At a minimum, most people’s EDC consists of a handgun in a good holster and a spare magazine. Other items are available as backups or alternatives to our guns. Some are proven gear like a knife, a flashlight, or a tactical pen. However, others are less effective options. Do an internet search for alternate self-defense weapons, and you will find everything from tactical rings, essentially a one-finger brass knuckle, to cap spikes that consist of a small circle of short spikes that fasten to the back of a ball cap. Ask yourself how effective it will be before buying or committing to carrying anything.
Effectiveness
I am a bit of a minimalist, so anything I carry around with me must be effective, even if I never have to use it. I carry a pressure dressing in my range bag. I have never used it and hope I never have to, but I know that if I need it, it will do the job. Browse through Amazon or go to a gun show, and you will find a host of items that will supposedly save your life if you are violently assaulted. The problem is that no matter how cool some of them seem, many are not effective, and effectiveness is the primary trait we are looking for.
Things to Avoid
Everyone has opinions, and I will admit that this is an opinion piece on so-called self-defensive items that I consider ineffective at best and dangerous at worst. Other people may have different opinions of some of them, and that is fine. Variety is what makes the world go around.
Brass Knuckles
Brass knuckles have been around for a very long time. They are commonly thought to have evolved from the “caestus,” an ancient Roman hand guard made of leather and metal used in gladiatorial events. There is no question of their effectiveness when used in a fistfight, as they can easily rip skin and break a jawbone. However, they are not a good EDC self-defense weapon. For one thing, they are illegal in most states, and even in some states where they are legal, like Alabama, you must have a concealed weapons permit to carry them concealed.
Consequently, using them or even carrying them could land you in trouble. Beyond that, they are slow to deploy since you have to get them out of your pocket and put them on your hand, and even then, they are only effective at very close range. Finally, many of the ones on the market are cheaply made.
Pointy Keychains
Everyone has seen the little metal key chain fobs shaped like a cat’s head with large pointed ears. You are supposed to put your fingers through the eyes and use the pointed ears to defend yourself by jabbing your attacker. I will admit that if an attacker was dragging a woman off, and she could deploy the keychain, ramming it into their hand or face could shock them enough to let go and give her time to escape. Fair enough. But any other attempt to use it would probably be ineffective and might even make the situation worse. The other problem is that under the laws of many states, a keychain designed to be used like that is considered the same as brass knuckles and, therefore, illegal.
Cheap Stun Guns
Even the best stun gun is only marginally effective, and a cheap one is virtually useless. For one, they often do not hold a charge well over time, meaning they could be dead when you pull them out in an emergency. For another, the effectiveness of cheap stun guns is frequently highly exaggerated since claims of stun guns putting out 500,000 or 1 million volts are not possible. The maximum voltage any stun gun can generate from contacts spaced 1 cm/.4″ apart is 30,000 volts. Anything beyond that is unattainable under the laws of physics. Companies get away with claims like that because there are no standards for stun gun manufacturers. Further, while higher voltage may help the charge get through heavy clothing, it is not volts that affect the body; it is amperage. Humans must be hit with at least 5 to 10 milliamps (mA) to register pain, up to 30 mA for even a local muscle reaction, and between 50 and 150 mA to debilitate them. Defibrillators put out 45+mA. But even 100 mA can be fatal, so most stun guns don’t put out enough mA to be effective, or they would have to be classified as a deadly weapon. Add other variables like heavy clothes or someone high on drugs, and it becomes even more uncertain. Finally, a stun gun is not a Taser and only works if you are able to hold it against the other person’s body for a significant period of time.
Collapsible Batons
Collapsible batons have their uses. When a medium-sized dog came at me while on a walk one day, I deployed the collapsible baton I was carrying and hit him squarely alongside his snout. I hit the dog hard enough that it bent the baton so I couldn’t collapse it again, but it did not knock him down or cause any apparent injury, although it did make him back off (before anyone gets indignant because I hit the dog, he had attacked people before and was eventually euthanized). And therein lies the problem with relying on a baton for self-defense in a deadly situation. Batons are compliance tools, especially light telescoping models. They are not designed to incapacitate a person; they are intended to hurt enough to force someone to obey a police officer’s commands. Against a determined assailant, a baton or one of the springy variations will not stop them. It can only cause what the FBI calls a ‘voluntary incapacitation.’ That’s not to say a baton is useless, it can be very effective when used with proper technique, but it is not the best weapon for stopping someone intent on critically injuring or killing someone. On the positive side, batons are legal in all states except California, although in a few freedom-challenged states like New York and Washington, it’s legal to own a collapsible baton but not take it out of your house. Typical.
Wasp Spray
This one comes up all the time. Proponents point out that it is inexpensive and legal to carry in places where OC or pepper spray are not. They also claim it will stop an attacker, but there is no documented evidence that it will stop anything other than a wasp. I’ve had a sudden gust of wind blow it back in my face while using it on my porch, and while it isn’t pleasant, it’s not nearly as painful as CS or OC, and I have experienced being subjected to both of those. If you want an aerosol deterrent, it is better to stick with good-quality OC.
Cheap OC/Pepper Spray
Which brings me to cheap pepper spray, the kind you pick up for a few dollars at a convenience store or gun show. OC incapacitates people by flooding their pores and mucus membranes with Oleoresin Capsicum, a potent irritant derived from hot peppers. When shopping for OC spray, you may see terms like ‘OC percentage’ or ‘Scoville Heat Units’ (SHU) being used. Most OC sprays have between 1% and 10% OC in them, depending on their quality, but that’s not a significant measure of effectiveness. Neither is SHU, which tells you how hot the spray is, sort of like medium or hot when describing chili. Even a high SHU may not mean it’s the best at stopping an attacker. The measure to look for is the MC, or major capsaicinoids, level. The MC level is what actually determines the spray’s effectiveness. Cheap sprays may have around a .2 to 1.0% MC level. Quality sprays will have at least 1.3 to 1.4%. By comparison, a powerful bear spray will have a 2% MC level. A cheap spray probably won’t do much more than irritate an attacker enough to make them angry. Cheap sprays also frequently fail to shoot very far, or even at all, and some have only a single squirt in them, giving someone carrying them a false sense of security. If the brand you are looking at doesn’t tell you the MC percentage, keep looking.
So What Should I Carry?
It may sound like I am saying not to bother with any self-defense tool that isn’t a gun, but that’s not true. What I am saying is don’t trust your life to a gimmicky or cheap item. We all carry a gun that has been proven reliable and effective. There is no reason not to take the same care when selecting a backup or alternative weapon. As I mentioned earlier, knives and tactical pens are proven backup weapons. Kubatans can be effective at grapple range, but they are obviously a weapon, and a quality tactical pen will do the same job with a lower profile. If you want something with more range, a good quality OC spray is an option. IMHO, pointy keychains and cheap stun guns are not particularly effective. But, ideally, the most effective defense is not to become a victim, so keep your eyes open and your head on a swivel.
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