Best non-lethal self/home defense weapon?

[Samari Jack]

if you are looking for cheap, try 36" to 42" of #4 or #5 (1/2" or 5/8" steel rebar used to reinforce concrete. It has ridges to gripe the concrete making easy to hold at any part of the length. Paint black (harder to see plus prevents rust). Get two, one for each hand. Even if a bad guy catches one in his hand odds are you will break whatever it hits. Drop low and counter with the other one going low, knees, back of the calves, ankles, etc.

Hide several around the house, giving easy access.

Next step up in expense would be a taser, the bark here, bite over there kind that also have the duel role of working by close contact if you miss or there is a second intruder. Like the Taser C2. http://www.taser.com/

Ultimately, if none of the above meets the need for what you want, retreat to a closed door, low light panic room. Identify the intruder as not being a friendly, use a 12 ga with #1 buckshot.

Having some type of warning system in your home is likely the most important thing. BG tend to try to sneak in. Know they are there is the first line of defense. A well lighted exterior, locked windows and doors, aluminum drink cans 1/4 full of pebbles, with monofilament line stretched between them at windows or in halls.

The Christmas movie "Home Alone" shows just how ingenious and cheap, using our minds for defense can be.

 

[elrowe]

I vote for a well-written will, you'll most likely need it after you whack a knife-wielding meth-head with a stick.

 

[Kleanbore]

Posted by av8usn: Keep a can of wasp spray handy.

You do not want to do that.

First, wasp spray is not classified as a less than lethal weapon. Second, its use against a human being violates a Federal law. The law contains no provision for a defense of justification. The maximum penalties are extremely severe, and the case would be prosecuted by an Assistant United States Attorney and tired in a United States District Court.

See this.

 

[Samari Jack]

You do not want to do that.

First, wasp spray is not classified as a less than lethal weapon. Second, its use against a human being violates a Federal law. The law contains no provision for a defense of justification. The maximum penalties are extremely severe, and the case would be prosecuted by an Assistant United States Attorney and tired in a United States District Court.

See this.

I read the link. Now that is sad, to think if someone broke into my house with the intent to cause bodily harm and I managed to get my hands on a can of wasp spray instead of being kill, maimed or rape, the purp could sue me or have me put in jail.

Sad state our country is in.

 

[JohnKSa]

Now that is sad, to think if someone broke into my house with the intent to cause bodily harm and I managed to get my hands on a can of wasp spray instead of being kill, maimed or rape, the purp could sue me or have me put in jail.

I guess you could look at it that way. Or you could look at it from the perspective that if you need to use deadly force in self-defense there are better options--like fireams which are both legal and likely more effective.

And, if you need to use something in a situation where non-lethal force is applicable, there are better options there too--like pepper spray or mace. They're legal, likely to be more effective than wasp-spray and also not likely to maim the person. The latter should be a concern for someone who has INTENTIONALLY chosen not to use lethal means for defense.

The point being, why use something illegal when there are legal options that will likely work better as well.

 

[hso]

Also, intentionally purchasing and keeping a can of wasp spray around as a defensive tool might be difficult to explain knowing it can blind and permanently harm someone when you could just purchase defensive chemical spray that is designed not to. If you're going to purchase a chemical defensive tool, get one that is designed to minimize the permanent harm to the person you're forced to use it on and avoid all the complicated issues around something with clear warnings on the label. It's just plain stupid to buy wasp spray instead of defensive sprays if defensive sprays are an option open to you.

 

[Owen Sparks]

If you have room for a big can of wasp and hornet spray you have room for one of those big fire extinguisher cans of pepper spray. It would be much more effective as it puts out a cone shaped fog rather than a sharp stream.

 

[LeonCarr]

Don't play games when it comes to defense of your home. A good used pump shotgun can be found for less than 200 bucks.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[allaroundhunter]

You do not want to do that.

First, wasp spray is not classified as a less than lethal weapon. Second, its use against a human being violates a Federal law. The law contains no provision for a defense of justification. The maximum penalties are extremely severe, and the case would be prosecuted by an Assistant United States Attorney and tired in a United States District Court.

See this.

This really is pathetic.....

It's just plain stupid to buy wasp spray instead of defensive sprays if defensive sprays are an option open to you.

What if you aren't planning on using it as a weapon, it is just the only thing you have available to you?
If I am jumped in my garage and do not have a more conventional weapon available to me (like when I am mowing), I will grab whatever I can. Hedge clippers, tire iron, or wasp spray; heck, I would swing the lawn mower if I had to.....Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.


But for a dedicated "less-lethal" home defense weapon....just use your phone and call 911......

 

[AStone]

But for a dedicated "less-lethal" home defense weapon....
just use your phone and call 911......

And as Hso is fond of saying, and we all know,
when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

 

[Needles]

I'm not going to lecture on attitude, weaponry, etc. You can get a waxwood staff for about $20 at any martial arts supply store, and you can get a collapsible baton at BudK or Sportsman's Guide for $30 0r less. BudK used to have kobutans for $3.99. Whatever you pick, get some training. A guy with a bat or a stick is pretty easy to disarm; a trained guy with a stick can take a katana away from a samurai. A long stick is hard to use indoors. Many good Tae Kwon Do instructors can teach you defense techniques with a crook handle walking stick.

 

[JohnKSa]

What if you aren't planning on using it as a weapon, it is just the only thing you have available to you?
If I am jumped in my garage and do not have a more conventional weapon available to me (like when I am mowing), I will grab whatever I can. Hedge clippers, tire iron, or wasp spray;

I would too, if that's all I had and my life or another innocent life depended on it. Then I'd hope that things worked out in the courts.

But that's an entirely different story. The OP was asking about the "best non-lethal self/home defense weapon", and a weapon that is likely to maim and that is illegal to use for self/home defense certainly isn't the "best non-lethal self/home defense weapon" by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[Redlg155]

Don't fool yourself.Real fights are short,brutal and most of the time on the ground.You are not going to be dancing around poking pressure points with a little stick.

Just curious..how many "real"fights have you been in? I've worked in Corrections for the last 14 years. I have been through 3 riots and countless situations where I have had to use force. Some were one on one while others involved being on a cell extraction team. A good number of the inmates are easily able to fight through chemical agent exposure. I've used pressure points in many situations to help maintain control of a situation AFTER the initial violence of the confrontation and the situation is at a point where targeting a pressure point does not expose me to a separate threat.

In many instances I would have welcomed a Kubaton, but I have used a mini mag flashlight in a pinch.

The big difference between a public and an institutional situation is that in most instances on the "outside" you should use whatever means possible to stop the threat and then disengage to retreat to safety. However...this is not always possible. Lately we have seen a rash of incidences where passengers on a plane have had to subdue others, or even the pilot. In these situations the ability to use alternate weapons and pressure points can mean the difference between life and death.

 

[JShirley]

You are not going to be dancing around poking pressure points with a little stick.

1. I don't "dance".

2. I prefer keeping threats at a distance. Even if I don't have a firearm, there are still ways to deliver force over distance.

3. I like to whack the pressure points, not poke them. With a BIG stick. Though as my now-deceased former best friend Byron, who worked at an ER pointed out, everyone he'd seen who'd been attacked with a 2x4...was dead. He suggested using lethal force- shooting- anyone who attempted to attack me with a stick. I am perfectly capable of using small stick-like objects, too.

I have no especial desire to kill anyone, but I'm not overly attached to not killing threats, either. I just want to keep myself and my family safe. I'll use any tool at my disposal. Firearms are usually the most effective easily learned and available defensive tools.

John

 

[hso]

What if you aren't planning on using it as a weapon, it is just the only thing you have available to you?

Then that's what you use, like a hoe or skillet or whatever is at hand. Intentionally buying wasp spray as a defensive spray is what's foolish if you can have defense spray instead.

 

[theicemanmpls]

Here at THR the issue of wasp spray has been round and round. IMO, it is possible the mods don't advocate its use because of a law suit that could happen down the road.

ONLY USE WASP SPRAY ON WASPS.

For home defense I recommend layers.

Burglar/robbery defenses in driveway, yards, exterior. Lighting, appearance, etc.

Quality alarm system with panic alarms though out the house that not only sound siren and lights but send a signal to alarm company through at least two paths. phone, radio, cell.

One must understand that there are folks out there who will not keep a firearm in the house. They need something to keep the goblins at bay. Some of those same folks want non-lethal defense. They don't want to cause any damage to anyone. Even to criminals who might kill them.

My recommendation for those folks is the above plus chemical of their choice, and or a canine with training.

 

[ACP]

1) a dog, or dogs

2) pepper spray

3) Taser

 

[Redlg155]

Of course the most effective method is to just crap on yourself and curl into the fetal position while moaning pitifully. Even the most hardened criminal will leave you alone.

I'm not sure if this works on bears or if it just enhances the dining experience.

 

[hso]

Second, its use against a human being violates a Federal law.

No, that's a common misunderstanding based on a misinterpretation of existing and proposed fed law.

The issue is the civil liability of INTENTIONALLY purchasing wasp spray instead of chemical defense pray because of the permanent harm and label warnings associated with that potential.

 

[Owen Sparks]

In the absence of a firearm there is no better fight stopper for blunt force trauma and nothing delivers it better than a heavy stick or club.

 

[rodinal220]

A 5 cell Kel-lite can be set for stun in the hands of a skilled operator.

 

[AStone]

In the absence of a firearm there is no better fight stopper for blunt force trauma
and nothing delivers it better than a heavy stick or club.

I'm thinking there's a reason that cops carry batons into riot situations rather than wasp spray or cell phones.

 

[alaskanativeson]

A full grown Great Pyrenees should do the trick.

The lethal home defense weapon would be a German Shepherd.



They're wonderful, sweet and friendly dogs. I've also seen the big brown one (Strider) pull out a vicious streak that would make a T-Rex run like a little girl. It was our first SCA outing, and we saw what the protective side of a German Shepherd looked like. Both terrifying and comforting at the same time.

(Seriously, though, threaten a Pyr's owner, and that white monster of a dog will throw the non-lethal weapon crap out the window as well. They're great dogs.)

 

[alaskanativeson]

In many instances I would have welcomed a Kubaton, but I have used a mini mag flashlight in a pinch.

On a trip to a Mexican border town a few years back I had an incident where I was followed to my car and grabbed by someone just as I got to it. I had seen him following me, and since there was no one around I felt I could count on for help, I was prepared with my Cold Steel Sharkie pen. One "poke" was all it took. It wasn't because I'm some Kung Fu Ninja or James Bond trainer, it was because I paid attention to my surroundings, I noticed and prepared for a problem, and I had the proper mindset to respond when I needed to. Like Gunnery Sgt. Hartman said:

"Your rifle is only a tool. It is a hard heart that kills."

The tool does matter, but the most important tool is the mind.

 

[AStone]

One "poke" was all it took. It wasn't because I'm some Kung Fu Ninja or James Bond trainer, it was because I paid attention to my surroundings, I noticed and prepared for a problem, and I had the proper mindset to respond when I needed to.

Great story that contains wisdom for all in a large percentage of situations, I'll bet.

Not all, I'm sure. There are reportedly those situations where a .45 ACP bounces off the forehead of a perp. But given a choice between a barehanded axhand strike, a set of keys and a kubotan, I'll take the latter. If I can have my 18" hardwood stick in addition, I'm a happy camper.