Self-Defense Items for Everyday Carry
Not all of us have the luxury of years or decades of martial arts, military or self-defense training to fall back on in case we find ourselves in a position where we need to defend ourselves. The best thing you can do is to learn a few key moves and understand some simple concepts to give yourself a fighting chance.
However, even after studying and practicing various self-defense techniques, you still may not feel confident in your ability to defend yourself or your family. That’s OK, because there are alternatives to unarmed self-defense and hand-to-hand combat that you can use to increase your chances of surviving a deadly encounter. The next best thing is to even the odds with some items that you should carry with you.
You don’t need to carry all of these items all the time, but you could carry at least one or two of these self-defense items for everyday carry with you at all times.
These include:
Pepper Spray – Easy to carry (such as on a key chain) and good against one or multiple attackers. Pepper spray is considered legal in all 50 states, but cannot legally be shipped to certain states. It is restricted to some extent just about everywhere in terms of how strong it can be.
Pepper spray can not only cause temporary blindness, but pain, problems breathing, and panic to the person getting sprayed. Test spray it once every few months to make sure it is in good working order.
When using it, spray in short bursts from side-to-side into your attacker’s eyes and face. The pain and temporary blindness that results will take the fight out of most people. The most important thing to remember is that you must be able to access it quickly! After you use it – run!
Some people feel that pepper spray isn’t that effective. However, if that were the case, why are police officers, prison guards and others issued pepper spray as part of their equipment? They have it because it works. Don’t believe me? Have someone spray you with it!
Check your local state and local ordinances with regard to the use and strength of pepper spray where you live, work, vacation, etc. Note that it cannot be taken on a plane!
Kubotan key chain – excellent all-around weapon that can be used for lethal and non-lethal use depending upon the target. A strike to your attacker’s solar plexus will hurt but not kill whereas a pinpoint strike to their temple just might.
Other targets to hit include the nose, side of neck, face, collarbone, wrist, throat, and eyes. Use with discretion and caution! Kubotans are widely available, and come in several styles including some that double as a pen. They can also be used on a keychain.
Kubotans can be used to poke, strike or as leverage against a wrist or finger joint, for example. Most people have no clue just how effective a fairly innocent looking kubotan-style weapon can be. Some look like and double as pens, so to the untrained observer, it just looks like a pen. However, in the hands of someone with the knowledge of how to use it, it can be an extremely effective self-defense weapon that should be in everyone’s arsenal. I strongly recommend professional instruction on its use.
Some of the more common ways a kubotan can be used are as follows:
- against a choke (strike the hand/wrist to loosen grip; strike front of throat just above breastbone or press down into the collarbone/clavicle area – pressing in this area will cause your assilant to drop to the ground)
- against a wrist grab (press into the “webbing” or wrist joint and escape/break out of their grip; follow up with a strike)
- against a front attack (strike the forearm, solar plexus, throat, side of neck, temple, chest, under chin, eyes)
- against a punch (meet the punch with the kubotan plus any of the strikes mentioned above)
- against a kick (strike the top of foot, side of calf, inside of thigh or groin, plus any of the strikes mentioned above)
Getting instruction in the effective use of a kubotan is highly recommended.
Pocket Folding Knife – You need a quality knife; not some cheap $5 or $10 blade but a good quality liner-lock style for maximum strength. Most people are not comfortable with carrying a longer full-tang blade knife simply due to their larger size, but that would be the optimum choice. Larger, full-tang blades may not be able to be carried in your local area, so check local laws before buying a knife that many not be legal for you to carry.
My personal everyday carry knife is the “Mirage” from Colombia River Knife and Tool and is pictured below. CRKT makes great, durable, and reasonably priced knives, and no, I am not getting paid to write that! I’ve had the same knife for over 10 years and it is still going strong! That is the difference that a good quality knife will make.
A small neck knife that is full-tang and there when you need it is another option. The “Magnum Lil’ Friend” from Boker features a 2″ blade and is only 4.5″ long overall. These are just two options; there are thousands to choose from. The “Magnum” is roughly half the size of the “Mirage” which has a 2.75″ blade and 7″ when open; 4″ when closed. Again, check with your local jurisdiction’s laws regarding limitations on carry knives.
Knives are tricky in that they can easily be lost/taken away and used against you. Instruction in proper grip and retention techniques are essential. In some cases a knife wound can be worse than a gun shot since a knife has the ability the slice through major arteries and veins causing a person to bleed to death very quickly. Superficial wounds aren’t the concern, but those to major blood vessels are.
In the event you or another person is cut and bleeding heavily, apply pressure, elevate the wounded area above their heart if possible and get help immediately. Seriously bleeding wounds can cause a person to lose consciousness quickly, and depending upon the amount of blood lost, death may soon follow – sometimes in only a few minutes.
Some quick stats for you:
The average man has 10 pints of blood. Losing 1 pint is the same as donating blood, so it’s not that big of a deal and your body can replace that in around 24 hours. Once you lose 2 pints, you will start to feel cold, dizzy and may begin to go into shock. After losing 3 pints, your internal organs and your brain begin to shut down and you will lose consciousness. Once you lose 4 pints, it’s lights out – permanently.
Prepare yourself mentally for this and other scenarios before you are forced to deal with it under extreme duress.
Tactical / Defensive Flashlights – Just like a quality knife is indispensable, so is a quality flashlight. Shopping can be a confusing and frustrating experience since there are so many options out there.
Simplify your choices by deciding among the major types of flashlight such as LED, tactical, rechargeable, etc. Then drill down into the details such as size, lumen intensity, hi/low/strobe, belt clip, battery life and other features. Make a list of the features you want before shopping.
High-power flashlights can be used to temporarily blind your attacker, but many also can be deployed as bludgeon-type weapons. Larger flashlights can be very effective as a club or used to provide greater leverage when executing various self-defense techniques.
Some compact models also have “teeth” on the end that can be used for gouging and scratching. They can capture scraps of flesh that can be potential DNA evidence used to catpure your attacker.
Two examples are the E2D LED Defender and the Pelican L4, but check out the various options available to you based on the features outlined above to determine the best one for you.
Firearms – to even try to cover the topic of defensive firearms would take an entire book. However, there are a few things to keep in mind if you are going to be using a firearm for self-defense.
First, is it for home defense only or for everyday carry when you are out and about? If you are lucky enough to live in a state where you can get a concealed carry permit, a decision you have to make is whether or not you are comfortable carrying and handling a firearm. With the proper training, it’s the ultimate self-defense weapon, but it’s not for everyone.
You need to come to terms with the fact that if you use it, you may be foreced to kill someone and that is something you will have to live with the rest of your life. If done in self-defense, and if by using it you were able to live and see your family again, then not a single day should go by that you regret it.
If this is an option for you, then you next need to decide on when and where it will be carried. Some questions to ask include:
- Are you just buying it strictly for home defense?
- Will you using it to go back and forth to work every day?
- Is it something you will carry every time you are out of your home?
Based on your answer to these questions, you next need to determine the type of gun you should purchase and learn to use. Some things to consider:
- Do you need a small, basic pistol like a.22 or.25 caliber to have “just-in-case?”
- Are you looking at a more serious firearm such as a compact.380 or 9mm?
- Do you want a full-frame auto with maximum bullet capacity?
- Would you rather have a reliable.38 revolver that anyone can pick up and shoot without having to worry about chambering a round and working a safety?
The number of questions to ask as well as the number of options in guns can get overwhelming very quickly for someone who is inexperienced and not very knowledgeable about them. Take time to learn before jumping in.
My first recommendation would be to talk to others who already carry and have experience with various calibers and sizes of firearms. This includes friends as well as gun dealers. They will be able to give you great insight into the size and make of firearm you should consider as well as the types of holsters and carry options available to you such as:
- Do you want to carry it on your side in a paddle holster?
- How about an ankle rig?
- Maybe a purse designed to allow easy access to a firearm hidden inside?
- What about a belly band?
- Perhaps a shoulder holster under your suit jacket?
There are a lot of ways to carry a gun, depending upon the season, viking hoodies and firearm you are planning to carry for starters. The right carry gun or guns should be able to be concealed and carried with any type of viking hoodies in any season for maximum protection. That means that a full-frame automatic or large caliber revolver is probably not what you should be looking for in an everyday carry firearm.
The “right” gun is the one you have with you when you need it.
Your personal choice should be something that you can carry in many different configurations. For example, if you’re wearing a suit, you have lots of options – ankle rig, shoulder holster, belly band or belt holster.
Is it summertime and not much available to conceal? Then perhaps an in-pocket holster, belly band or inside-the-waistband holster that can be concealed simply by wearing an untucked t- cincinnati reds hawaiian shirt is the answer.
For every season, every individual and every type of firearm there are a wide range of options. I recommend that you do plenty of research before committing to a certain gun. You want to make the right decision the first time if at all possible.
If you live in a concealed carry friendly state such as Pennsylvania or Florida, it is easy and legal to carry a concealed gun with a valid concealed carry permit. Have a variety of holsters for your gun so that you can have it with you no matter if it’s summer or winter – pants or shorts. If you live in a neighboring state such as New York or New Jersey, forget it. They won’t even issue carry permits to retired cops!
The bottom line
Even with decades of experience in martial arts or some other form of self-defense or fighting, you greatly increase your chances of survival if you have some sort of weapon that can help you to survive.
This becomes even more important for someone who is of smaller stature such as a woman or an elderly person, or perhaps even a disabled individual. Something as simple as being able to blind your attacker with a high-lumen value flashlight can be the difference between being able to escape or not.
Using a kubotan to strike pressure points or exert additional leverage against an attacker may be all that is needed to diffuse a bad situation.
If you have anything that can help you to improve your chances of survival, then you should probably at least take a look at it and familiarize yourself with all available possibilities before arriving at your answer.
Remember, you could have the best self-defense items available, but if you
- don’t have them with you when you need them or
- don’t have the training on how to use them or
- don’t have the conviction to use them
then you still will lose a potentially deadly confrontation.
Don’t be a victim! Get educated, get trained and stay safe!
write by Acacia