It’s becoming increasingly clear that the violence and rioting that is going on in cities across the country isn’t going to stop anytime soon. Considering the amount of potential problems with this year’s elections, there’s a good chance that any election results will go to court, regardless of who wins. So in other words, there’s almost no chance that things will be peaceful after the elections.
With that in mind, we need to be ready for whatever comes. While we don’t want to be instigators of any violence, we certainly don’t want to be victims of it either.
Reality says that we all have to go out sometime, even in the midst of pandemics and rioting. So there’s a distinct possibility that you’ll end up confronted by rioters when you least expect it. That’s enough to make some means of defense part of your everyday carry (EDC).
Pistol
Your main weapon is always your concealed carry pistol. This is one time you want to be carrying it for sure. Even so, you want to do everything you can to avoid drawing it or even letting anyone know it’s there.
Don’t try using your pistol to put an end to the rioting, as that could end up backfiring and sparking an increase in the violence.
The reason to carry a pistol is for your own defense. If things get out of hand and you’re in danger of life and limb, then you’ll need to draw your pistol. But be sure that it’s absolutely necessary, before even reaching for it, so that you don’t telegraph its existence and location to the rioters.
Make sure you have at least two extra magazines too. You don’t know what will happen if you start shooting. You may very well have to shoot your way out of the situation.
AR-15
The AR-15 is the closest thing I can think of to a civilian firearm designed for this situation. The ease of use and speed of reloading, changing out its 30 round magazines, means that you can keep shooting as long as they keep coming after you.
Just make sure you stop shooting as soon as the danger to yourself is lifted. You don’t want to be found guilty of your own murder spree.
I’d recommend a red dot sight for a situation like this, as it is the fastest and easiest optic for getting a sight on a target, even if the rifle isn’t quite lined up right. Back that up with iron sights, even if you have to install them at an angle, so that you have something to use if your red dot goes out.
While this article is about the best items to carry, I’d use extreme caution about even carrying an AR-15 into one of these situations. If there are others who are carrying, then it’s okay. But you don’t want to be the only one carrying one and end up attracting attention to yourself. Better to keep it in the trunk of the car, and stay close to your car so that you can get to it if you need to.
Related: The Complete Guide To Cleaning And Lubricating Your Ar-15
A Stout Walking Stick
A good walking stick is a great weapon, if you know what to do with it. I’m talking about one that is five to six feet long here, not a gentleman’s walking stick that’s no bigger than a cane.
A longer walking stick like this can be used as a quarterstaff or bo staff, depending on which you are more familiar with. It gives you reach over any attackers, without having to resort to firearms.
If you’re going to carry any sort of staff or walking stick, then you want to take some time to practice using it. This isn’t the sort of weapon you can use effectively, without practice. Look online for videos which explain how to use them, then spend some time in the backyard getting the swing of it.
The biggest thing you want to be sure of, when using any weapon of this sort, is to make sure that nobody can get their hands on it. If an attacker grabs it, they might succeed in wrestling it out of your hands and attacking you with it. Then you’d be forced to resort to another weapon, like your concealed carry pistol.
Martial Arts Weapons
If you have training in the use of martial arts weapons, this might be the time to make use of that training. Such weapons would give you a distinct advantage in any fight you might end up in.
The trick is carrying them in some way that nobody knows you’ve got them. A heavy coat, like a ski parka, will help in this regard.
Like the staff, don’t try using martial arts weapons if you don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t want to be in a position where the weapons you are carrying can be turned against you and used to inflict harm on you.
That’s likely to happen with any weapon that gets taken away from you.
Related: Common Tactical Knife Myths that Can get You Killed
Wasp Spray
I’ve always had an issue with pepper spray in that it is such a limited weapon. You’ve got to be extremely close to the other person, almost putting it in their face. Then, you’ve only got enough spray for a few quick shots, before the can runs out.
Many people have recommended wasp spray as a replacement for pepper spray. Not only does it come in a larger can, but it’s designed to shoot about 20 feet. This allows you to use it as a weapon to clear the area around you, spraying one person after another in the face.
I will warn you though, wasp spray is not considered a legal weapon in all states. So you’ve got to be sure that you meet the criteria for the use of deadly force, even though it isn’t a deadly weapon.
Body Armor
Regardless of what weapons you’re carrying, if you’re going to be anywhere near the rioting, I’d highly recommend wearing ballistic body armor. Even if the rioters aren’t shooting, that armor could be useful.
Part of the way it works is to dissipate the kinetic energy from a round hitting it, spreading the impact out to minimize blunt-force trauma, while it also stops the bullet to prevent penetrating trauma. So, if someone knocks you over and tries to kick you in the chest, the armor would spread the force out, lessening the pain that it causes.
That body armor won’t help your head though and wearing a military helmet might be a bit too obvious. But if you happen to have a motorcycle helmet around, you might want to keep it in your car. Motorcycle helmets aren’t bullet-proof, but they are designed to withstand blunt-force trauma. So if you find yourself in a difficult situation, putting that helmet on could protect your head.
Related: How To Make Bulletproof Body Armor Plate
Your best course of action, with any sort of riots, is to make yourself scarce. There’s really no way for you and me to win in that situation. While we may be tempted to go out and defend all we hold dear, even trying to do that could land us behind bars. And that’s about the best we can expect. Dealing with those riots is really the business of the police and the National Guard.
This means staying away from the areas where rioting is likely to occur, especially the downtown area or a neighborhood where an event has happened that might spark violence.
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I carry my Springfield .45 auto with three extra mags plus three knives as my protection.
That wasp spray could get you into trouble as its a violation of federal law to use it for self defense.
But in a SHTF moment, who cares?
I live in las vegas one block from the riots
They even came down our ally shouting and vandalizing anything they could the police were exstreemly busey that day. Pepper spray would not stop theese type of problems. Smith and wesson. Will
section on Wasp Spray should also have “USE AS LAST DESPERATE RESORT” ….
don’t even think about it if there’s weapons involved – RUN !!!!!
and if you think the St Louis Richie Rich couple got in trouble confronting with a AR-15 rifle >>> nothing compared to what happens if you spray down a bunch of unarmed azzholes – the judge will BBQ you royally …
I’m not in St. Loius. I’m in an open carry old fashioned state where our police support citizens second right. I got pulled over with my shotgun in the backseat. As the officer approached my car I put my hands on the wheel and said “I have to inform you I have a shot gun in the back seat’… he simply said “Miss, I see your weapon, but what I really want to see is your driver’s license and registration please’… St. Louis should go to the Supreme Court. Illinois is a blue state and that kind of anti-constitution corruption happens those places all the time.
Just shows how trump incites his supporters to resort to violence, and they are dumb enough to do it, not so Pro-Life are they?
NO, we defend ourselves from people that are followers and reactive to lies and not getting their way.
Wasp spray is not the only alternative to pepper spray. Try bear spray pepper gel. No blowback (unless you’re in a hurricane), longer range.
So those were Trump supporters burning, shooting and looting in Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Kenosha, Philadelphia, D.C., Rochester…?
It isn’t conservatives who riot and distroy communities. It’s liberal snowflakes who do that sort of thing. Then it’s called “mostly peaceful” protesting.
Funny thing is that it’s not the Trump supporters that have done all the rioting & looting. Those were the Biden supporters & we all know they will kill an unborn baby in a heartbeat!
You comment is not worth a response that takes more than five seconds.
“Trump” had absolutely NOTHING to do with the cause of these Riots, early on is this virus thing he GAVE the decision making to the State Governors. THEY (especially the Democratic Governors) are the ones that called to “Defund” major city Police Departments and did NOT allow Trump to send in The National Guard in to control those rioters and looters. THOSE Democrat Mayors AND State Governors are the Idiots responsible for ALL the “Radical” protests and violent rioting and looting, NOW that you have properly been informed?, you can come out from under that rock you`ve been hiding under.
Wow, you and your friends here absolutely prove that fox news/conservative propaganda machine are masters at manipulating the gullible.
That is the definition of an uninformed voter.
Lesser: Well, back again, Mrs. Clinton! Yes, we know, dumbing down students makes them more likely to vote for the dnc. It makes them into idiots, and that’s all you can get to vote for you, patseys. Tell me, does you head still swell a lot when you eat beans? Yes, well, when you come back, bring another message from the ass-ended master, Hitler. Yes, he loved the dnc, didn’t he?
I believe that was said tongue in cheek… in jest…. knowing it was the opposite.
We’re all on the side of the defenders here.
We’re the good guys.
Lisa, apparently you missed part of the article. It’s up top, in the introduction to the article: “While we don’t want to be instigators of any violence, we certainly don’t want to be victims of it either.
Reality says that we all have to go out sometime, even in the midst of pandemics and rioting. So there’s a distinct possibility that you’ll end up confronted by rioters when you least expect it.”
I don’t think this is true. As far as I see it, the violence is being arranged for not by a particular group of people but some individuals who WANT ((further) division among the population.
Although I’m neither a Dem nor a REP, I’d feel safer in a crowd of Reps with a Biden cap on than in a crowd of Dems with a Trump camp on. Reason: the division instigators are using any ‘social justice’ group they can find to further cause violence and riots. (That doesn’t mean that Reps don’t care for social justice but the major groups in this area are ‘covered’ by ‘Dem groups.’
So, in my view, it’s not Trump who sows division it’s some special interest groups who’re working on ways to further their agendas (e.g., 2030, NWO) by dividing the population.
How is Trump inciting violence? Please explain. It’s BLM and Antifa that are rioting. Not Trump supporters.. Trump is the one promoting law and order.
So now AntiFa and BLM are Trump supporters? You’ve been watching too much CNN and are now brain dead as your brain evidentially is incapable of thinking and reasoning!
We actually ARE pro life.. but preservation of number one is the highest priority. If someone is coming at YOU with hate and murder in their eyes, what are YOU going to do? Just stand there ?
LISA SUCKS LISA SUCKS LISA SUCKS…….
We are so dumb ?
Golly Bill, Lisa, I don’t know why you frequent this web site. Obviously the articles and the posts are in opposition to your view of reality. Bringing a pallet of bricks to a “protest” doesn’t sound peaceful to me. The Bill of Rights does specifically say, “peaceably assemble”. In my dictionary peaceably doesn’t come close to burning businesses, assault, tipping over cars, smashing windows in cars and dragging the passengers out violently. I think you must be using the anarchist’s dictionary if you think those acts constitute peaceably.
LCC: riots are always popular among nazis. Lynching, eco-fanatics, paganism (all nazi gods are Saxon and blood-hungry), socialism. New Age t the max. Greedy enough to steal the joy of candy out of the mouth of a starving child.
niio
What are you talking about? The talk is about protection from violence from leftists, not starting violence. Are you daft? And yes, they are pro life, even their own if leftists attack. Don’t DO political violence, and you wont get defended against. Easy.
Lisa: dnc/kkk=nazi party usa. the owner of the dnc is soros, still wanted for war crimes in his homeland. The Kennedy Klan went Nazi in the 30s and never left it. Rioting has always been a nazi thing, and it’s only in nazi strongholds like Minnesota where rioters are getting away with murder.
OK. Try ‘spinning’ another story. Your narrative doesn’t float. TDS…is truly a sad waste of a human mind.
Ummmmm Trump’s supporters are NOT the ones who are rioting its the libtards like yourself who are dumb enough to do that!
Lisa, the summer BLM/ANTIFA rioters did FAR more damage than did the idiots did on Jan 6th.
Not even close to the truth Lisa. You have gotten hold of , or willingly bought into, a bunch of nonsense. Who was it that wreaked havoc across the nation in the last few years? The Jan 6th event had more FBI agents stirring it up then anyone.
It isn’t conservatives who riot and distroy communities. It’s liberal snowflakes who do that sort of thing. Then it’s called “mostly peaceful” protesting.
I like the comment to leave it up to the Police and National Guard. Most all the riots that have happened or happening now the Police just stand back and watch. The citizenry is forced to defend themselves and their property. Then they are subjected to jail if they should hurt one of the criminal rioters.
longbow: In dem states, yes. AZ Gov. Ducey more or less gave approval to “Shoot them in the a**.” He did not have a lot of choice because little old ladies were threatening mayhem on rioters with hairbrushes and lesser deadly things like angry, well-armed sons who learned to shoot in the military. Arizona is Indian Country. Even our bugs are deadly. niio
Well can’t blame the cops too much.
One cop told me they take their time getting to a shooting because it is safer that way for them.
Cops have no duty to protect anyone.
The problem with sprays is there is always a chance of blow back. Yes, it comes out in a stream, but watch when you are watering with a hose, especially if there is any kind of breeze. You will notice that there is mist coming off from the stream. If you get blow back from pepper spray or mace, it is merely disconcerting and painful. If you get blow back from wasp spray, it may be injurious. Why take a chance on hurting yourself?
People advise using wasp spray who most likely have never ever used it to even attack wasps. I would suggest to Rich M if he has never sprayed wasps with wasp spray, his advice is like Joe Biden advising that the way to handle a man advancing with a knife is to shoot him in the legs.
I have just acquired a mace spray gun. It uses a canister of mace that fits into a gun shaped discharge device. It comes with a water practice canister. I haven’t had time to try it out yet. When I get a chance I will report my real life findings —not some theoretical advice that I haven’t actually tried —to the readers of this list.
KaBar, the knife folks make an aluminum cane. What that flimsy stuff? No, it is aviation grade aluminum and appears to be 3/16″ thick. It is quite heavy, It comes with what is called a tourist handle which is the old fashioned crook handle. It took me twenty minutes of sawing with a hand hacksaw to cut it to a length that would fit me. It is stout. I now carry it any time I am about in addition to select other items. It is stout enough to put serious hurt on someone without suffering any damage itself. Nice thing about being old and carrying a cane, I can take it almost anywhere. It might be frowned upon if I try to carry it into a federal courthouse, but I have the knee scar to back up the claim that I need it for walking and can produce evidence that I have other medical devices installed that could well require me to use a cane for assistance.
Of course if you are 6’4″, 250# without any installed medical devices and possess all of your limbs and are 25 years old, you just might have difficulty selling that story.
But then if you meet that physical description why do you need the assistance of some device to protect yourself?
The best advice for maintaining safety in today’s political atmosphere is situational awareness. Be alert. Follow the news. If there is some kind of demonstration going on, stay away from the area. If it looks like trouble is starting, it is better to view it at home with a cold beer or hot cup of tea than it is to have first hand, on-site knowledge of what is happening. While I decry the misinformation that news media purvey, you will still learn more watching from your living room than you will on scene.
I am not talking about home defense with a mob marching down the street throwing bricks, spraying paint and throwing molotov cocktails, I am talking about being in a public place where a demonstration is taking place. GET OUT OF THE AREA. We all discussed that thoroughly very recently in another article.
You requested everyone that has experience with wasp spray to reply. Been using it for probably 30 to 40 years. Lived in FL and now live in AL where the wasps and hornets are ALWAYS a serious problem. Us and our friends use wasp spray every few days and a lot of us keep a couple of cases on hand. They form nests everywhere and never reach your hand into somewhere you have not viewed it first. Yes the wind does sometimes carry the spray toward you and you close your eyes and move, quickly. Yes it does get onto your arms or clothes. If it is more than a light dusting, remove the clothing and/or rinse off the affected area. Make sure you wash your hands after using it. When you see wasps, hornets, you start looking for nests with a can or 2 of wasp spray. Hope this helps.
JohnC: Thanks for your reply. As I suspected. I am surprised you haven’t developed health problems from the exposure to insecticide, but then I suspect that the dangers of contact with insecticide have been grossly overstated by trial attorneys trying to extort large sums of money from big chem.
I recall how we used to handle DDT many years ago. DDT was ubiquitous on Okinawa as were bugs of every description. The mosquitos carried Type B encephalitis and we slept under mosquito nets.
During the rainy seas which was the month of May on Okinawa, bugs, especially termites came out by the millions. I remember the first time I saw a termite migration in the headlights of the taxi I was in. It looked like a blizzard. “What the h _ _l? That can’t be snow. It’s 80 degrees.” Turns out it was termites and it looked like a blizzard in the headlights.
Our hut would fill up with the insects as they were attracted to the lights. Just before lights out we would gather outside and two of us would each open the bottom of an aerosol can of DDT at each end of the hut with a church key and fill the hut with DDT, turn out the lights and everyone would quickly hit the rack before the termites could join us under the mosquito netting. We breathed DDT fumes all night long but that was preferable to sharing the space under the mosquito netting with the termites and other insects.That practice continued nightly for the six weeks that the bug season lasted and depending upon when one first landed on Okinawa could extend to two season of termites as I experienced.
DDT powder was liberally applied to any part of the body that was infested with crabs (body lice) under the arms, in the groin and in the hair and eyebrows if you managed to get lice there too. As a matter of fact, DDT powder was liberally dusted on a great many Japanese right after the surrender as many of them were unable to enjoy normal bathing and other cleanliness activities due to us vigorously trying to bomb every standing building to burned rubble. The same was true for great swarms of folks in war-torn Europe, especially the folks who were refugees. They all got liberally doused with DDT spray and DDT powder. And now that I am on a DDT kick, I remember running through the DDT fog as it was fogged weekly from the back of a pickup truck all during the summer time after the war. I think that was a vain attempt to reduce the incidence of polio during the summer as well as mosquito abatement. That continued well into the 50s. All the kids would run through the DDT fog as the fogger slowly drove down the street generating clouds of DDT.
I had two normal kids and three normal grandkids. If DDT was the horrendous gene-altering chemical that it has been portrayed as, every one of us in the Marine company should have had a batch of misshapen freaks for offspring.
That said, it behooves one to use more care in the application of insecticides now that we are a little older and a little wiser. I never wore protective nitrile gloves when I sprayed either Triox, a plant killer or chlordane, an insect killer in years past. I certainly use nitrile gloves and a face mask when I spray similar substances these days. If I were spraying insecticides up in the air where I could get spray back on my face I would also wear protective goggles too.
Thanks again for confirming what I have suspected, that using wasp spray is, under some conditions, going to spray back. If it is strong enough to put down someone high on alcohol and/or drugs, it certainly isn’t going to help you health much if you get spray back.
Golly Bill, Chuck…like an old foreman I had used to say…ya gotta be smarter than the equipment you’re trying to use…I’ve used wasp spray for years on everything from wasps to mean dogs. I’ve worked storm restoration and had to get in yards to clear downed electric lines in yards during the day when nobody was home to put up the dogs. If you spray wasp spray at a dog he’ll usually run and hide. I’d suppose a person hit in the face with wasp spray would do the same. I keep a fresh can in my truck at all times for possible intruders.
Mailpouch: Ever get spray back when spraying?
Nope…
Well I should say none that was noticeable anyway…I’m sure there was some…I was just probably more concerned about the wasps or mean dogs to notice the spray back…LOL
I never really put much stock in anything Joe Biden had to say…I pray I never have to shoot anyone…EVER!!! but if ever I do it’ll be three shots center mass…one to the head…
LCC I found this today as I was looking for a cane/walking staff for my self, as I have back problems due to a 12″ scare down the center of my back with installed hardware, Solid titanium walking staff, he also custom sizes it anywhere from 49″ to “60.. just some info.
https://www.tirodtactical.com/product-page/copy-of-titanium-4375-diameter-tactical-walking
not sure if links are aloud, however you can google this instead, Longer Titanium .445″ Diameter Tactical Walking STAFF
This old Marine prefers fire to pacify crowds and attackers. I keep a flame thrower ready for defense Against two or more attackers. Perfectly legal especially for an 87 year old. Defense is ruled by Natural LAW not man-made laws. You are responsible for your life and your family. No judge , jury or law enforcement is responsible for your life.
There’s no such thing as a “bo staff”. “Bo” means “staff”. It’s either a bo or a staff, not both together. Saying “bo staff” is like saying “bo bo” or “staff staff”.
Pray: I agreed with you but looked it up. https://www.centurymartialarts.com/shop/weapons/bo-staff/
Of course for the cognoscenti, bo is descriptive enough. That said, for the sake of folks for whom the two letters B and O put together might resemble a typo that they spend time trying to figure out what was meant, the redundant bo staff clarifies the term so that they can fully grasp the meaning of the test.
Much like the use of the words “head honcho”. Very common usage in the U.S. however, in Japanese “honcho” is the word for department boss. So head honcho is like saying head department boss. It is redundant but conveys the meaning to folks who don’t speak Japanese.
LCC: That’s cool. I always thought honcho was Spanish; you see it used in Mexico, but they adopted it from us, and we got it from Japan. Cool, thank you. niio
Red: Honchodori is Main Street in Japanese. Shicho is mayor in Japanese. You add the prefix to indicate head of what and then the suffix “cho” to indicate head or boss or main in some cases. Dori is Japanese for street or road. My wife’s family lived off of Nakadori which is Middle Street or Middle Road in the Tsurumi district of Yokohama when I met her. To add confusion to the matter, “naka” is many times pronounced “chu” so chugakko is middle school although the Japanese characters are “naka” and “gakko” which an unknowing Westerner would pronounce nakagakko thus instantly disclosing himself as non-Japanese.
Choosing Chinese writing to represent the Japanese language was the worst choice in the world for Japan when they were looking around for a written language to go with their spoken language. The sentence structure is totally wrong. The Japanese use the Latin form of sentence structure, subject-object-verb. The Chinese use the English sentence structure subject-verb-object. So that puts them off to a bad start from the get-go.
On a hike around Mt. Fuji we came to a river. I knew the name of the river was on a sign right by the bridge we were crossing over. I asked my Japanese companions what the name of the river was. They said they didn’t know. I pointed out that the name of the river was right there on the sign because I know the Japanese writing for “river” and I could see it as plainly as I could see the water. They explained that they didn’t know how to read the rest of the Chinese that was part of the name and so they couldn’t tell me the name of the river. How screwed up is that?
A fair number of Japanese words came back with the GIs after WWII and the occupation. Hibachi but most definitely not hibachi pot. Hibachi means pot. So you are saying pot pot. One Japanese instructor used to say in a highly aggravated voice “No, No, not hibachi potchi HIBATCHI!!!”
Apparently that was a particularly sore point with him and the GIs in his class, being accustomed to calling it a hibachi pot insisted in the informal speaking part of the class in calling it “hibachi pot”
Honcho, zori, right now I can’t think of any transplants.We used “dai jobi” all the time in Japan. The actual Japanese is “dai jobu,” but that didn’t seem to make the transition to common U.S. usage. It means all right or okay. I can think of several mispronunciations such as Handa automobile. It actually is Honda with a long o sound rather than the short a sound that Americans like. Hancho is another mispronunciation. It is actually honcho with a long o pronunciation. My wife’s family name was Honda, so I am very familiar with the way the Japanese pronounce it. Unfortunately, she comes from the non-automotive side of the Japanese Honda family, otherwise I would be an executive in Honda Motor Company. Maybe even president of Honda USA. Well, not president, probably chief tea brewer in the executive offices.
Did predictive ever have a field day with this post!
Awesome article. Short on guns right now, however, I was trying to find a good alternative to pepper spray. I could make my own, but only squirt bottles are available, not a steady stream. I’m a girl, I thought of hair spray… frebreeze, spray cleaner… works at bad husbands…. lol! I did think of bug spray but still only works close up. YES… WASP SPRAY… thank you.
S.H. I keep ammonia in a spray bottle in the garage for repelling undesirables. I use pump bottles that janitors use in their cleaning activities and they have a spray function and also a stream function. While there is some spray back while using the stream function, it is minimal and the stream when vigorously pumping easily streaks out 20 feet. They come in quart size. I get mine at Smart and Final restaurant supply which is open to the public. Any janitorial or restaurant supply store carries them. You can probably buy them on line from U-line but they have minimum orders and you might have to order a dozen. I haven’t checked Amazon but I would be surprised if they didn’t carry janitorial spray bottles and you won’t have to buy a dozen.
When repelling stray dogs I don’t even have to hit the dog. As long as the ammonia lands somewhere near the dog they take off like a scalded cat. I have never seen a scalded cat. I wonder how that expression got started. Did someone actually drop a cat in a tub of boiling water?
Susie, I’m replying to you from Harare, where we have our own problems. One of them being street kids ganging up on you to rob your ass. Dealing with this stuff sometimes on a daily basis as I walk to or from work, I’ve learned that we must always be alert. So, as some of the fine people on this site were saying: (1) be aware of what is happening around you. If you hear of a riot in an area, steer clear of that place (2) don’t pass through areas where you could be ambushed (3) don’t rely on passersby to help you, you must defend yourself (4) carry a long stout walking stick, which gives you reach over an attacker, so that you can bash him hard on the head, on the throat, the groin or behind the knees. (5) Most importantly, carry a can of insect spray which can be blasted into his eyes. If you have the opportunity, you can flick on a zippo lighter in the gas stream and it will become a flame thrower for cooking the fool’s face. (6) Carry a clasp knife which you can quickly open and slash at him with. I stabbed a large attacker twice in the belly with a surgical scalpel while two other men were blasting me in the kidneys in 2004, and the fight broke up. (7) If you’ve ever watched the Sandra Bullock movie Miss Congeniality, you might remember police say if someone grabs you by the throat from behind, STAMP on his feet, GRAB and TWIST his nuts with one hand and CLAW his eyes. Well that’s my advice, hope it helps. I wish you all the best!
David: Why aren’t you writing survival articles? Wow! Much thanks for writing this. niio, walk in beauty
I also found that WD40 spray makes a pretty good deterrent. The threat of a match then generates real Fear.
Yeh, when we riot, loot and burn.
Carry 2 black tactical ball point pens.Tactical advantage,element of surprise,success of operation! They are lethal.One thrust to the solar plexus and DOWN go the baddie or baddies.I’m 73 and fear no attacker or attackers!
A lot of commenters are thinking about the law… This is a prepper site… these are the things you may be forced to do when there is NO LAW and you are forced to be your own law. IMHO.
Lisa,go hug a tree and then scold the perpetrator into submission as a gesture of peace.
Then make sure you have a will beforehand.
Trump doesn’t make the ultimate choices for anyone. Typical comment coming from a liberal left, commie, entitled, compliant, brainwashed, “let the politicians fix it all for us.” Go to your garage, fire up the air compressor, put the nozzle in your ear and depress the trigger. I’m sure you’re low on air after all that profound advice.
Idiot!
Your main weapon is your brain. Avoid the situation. When hiking, carry bear spray that works on all mammals.
If you can run away, run. If you carry a pistol, have insurance. If you use firearm, be prepared to go to jail, lose your job, and pay tons of money to the lawyers to help you get out of jail. Don’ t be stoooooooopid.
Older: ! Any fight trainer’s advice is, if you can avoid trouble, do that.
do not know if bear spray would work here. If it has pepper oil, forget it. When in season, everyone and every thing eats chiltepin chilis.:) niio
Research using wasp spray instead of pepper spray and you will find that if you use wasp spray, which is not legal for self defense, you will most likely permanently blind that person and be liable for a huge damage result as well as criminal charges against you. Absolutely not worth it unless your life is in immediate danger and that you can conclusively prove this in court.
OR ! ! ! Keep any weapons or bug spray at home with you . If you don’t know there is a riot going on , well , you deserve to be in it ! ! if you go to see a riot , well then , I guess your would be stupid enough to strap on your AR and shuffle down to see it ! it bothers me that I took the time to even read this ! holy crap ! Are Americans this mindless now ?
White Wolf: While I might not be so vitriolic, I totally agree. There is a riot going on and you don’t know about it? You really have to come out of your cave a little more frequently.
You see a large crowd milling about where you don’t usually see such crowds and you continue driving right into them? There are any number of books about situational awareness. You really need to buy several and study them assiduously. You might even memorize certain passages or copy them and paste them to your sun visor in your car.
While it bothers you, WW, that you wasted your time reading the above article, I don’t consider it a waste of time. I consider it my obligation to do my best to rebut the erroneous posits set forth in this article.
I have always felt when writing about non-fiction topics, one should have some idea about that which the author writes. I have never felt that one should rely on supposition and urban legend when writing an instructional piece. Based on my occupational background, I have some knowledge about how to perform laminectomies and fusions in the spinal column, I would not dare write a piece describing how to do such operations.
On these forums too many offer advice they have never done themselves, nor observed the particular practice being done nor even talked to anyone who has actually done the act that the author is suggesting. Worst kind of hearsay and certainly not admissible in any court except a congressional hearing and we know what kind of kangaroo court that is. It is a slur on the integrity of kangaroos everywhere.
The best advice is in the last paragraph. Avoid any areas where there is a hint of violence. If you see crowds gathering, turn around immediately. Maintain Condition Yellow at all times. As my Grandmother used to say, “Be careful if you go looking for trouble, You might find it.”
Be Vigilant!!! Be Safe!!!
By the by, would everyone who has ever used wasp spray on a wasp nest please write a short reply describing the circumstances and what precautions you took while applying the spray? Inquiring minds want to know how many followers of this list have actual hands-on wasp spray experience.
We live in the country and have gallery porches front and back so I have to spray the little critters once or twice a week. Important fact about jet spray products, spend the money for top of the line products like Spectracide, it’s worth it. The spray comes out in a tight stream, the only way to get it on you is to spray into the wind, and it is highly accurate out to 20 feet with the good products. It usually contains a pesticide but its main feature is that it freezes the wasps, which is why you don’t shoot it in an attacker’s eyes unless you are going to avoid a lawsuit for blinding them by killing them afterwards. Interesting thing about paper wasps, during the day they always have a couple wasps stay away from the nest so they can rebuild if disaster strikes, you have to attack after dark with a tactical flashlight in one hand to wipe ’em all out.
Man, if we’d had a product like this when we were kids we would’ve gone hog wild.
Thanks, Mike. I figured you had used wasp spray and would comment.
White Wolf,
I remarked like that recently and someone politely responded that you can end up in something accidentally. Of course it is best to prep and stay far away, but suppose you go out for supplies and steer well clear away from trouble, turn onto a street you are sure is safe and there’s another knot of rioters in front of you. It could happen and we need to think about how to be prepared for the unexpected.
Martial arts weapons. As stated, don’t use if you have not been trained in how to use them. In many areas of the country, usually in dem controlled areas, carrying a martial arts type of weapon is against the law. So, even if it’s concealed, you are ‘up the creek’ should you ever use it. Your biggest defense against all this is situational awareness and common sense. Don’t go somewhere if trouble might start or if you go and get a bad or gut feeling something isn’t right…leave.
Sage advice, Dave.
A paper bag or tupperware with a cup or two of ground pepper perhaps mixed with a bit of cyanne pepper would be handy. A handful of pepper in the eyes is totally legal and very effective to put an aggressor out of action. Also with the pepper powder on your hands if it came to hand to hand combat one swipe across the eyes would do the job.
So there you go.
Thank You.
Rich, yo! Knives, always. Post SHTF, carry concealed, definitely. For rioters? Most are sheep. Major problem with sheep is, they look for the weakest people to harm. A cane can do wonders if it’s wood. Metal, forget it. The crook on a can makes it easy to hold and if someone grabs the end, a kick to the groin or close to it usually makes them jump away. A quarter staff is great IF you know how to use one. niio
Why forget a metal cane? If you are thinking about the light weight canes sold in so many houseware catalogs, I would tend to agree, however a heavyweight all aluminum cane such as the KaBar cane is indeed a formidable device for striking and one needn’t wonder if the material is up to the application. The titanium bo at https://www.tirodtactical.com/product-page/copy-of-titanium-4375-diameter-tactical-walking is also a formidable device. Thanks, Metalworx for posting the url for that site. I am torn between the 48 inch model and the 60 inch model. I can always make the 60″ model into the 48 inch model but can’t go the other way, so I suspect that I will acquire the 60″ model to go with my other staffs.
Being an old guy, I like the aluminum cane as it matches who I am. It looks more in keeping with my obvious age. One would expect an old guy to have a cane and it doesn’t arouse official curiosity that carrying a bo or walking staff might arouse. In a rural setting, I have a six foot, inch and a half diameter rattan staff with a metal foot cap that I carry as my non-firearm self defense tool. It is really a rattan quarter staff. However in an urban setting it looks out of place. It’s part of maintaining the grey man look. Fortunately there is no criminal code section defining what one may carry as a medical device to assist in one’s every day activities, so while application of the metal cane may result in disabling injuries, there is no separate charge for carrying a deadly weapon.
If it is the end of the world, screw it. in a world without rule of law I am going to carry a very large knife, a smaller knife hidden away, an obvious handgun and a hidden handgun as well as a short barrel shotgun. I will also be going about with a ballistic vest and ballistic helmet with kevlar gloves under my steel mesh gloves with steel toed boots and shin guards to complete the ensemble.
If we are talking about an EMP or an X category CME or any other major civilization disrupting event, we will be talking about a world without rule of law and should proceed accordingly.
Thanks, Metalworx for posting the url for the titanium staff https://www.tirodtactical.com/product-page/copy-of-titanium-4375-diameter-tactical-walking. The titanium staff is sort of in-between. A 36 inches can masked as an urban walking stick. At 48 or 60 inches it is easily a rural walking stick. I am torn between the 48″ model or the 60″ model. I can always make the 60″ model into a 48″ model but can’t go the other way, so I will probably acquire the 60″ model to go with the other staffs I have to accompany my canes.
When I have acquired canes, I acquire them from fashionable canes.com and I always order a cane that is designated for the big and tall group. They are heavier duty than the standard cane. They can always be made shorter to fit. I prefer the crook or tourist handle to the derby handle if the crook is one piece with the cane. I have a feeling that a two part cane will come apart in vigorous application to body parts. I haven’t had to apply that to test the theory, so it remains a theory. I try to avoid fancy handles in preference to sturdy ones. Even a lady can carry a robust cane and the cops can’t say boo
If you, as a lady choose to carry a cane, make sure you practice swinging it to make those muscles involved in swinging accustomed to the use. Use striking with both hands as well as striking with one hand so that you can switch without hesitation. Make sure you swing with your minor hand as well as your major hand. You need to find the sweet spot where you can swing the cane with full force without having to choke up too far. Make a subtle mark on the cane so that you know without adjusting where to grab it for one handed striking in case you can’t use two hands. Carry your ID and important financial items in a small separate purse hidden in your clothing so that you can drop your purse with non-valuables: perfume, comb, lipstick, handkerchief, first aid supplies, etc and get to swinging your cane. If it is a group someone will grab the purse that you dropped and the rest will take off with him. You will have retained the important stuff and they can share your lipstick etc.
Lets keep the politics off the page, if you want to discuss that crap then do it on an appropriate page!!
I agree, although I must confess that on occasion my evil twin takes over and I get on my soap box about some personally conceived significant lack in goobermint (see there he goes again) activities or the inanity of some goobermint regulation so I try to limit my response to ill-conceived political comment to at least a civil response (at least civil in my opinion.)
In these turbulent times it is very difficult for some of us who feel strongly about what is happening in the country to avoid commenting on same. I know it conveys, for some, a certain lack of adulthood to be discussing contentious topics such as religion and politics. However, I for one hope that I never become so urbane as to eschew all such discussions.
In the end, Stephen Decatur and I are of one mind: “Our country! In her intercourse with other countries may she always be right. But right or wrong, our country!”
While there is much about the way we conduct our foreign and domestic relations that could be better handled , no matter what critics may spew out, I don’t see vast numbers of folks leaving here for other countries. We don’t have fences to keep our citizens in. If someone wants to leave, it’s Bon Voyage, good luck. I notice that all of the folks who promised they would leave the U.S. for greener pastures of the present president were elected are still her bitching and kvetching and apparently haven’t even listed their numerous mansions for rent or sale prior to a move out of country.
You don’t need special permission to leave. There isn’t a waiting list to exit. However, there most definitely is a long list of folks waiting to come here from all those garden of eden spots in the rest of the world. There certainly must be a compelling reason for it and it’s not $15 an hour minimum wage. The minimum wage in Switzerland is not $25 an hour and they don’t have a long line of folks waiting to get in. Folks aren’t risking their lives to sneak into Switzerland.
Well, see my evil twin did take over and get on the soap box. And my saintly twin says “Hear! Hear! Well said” to my evil twin’s uber patriotic sentiments.
LCC: Bah, we all love what you teach!
I’ve been schooling college kids on reality. Every time a dem gets in office, the economy tanks. Show them what happened and it shocks them because they were never told this. Show them college professors competing with college grads at McDonald’s for jobs and it scares them.
Right now, every biden supporter is driving around town honking their horns. All 4 of them. Well, they were. Then normal people called the cops on them. I told biden supporters it ain’t over, baybee! Lots of lawsuits and protests going on. Blacks for Trump in Philly ad elsewhere are demanding reality checks. they’re calling the dems the KKK, again, because this is old klan tactics.
niio!
Pulling out a silly martial arts weapon is a good way to get shot.
Nothing better than the .22Long Rifle ! No one wants to get shot. Personally I prefer the H&R 9 shot revovler. Leaves no cartridge cases. Aim below the waist.
40 years a competive shooter.
Best weapon – a PMS’ing woman with a cast iron FRYING PAN! lol
This just seems to be literally and figuratively, overkill. My first thought is to stay away form any area where riots might occur. Home defense is different, but don’t go looking for a fight. Unless you are very knowledgeable about laws and ordinances, every one of those things can land you in jail.
I know a guy…
A guy who has an oldcwater filled fire extinguisher that manually pumps up. He filled it with kerosene and dry laundry soap and added a flame device on the front. Also made a few like-devices drilling a hols in old fire extinguishers, mounting a tire valve and filling them the same way.
Interesting stuff. Maybe he’ll add it to YouTube.