In NYC (well, the Bronx) Home Defense

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Arcli9ht

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I live in a relatively nice section of the Bronx (ie, not the South Bronx), but home defense has always been a concern of mine.
Unfortunately, I am held to the NYC laws regarding firearm possession, so shooting a home invader would get me in a lot of trouble (I think, but I wouldn't take chances). I don’t want to get a city license because of the draconian way they keep track of your arms, and if legislation to ban firearms in the city or elsewhere passes, I don’t want the city knocking on my door expecting me to turn stuff over. :cuss:
ANYWAY....
Lacking that option, I have a number of non-gun arms available to me (either already owned or easily obtainable), but which would be best for clearing out the house? (It is a old Victorian building with small rooms and lots of little bric-a-bracs on the walls that I would get disowned for breaking)

- ASP
- Katana (one of those cheap, cheap cane swords, but it has a functional blade)
- USMC Kabar
- Swiss bayonet
- The thicker end of a pool cue (with a metal knob thing on the end)
- 4-D cell maglite
- Machete
- A really big recurve bow (not very practical indoors)
- Paintball gun (full auto and the works, I think it would be a really effective less than lethal weapon. But then again, knowing NYC, it is illegal)
- Roll of quarters :)

Also, from reading the posts on this board, things I don't have but could get:
- Estwing Rock Pick Hammer
- T-Ball Bat
- T-Ball Bat with a couple nails in it :evil:
- Some sort of cane
- Some sort of slap

I have no training whatsoever except for what I have read in various army field manuals, so I am looking for ease of use and the ability to take care of multiple invaders through the house in a timely fashion with no chance of backup or timely police arrival. It feels odd to say it, but invader survival is secondary to the effectiveness of the weapon. Any input would be helpful.

/Arcli9ht

---------

Just looking for a way out of the city...
 
I'm a city boy too.........NYC.........Welcome...for now I'd go with the Machete.....just my opinion.....What is preventing you from getting your handgun or rifle/shotgun permit?.....a felony? if you don't mind me asking.....If not....Don't let the "draconian" laws stop you from right to bear arms
 
I've often thought that the Hanwei copy of a Viking bearded axe I recently bought would make an absolutely terrifying home defense weapon in the absence of pistols or shotguns...
 
In all fairness, it's not preventing me per-se, It's just that the SL8 I own lives at a friends house in westchester. But then again, it doesn't do me a heck of a lot of good out there.

And I've always wanted a battle axe of some kind... :D

/Arcli9ht
 
That would definitely do the trick... where did you pick it up?

/Arcli9ht
 
I really don't think an axe would be the way to go for home defense. They are large swinging weapons. Not good with ceilings and corridors. For home defense, I would think a short swinging weapon or a thrusting weapon would be better. More like an asp or hatchet.
 
The haft on this thing is only about as long as your arm; definitely a one-hander. Most like a limbing axe.
 
Arcli9ht,

Only nice areas of Bronx left are Woodlawn, Riverdale, and the Country Club out near the Throggs Neck Bridge.

If it is not going to be a firearm then it must be the preferred self defense weapon of Bronxites from time immemorial...the Louisville Slugger. Suitable for keeping in car but remember to have a glove and ball there too as the police may want to know why you have a bat. Yes, they do inquire!

Also good are those small souvenir bats they sell at Yankee Stadium. Just about the size of a day stick and they pack a whallop!!

As always you must remember not to bring a bat to a gunfight! :D
 
First Line of Defense: a good sized can of Fox pepper spray. You can get the grizzly size if you have to.
Second Line of Defense: A really good stun gun or stun baton. In the West coast housing projects they use the stun gun when someone rattles your doorknob. This is dangerous because the intruder CANNOT let go of your doorknob while the electricity is flowing. You have to pulse it or you may kill the intruder.
Third Line of Defense: A good impact weapon -- I wouldn't buy anything too midieval looking.
 
Path had the best suggestion, the time honored baseball bat. You can go with the classic American hardwood, or one of the many aluminum versions used in softball. The t-ball model might be a good idea for small rooms and hallways!
 
If you go through the extensive licensing process, it would be legal to keep one here, but I am not clear on the rules of what you are allowed to do to a home invader and at what point. (Only when they are facing you with a weapon? with a gun? After they've already shot you?) There is a lot of criminal's rights stuff here to the point where the criminal has as many if not more rights than you.

/Arcli9ht
 
If you're just concered with the way NY would view shooting an intruder than just don't use real rounds.

Get a shotgun and use bean-bag rounds. The Bad guy won't know what the gun is loaded with, so the intimidation factor is the same. It may well be lethal if you have to use it. If not it also makes a good impact weapon. And the newspapers wouldn't be so hard on you to boot. :D
 
What about a load of good old fashioned "Rock Salt" in a 12 or 20 ga. round or two?

I suppose it could be lethal if they're up close on ya, but it would certainly leave a mark and it might kinda sting for a while at longer ranges if it happened to penetrate any of the epidermis.

As opposed to bean bag rounds I mean.

My dad's actually still got scars on his rear-end from being shot with some of the stuff back in the 40's (he and my uncle were just borrowing a couple of watermelons outside of Marshall MO at the time). At least thats the story my uncle tells (my dad doesn't think its too funny, but his brothers all crack up whenever they tell those stories and mom said dad has never denied it...LOL)

Anyway, it could be less-than-lethal :D

Adios
 
If you can have OC, then a large can of Fox brand, as suggested earlier. If you anticipate using it in small rooms, then get a respirator with full face coverage-you may have snough time to put it on. You can get models with different cannisters that screw on to the unit, and vary the cannisters depending on the chemical. Contact weapons require that you get in close, and if you can avoid that, all the better. If you want something that would look okay as a wall hanger and have some utility, look for an assengai-the short stabbing spear the Zulus use. I think some high quality replicas are available.
 
I gotta say I'm still unable to get my arms around the premise. If you don't understand the rules of engagement, then go out and learn them. If the city comes to impound your gun, at least you had use of it until that time. I haven't seen even a remotely believeable reason yet to dismiss using what is by far your best equalizer. A firearm and training is the #1 choice, everything else is at best tied for last, IMO. For clearing out the house on your own, you're in grave danger with the firearm, you're in much worse danger with anything else.

Okay, off the soap box, just had to point that out. Okay, now if you're going to insist on going with a non-firearms solution, one question is, how big is your apartment? If you have room to swing a baseball bat or viking axe or 18" machete, great. Otherwise, I'd go with something smaller -- a 10"-12" fighting bowie for an edged weapon. A flashlight powerful enough to illuminate everything, and if you're lucky, also temporarily impair the badguy's vision, would be high on my list (e.g., Surefire M3, Tigerlight FBOP, Ultrastinger). I'd keep some pepper spray on me just in case.

Here's an interesting option: the 11" Tigerlight, which puts out around 350-400 lumens (i.e., it is mind-numbingly bright) also has OC in the endcap, and you can pick your choice (Fox, etc.). With this, you can have blindingly-bright light and OC together in one hand, edged weapon or blunt weapon in the other. This would be my choice were my judgement impaired enough to not go the firearms route (sorry, couldn't resist!) :)

Joe
 
I came in late, so I'm going to content myself with agreeing with Joe. If you don't know the rules on use of force where you live, your choice of weapon will make next-to-no-difference. If you couldn't have shot someone, for instance, many places will look askance at you whacking him in the head with a baseball bat. That's lethal force, too, you know. Bladed weapons are the same way. Pepper spray is a safer choice, but even it has pitfalls--at one time, it was illegal for private citizens to own or carry OC, Mace and stun guns in Illinois.

I also don't understand your fear of getting the permit. You don't own the guns right now. If you get the permit, and are someday forced to sell the guns by some new law, then you are back to where you are now, having lost nothing but some money and time. But you'll have had the protection and fun of the firearms from now until then.
If you get the permit and your guns are not someday banned, then you'll be MUCH better off. If you don't want to register your SL8, that's fine with me. If you have the permit for your other guns and leave the SL8 at your friend's house, you have the same access to it that you have now.

In other words, you have nothing to lose by getting the permit and a copy of your borough's laws on the use of force to defend your home. These will get you much farther than a baseball bat with nails in it and no knowledge of the law.
 
As soon as I could afford the $330 registration fee plus the $700-1000 for the firearm itself, I would apply for the license. Problem is, that would not be for at least 6 months, and then the license will not come through until at least 6 months after that. But, in a year I am going to be just about finished with school and going full time into the Coast Guard so I have no idea where I will end up living after that. This is just something for the meantime while it would be illegal for me to have a gun.

/Arcli9ht

- BTW, thanks for all the input
 
Ah, okay. In case you're interested, Tigerlight is at www.tigerlight.net Dan at Tactical Warehouse www.tacticalwarehouse.com is trustworthy and usually has great sales. This light is well done, and even ignoring the fact that it contains a built-in OC system, this light compares favorably to rechargeables from Streamlight, Maglight, and Surefire. The fact that you have OC in the same hand as the light is a bonus, since it leaves your other hand free for another weapon or whatever.
 
$330? To register one gun for one year? :what:

Well, I begin to understand the problem . . . .

I second the large dog suggestion. A big dog, a good light, and a bat will take you far.
 
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