pursued her. Arriving police officers drove up to the scene even as the ex-husband continued to stab and kick her. Well, I’m not divorced you say. Some people advocate making an assessment about your lifestyle and your neighborhood to ascertain whether it makes sense to own a weapon. They claim that other factors, such as children in the household, should also make up a part of your decision-making process. We seem to have forgotten that in days very recently gone by, almost every farm, ranch and rural household already HAD a weapon (so there was not really a choice to be made). There is also a huge increase of stranger-on-stranger violence which comes from the increased mobility we have as a society. So no matter how nice and protected your neighborhood, you will most likely have to leave it at some time and venture into a world where evil dwells. Others say, well, that’s what we have police for. The police are only obligated to protect society in general. They are not responsible for your safety and, in fact, cannot be held liable for your death, even if they are negligent in some entirely gross way. However fast your city’s police response time, it won’t be fast enough to prevent your homicide. For me, I think of weapons like my spare tire in my car. Of course I hope I never have to use it, but I want it with me when I drive. Considerations Author Oscar Diaz-Cobo feels there are a number of considerations when choosing a weapon:
Generally, weapons fall into a few broad categories.
Below are some weapons with which you should be familiar and
some which you should forget: This is a great weapon. It's non-lethal, it's convenient to carry (although there are restrictions as to where you can carry it like courthouses, airlines, Federal buildings, etc.), and you can keep your attacker at a distance. There are several varieties that can coat the attacker with a UV dye allowing for later identification. There are some that produces a foam which expands essentially blinding the attacker. Baton/Flashlight This is a good weapon if you have the training. You will want to consider is one of the heavy, 'C'-cell police flashlights from Maglight. The new telescoping steel batons are becoming extremely popular. They are compact, light and generate an intimidating sound when they are expanded. Handgun Probably the single most equalizing weapon anyone can possess. There is a plethora of information surrounding firearms. There are continuing and raging debates about effectiveness of different calibers, makes of weapons and so forth. Don't be intimidated. Educate yourself. A female firearms instructor named Paxton Quigley has a great book out called Armed and Female which is simply outstanding. Another great book on the subject is Massad Ayoob's In the Gravest Extreme. Both cover all you'll need to know about this weapon. Get good advice and test fire a number of handguns until you find one you like. A super important point here -- Don't let anyone talk you into a more powerful handgun than you are comfortable with. If you feel anxious with your weapon you won't practice. And if you don't practice, you won't be competent. And if you're not competent... Shotgun The 12 gauge shotgun has been called by Massad Ayoob the most destructive device a civilian can own short of a hand grenade. If you are smaller, a 12 gauge might be too much to handle and even a 20 gauge still kicks a lot. There are a number of 410 gauge models that you might feel comfortable with. You should consider this weapon for home defense, but you won't be able to carry it with you anywhere else. Rifle Typically, most pundits say a modern large caliber rifle is overpowered for most urban self-defense scenarios. However, there is a growing school of thought that considers a carbine firing an intermediate caliber like a .223 (5.56 NATO) or a 7.62 x 39 to be more superior than a shotgun for some (especially if you are a smaller-framed person). Generally, these carbines are more compact than a shotgun, are easier to shoot, hold more rounds and can be reloaded more quickly than a shotgun. I would also consider a rapid firing .22 rifle to be a good weapon if only because it is easy to shoot. If you live in a rural environment, rifles are probably something you should seriously consider. However, there is a very real danger in rifle bullets continuing far, far beyond your target should you miss. Knife Knife fighting is a particularly savage form of combat. A knife is such a lethal weapon that just flailing away with a kitchen knife can produce dramatic results. I have met some very proficient and very deadly knife fighters. I'm not a big knife person -- your handgun is about the same size as a fighting knife and you don't even have to get close to your attacker to use it. Plus there is an old saying that you "don’t want to take a knife to a gunfight." However, most experts in this area see a knife as an indispensable tool that can be carried when you can't carry a gun. Key Chain/Key Spike This looks good and even sounds like a good weapon. These are the long chains which you put your keys on or those key rings with the spikes which come out between your knuckles. Unfortunately, the chain is hard to control unless you have previous experience with flexible weapons. If you train with nunchaku (Okinawan flail) then this could be a good choice for you. The spikes which come from between your fingers are only effective if you have a good punch. My recommendation would be to pass on both unless you are working on serious martial arts skills. Stun gun This, too, looks like it would be very threatening and would require very little strength to use. In reality, however, you have to hold it against someone in an unprotected area. The small consumer stun guns don't do much more than sting real bad. Don't believe the ads that say it will instantly drop an attacker to his knees. I don't carry one, nor would I buy one for my wife. Taser One of the new tasers, however, is a different story. These units could be the most revolutionary personal protection devices since Samuel Colt's revolver. Now you can have an entirely non-lethal device which can stop an attacker at a distance. They have a great success rate (anywhere from 80% to 90%) but they are not perfect. These are good options for people who do not want to keep a firearm in the house. Improvised weapons Environmental weapons can be found everywhere. You just have to open your mind to recognizing them. Basically, if you can smash somebody with it, cut somebody with it or launch it at someone, you’ve found yourself a weapon. Improvised weapons can include: Pen/pencil Beer bottle/mug Ashtray Hammer Chair Scissors Screwdriver/ice pick Pipe/club Shovel You might even consider throwing rocks if you can. Don’t laugh. Geoff Thompson says someone hurling ashtrays like frisbees in one club in which he worked wreaked incredible damage to innocent bystanders and property as well. Weapons are Part of Your Self-Defense System "Fear no man of any size, call on me and I’ll equalize". Common engraving on frontier firearms
When you are required to physically defend yourself or your loved ones, you have to have a full spectrum of options. This will most likely progress from empty-handed techniques to an impact weapons, to an edged weapon and then, finally, to a firearm. I don’t know of any martial artist who advocates NEVER using a weapon. Geoff Thompson is a famous English bouncer who has won more than 300 fights on the street during his career. He tells of many fights that involved weapons such as baseball bats and knives. He alludes to the fact that there have been times when he was "packing" everyday. I assume he means a firearm, despite the strict gun laws in the United Kingdom. Because he is threatened often with "comebacks" (revenge visits from defeated foes) he keeps a weapon in every room of his house. Here is a man who might be one of the most accomplished martial artists of the last two decades and he still feels the need for a weapon You might want to check out the following self-defense videos with more information: Gunfight Simulation for Self-Defense
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