All posts tagged Tasers

Sending your kids to College right now? Do they know situational awareness and have any forms of Pepper Spray or Self Defense?

Pepper SpraysThis is the time of  year, every year, that we get parents coming into our store looking for some form of pepper sprays.   Many of  the local Police Departments send people to our store.  CCW has it’s time and place, but Dorm Rooms and firearms aren’t a good idea if you ask me.   Recently there was an investigation opened up by the Department of Education about the Colleges that may have been covering up some of the sexual assault statistics and other crimes that occur on College Campuses and right off of the Campuses.  Several of those were right here in the Philadelphia as well as all over the Country.  The truth of the matter is that it does happen, and sexual assaults are probable one of those crimes that is under reported.   You do have to blame the parents for not educating their kids about situational awareness, and how to avoid getting into bad situations.

One of the problems we have seen in regards to this are that some people just don’t like the idea of defending themselves, just buying your daughter Sabre Defense Pepper Sprays and not teaching her how to deploy it properly isn’t a good idea.   We often explain to parents how to use the simple keychain style because many are somewhat familiar with it, but it’s not really the best choice.  I’m personally not a big fan of tasers because I don’t like the idea of having to get that close to someone.    There are plenty of manufacturers that have Youtube videos of how to properly use their products so once you purchase something for a family member, make sure you sit them down and explain it to them, maybe buy 2 devices and or a training one just so they have some level of training.

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Alternatives to carrying firearms

I’ve been watching the growing trend towards pocket guns and CCW weapons that I would defanitely consider to be minimal.    Years ago the debates were about which was better, 9mm or 45acp for stopping threats.   Now that so many first time CCW carriers are getting into the fold, but they seem to think that a .380 is good enough for them.   We have to balance between our skills as a CCW carrier and what is practical and what can be concealed.   Confronting a nut on PCP at close range may require an FAL in 7.62 NATO, but we may not be fortunate to have one.   In all honesty, there are just some situations where retreating and running full speed away is the best option.

Now that we have been becoming more and more aware of what actually “stops” a threat, we have to get into the realm of less-lethal weapons.   Tasers have been known to kill people, but they are more effective in stopping threats than firearms.   After seeing and reading about some pretty pathetic robberies and hold ups in the Trenton and Philadelphia area, I was wondering if someone just had a can of mace that the drug addict could have been taken down without putting several holes in the ceiling and walls of the stores.  The Kimber Pepper Blaster  is my favorite less lethal weapon  because it has a trigger and its easy to tell which direction it is pointing unlike bottle sprays.  2nd choice is followed by the ASP pepper sprays. I have nothing against people that just want to carry one gun, but I think a firearm, knife and less lethal weapon are my suggestions for CCW 7 days a week.

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CCW and modern environments

While I am a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, I actually advise some of my students and family and friends that a firearm should not always  be your primary weapon.   If you use your firearm to defend yourself,  you are going to be going to be hiring a lawyer and sitting in a courtroom in the very near future regardless of whether or not you were in your right.  There have been several recent crime reports coming out of the Country where 14-17yr old youths were involved with violent crimes, but as in much of the Urban environments, the bad kids get played like they are the victims when a good guy uses force against them, usually police officers.

There is a reason you hear about Cops using tasers more and more.   In some situations there has even been complaints that they are using them too much.     If you have a means to carry mace, pepper spray or a taser, you can solve the problem, walk away and call 911 without too much to worry about in the aftermath.The reality is this, yes people can die from being tasered, or even have alergic reactions to pepper sprays and mace,  I was even involved with an incident where a man on PCP actually dies from being maced, but statistically speaking, it is almost always better than if a firearm was used in these incidencies.    Public places are probable the most likely places you will need to defend yourself, and even bullet you send, may not hit the bg, but may hit a wall or other person.   If you are dealing with a hostile drunk or a 16yr old juvenile drugged up, your physical well being may be in danger, but using deadly force will mean hiring a lawyer and a long drawn out case.

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Fear of firearms

Kimber Guardian AngelI recently spoke to a friend who manages a gun shop.   We had a discussion about taking new shooters to the range and trying to break people in to not having a fear of having a firearm in their home.   I know of several family members who normally vote Democrat in National elections that all said that they thought about the fact that they did not have access to firearms if something like that ever ocurred in their hometown.    The idea of having extra food in the house before a snow storm isn’t paranoid, the idea of having smoke detectors in the home incase of fire is being paranoid, is having the ability to put out a fire in your house crazy when you can just let the fire company do it?   What about having some level of defense in  your home if some drunk shows up at your door at 2am or your husbands employee that was just fired wants to make an unexpected visit?

I never pressure people into owning firearms.   I always let that decision fall on the person buying a gun.   My job is to show them that having a firearm in their hands should be something that gives them confidence.   I’ve seen my share of CCW holders that I would not want to stand next to on a firing line due to poor firearm safety skills, so someone is going to have to put some time in to train with me before I tell them I think they are ready to carry one.   One thing I have heard several times recently is that somebody has a wife that says ” I will never have a gun in my home”.   I understand that, that is a mindset that probable can’t be negotiated with, but one thing I am not sympathetic to is any person with a family that does not have some defensive measures in place.   Guns are a lethal weapon that in untrained hands can be a hazard, and there are several other things that any Father or Mother should know are around to be used as weapons.    Kimber Guardian Angel, Tazers, Baseball bats, and last but not least, CO2 fire extinguishers can also be very effective.   If a women won’t consider having items like that around for self defense, I’m all for an annulment.

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