Pepper sprays, stun guns, kubotans,...
They all work well for preventing an assault, but does one self-defense weapon
really work any better than another?
There is no
short answer to this question. Each personal
defense weapon has advantages as well as
disadvantages. I’ve already written a number
of articles on how some of these weapons
work, so this time I’ll just attempt to give
you a brief description of the pros and cons
of some of the more popular self-defense
weapons, and then only you can decide which
one works best for you.
Pepper spray
Pepper spray is an excellent self-defense weapon but it does have limitations.
The chemical heat generated from defensive sprays works extremely well at
stopping an attacker in their tracks. Pepper spray causes an almost
instantaneous inflammation of the mucus membranes in the eyes, nose, throat and
lungs of your attacker, causing them a great deal of pain as well as the
inability to open their eyes or catch their breath, thus allowing you to get
away.
The average pepper spray on the market today has a range of anywhere from 8 feet
up to 20 feet allowing you to use the device from considerable distance away
from your would be attacker. The limitations of pepper spray are that your
attacker must be hit in or around the area of their face for it to be effective.
Unfortunately, wind conditions can have an effect on the direction of the spray.
Also many assaults happen from behind or by surprise, making it difficult to
take aim with a defensive spray. On the other hand, if you have your pepper
spray ready and are alert enough to your surrounding to avoid being surprised,
then pepper spray is possibly the most effective non lethal defense weapon you
can have.
Stun Guns
Stun guns are another excellent self-defense weapon. They use electrical voltage
to disrupt the muscle functions of your attacker. The voltage produced by a stun
gun causes some pain but more importantly, they interfere with the neurological
impulses from the brain to the muscles rendering your attacker unable to control
their muscle function. The down side to a stun device is that the electrodes
must come into contact with your target. That means that your attacker has to be
right in your face before you can use the weapon against them.
On the other hand, stun guns are effective almost anywhere on the body, so if
you are attacked from behind or surprised, you don’t need to take aim as you
would with the defensive sprays. Just reach around and jam the weapon into your
attackers body, then push the button.
Kubotans
Kubotans are possibly the most popular of all personal self-defense weapons. One
reason is that the kubotan is a highly effective pressure point weapon that is
considered non lethal and legal almost everywhere. (I say almost everywhere
because even though I don’t know of anywhere that they’re not legal, I also
don’t know every law in every city in the country. I will however say this, if
they are illegal somewhere, that law needs to be changed).
Another reason kubotans are so popular is that they are extremely easy to carry.
While there are a number of different styles of kubotans, the average one is
little more than a stick that’s about 5 ½ inches long and about ½ inch in
diameter. They can be easily carried in your pocket and most of the kubotans
today have a key ring attached to them, which makes them readily available
whenever you are carrying your keys with you.
Knives
Knives are rarely used for self-defense purposes. While they can make an
excellent self-defense weapon, few people are truly prepared to cut or stab
another person. There’s something about slashing another human being that would
make most people all too aware of just how soft and fragile their own bodies
are. I have personally spent some time learning knife-fighting techniques, but
it’s still not my weapon of choice.
Handguns
The final weapons that I’ll talk about today are handguns. What can be said
about a gun that hasn’t already been said? Handguns are possibly the ultimate
self-defense weapons. Even someone with minimal intelligence is likely to stop
whatever they’re doing when they find themselves looking down the barrel of a
loaded gun. The only downside to guns is that almost anyone can pull the trigger
of a gun and kill another person. Even a small child can accidentally shoot and
kill someone with a handgun. A number of people are accidentally killed every
year by someone who didn’t know how to properly use a gun. This can make guns
very dangerous in the wrong hands.
I am personally a strong advocate for the right to bear arms, but I am just as
strongly opposed to anyone handling a firearm without the proper training.
That’s about it for today folks. I could go
on and on about self-defense weapons, but
this article is already getting a bit
lengthy. I’ll go into more details in some
of my future articles, but for now, I hope I’ve given you
enough brain food to cause you to want to do some of your own research on
self-defense weapons.
Copyright © 2006 North American Security
Products, LLC All rights reserved.
Author: SA Rubin
www.naselfdefense.com
