Other options you edc?

[Harold]

Just curious what other forms of non deadly options you carry. Got to thinking about effective options in between punching and kicking and deadly force. There is obviously a vast area between these two. Police carry taser and oc spray to help cover some of those. What do you carry or do you?

[dats82]

Beings I have never heard of anyone getting robbed or assaulted by pepper spray, and I think a bat or a knife are lethal weapons, I do not see the point of making it a point to carry non-lethal options. That is unless you plan to go somewhere that you cannot carry. I generally try to shy away from those places.

[Alpha13]

Beings I have never heard of anyone getting robbed or assaulted by pepper spray, and I think a bat or a knife are lethal weapons, I do not see the point of making it a point to carry non-lethal options. That is unless you plan to go somewhere that you cannot carry. I generally try to shy away from those places.

+1

[Harold]

Think your missing the situations I am referring.

An idiot intentionally bumps into you at wally world while you’re shopping. You turn to see who’s assaulted you and you’re met with, “What the eff is your problem?†You apologize and attempt to back way, but your antagonist persists, walking closer and changing his stance to more of a fighting stance and points his finger in your face while spitting expletives in your direction. You place your off hand up, palm outward to check his forward movement if he comes closer while you drop back your strong-side foot and ready yourself for fight or flight. You reach into your rear pocket grabbing your oc spray, stating (as witness will later attest), “Listen, I don’t want any trouble.†Aggressively moving in toward you with clenched fists raising, the idiot yells, “Trouble? I’ll give you trouble.†You draw your OC spray and your thumb finds the button. You yell, “Get back!†as you step to the side and hose the idiot with a face full of OC spray. His thoughts of aggression are now neutralized. Backing away you now draw your cell phone with your off hand and dial 911. Store security arrives just before the local cops handcuffing the idiot with him whining about his face burning.

It’s this kind of situation or those drunken (or sober), angry, threatening, pushing persons preparing to throw a punch that I cannot otherwise avoid. Yes I carry a concealed pistol and a knife but they are reserved for deadly encounters.

[strickj]

No other options here.

I do carry a 2 ton jack handle in my truck between the seat and door though.

I occasionally get approached at night by "good samaritans" while I'm loading my chair up. I'll always tell them to bug off but sometimes they don't. If it's late night, I grab the jack handle...and that let's them know that I mean business and they leave :bat:

Think your missing the situations I am referring.

An idiot intentionally bumps into you at wally world while you’re shopping. You turn to see who’s assaulted you and you’re met with, “What the eff is your problem?†You apologize and attempt to back way, but your antagonist persists, walking closer and changing his stance to more of a fighting stance and points his finger in your face while spitting expletives in your direction. You place your off hand up, palm outward to check his forward movement if he comes closer while you drop back your strong-side foot and ready yourself for fight or flight. You reach into your rear pocket grabbing your oc spray, stating (as witness will later attest), “Listen, I don’t want any trouble.†Aggressively moving in toward you with clenched fists raising, the idiot yells, “Trouble? I’ll give you trouble.†You draw your OC spray and your thumb finds the button. You yell, “Get back!†as you step to the side and hose the idiot with a face full of OC spray. His thoughts of aggression are now neutralized. Backing away you now draw your cell phone with your off hand and dial 911. Store security arrives just before the local cops handcuffing the idiot with him whining about his face burning.

It’s this kind of situation or those drunken (or sober), angry, threatening, pushing persons preparing to throw a punch that I cannot otherwise avoid. Yes I carry a concealed pistol and a knife but they are reserved for deadly encounters.

Doesn't matter if I bump into someone or if someone bumps into me.....I always get the apology

[TNWNGR]

Creative concept, but an invitation to an aggravated assault charge and a lot of legal expenses as well, your pre planning for a confrontation unlikely to happen. LEO use less lethal options as a means of gaining control of a resistive or assaultive subject with an end goal of placing them into custody. What you propose is using such a tool to disable or distract a confrontational subject before they have actually assaulted or struck you. Bad move, go directly to jail and suffer great embarrassment coupled with negative media exposure.

You would be better served in learning some empty hand’s defensive tactic skill’s as well as verbal judo. Just because you carry a permitted handgun for self protection purposes it does not mean you can utilize it every time you feel threatened. The same logic should also apply to O.C. or C.S. devices. The most important tool you have in your arsenal is your common sense and a functional intellect. I’m not trying to preach here but do have a defensive tactics instructor background.

Private Citizens should consider O.C., C.S., Stun Guns; Taser’s and impact devices as exactly what they are, weapon’s, perhaps less lethal ones but still weapons. Don’t lull yourself into the belief such devices will keep you from injury, they won’t, regardless of skill’s, training or advertising they don’t always work. I do believe these devices are useful, but I don’t place my full confidence in them either. If you want to carry O.C. than by all mean’s do so, but take it outside with you and practice spraying it at fixed objects so you know where and how it sprays.

[Harold]

Would have to disagree about aggravated assault charges outcome. Scenario I described is based on real situation and outcome of idiot arrested was correct. Only detail I changed was person defending themselves was a female. Reading the story got to me thinking about edc and carrying something in addition to gun and knife. Reason I posted my question just curiosity. I agree with force on force training however. Don't remember who said "Proximity negates skill" and "everything at contact distance is an emergency" These two thoughts argue persuasively for those less lethal options that control from a distance before force and force is needed.

[Guest Guy N. Cognito]

Creative concept, but an invitation to an aggravated assault charge and a lot of legal expenses as well, your pre planning for a confrontation unlikely to happen. LEO use less lethal options as a means of gaining control of a resistive or assaultive subject with an end goal of placing them into custody. What you propose is using such a tool to disable or distract a confrontational subject before they have actually assaulted or struck you. Bad move, go directly to jail and suffer great embarrassment coupled with negative media exposure.

Being prepared for a variety of attacks does not invite an ag assault charge, any more than boxing lessons or "verbal judo." The situation itself will determine who ultimately gets charged, and something like was presented by the OP probably wouldn't result in a charge.

I used to live in NO, and would frequently carry OC rather than my CCW when taking out of town guests to the Quarter. I used my OC in the exact type of situation described above. Drunk in street bumped into me after staggering off the curb. I said 'excuse me' to him but, after some goading from his drunk friends, he came up behind me and started talking trash. I tried to ignore him and told my guests to keep walking. He started making threats and finally put a hand on my shoulder. I spun around and knocked him to the ground. I pulled my Fox Labs from my pocket and yelled "leave me alone or I'm going to mace you!" His friends helped him up and he came at me again, so I sprayed him straight in the face. He started gagging and barfing and fell back down. I retreated around the corner to a restaurant and called police (they were already on the scene with my attacker when I called.) I came back, gave the cop my Fox, and explained my side of the story. Several witnesses agreed with me (the perp was saying my attack was unprovoked.) The cop handed back my OC, got my information and sent me on my way. Perp was ultimately convicted of public drunkeness.....they drop the assault charges.

[Guest cowboy20th]

to the OP, changing the fact of it being a woman in your situation is a HUGE factor in that case. Women are given a less strict set of laws when dealing with those areas, especially when it is man against woman violence. If a man were to do the same then different standards of laws would apply to the situation.

To Cognito, your situation would have undoubtedly turned out very different for you if there were no witnesses, cops show up and there is one guy holding pepper spray and one guy on the ground with a face full of spray saying he was attacked, and no one of credibility to refute it.

Now if you used OC spray after getting into an altercation (physical evidence of confrontation on you) then that would probably be completely unquestioned, as it would be obvious that you were using means to end the attack and defending yourself. But then you would have already gotten into the fight which kind of defeats the purpose of carrying your spray.

The advice I received when I first started entertaining the idea of carrying a pistol for protection was to get away and safe. I can't remember if Tennessee has laws stating you have to or do not have to flee, but that is the first thing I would do. Run away and call the cops, don't try to be tough and hold your ground against the jacked up moron trying to pop you head off. No confrontation has a real good outcome attached to it. Cops will be called, paperwork is filed, charges may be filed, court dates might need to be set that remove you from your work/family, you might be arrested, you might not be charged but still be sued, then you need to hire a lawyer, etc. Just flee those types of situations, if they keep chasing after you, then you would have a reason to be fearful of your life. If you had your family or loved ones you were protecting, then you would have legitimate reasons to hold your ground and use force, but always try to deescalate the situation first, and if I was defending my family, then I would not trust their safety to some unpredictable pepper spray.

Carrying a weapon, lethal or non, is a big responsibility with serious consequences if used inappropriately. While there might be laws that help protect the innocent in the gray areas, I would not want to personally go through the expensive and timely process to make sure I was one of those innocents in one of those gray areas. If I have to use my weapon, it is because I have tried to flee to safety, deescalate the situation, and I was in complete and total fear for my life and had NO other options. Pepper spray is not another option, force is force, and even though the punishment for using nonlethal is much less, it is still punishment and nothing that I want to mess with.

[Mike]

The advice I received when I first started entertaining the idea of carrying a pistol for protection was to get away and safe. I can't remember if Tennessee has laws stating you have to or do not have to flee, but that is the first thing I would do. Run away and call the cops, don't try to be tough and hold your ground against the jacked up moron trying to pop you head off. No confrontation has a real good outcome attached to it. Cops will be called, paperwork is filed, charges may be filed, court dates might need to be set that remove you from your work/family, you might be arrested, you might not be charged but still be sued, then you need to hire a lawyer, etc. Just flee those types of situations, if they keep chasing after you, then you would have a reason to be fearful of your life.

You have no duty to retreat in TN. If you are attacked you can stand your ground and deal with the problem without having to first retreat. Not saying retreating woudnt be be a bad plan, but you are not obligated by law to do so.

Mike