Stun Cane

Stun Cane

Protecting your home and family is generally speaking a very important task, but nowadays it seems to be more important than it ever before was. While the riots we’ve seen have been mostly limited to commercial areas and restaurants, there have been some demonstrations in residential areas too. As it looks right now, it’s only a matter of time until rioters start breaking into homes and looting.

Of course, it doesn’t take a riot for those with a criminal mindset to invade your home. An estimated 3.7 million burglaries are committed each and every year, with members of the household being attacked in at least seven percent of the cases.

Based upon past experience with looting after disasters, it is widely believed that there will be a lot of people who turn to looting and crime in order to find food and other critical supplies in the wake of a major disaster.

Should there ever be a breakdown of law and order, we can expect that criminals will be quick to recognize it and take full advantage of the situation, as there will be nothing to restrain them, but any fear they might have of armed homeowners.

In reality, defending ourselves has always been a personal responsibility. Due to the restrictions that police are under, they are unable to defend us. Rather, they operate in a reactionary mode, coming in after the fact to investigate who committed the crime and punish the wrongdoers. But as we’ve seen in the recent riots, police have an even harder time doing that during times of crisis.

This is at least part of the reason for the Second Amendment, providing us with the means of defending ourselves and our homes. Our right to own and carry firearms is our biggest protection, but what if we don’t want to make the noise a gunshot makes?

Why wouldn’t we want to make that noise? For the same reason that criminals don’t want to make noise when they break into a home: to avoid attracting attention. That attacker who just broke into your home might have friends, so if you have to deal with him (or her), you might not want to attract their attention. If that’s the case, what can you use?

Tasers are often touted as a great self-defense weapon. But they have one major drawback; they’re a contact weapon.

You actually have to get that taser in contact with the person you want to hit, which means that they will have a chance to get their hands on you, maybe even take that taser out of your hand.

If you’re going to use a taser, it just makes more sense to use one that qualifies as a “melee weapon.” In other words, a taser that you can use at arm’s length, giving you the advantage of reach. Better yet, make that taser in such a way that if they try and grab it, to pull it out of your hands, they’ll get zapped.

That’s essentially what a stun cane is. There are several styles of these, some looking like a walking stick that an older person might use, and some looking like a walking stick that a hiker might. Either way, they do the same thing, zapping the attacker, and giving you a chance to get away.

Whether we’re talking a knife or a sword, there’s something about a blade which can make eyes go wide, right before people start peeing in their pants.

People who can stare down the barrel of a gun may not be able to do that with naked steel. There’s just something about looking at that blade and realizing that the person holding it wants to sink it in your guts, that’s frightening.

Even so, you don’t want to try and defend yourself with any sort of blade, if you don’t know what you’re doing. Both knives and swords are excellent weapons in close quarters, when in the hand of someone who knows what they are doing. But they can be easily taken away from the person who just expects to be able to strike fear in the heart of their opponent.

Swords fall into a category known as “melee weapons”, which are medieval weapons intended for use in a melee or at arm’s length.

There are many other weapons we could look at in this category, such as clubs and spears, but probably the most fearsome melee weapon there is, is the axe.

The advantage of using any melee weapon is that you can keep an attacker at arm’s length. If they’re holding a knife and you’ve got a club, you have an advantage of reach, even though they have a more dangerous weapon. So if they have a knife and you have an axe, you have a definite advantage.

The axe is a berserker weapon, meaning that you can just go crazy with it. I’ve seen people go up against trained swordsmen with an axe and totally dominate them. While it wouldn’t be much use against a gun, I’d grab an axe to defend my home against a thug carrying a knife or club any day. It might make a few holes in the wall in the process, but that’s okay; you can always fix them.

The bow is an amazing weapon, which explains why it has survived through so many millennia.

It is a silent weapon with great accuracy and a decent range. In the hands of someone who really knows what they’re doing, it’s as deadly as a firearm. The problem with a bow is that it is hard to use indoor, unless you are in a large room.

Firing a bow requires even more room than a rifle, even though it is silent. On the other hand, if you are trying to protect your property from an intruder, rather than just your home, and you want a silent weapon, the bow is definitely the way to go.

Related: How To Make a Glass Arrowhead

Most martial arts weapons qualify as melee weapons as well. They all seem to have originated from tools used by common workers, who were not allowed to own swords and spears. So they learned how to use the tools at hand as weapons. This has developed into a number of very effective weapons, when in the hands of someone who knows how to use them.

That’s the problem with martial arts weapons though; you have to know how to use them. It takes quite a bit of time and a lot of training to become even marginally proficient in them, unlike the axe, which anyone can grab and start swinging. Even so, if you know how to use martial arts weapons or have the time to learn, it’s definitely worth your while.

Related: When Is It Okay to Open Fire on Intruders?

If you want more range than just the length of a cane, then you should consider a taser gun. Originally developed as a less lethal option for the police, the taser gun is now available to civilians in most states. They shoot two darts with wires trailing behind, supplying the electrical charge.

Powered by compressed nitrogen, the taser gun makes a small pop, rather than the bang of a normal gun. However, they are a one-shot weapon, needing reloading before they can be used again. Oh, and the police will know it was you that shot it, because the markers are serialized.

Another common self-defense weapon that’s dangerous to use is pepper spray. While more effective than chemical mace, pepper spray has to be used at contact distance, just like a taser. If you have to get that close with a weapon, there’s always a chance of it being taken away and used against you.

Unfortunately, there is no reliable pepper spray that works at 20 feet, regardless of what the packaging says. On the other hand, wasp spray is designed to work at that distance, so that we can kill off wasps’ nests, without having to get close enough to the creatures. Used in self-defense, wasp spray is just about as effective as pepper spray, especially if you hit them in the face.

There is one danger though in using wasp spray. That is, it can cause permanent damage to the eyes or lungs. For this reason, it is considered illegal in some places. That can probably be argued in court, but it may have to go to court. So if you choose this option, be sure you’ve thought about that risk.

A suppressed pistol really isn’t silent, so it’s not the best weapon to use if you’re trying to avoid attracting attention.

The suppressor doesn’t make the gunshot sound anything like what we’ve all heard in the movies; rather, it reduces the sound that the pistol makes by about 30dB. That’s usually enough to hide what the sound is, but it isn’t silent, and it certainly wouldn’t be silent indoors.

Nevertheless, if you don’t have the necessary skills to use any other sort of weapon, then a suppressed pistol is a better option than an unsuppressed one. The lower volume may be hidden by a noisy television or music; at least enough to confuse any partner lurking outdoors, or in another part of the house.

What other silent weapons do you have in mind? Please leave a comment and share them below.

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Cold Steel makes some good close quarters defense / offensive tools. The Assengi is a long dual edged spear on a short handle (36″). Can be used to slash / stab / or smash – take your pick. Like a knife on a cane.

The new one – the Trench Shovel. A bit heavier but also brings in the pain. Also when left in the vehicle (Winter is coming officer – need to dig out !!), not classified as a weapon.

Entrenching tools (shovels) have been used as close quarters weapons since they were first issued. Some folks try to sharpen the edge of the shovel but in my view that is a waste of time because the entrenching tool or shovel is soft steel and while it may take an edge, that edge will soon be lost. It isn’t necessary. An entrenching tool will not only break the skin, but if the blade strikes an arm it will break the bone in the arm. A blow to the head with the edge of the shovel will penetrate the skull and kill.

I know from first hand experience that the blade folded flat against the handle and struck against the front top of the head will drop the toughest head to the floor making that person defenseless against further attack.

The edge of the blade of the shovel struck against the kneecap will fracture the kneecap making further use of that leg difficult if not impossible and seriously hinder any further attack. A strike on the outside of the knee with the edge of the blade will also render the leg useless.

A word about sprays used inside of a building. The aerosol effect of any spray used inside of a building will soon spread throughout the building, making remaining in the building impossible. Again, I know this from first hand experience. Even the slightest spritz of pepper spray will very shortly drive everyone in the building out.

I would use pepper spray only if the perp were still outside the building and I could close the door. I would not use wasp spray under any circumstances as the chance of it coming back on me is too great to risk possible permanent damage.

As I pointed out in an earlier post to a different subject, ammonia in a spray bottle with the dial turned to stream rather than spray makes a very effective weapon out as far as the spray will reach. It isn’t even necessary to hit in the face as ammonia fumes emanating from clothing will have an overpowering effect on the sprayee. A stream is less likely to mist up and come back at you, but it is always well to be cognizant of the direction of the wind when using any kind of spray or aerosol.

Rich talks about swords. That is all well and good, but one must remember that swords were designed for use outdoors. In medieval times, short swords or long daggers were used indoors and most castles were bigger than the typical home. A better bladed instrument for use in the home is machete with an 18 inch blade. That a gives you a impressively long blade but still short enough to use a full power swing to deliver a stroke.

Two things happen with a longer blade. First, getting a full power swing becomes more difficult unless one practices regularly with it to develop the necessary wrist and arm strength. Unless the handle is long enough to use two hands, swinging a 24″ or longer blade requires quite a bit of arm and wrist strength. The Japanese wakizashi or short sword is the ideal length for indoor use. It has a blade typically in the 18 to 22 inch range. A Japanese samurai at home would always remove his long sword but always wore his short sword and slept with it by his side, while his long sword was nearby in a rack. The wakizashi was really the inside sword.

So how come I’m such an expert on swords? Well, I have been interested in the Japanese sword ever since my stay in the Far East over 60 years ago. I have a variety of long edged weapons and pole arms. I pour over the Cold Steel catalog every time I get one. I have read several books dealing with duels and fighting with edged weapons. I watch closely every program on NHK about swords and the Japanese blade making industry.

I agree with Anonymous that the Cold Steel assagai with the short shaft is a fearsome indoor weapon. It is double edged with a very sharp point and a broad blade that can deliver a limb-severing blow. It is heavy and needs to be practiced with so that if one hand is somehow disabled one still has the strength to wield the heavy blade. It is ideally a two-handed weapon but can, with practice, be used single-handedly. For outdoor use the assagai can be fitted with a longer shaft. The Cold Steel Bushman can also be mounted on a short shaft or a long pole to extend the reach. It isn’t quite the fearsome weapon the assagai is, but with a short or long pole in the socket, it extends one’s reach. For indoor use, I would recommend the short pole.

Cold Steel also makes a wakizashi machete which has an 18 or 22 inch light weight blade. It is not sword quality but has fairly decent steel in the blade and is short enough for inside deployment. It can be used one-handed or double handed. The design is the traditional Japanese battle-proven design and the balance is quite good.

Some other Cold Steel machetes lack good balance. I have the cutlass machete and it’s balance is not good. Perhaps for a beefy, much younger, much stronger male it might be satisfactory, but without practice, it is going to be a detriment rather than a help and is approaching a length that is not conducive to inside use. It cannot be used two-handedly.

That was all fantastic information…thanks for that!!! Very useful!!!

Cold Steel also makes a polypropylene version of the Irish sheleleigh ( spelling?) Personally, I favor the trench hawk and the Norse hawk.

This cold steel conversation is so all interesting, informative, exotic and kind of fancy. I was thinking of getting a simple fire ax, (more of a indoor city thing I guess), but I don’t know too much about axes. Now I know quite a bit more! Thank you!

CC: to collect weapons and be unobtrusive, go Mohawk. Tomahawks, an arrow bundle (flint tipped, good hardwood shaft), and more. Just decorations, in case anyone gets nosy. Sword in a cane is good, with a heavy metal head disguised as wood. I’m remembering all the things we used to do in PA to hide them from the cops. Can you use a quarterstaff? If so, a cane should be a snap. Get one with the curve at the top so you can carry it on one arm. niio

Got it Red! Just like in a European castle where they proudly display large groupings of all sorts of weapons and armaments on the walls in the halls in a decorative pattern that’s pleasing to the eyes and easy to grab! Ooo, I like this! Need to do some redecorating around here. Many thanks!

CC: Go on line and get the Cold Steel catalog sent to you. It is interesting reading. You can also get DVDs that instruct you in how to deploy their various products.

LCC- Will do! Many thanks too! I need all the help I can get if I’m going to continue to be able to make it around these parts! Being grey and aware will only get me so far! I know I have to up my game.

Heads up! The National Institute of Health (NIH) is rolling out a project “The Gun Violence Prevention Program” that must be stopped if we are to protect our 2nd Amendment Rights. Here in NY, the largest medical services provider, Northwell Health has announced that thanks to a funding grant recently received by the NIH, ($1.4 million) they will be questioning anyone coming into the ER for any reason “Do you have a gun in the house?” as part of a program to prevent gun violence. Backdoor registry bas$#@&ds! This program is coming to you too and it must be stopped and defunded!

CC: the UK and now EU have done their best to outlaw guns. All it did was make gun smuggling a sport. It’s so bad, the swiss threatened to sue France and Germany for stopping and searching tourists leaving Switzerland. Mexico, where it costs the equivalent of 30K USD for a license to have a gun is in shrieking horror because there are entire towns now (close to Arizona and Texas 🙂 where people are openly carrying guns and no permits. Kali-fornia threatened a search on any car from their state coming from Arizona. that went over because non-whites started to scream racism. It does come in handy now and then. https://www.askaprepper.com/how-to-make-pepper-spray/ Tasty and effective. Tequila works, too 🙂 niio

CC: SportysToolShop.com has a 7 shot, 18′ range pepper spray with UV dye so that the one sprayed can later be id’d. The part number is 1391T and the unit costs $17.95.

I don’t know if they will ship to New York. The worst thing that can happen is that they don’t accept the order.

I have done business with Sportys various mail order companies since 1983 and have found them honest to deal with. I realize that is kind of schilling for them, but when I find a company that I have had a long term satisfactory relationship with, I don’t mind recommending them.

If you order from them you obviously will get on their mailing list, but they have, I think, four different “shops” including an aviation shop where you can purchase all kinds of goodies for your general aviation aircraft.

The reason I know 1983 is that is when my son got his Navy wings and I bought a pilot’s briefcase for him to carry all the NAVTOPS directives and charts.

I know Sporty’s. They do have great gifts for very special
occasions! Haven’t paid them a visit in a very long time. Did not know they carried pepper spray. They probably won’t ship that here to NYC, but maybe I’ll be able to send it to someone where they will! I’ll have to check this all out and come up with a plan! Thank you very much! Even though flight plans and charts are all on iPads these days, I’m sure your son still holds on to that bag!

“That’s an interesting question you ask. Do you cheat on your wife? If not, why are all your office staff under 30 and female? Are there no qualified males who can answer the phone or input appointments into a computer?”

Is the rejoinder I like for replying to questions that are absolutely nobody’s business except my wife’s.

Excellent Article. Thank you. I would add a short list of other ideas that are also quite effective: The Tried and True Louisville Slugger, the shorter the better for close quarters, short pieces of wooden dowel (6-12 inches in length and 3/4-1.5 inches in diameter as close quarter strike weapons. Also tire irons, a short crowbar/prybar, and demolition tools. Even a long screwdriver can come in handy. I really liked the hatchet, and the bow suggestions. Especially a small crossbow, to get your point across in a confined area, so-to-speak. A sharp manchette, and the military trenching tool, are also excellent melee weapons too. A working knowledge of the uses of a come-along, ropes and knots, could be of great service before, during, and after a confrontation. A couple of bags of lime and a 55 gal. drum could be useful.

Cheers

If addition to the wood bat is the “new” aluminum bat because of the less weight but yet increased contact/striking power w/o needing great strength (especially for females).

I would suggest a little league bat for indoor use. Again, its shorter length lends itself better to one-handed wielding as opposed to a major league bat which is better suited for outdoor use.

Some site I visited just a day or so ago had magnum barrel little league bats on sale for $25.00. Another advantage of such instruments is that they don’t look like weapons and so far there is no law that says that bats must be kept under lock and key as there is for firearms in some jurisdictions.

I accidentally found where I saw the bat. It was a referral from another website talking about the same topic as this article. The referral was to Amazon and the bat I talked about is the Franklin Sports Tee Ball bat. It is 25 inches long and has two diameters. I would suggest the bigger diameter bat for making a bigger impression. It is marked down to $25.99 — end of season clearance. It comes in four colors including black and zombie green.

LCC – Seen what they call team souvenir baseball bats. They are about the size of a billy club or baton, have quite a bit of heft to them and easy to stow in a bag. Don’t know how good something like that would be if push comes to shove but I assume it’s better than nothing. I keep bats in the umbrella stand by the front/back doors and this in my handbag.

The addition of lime and 55 gal.(or two) is a good idea. I ‘know’ they work…’if’ you have a piece of land that is fairly remote. Once everything is buried, though…you never go back to that spot…ever. Oh…and nothing you buy is paid for with a credit card and buy your supplies as far as you can from where you live…at least 300-500 miles.

Wasp & bear spray are not only ineffective, but can & well get you into a LOT of legal trouble. It says right on the can, that is a federal offense to user it in any way other than intended. So, if you use it, not only is it not going to save your butt, in the moment, but it can send you to jail, for your wasted efforts. Just. No.

Just be prepared to get rid of the bodies!

As the old saying goes, “Cop doesn’t see it, I didn’t do it!”

Do the deed, and walk casually away. Anybody who runs is automatically considered to be guilty of something illegal. Inside your home, you have to use something less lethal. I have a military form of tear gas – a combination of CN/CS and pepper dye spray, the dye is florescent pink in a 3.5 oz canister. I’m willing to carry it because I cannot afford a gun. Just point and squeeze, and your attacker is disabled. Given to me by a Police officer friend. He says it is better than a taser.

Longshorts- Boy do I like this!! Have to figure out how to put it in place around here. I’m sure the cops have it but us mere citizens sure don’t! Reminds me of the exploding bags of red dye banks use. When the perp shows up in jeans, sneakers, white t shirt, and a hoodie, it nice to know that there is a way that we to can help them stand out a bit so that there is no problem identifying them and as an added bonus, makes them look real, pretty too!

CC: And, the ultimate weapon, YOU.
A spray bottle of hot chili oil is good for salads and perps 🙂 niio

Red- Yes I can be quite a handful at times and I do enjoy an occasional salad so it’s good to carry along your favorite salad dressing.

Red- Now I would be impressed if that attack rabbit had stainless steel teeth. Some years back now, but they had a guard dog on base up in Portsmouth NH who had stainless steel teeth.

CC: Sgt. Stewart was stationed on Guam, and no guard dogs were allowed in base housing. He trained the rabbit, and in less than a year they had a break-in. The screams woke half the block. The kid, a teenager, needed blood transfusions and a lot of stitches. There are stories about the war between Rabbit and Coyote. Rabbit has to be faster, smarter, and meaner than Coyote, or there would be no rabbits left. this is Arizona. We have a mouse that roars. 🙂 niio

So in a life or death situation your going to not use something that will save your life because of some label? Thats about the same as your kid dying from a snake bite and you need to rush to the hospital but you don’t speed because it’s illegal.

Mr. T, this is about preparation for something that might happen, so you want to prepare with something that’s not likely to get you into trouble after the fact. Spraying someone in the face with wasp spray “because it was handy” when there’s 18″ of snow on the ground is probably not believable, but spraying them with a fire extinguisher when you’re defending yourself in the kitchen is. Depending on the locale, pepper spray may or may not be an easy defense.

“B-b-but officer, there was this wasp right behind him!”

Tonfas, Bostaffs, crossbow, billy club swing at the Knees, clavicle, or Head and neck. Walking Staffs 5’, 2’ Sword, ideal in close quarters. I own all of these and Ready to Deploy.

Jr: Nunchuks are great. Things like that were invented by farmers who were not allowed to own weapons. A handful of darts. Hot pepper oil (good in Asian cooking 🙂 Butcher knives. Bows, arrows (good ones can be used in close quarters). And, of course, you, the best weapon. niio

Crossbow, short spear, heavy solid broom (think wooden pole hammer) water pistol with tabasco sauce and vinegar mix, traditional English umbrella (modified sharp point, and heavy brass pommel, short spear and club in one) dog lead/chain (so what if your dog is a geriatric chihuahua, it likes the heavy chain on weekends!)

One thing you left out is that a bow takes a lot of practice in order to use properly. That’s why it is rarely used these days as so many other weapons require much less training.

Likewise, you left off the crossbow, which I’d put in place of the bow. Still fairly silent, somewhat bulky, but not as much as the bow, and needs a lot less practice to hit your target.

Dry powder fire extinguishers work very well, will blind them temperary so you can get away or subdue them.

A firearms/self defense instructor advises in his ads to spray ’em with the powder and hit ’em with the fire extinguisher which is a good idea as it usually is made of serious metal to contain the pressures inside.

A cane made of a hard wood like hickory make a good defensive weapon and for a person trained in martial arts a good offensive weapon. A cane is looked on as a tool to keep a frail person standing so the user is considered an easy target.

Ka-Bar, the folks who make the historic knife make a can out of aviation aluminum. It is solidly sturdy and can be cut to the appropriate length. Not cut easily, let me assure you. It took me 20 minutes sawing with a 22″ hacksaw blade to finally cut the thing. The aluminum is approximately 3/16″ thick and is the toughest aluminum I have ever encountered.

Some folks have indicated that it is too heavy. I am not that robust or that young — well, I am that old, but I still find I can swing it quite robustly. I do practice swinging it because at my age, I lose muscle mass quite easily if not kept exercised frequently,

If you would like to see a wide selection of canes at reasonable prices, I suggest fashionablecanes.com.

You want to especially look at the canes marked for heavy and tall. They are more robust than the other canes. Try to find a cane with a crook for the handle. It is easier to use in daily life as one can hang the crook over the arm while employing both hands in some other task. The derby handle and the knob handle are not as convenient to use. A cane with solid metal head does make a good striking instrument. If you are interested in those, I recommend the Cold Steel canes. They are made of polypropylene which is supposed to be practically indestructible. All canes can be cut to the appropriate length. Don’t be misled into thinking a longer cane is better. There is a length that is the ideal length it allows one to develop maximum velocity of the cane in a strike. It is more convenient to maneuver. A too-long cane doesn’t develop the speed that a shorter cane will unless you are a giant and if you are, why do you need a cane? If you are 6’8″ and weigh 280 pounds, your size alone should prove intimidating.

Inside a house, a longer cane, like a sword designed for outdoors, will prove awkward to use and you will find yourself hung up on walls and doors and furniture.

Fashionablecanes.com has a chart showing how to determine the correct for a cane. Remember, it is always easier to cut just a little more off than it is to add on a piece that cut too much off. Be conservative in how much you cut off each time.

where can I get a stun cane?

CHKadels.com has stun canes as does BudK.com.

I am not sure of their efficacy either as an impact weapon or as a stun gun but those two websites do have them

A hammer and it can fit into a women’s purse.

I read a prepper novel series a while back where one of the heroes used a ball peen hammer to take out bad guy sentries. He liked it because he didn’t have to carefully insert a knife where it would sever an artery. Swung so that it struck behind the ear it was silent and clean. There was no akward struggling with the sentry while he bled out. And no messy blood all over one’s clothing, leading to embarrassing questions should one be viewed by a suspicious person.

A single swing rendered the sentry unconscious and made him available for a couple more whacks on the head to finish the job.

It was interesting reading. Now, whether that works in real life or not I haven’t been able to determine for myself. The novel didn’t mention how large the ball peen hammer was but a 2.5 pound size hammer would be a good size. It’s little large to carry in a purse, but certainly can be hidden down one’s trouser leg with the head retained by one’s belt.

If that won’t hold, put a zip tie around your belt and leave enough room for the handle of the hammer to fit in the loop. Another holster would be to get two belt keepers from a police supply online store. Put one belt keeper around your belt and the other belt keeper to hold the hammer handle. Nylon belt keepers are cheaper and with velcro more flexible than leather with snaps or nylon with snaps.

Or low budget, two zip ties, one around your belt and the other looped at right angles through the belt zip tie.

I coated the two ball peen hammers I acquired from Harbor Freight in Plasti-Dip which is a black rubber-like substance that would make the hammer hard to see in the dark, would dampen any extraneous noise emanating from bumping the hammer against some hard surface and make gripping the hammer more secure as it provides a non-slip surface. You can get Plasti-Dip at Lowes ad probably Home Depot. It comes either as a spray which is what I used on the hammers or as a dip which I have used on knife handles that were, in my opinion, somewhat slippery. I also use it over a knife that I have wrapped in paracord to make the surface tackier and to make the paracord blood — oops, I mean water proof.

Museum Replicas has some great battle axes, war hammers and maces.

Need to be careful with museum replicas as sometimes they are not made with decent metal, but pot metal. Even if they are steel, lots of times they are cheap steel. Steel comes in a remarkable variety of hardnesses and different compositions. They are too many to list here. What I do when I see a metal implement that interests me, I find out what kind of metal is in the operative parts. Then I go on line to see what folks who know steel have to say about the type of steel used in the implement. I have found out some very interesting things about the steel.

Do not be misled by Damascus steel. It can be good quality steel or it can be el cheapo steel. In some cases the Damascus is not even real. It is acid etched to look like Damascus. Be wary of knives from China. They can make good steel when they want to but there is a ton of cheap steel in Chinese made offensive devices.

Pakistan is exporting knives to the U.S. Generally the steel is soft. That is okay if you are going to give the implement really hard use as soft steel is easy to sharpen. It just doesn’t hold that sharp edge through much use. Also Pakistani knives are really cheap so you can buy three or four for the price of a fairly decent knife. Make trade goods and perhaps good will pieces to hand out to folks you are lukewarm about.

I`m the “Wasp Spray” kind of guy, if a person or persons FORCE their way into my home?, they deserve EVERY bit of damage it can do – permanently or not ~ they have a “Choice” to make BEFORE rushing in.

“Due to the restrictions that police are under, they are unable to defend us”.. No, they’re too busy arresting peaceful Christians who don’t wear masks.

Wow, what country is arresting anyone for not wearing life-saving masks? I mean, skipping masks is stupid, but can Covidiots be arrested for stupidity?

Anyway any peaceful Christian would already be wearing masks when going out. It would be a sin to risk the lives of others for selfish vanity of not wearing a mask. Only evil, NON-Christians would be so cruel as to keep COVID alive and well as is Satan’s plan to bring down this nation.

Wearing or not wearing a mask should be a personal decision, not something mandated by government. I’m 65+ years old and refuse to be frightened by a disease that has a 0.01% mortality rate.

N95 mask is designed to protect the wearer. If you chose to wear the mask, are wearing it properly, and washing your hands, there is no need to worry about what anyone else is doing. It’s all in God’s hands anyway.

CC: Amen. this looks cool! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbKGjRoSofA
niio

Interesting device. Certainly not silent and time consuming to load, I am sure. 32 round magazine is helpful. I wonder what the lethal distance is for one of the bolts?

I am pretty sure my mechanical skills are not quite at the level of the gentleman displaying the fully automatic crossbow. It looks as if it could be stored with the propelling rubbers in a relaxed state and yet still be ready to go as long as the battery in the battery operated electric drill was charged. Not as loud as a firearm but still not quite stealth. Someone hearing it for the first time would have no idea what it was.

Interesting U-tube video, Red. Thanks for the url.

365 times in the Bible, you will find the phrase “Fear not.”

Granny: I am not sure that arrests have been made for not wearing a mask. The arrests have been made for not leaving an area that has mandatory mask wearing. The arrest is for trespass and resisting an officer if the cops respond. Citations have been issued, some for ridiculous reasons such as being the only couple in a park and not wearing masks.

The fines are quite steep. Legislature is always happy to spend other people’s money.

Granny: Covid is not as bad as they claim. Yes, I carry a mask and use it if folks are wearing them. Sweden and many countries never masked, and they have almost no cases today, and fewer deaths per capita. I’ve two cousins who are biologists and both are in their 60s, and neither wears a mask. they say all the mask is good for is an incubator for things far worse than corona. peace. and stop calling folks idiots!

KDC US SUpreme court ruled back in the 70S that police didnot have a responsibility to protect any individual.. .

I agree. I just watched a video of a woman getting tased because she wasn’t wearing a mask and resisted being escorted out of the stadium.

What is it with everybody these days? I am sure the stadium had signs all over the place advising that patrons needed to wear a mask while on the PRIVATE PROPERTY. Had to use caps because other modifications don’t work with this website.

If you don’t want to comply with the rules that the owners of the private property set down, don’t patronize that businesses.

Secondly, what is it with folks resisting when cops or even rent-a-cops ask you do do something? Unless you are prepared to use deadly force, that is a fight you are going to lose. While rent-a-cops have more restraints, you have all seen that the cops are authorized by law to use whatever force they deem necessary in order to control a situation, up to and including deadly force.

One is going to lose on the street every time. If one cop can’t handle it, they usually have four or five or more cops on duty who are more than happy to back the officer up.

Courts are where you dispute instructions from police officers, not on the street. Even if no charges are filed as in the case of a “news reporter” who barged into an arrest being made and got thrown to the ground and spent at least a couple of hours in the back of a wagon if not making some new friends in the holding cell at county jail. She wasn’t charged. She should have been but lucked out. Still got to meet and greet some folks she might have preferred to not meet. Luckily she got sprung after less than a day in custody. She was lucky she wasn’t hurt while she was resisting being arrested. Dumb, dumb and dumber.

Getting a jury award for injuries is earning money the hard way. Besides, the lawyer is going to collect most of it anyway. Not only are there attorney fees, but the retainer agreement binds the client to pay all costs associated with the litigation over and above attorney fees. That’s the alligator in the swamp most litigants don’t realize is there.

long comment, but I see so much sheer stupidity these days I think it is more common than CoVD. Is stupidity contagious? Should the CDC be involved in trying to stamp out stupidity? Inquiring minds want to know.

A high school football stadium is NOT private property. Also, the arresting cops had no masks in place —

Yeah, but she still got tased and hauled off. The place to dispute that is in court. By resisting getting ejected she puts herself behind the eight ball from the get go.

The school officials will maintain that they have the right to impose rules for the “safety” of their students and officialdom will tend to agree with them. By resisting, she has given up the righteous position that she would have enjoyed had she protested but either put on a mask or left the stadium. Hassling it out on the street is a losing proposition unless you are into pain and injury. If you enjoy being tased or pepper sprayed or even better yet, shot, then by all means resist for all you are worth. You still are going to wind up in cuffs and on your way to the E.R. or the morgue.

It’s like arguing with the cop for a traffic violation. Argue and you will get a ticket. Speak softly and pleasantly and you might get a ticket or you just might not. Argue and I guarantee a ticket and I guarantee if you go to trial the cop will get in evidence that you mouthed off. That will make the judge all the more inclined to believe the cop than you and guess what? You will still have to pay the fine. Here in the PDRK most traffic violations run in excess of $350 dollars. Feel good about losing that argument to the tune of $350? Don’t pay it and the next time you get stopped it is go directly to jail. Now the $350 has morphed into something like $750 to get out of jail. Yeah. That’s a winning course of action. You sure showed that cop.

Can’t do much with stupid around these parts either, LCC. Problem is, given the NYC Public School system, it gets a bit worse every year. Anyone who sends their children to a New York City Public School these days should be charged with child abuse. It’s a crime to do that to children. It ruins lives as we see every day.

And they are singing too!

I’m kinda partial to those silent Drano bombs myself!

Um two things.

1. Who the fuck keeps a bow and arrow ready to go, to use indoors against criminals armed with guns in all likelihood?

2. A suppressed gun, especially indoors, is never even remotely quiet.

Lab: We do. Most American Indians will, as well as owning a half-dozen guns per person. When I was living in Pennsylvania, the people always had something quiet to shoot with, like pistol type crossbows, slingshots, and so on. Home now in Arizona, and its not unusual to hear popping noises late at night in the summer when all those city people come up to escape the heat, then complain someone is shooting off firecrackers.

A retractable baton is a very useful striking weapon. It deploys easy and extends the distance between you and the attacker. Because of its short length – 18″ – 21″, it makes an excellent close range

I agree that a retractable baton is a very useful striking weapon. Unfortunately, here in the PDRK and in some other states, likely, NY, MA and NJ they are probably illegal too.

Interestingly enough, get caught carrying a loaded pistol and it can be a felony or a misdemeanor depending on the mood of the DA. Get caught with nunchucks, collapsible baton, brass knuckles, a concealed knife with a blade longer than 4 inches, a dirk, a baton, and several other items that do not come immediately to mind and it is a felony. Never did figure that one out.

Unless you are a “celebrity,” politician or very wealthy, then they find some very low level misdemeanor to charge ou with if any charges are filed at all and you get 25 hours of community service and a fine.

What about the aerosol cans of fuel injector cleaner ?

They are streams I believe, or have the nozzle modified to shoot a stream ( some are designed to use an adaptor to hold the injector to be cleaned.

Cold Steel nakes a really nice war hammer. You have to assemble it, but no problem there.

I haven’t seen anyone mention a pitchfork yet that’s what I keep behind the kitchen door I figure it’s long enough to keep the trespasser far enough away so I don’t get bloody when the hounds rip them apart!

Not really suitable for indoor use. More of an outdoor weapon. Of course one could install a shorter shaft to make it more suitable for indoor use.

stun guns,stihlettos,nun chucks,sword canes[no surprise] aren’t legal in NYState

Nor are such legal in the PDRK. Mass. has some similar restrictions but inasmuch as I have no intention of ever visiting that benighted state, I haven’t bothered to commit their stupid laws to memory.

I know mace, stun guns, and pepper spray are illegal here in Mass., as are switch blades and folding knives with blades longer than four inches. Martial arts stuff I think you have to register as you would a firearm.
People I know who want pepper spray get it out of state whilst “visiting relatives” and drive it back, near impossible during the height of Covid lockdown. Another reason behind it? Hmmm….
Have covid compliant states closed the registries for gun and firearm permits, even temporarily? I know you couldn’t even register your dog for a couple of months here because the offices were closed.

Miss Kitty: Several courts ruled that gun shops were “necessary businesses.” Along with, of course, marijuana shops and liquor stores.

The LACO Sheriff tried to close down gun shops and quickly backed away. Gun shops have been doing a land office business since the CoVD shutdown. More guns have been sold since March to date than any similar period in U.S. history. I was in a gun shop on Tuesday and the proprietor told me he was getting in 15,000 rounds of plain jane 115 grain, full metal jacket Winchester 9 mm ammunition. It is going out his door at 80¢ a single round for lots of 500 and $1.00 per round for a box of 50. He said it will all be gone in less than a week. I gathered he already had it sold. He really isn’t gouging on the prices if what he told me his cost was is accurate.

I used to moan about paying 21¢ a round for similar ammunition in the no so distant past. In the very distant past I used to buy .38 special wadcutter reloads for a buck a box of 50 at the Orange County Sheriff’s range.

Ammo plants are running full out. They can’t make any more ammunition. Investing in factory level ammunition loading equipment is not a minor undertaking. You don’t walk into Harbor Freight and walk out with a 9 mm ammunition loading machine. They are customer made and take a while to build and they are expensive.

The ammo manufacturers are thinking that this is a temporary spurt and so are reluctant to purchase equipment and take on more debt unless they are convinced that the run on ammo is more permanent than it has proved to be in the past.

The FBI background check folks are working like beavers, something I am sure they are not accustomed to doing. Here in the PDRK, with the restricted list of firearms the serfs are allowed to buy, wait times are not so bad for background checks in Schetzomento because although gun shops are selling everything that comes into the state, not that much is coming in.

First Barry Obammer got gun salesman of the year awards every year in office and now Ole Two-Shot Joe is going to beat him out this year at least. Two-Shot will certainly get gun salesman of the decade and maybe even the century. I called two gun shops to get some work done on an old gun. One didn’t bother to return my call and the other has a recorded message that due to work overload they are not taking new orders for the foreseeable future. The third guy is only open three hours a day although five days a week. He lt least accepted my gun to work on it with no guarantees as to delivery date.

Miz Kitty: Personal weapon, keys on a heavy keychain. It’s only a foot long and no considered a weapon, but wow, does it work. Use it like a ball and chain. It’s easy to learn. And, when you decide to live in an adult state, not kindergarten for diapered infants, come down here. You’ll feel like you escaped San Quentin. niio

Here’s another to weaponize those keys. Walking home late at night, we’ll use our house keys to make a key fist. Hold the bundle of keys so that the individual keys protrude out between your fingers. Kind of like brass knuckles only those are illegal.

I have a pink plastic thingy that looks like a cat’s head on my keys that’s for poking eyes. I also have a very loud whistle, a long lanyard and a bunch of charms and stuff besides my keys on there. If all else fails, I’ll whip at them with it, but I don’t really want to get that close.
Dealing with one perp is different from dealing with a mob…mobs take on a life of their own and people will react quite differently than they do if it’s just one or two people. Look at the French Revolution…these peasants were armed with (for the most part) makeshift weapons and weaponized tools. Dock workers used grappling hooks, butchers used flensing knives, farmers used pitchforks… They used whatever they could grab. They pried up the cobblestones and threw them.
I think we may have to think more about the possibility of dealing with groups of intruders rather than the solo cat burglar, especially in the current political climate and the fact that these groups seem to not care about collateral damage. When people begin weaponizing fireworks and arson, they have ceased worrying about the family with the small children living in the second floor apartment over the store they are looting and setting on fire.

CC: Yep, but the farther away the better. Remember those iron balls used in windows to help raise them? 12 inches of chain on the keys gives about 75% of the same impact. Plus, they slash if they hit at an angle. An old credit card with a razorblade glued to it is always handy. Mine is taped closed and goes under the belt and can be held between the two middle fingers. niio

CC: Have you ever tried punching something with that key arrangement? I suggest that you put wadded up newsprint in a cardboard box to give it some body and then try punching that cardboard box.

Let me know how your hand feels after the exercise.

I think a better item to carry for use as an impact device is what is billed as a tactical pen. It is a pen that has solid ends so that it can be used as a striking device. It is much better for striking than your bare fist.

For starters, the impact area is much smaller than your fist and so the same foot pounds of energy have a greater impact because the area of impact is much smaller.

Secondly, held in an icepick grasp and used to assault the face, you are going to really inflict some significant damage to the facial bones, especially around the eyes.

Thirdly, using an icepick hold with your thumb on the top of the pen, there is very little adverse impact on your hands. The bones in the hands are quite fragile. Boxers wrap their hands and wear gloves not because they don’t want to cut their opponent but to protect the bones in their hands. Hard to hit somebody when you have a broken hand.

Even with all the protection on their hands it is not unheard of that a fighter will break his hand in a boxing match.

Avoid such pens that look too martial. There is one pen in the marketplace that has a DNA collector. It looks nasty but screams “WEAPON” and it will get confiscated at every inspection point.

Zebra pen company makes an all metal pen the F 701 which is a real pen and won’t set off any alarms as you are going into the federal courthouse or boarding a flight to Cuba. It can serve as a better striking device than the key arrangement and not injure your hands in the process.

I went to Amazon to look at tactical pens. I liked the design of the Schrade, the Fisher and the Mossberg pens. I didn’t read the reviews. I would strongly recommend reading the reviews before buying. Avoid any pen that looks too “tactical.” It will draw the attention of those self-important minions that frequent the airports and other portals. I didn’t read the reviews because I was not shopping for such a pen, just looking for what I thought didn’t look too tactical.

Those tactical looking pens might be okay to take on a motor trip to have with you while pumping gas at service stations or camping or some such but certainly not in an urban area where there are all sorts of busybodies not minding their business.

LCC – Never had to use it. Never tried it out. An urban legend sort of thing handed down. You are Probably right on that it is is a false sense of security for a push comes to shove situation. But then again, anything is better than nothing.

CC: From childhood, I was taught guns are a last resort. They make us feel like a hairy wolf, when we need to rabbits. A rabbit is deadly in close quarters, I know people who had fingers bitten off, stomach gouged, and so on. I even met an attack rabbit, trained by an Air Force MP. Nice pet, looked harmless, was more vicious in an attack than a dog–after all, they’re vegans 🙂 The thing is, you need to be cautious about who you defend yourself and with what. Like LCC said, lawsuits. niio

Red: Remember the wild rabbit that attacked Jimmy Carter? 🤣
Seriously though, seeing a crazed rabbit swimming out to your boat just to attack you must be one of the most bizarre and scary things…the first thing you think about is rabies. Seeing a grey haired old granny with a machete would probably have the same effect… especially if she’s full on Jack Nicholson in the Shining.

Miz Kitty: I forgot that! The ex’s sx-hubby was practicing witchcraft American Indian style, then went after me with his screwy crap. A bear carried off his brand new trash can, one walked out of the woods while he was hurrying to work in a new car. He hit it and did several thousand dollars in damage. then the bear got up and ripped off part of the hood. Skunks got into fights on his deck. Owls crashed thru a bedroom window. As for Carter, all you need to is remember, he’s one of the jackass party, and that puts him on the same level as Biden 🙂 Niio

When I’m in a position to do so, I plan to couch-surf with all my buddies here at AAP.
Warning…I snore!;)

Miz Kitty: Stay safe. Remember the PAM Mike mentioned and the WD-40 (not 2-4-D, sorry). You could have both in the apartment without anyone worrying over it. the old-ones, the women, always had heavy hornspoons carved of maple around. They make a good club and can cause a lot of problems to a skull. the cane sword is good, as well, and you might find one cheap at a yard sale. They used to be very common, along with corset knives. niio

My Grandmother told me as a young woman in Philadelphia street crime was so bad that a young woman never went out after dark without a male escort who invariably was armed.

She also said that women of her dy used very large hat pins to hold their hats on. It was a stiletto in another form.

You see pictures of Japanese women in woodblock prints with hairpins stuck in their elaborate hairdos. Those too were stilettos used for self defense.

Women don’t wear hats these days. Up to my mother’s time, the well-dressed woman always wore a hat in public.

The Queen of England and the women of the royal of Japan never appear in public without a hat to this day. However, I am sure if they wear a hat pin it isn’t a concealed stiletto. The Queen is guarded as closely as the POTUS as is the royal family of Japan. Those guys in dark suits you see lurking about are all at least 5th degree black belts in some martial art form and even though the serfs in Japan can’t own the kind of guns they carry, they have some interesting firearms concealed under those suit coats.

LCC: good points; Philly always was a dirty town.
Hair picks and those spikes are coming back in fashion. Women’s hats, as well, at least in summer. And, hat band knives. I always carry a good cane because it’s a short quarterstaff with a hook.
But, like I was taught and taught the kids, the best weapon you have is still you. Use your head, use the night as a friend and, need be, act like you just crawled out of hell. Learn, study, perfect, and teach the kids. And, much thanks to you for teaching us here. We don’t say that often enough. niio

I likethe paint ball gun, for non lethal, quiet and paint/ bruising it leaves behind.
Stand offish weapon.

Don’t paint ball guns require an air source as a means of propulsion?

I investigated pepper gas ball guns which look like paintball guns and they use CO2 caplets. All the CO2 caplet guns I have ever used would leak CO2 as they sat once the cartridge was pierced.

If paintball guns use air cartridges, do they leak the air once the cartridge is installed in the gun? If they do, that would militate against using them in an extreme situation like a home invasion.

If the invader made an appointment for when he was going to come over, they would be useful. Home invaders here in the PDRK are uncouth. They never announce their invasion. Like unwelcome relatives, they just bust through your door at the most inconvenient times.

A relative of mine just informed me that four bus loads of “protesters” had arrived at a mall some miles from his house. If you know something is going down, then something like a pepper spray gas gun would be fine. It could be loaded with a cartridge at hand . Paintball would also be okay in that situation.

I believe the devices described in this article are for those pesky unwanted guests showing up at inconvenient times. It is for those folk that the baseball bat, sword, bicycle chain with a large lock on it convey the message that they weren’t invited and are basically unwanted.

Sorry, yes your reservations can be correct.
The swing weapons, I can get maybe one shot.
I am old, but not completely decrepit.
Paint ball is non/less destructive to home interiors and less skill and energy per effective blow.

The best paintball guns to get on the field for 2020

https://theangle.digitaltrends.com/sports-outdoors/best-paintball-guns/

Chip: Great reference article for someone who is interested in paintball equipment but doesn’t know anything about it. Thanks for posting the url.

For anyone else who might be interested in paintball, it is a good read.

The only caveat I have is that paintball, while it smarts when you get hit and can leave a bruise and like a BB gun can put your eye out, it just won’t faze a home invasion crew bent on wreaking havoc in your home. This is especially true if they are high on alcohol or drugs or both which is most likely the case.

It is my opinion that you need a force multiplier that is capable being lethal. It doesn’t necessarily have to be used to a lethal level but I believe the bad guy has to understand that it has lethal potential.

A baseball bat can be applied to the head or body enough times to make it a fatal venture. A knife can do the same. Pepper spray is non-lethal but has the ability to render the bad guy incapable of offensive moves, leaving him subject to disabling attack by other means.

One thing to bear in mind about home invaders is that it is probably not their first foray into criminal conduct. I can’t state that with any certainty, but I believe that most home invaders have a prior criminal record. They are accustomed to using force to get their way. Most of us do not have a lot of experience defending our homes and can only plan, much like having a bug-out plan or a get-home plan. We have the fire insurance but hope we never have to find out how good the policy is. I think a home defense plan should plan for the worst that can happen: Home invasion by multiple criminals who have all committed the same or similar acts of terrorism.

Paintball might be effective as a means of persuading rioters to leave your home along. Please remember, however, that many of them are now resorting to firebombs, M-80 firecrackers, rockets, rocks and other implements up to and including firearms, so while a paintball gun might be a good place to start, I would have something more persuasive close at hand in a confrontation with rioters who gave an indication of harming my home.

Proficiency with the PB is as available as a cardboard box target in the basement.

Malay / melee weapons might have been useful in useful in my long, long past berserker physique. Today I would have to be stealthy. That day is gone too.

Ok, this is pretty bloodthirsty even for us (jk), but a mostly silent weapon that is highly effective against almost anything or anybody is a can of any aerosol spray and a good lighter. I say mostly silent because once you light up your improvised flamethrower your target(s) will likely be making plenty of noise, not to mention the flames and smoke will attract plenty of attention.
I would advise using this as a weapon of last resort, outside, and if you have a quick getaway handy. And no witnesses.

I was hoping someone besides myself would think of this idea.

Miss Kitty: You are showing your age. Aerosol cans no longer have a flammable propellant. Those went out with the greenies getting power in goobermint. While I don’t have first hand experience spraying stuff into my eyes, I would suspect that any aerosol can’s contents would be an irritant. The problem is, without being able to pre-test the substance, you can’t really tell if it will produce acceptable incapacitation. Perhaps you have relatives or friends dumb enough to volunteer to be guinea pigs. I have some pretty lame relatives and more lame friends but either I am not a good enough salesman or they aren’t dumb enough to let me test aerosols on them.

Get a quart spray bottle. Fill it with household ammonia which you can still buy in the grocery stores. Set it to stream. I absolutely guarantee ammonia sprayed on man or beast will cause them no end of difficulties, breathing being number one.

We used to use ammonia in our blue-line machine. If we spilled just a couple of drops we had to leave the room immediately and wait a prolonged period before returning.

Even if we made a bunch of blue lines, part way through the run we had to leave the room and wait until the residual ammonia evaporated out of the paper.

It’s more powerful than any of the other stuff mentioned, pepper spray, bear spray, wasp spray, I don’t know of any other substance other than sulfuric acid that causes the choking and inability to breath as quickly as ammonia.

WD40 still works (naptha based). So does Lysol Spray (alcohol based).

Carburetor cleaner. Even if it doesn’t light off at first, it’s gonna make someone’s eyes smart more than a little bit. And when it does light off, after splashing the bandit, it’s certainly going to provide the crook with some incentive to forget all about you. It’s not gonna permanently disfigure anyone or set your own house on fire unless you thoroughly soak the burglar/trespasser etc but it’s going to keep them very busy. Even if they’re aflame and they Still come at you, give them another shot so as to spread the incentive. Drop and roll anyone?

LCC: Would using even diluted ammonia be considered lethal? niio

Red: Depends upon how lethal. The problem with dilution is how dilute to make the solution? I know for certain that full strength is going to work. Lesser dilutions I have no knowledge of. Even full strength ammonia I doubt is lethal in the sense that you spray the bad buy and he falls over in a coma. Sprayed into the face he will probably be permanently blind. Something to consider in today’s litigious society.

Red: I don’t believe ammonia in the setting of which we speak is lethal. Trapped in a room where one can’t get out, yes, it could well be lethal.

However, sprayed into the eyes, I am sure ammonia would have a significant deleterious and perhaps permanent effect on vision.

That said, we are talking about a life or death situation for you and your family where deadly force is permitted. The drawback to not providing an early exit for the bad guy and giving him permanent eye damage is that some weak-kneed, snowflake jury might be moved to give the perp a large monetary award.

LCC: Ammonia hath its uses, certainly. I’m not worried about lethal, but something handy, a deterrent. A spray bottle (not water pistol) with heavy brine and ammonia can be passed off as fertilizer for house plants. That ball and chain made of keys (agreed, if CC isn’t careful, they can damage the hand if used to punch with) looks all right to our cops.
Summer people are leaving town and the crime rate dropped. Too many mestizos around, anyway. It is Indian Country and that frightens city people–along with the big, friendly pit bulls and rotties, the shotguns, pistols and so on pretty much all little old ladies and their men like.
One good grin is every once in a while in summer I wake up to a sound like popcorn rattling in a pan. The next day city people are complaining about some jerk shooting off firecrackers at 2 AM. If coyotes start howling, it wasn’t firecrackers. A shame, but no one raises pigs in this part of the county. As said, this is Indian Country. niio

Now here’s a funny story, we just got back from a few days camping in the Ouchita Mts, because my knees are rebelling we mostly truck camp, but know a number of good off grid spots to go. Plus having the pickup means it’s easy to carry all the ingredients for our gourmet survival meals. Except this trip I managed to forget all fire starters, lighter fluid, chimney, vaseline soaked cotton balls, fat wood, whatever there is I didn’t have it. It had been raining for two days and was still drizzling when we set up camp. I pulled dead twigs and branches off trees but even those were too wet for kindling. What to do? I got a weak little flame going with wet twigs, then sprayed them with PAM cooking spray, boom! If you spray PAM on wood it won’t burn, but sprayed through a flame it explodes. Here is your aerosol flame thrower, for all of us showing our age.

Mike: Got an ouchy in the Ouchita? Yeah, I know it too well. Do you massage the tendons behind the knee? That helps me, and giving the cap a little twist (Korean acupressure) for 20 seconds. Let go for 20. Turn the other way. I do this several times a day as needed, and often, it’ll stay good for a week or more.
BTW, you just hit on the only use I have for PAM 🙂 One pile dead pine needles, fat wood splintered, a little WD-40 (for some reason I want to say 2-4-D, must be them evil farmer’s genes 🙂 to dry out the kindling. When used as a blow torch, put the long stem on.
Hope you had some fun! niio

Miz Kitty: Cooking oil, 2-4-D, and a few more things are best. Most folks will have spray cans of them around. niio

Rich, the hatchet. Dad was an expert with it and Mom the knife. Both put a few holes in the walls helping their teenage sons to remember we were young ADULTS and expected us to act it.
Of course, I never had to resort to such tactics–the 60s and 70s were long gone–I was meaner, crueler, and threatened with a much deadlier force. “What would Nana (granny) and Pappy say?” Shrieks of hate from the girls, bedroom doors slamming shut, a day of sulking, and then hugs and I love you. Boys…Teach, talk, reason and then military. Why be harder on the girls? Boys are a lot less likely (but it does happen in these democrat days) to be kidnapped, gang raped, sold as a slave, or murdered. Each was taught stick fighting (redneck Kali) but life is still deadly. It’s just more open now. niio

Just a thought, it would be helpful to have an article on physical security that can be thoughtfully put in place to prevent an incursion onto the property or into the home in the first place. Deterrents are a silent weapon. Security detergents as a series of perimeter defenses are silent weapons. Those discussed here to me are cool, but all kind of last resort. I want to be proactive here as a best weaponized defense.

My front door is my achilles heal. Of course, large picture windows can be broken, but as this house is over 50 years old, all the glass is plate glass which means it breaks into large, dangerous chunks. I have never seen fit to replace it with the newer, now code required glass that shatters into zillions of tiny pieces.

That said about my front doors — it is a double door model, I decided the best way to reinforce them against uninvited entry was to put wooden bars across them.

IvyMike knows the correct nomenclature for that type of structure. I knew it for five minutes after he mentioned it and of course now cannot recall it.

Anyway, I cut a1″ diameter oak dowel 36″ long down to
24″. I got two one inch copper pipe brackets and screwed them into the solid parts of the doors at the tops of each door and close to the bottom of each door. I can easily slide the wooden dowel into the pipe brackets when we retire at night.

I also bought two $10 each door alarms that hang on the doorknobs and react to vibration. They have three setting, light sensitivity, regular sensitivity and heavy sensitivity. I didn’t want them going off every time somebody drove down the street with loud pipes or a boom box in his car, so I set them at ordinary sensitivity. The sound with 110 decibels with a shrill sound.

I could have used 2 x 4s and the brackets that go with the 2 x 4s and used longer screws and screwed them into the door frame, but given my advanced age in case the fire department has to come in and get me and my wife, I didn’t want to make it so difficult that they had to break out their axes and Hooligans in order to get in.

On the other hand, I wanted to make it difficult enough so that some uninvited jerk who tried to kick in the door would be delayed long enough for me to get my repelling boarders gear and stand by to repel boarders.

I also hoped that the sound of the alarms not only would wake me but would make the uninvited guest decide that perhaps he had lost the advantage of surprise and move on to other locales.

I assume that you live in an apartment building which seriously limits what you can do to keep out unwanted pests. There is a long list of things that you can do that will make it harder for someone to gain entrance but there is no way to keep out a truly determined intruder.

What most deterrent systems try to do is make it harder for the intruder to gain entrance than some other dwelling that is easier.

Every castle that was ever sieged fell. The only ones that didn’t fall were sieges where the sieger finally decided that it was too much trouble and he didn’t really need to sack that castle anyway. Usually he reached that decision when all the food within a couple of days’ ride was either destroyed or eaten so that his troops started complaining about lack of victuals and the sieger decided he ought to order a withdrawal before the troops withdrew on their own initiative.

Some sieges lasted years, but eventually the castle or the town fell if the sieger was determined enough.

The Mohammedans sieged Constantinople for, I think it was 25 years. The only reason they gave up was a bubonic plague that decimated their sieging army — actually more than decimated. That means only every tenth man died. The bubonic plague only left one out of ten or less. As the mohammedans left Constantinople they catapulted infected corpses over the city walls which then spread the plague through the town which lead to its ultimate demise.

LCC: Heavy bolts at the top and bottom of the doors? The vulnerable places would be hinges. Heavy brass bends but iron breaks. Strap hinges might be better.
Bay windows? Can you get steel frames? Something that looks like it belongs and is bolted to the inside, making the windows look like small pieces.
Ya, Constantinople stood till they came back with that mega-cannon, wow. niio

CC: What I have seen work is a chalk outline like the cops make around a body and a few sprinkles of red paint. Maybe a few boards at belly height on the door. A shotgun casing kicked to one side. You live in an anti-adult state where diapered lunatics run things. niio

Red- You’ve got that right! Come to think of it, it would be festive too now that we are nearing Halloween!

CC: LOL! don’t forget the skull impaled on the fence post.

Fuel injector cleaner has a good pressure stream and is real nasty to the eyes and respiratory system.

With some ingenuity, one could make a flame thrower .

Attila: Replace the tube that goes in the nozzle with a metal one the same size. That stops it from spreading out, gives more range, and no flash back if lit. It works on those small propane bottles, too, if done right. niio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIGIBJeRfnQ

WW1 trench raids also took place in an enclosed space and are notable for their use of improvised close quarter weapons, this is a good Youtube video I watched a while back. I must as ever caution, if you have never been in a fight don’t expect to win your first one regardless of your training.
A good old steel radio antenna is a nasty weapon for close quarters, doesn’t take great strength. Back in the good old days of the drug and alcohol fueled Texas street fighting and street racing scene, I saw a tough guy whipped across the face with a car antenna, ending a fight in 2 seconds. It leaves a mark.
Buy a good quality linoleum knife, put a good edge on the entire blade, and you have the most perfectly legal everywhere you carry it Karambit.
A lot of American Indians used a simple 36″ flat bow for hunting and war. The Comanche flat bow is a beautiful example of the art, 40 to 60 pound draw weight, made for hunting in heavy brush. They shot instinctively, holding the bow in any position needed, not holding at full draw and aiming. A skilled hunter or warrior might hold up to 6 arrows in his bow hand, loosing them as fast a Ranger could fire 6 shots from a big Colt Dragoon. Don’t break into a Comanche’s house! Problem with a short bow, it can be a chore to string one, a silent weapon but nowhere near as fast and easy as chambering a round in the old Mossberg.
I also vote for LCC giving us an article with pics about Japanese edged weapons!

left coast chuck, you can thank all those liberal politicians for the “resisting arrests” they go on television telling the public they are for defunding and disbanding the police. this give the average protestors the idea that police are always wrong and if they don’t agree with the laws they don’t have to be obeyed. that is, until someone tries to trespass on they
‘re property.

Since the torn hamstring I have days when I use A lovely metal cane. It has a heavy head that’s decorative. It would be capable of creating more than a simple headache.

A simple and perfectly legal option for a close quarter defensive weapon at home would be new hand saw.
VERY sharp, light, ergonomic handle and a whole selection of sizes for that perfect fit.
It would take a brave man to try and take that off you when it’s swinging around.

More than 50 years ago I had an interesting thing happen involving a handsaw.

I was working in my garage which was on the street level of an apartment house that was built up into a hill in the hilly part of Oakland, CA.

It was rather late at night and as I was rough cutting up some pallets to make furniture (My wife and I were really poor then but too dumb to realize it.)

Two punks walked by and started into the garage. I stood up holding the rough cut saw in my hand and just said, “What?” in a demanding tone. They looked at the saw I was holding and backed out and said “Nothing” and went on up the street.

I don’t know what they had in mind, but whatever it was the saw changed the idea. Very brief exchange and I went back to sawing up the pallet.

If you are going to use a saw as a home defense implement, I would suggest a 24″ tree trimming saw with the large teeth. It won’t be deadly, but it sure will give a plastic surgeon a real test of his skills in the E.R.

Here they like to come around to the back door, so we have to pay close attention to any points of entry. Several years ago now, I had a locksmith install inside gates on all the downstairs windows and windows upstairs in the back . If there is an emergency, you can open them from inside. I also had the locksmith install outside gates on the front casement windows. I learned a lot from the locksmith. The installation is as important as the gates themselves. Everything is secured in place with welded imbedded steel bars and cement, even the iron security front and back doors. I have what is called Multi Locks on all doors. It’s a brand that can not get picked. I have two picture windows that are triple panes of glass backed
up with security film. My house construction is what they call pre war cement, brick and slate. My exterior walls are a foot thick. All of my utilities are underground and my house is situated on what they call the ridge of Long Island. I’m not going to get flooded out anytime soon. Nothing here will easily burn, and storms are not that bad in these parts.

CC: Make sure the fire department can get into your house. I briefly touched on it in my post about the front doors. That’s why I deliberately went to a system that wasn’t as secure as I would have liked to make it. I settled for something less than ideal.

One of the problems with bars on windows is that in the event of a fire, many times the firemen can’t get in to rescue someone trapped in the house who can’t help themselves because they have become overcome with smoke.

Many folks in high crime neighborhoods have put bars on their windows and doors and used the low bidder who only cares about the job and doesn’t advise the homeowner about the dangers of window and door bars that can’t be opened from the outside. Having to take the time to cut the protective bars from the window or do the same with the door might be the difference between them dragging you out in time or not being able to reach you or your loved ones until they can breach a window large enough to admit a fireman with breathing apparatus and all his other gear. When seconds count you don’t want the emergency response locked out.

It’s a damned if you do; damned if you don’t situation. It’s something only you can make a decision on. Perhaps in consultation with the locksmith who installed the equipment. If he is experienced, it won’t be the first time the topic has come up.

LCC – Yes, I sure am buttoned up tight here, but know that everything in place is NYFD approved and terribly expensive too. Adds a nice decorative accent to the place and goes well with the design of the house so nothing stands out to offend the neighbors. Best of all I have no trouble sleeping soundly at night and no worries that someone will break in while I’m gone. If they do, I’d have to give them a medal!

LCC: Anything on ninja close quarters weapons in your knowledge? It would be welcome. niio

Red: The ninja liked to use many different devices as a distraction. Their main effort was to avoid detection and escape because usually they were trying to get to whomever had sent them with the information.

Most typically ninja were used as spies rather than assassins. If they has an assassination as an assignment they preferred poison so that they had a means of escape before the deed was detected. They only rarely resorted to physical assault. There was a great parity of weaponry during their most active period and the skill of the operator in most cases decided the outcome. Most samurai were disciples of edged weapon technology and a ninja going up against a samurai was on equal footing. You most definitely don’t want to be in a fair fight if it is a death struggle. You want to take every advantage at your disposal.

To quote Harve in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, “Rules? Butch, this is a gun fight to the finish.”

And Butch’s soto voce to Sundance, “If he shoots me, kill him.”

The ninja weren’t kamikazes. They wanted to walk away from whatever they were doing in one piece. If they were captured, there wasn’t going to be a lot of weeping and wailing about how cruel the death sentence was that was imposed. In the eyes of the authorities, cruel and unusual death sentences had a salutary effect on the population and most executions were at least semi pubic if not full blown everybody-must-attend public events. If it was a mandatory appearance type of execution, one could count on it being drawn out and very painful.

The Japanese didn’t crucify folks until the Jesuits came to Japan and taught them about crucifixion. The Japanese, always happy to learn new and more painful methods were quick studies and soon were also using crucifixion when in the mood.

So shuriken (throwing stars), firecrackers, blinding dust from a blowpipe, caltrops, None of those items were fatal, but they all played a part in enabling the ninja to escape and complete his assignment.

Depends on the size of the weapon. They used a 13ft blowpipe with a large dart that was a killer, while most of us think of the throwing darts as big tooth picks, there were examples used 16inches long as heavy as a wakizashi. The hidden weapons for self defence or oppertunity attacks had their battlefield counter part. Even the powders could be made flammable (pine resin and willow bark) to give them flame thrower capability (although limited as it wasn’t roasting hot, would scare the tabi off a superstitious samurai if you dressed up like a demon (with mask etc like Halloween)
Bunch of fun dudes…if they weren’t after you

Damien: Yo! And, I was 11 when I saw my first dismemberment. Some joker from Brooklyn, NY, was being harassed by his wife, so he picked up the fireplace poker and dented her skull. The steel may not be the best, but it worked. He cut her up and after hitting the Pocono Mtns, began to threw plastic bags of parts out in the brush. Last one dropped in the Lehigh river. That was how they caught him, he didn’t know plastic picked up his finger prints. But, a poker works! niio

LCC: yeah, we studied ninja in the late 70s when AIM was still free of dnc apples. Most of what black bag does is ninja training. I showed a worker once about being inviable in plain sight. Busy people notice but don’t see. One neon plastic snake (the man was a bass fanatic) on the floor of a busy kitchen. For half an hour people walked around it or stepped over it till the manager (3rd time) came in and picked it up LOL. Another time we used sink plungers. Started high on the door frame, then worked them down. No one saw them until a waitress nearly lost a bus pan of dirty dishes. He was impressed and started to attend the dojo.
New one on me about Japan crucifying people but it makes sense. Like the Apaches, they learned a lot for very able teachers, the Spanish.
Japan had a pretty effective justice system, let the punishment fit the crime. while not a major fan of Choctaws, Gov. Wallace was right when he told his driver to run over protesters.
Did you see the debate? I went from nautios to laughing and back. One biggie, the Proud Boys. How can they be a white supremist group when a lot of them aren’t white? Dems…like when Hillary the geocidal psycho told farmers and ranchers to fire their cattle guards. 🙂
niio

Regardless of what you choose to defend yourself or hearth and home is ‘legal’ in your state. You do not want to give any prosecuting attorney any gifts that can be used against you, later. If you are a re-loader…never use your re-loaded ammo for defense. Prosecutors ‘will’ say you re-loaded the ammo to be more deadly. Trust me…I know. When the police arrive…make sure whatever you used is on the ground and they can plainly see your hands. Give a ‘brief description of what happened. Do not embellish the story. If they press…and they will…tell them you want your attorney. This is not to say you will be arrested, but at some point you will be required to answer more questions even if the responding officers call it self defense. I tend to look at police as friends, but is this type of incident…they are not.

Does anyone remember the stinkbombs that kids used to set off in school ? Maybe something along those lines would be a deterrent… although with everyone wearing covid masks, they might not notice it.

MKitty: I think we are discussing two different situations here. One is a group of rioters who are just generally raising hell and who are not professional criminals. There may well be some career criminals in the group, but I think they will be in commercial areas looking for stores to loot.

I think the mobs we have seen in residential areas generally will be the misguided folk and career anarchists that want to see our form of government fail. They won’t have the same criminal intent that a career criminal might have. They might be dissuaded by non-lethal means such as paintball guns, pepper spray with dye, stink bombs, and flaming Pam cans. That is one group. They might kill you in a moment of mob frenzy but will, even though they may self-justify their actions later, will secretly regret that they were involved in a murder. Doesn’t do you much good if you are dead, but that wasn’t what they set out to do.

The other, more dangerous group are home invaders. From what I have read, it is about evenly split between home invaders who have reason to believe you might have some valuable illicit goods stored away from casual observations and that you will need persuasion to reveal its hidden location and once having obtained whatever valuables you have and possible the stash of illicit goods they will depart.

The second more dangerous group of home invaders not only want whatever you have that is valuable but also want to indulge in fun and games for them which will have traumatic results for you and your family.

There is a third usually solo home invader who is so wasted on drugs and alcohol that he doesn’t know where he is or what he is doing. He may also be psychotic and so, totally unpredictable in his actions which may be incomprehensible to the normal individual.

It’s my opinion that anything less than absolutely lethal or potentially lethal will be absolutely useless against any of the three. The first group MAY be dissuaded by the use of enough non-lethal force. The second and and third category less than lethal is highly unlikely to deter them.

So while we may discuss less than lethal, as interesting possibilities, I think we should always have a back-up lethal instrument at our disposal. An axe with about an 18″ handle is a good instrument.

There is a company called Council Tools who makes a gardening tool called “Groundhogs”. They have two versions. Both are heavy steel with an 18″ handle which makes them ideal for inside use. But not so heavy as to make a full speed strike feasible.

Both of them have a two-bladed head. One side of the head is a small hoe shape. The other side is either a pick blade or a broad-headed blade at right angles to the pick blade. In my opinion they would make ideal weapons with lethal potential for inside the home in jurisdictions where firearms are at best extremely difficult to obtain.

I have just acquired the second style, the one with the pick head, having owned the other style for many years. The quality is not quite as good as it was when I obtained the first one but it is still quite serviceable for defense work. Council Tools has stopped selling on line but they will put you in touch with a dealer that carries their tools.

I paid less than $35 including shipping for my most recent acquisition. It gets primary use in the garden breaking up soil and digging out weeds. I make sure that I repair any nicks in the blades before I put the tools away. They are maintained in a sharpened condition at all times. They are not my primary home defense tool but they could certainly serve as such for someone who wants something that doesn’t look deadly but is indeed such.

Yes, most definitely! The local deli was selling them to the local school age kids, including my son and his friends. The neighbors here were outraged as they thought it was fun to toss them into people’s front door mail slots! I was outraged when I found out what they were doing. I drove around the neighborhood searching for them. When I was stopped at a gas station to refuel, there they were passing by! They wanted to know where I was going so I told them shopping and if the wanted to come along to hop in! Then I locked the doors and drove them to the police station where we had a nice chat in the car. Then we came home and they went around and apologized to all the neighbors. They never did it again because they knew that if there was a next time I would turn them in.

This isn’t the only prepper site I visit. I probably spend more time on line than I should but with the lockdown, it is my escape to the outside.

When I opened my e-mail this morning I found the following on another website that I follow. It is on topic with this article and I thought it might be of interest to other followers of this link. The author hold himself out as a prepper/self-defense expert. Most of his efforts are at selling his line of products but he comes up with cogent thoughts and suggestions just often enough to make following his site worth while. Below is his thoughts on the present topic:

“1. Baseball Bat
For some reason, the good ol’ fashioned baseball bat seems to be the go-to “alternative weapon” for a lot of people.Maybe it’s our apple-pie American tradition.
Or maybe it’s just that bats are incredibly common.
The problem with relying on a baseball bat for home defense, though, is that it’s a loooong club.
You need a lot of room to use it effectively – which means indoors, in your house, it’s pretty much a no-go.
Plus, to hit somebody with a bat, you’ve got to wind up first, and that movement telegraphs what you’re doing
from a mile away! (LCC: Not quite accurate, but has a certain element of correctness to it.)

“2. Pistol Crossbow
This is something that people recommend a lot because it’s pretty close to a gun, but cheap and relatively easy to get. And yeah, some of these can be really powerful, punching the little bolts through layers of plywood or drywall. I sure wouldn’t want to get shot with one.
The problem is, you get just ONE shot, and then you’re holding a useless weapon that takes “five-ever” (that’s one more than “forever”) to reload! If you miss (and under stress, you’re likely to miss 75% of the time when shooting a handgun under stress, much less your Robin Hood crossbow), your home invader has the opening he needs to take you out — and there will be next to nothing you can do about it. (LCC: This one is dead on.)

“3. “CIA Dart Launcher”
You see these for sale all over the place on some of those dodgy apps that sell goods straight from overseas.
They aren’t real particular about what they ship. Well, lately these CIA-style dart launchers hit the market.
It’s basically a box full of springs that shoots tiny crossbow bolts across the room. Supposedly, it’s based on an old spy weapon. I’ve seen these recommended as an improvement over pistol crossbows, because you get more than one shot (and the box is small enough to carry in a pocket). But these are even LESS accurate than pistol crossbows, because the darts have no fins.
(You’re just chucking them at the bad guy under spring power). Again, I wouldn’t want to get shot with one of these – but there’s no WAY this stops a determined attacker unless you get lucky enough to hit him in the eye.
(And honestly I don’t like your chances, with no sights and nothing but a button for a “trigger.”) (LCC: I had never heard of this. It sounds like a potentially deadly toy)

“What everybody’s dancing around, when they advocate alternative weapons like this, is one simple fact:
A gun is the most effective home-defense weapon.
Yes, I’ve had to rely on non-gun weapons myself, such as one of my machetes, when I was living in a state where I couldn’t carry my handgun. . . .”

He is a proponent of machetes as a lethal alternative where handguns and other firearms may be prohibited. I too think that a machete is a viable lethal alternative to a handgun for self-defense. There is something in us that makes us fear a blade more than a gun. Perhaps is is eons of being sliced and diced by blades and because it is so much more personal than a gun. I don’t understand the psychology myself. The criminal gang from Honduras, MS13 makes hits with machetes their specialty and they are highly feared in their territories.

And according to reports the Hutus in Africa were able to kill millions of Tutsis with machetes — or the other way ’round. I may have the tribes mixed up. But whether i have the tribes correctly identified or not, according to reports there were mass slayings using only machetes. So the machete has the potential of lethality. Which is the deterrent factor we seek.

I have seen videos and read accounts of hard headed men who have baseball bats broken over their heads before they attack and pulverize the batter. This is because baseball bats are round. What you want is a good hickory pickaxe handle, it is is oval in cross section and so long as you don’t strike with the flat will not break. Lighter and easier to accelerate, you can strike effectively with a much shorter arc. Best way to use a baseball bat is to reverse it and jab it into the opponent’s mid section. They’ll think you’re pretty dumb holding the big end of the bat…
CIA dart launcher? Watched a show on Spetznaz tactics once, they carry a spring loaded knife blade that has good penetrating power at 10′ distance. An American Operator looked at and said, that’s not going to kill me or disable me, and you have just handed me your weapon.

While sitting in the garage doing some sanding with nothing else to occupy my mind I got to thinking about this guy’s advice.

He is incorrect in his assertion that a baseball bat is a poor home defense weapon. While it will never replace a Sig in .45 acp loaded with 185 grain P+ hollow pointed rounds, a baseball bat doesn’t have to be applied in a roundhouse swing. While that may be the most devastating application of a full size bat, a bat held at either port arms or across one’s thighs with the handle end in the left hand can be applied with stunning force by striking the face or the neck with the handle end of the bat used as the striking end.

A left slash with the left hand as the lead hand striking at the temple or eye area followed by drawing the bat back on the right side if right handed and following the strike to the face region with a strike to the groin area with the handle end of the bat.

For lefties, just reverse the above with the left hand as the driving force and the right hand as the guide.

While the miscreant is recovering from that attack, step back and apply the bat to the outside of the bad guys’ left knee if you are right handed; opposite if you are a lefty. This stroke is where you can use a full roundhouse swing. Be aware of any possible obstacles to your swing and adjust accordingly.

Follow through is as important as the arm motion. Step into all of your strikes. Put your body weight behind the strike.

I am not sure I can describe it in words, but when holding the bat in front of your thighs you can bring the left hand up and strike in the face with the knob on the end of the bat. This move has to be executed sharply.

There are WWII bayonet training films on U-tube. If you are interested in using the bat as your main home defense weapon, I suggest you review the films and base your bat attack as though you were using a short rifle and very dull bayonet. I would urge you to practice your moves on a regular basis so that they come naturally.

Unfortunately, there is too much weak or erroneous information floating around the internet. My apologies for participating in the spread of such weak advice.

I do agree with his evaluation of the crossbow. It is complicated and unless you know how to use it, in an emergency you are going to be fumbling.

I can attest that in an emergency where one must deploy a firearm, the very first time, even with considerable practice the chances of fumbling are quite good. Many years ago while on guard duty with Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children I had occasion to present my rifle and discharge it at a trespasser on base who fled when I tried to apprehend him. It was a comedy of errors. And that was the M-1 that we had practiced and practiced and practiced on how to operate. It was a good thing he wasn’t armed and split instead of attacking, otherwise i might not be typing this.

The other drawback of a crossbow is that it cannot be left in a cocked condition. It must be stored uncocked, otherwise it takes a set and soon is worthless. As I pointed out with the compressed air devices, if the bad guy would make an appointment, you could be all set and ready. Unfortunately, bad guys are also ill-mannered and don’t notify you that they are dropping by.

You need a device which is ready to go 24/7 without any prep or as little and simple as possible.

Practice your bat attacks. You may feel ridiculous but it may save your life. The added benefit is that it counts as cardio, developing upper body strength.

AT age 83 I can feel improvement in my strokes with the cane and the sword and better upper body strength than when I started.

LCC: Yeah, cool! niio

The hand crossbow can be used with the caveat that you know it’s to be used as a one-shot then dropped. That baseball bat or machete is in the other hand. It would be used either at range or to make them flinch so you can get in with the other weapons if the intruder doesn’t flee when it is brandished to begin with.

You do need to cock the hand crossbow, but isn’t difficult and can be done quickly (at least with the one I have), and has a clip that holds the bolt in place where you can cock with it already “loaded.”

Dupin: this looks cool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbKGjRoSofA

Haha, John Wayne giving Forrest Tucker bayonet instruction in Sands of Iwo Jima. That movie taught me Marines don’t bleed when shot.

Your good old kitchen fire extinguisher to the face works if you are cornered or close to cornered. They are supposed to be someplace handy and very easy to reach anyway

jack: LOL! Very good idea! 2 small ones in the kitchen, one in the living room. niio

My kitchen extinguisher is less than 6 seconds away even from the bedroom. Dining room-living room, less than 3 seconds.

I’d use a hatchet over an axe. Better for closer quarters, and the wife can swing it too.

Having tried various length impact and slashing weapons in practice, for the average strength person who doesn’t practice with the device on a frequent basis, an 18″ handle or blade is about the ideal length in my opinion for indoor use. With an 18 to 22 inch handle or blade, you don’t have to use two hands, but it is long enough that you can use two hands. It is not so long that you must use two hands.

It is short enough that you don’t have to be concerned about hitting the ceiling or chandelier or some other item on the ceiling. It is short enough that it can still be engaged at close quarters. Even with the bad guy at arm’s length one can still draw the blade or whatever back far enough for a thrust. If you are using an axe with a 30 inch handle, you are going to be hard pressed to engage with that axe unless you can choke up to the head and use just a short part of the handle. Even then, the rest of the handle is going to be a hinderance and available for the bad guy to grab, perhaps disarming you.

Long swords, regulation length baseball bats, long handle battle axes, pole arms are all best suited to outdoor use. In my armory I have several pole arms. One is an sks bayonet that I added a five foot handle to and it is a piercing spear. I bought the Cold Steel ready made piercing spear. It is a fearsome piercing weapon. I used the Cold Steel Bushman knife to make a spear. It isn’t as fearsome as the Cold Steel spear but has the additional advantage of having a cutting edge in addition to a piercing point.

The assagai has a short handle but even with the short handle the overall size the the weapon is about 40 inches long. It still is very effective indoors as a thrusting weapon as it has an extremely sharp point and a double edged blade that is 10 to 12 inches in length. It was used as a close quarters thrusting weapon by the Zulus very effectively against the British square. It is still long enough that grasped at the end of the pole, it can be swung like a bat and have incredible blade speed with a heavyweight blade that I am inclined to believe would cleave a head to the shoulders. It is very well balanced for such a heavy piece. Battle proven by tens of thousands of Zulus. Just ask the British Army what they thought of the assagai.

LCC: Definitely great fighters on both sides of that war. When the Xotha tried to take over Zulu lands a few decades back (post apartheid) KaButhalezi ordered them out of the kingdom. The Xotha refused to go so very early one dawn, a few hundred assagai armed Zulu ran into the shacks and killed 2,000 xotha armed with AK-47s. As far as I know, no Zulu were killed, but they burned the town and chased off the Xotha. KaButhalezi said if there were more incidents South Africa would have a Zulu king. Until then, Zulu were being necklaced because the king refused to join in anti-white protests. niio

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