When I can't carry...

[Oh Shoot]

..I would never encourage anyone to break the rules, but just saying that pepper spray is incredibly easy to conceal, and the sidewalk on the street is a public sidewalk to my knowledge.

And unlike guns, knives, and clubs, pepper spray is not illegal by state or federal statute anywhere in TN.

- OS

[Guest jparn]

Another suggestion is a good tactical flashlight. Very useful just to have (use mine constantly) and can be a striking weapon (one with a beveled edge particularly). I've carried them on flights without even a second look. Also, the Streamlight PT2 I'm currently using has a 110 lumen strobe function with is painful in daylight, much less I a lowlight situation.

[Guest Broomhead]

Get one of the industrial sized Sharpies, not the normal sized ones, or the ones that look like the smelly markers, but the ones that are large, oblong-shaped on the sides and have yellow rubber sides. They make excellent kubatons. They are also better than a roll of pennies in your fist. And, they are perfectly legal.

[tnhawk]

Pepper spray and a mag light may be the best options.

[Guest Tennessee Jed]

I will second the tactical flashlight option. There are several that are perfect Kubaton size. In fact, I understand that the Mini-Mag light was intentionally designed to be a Kubaton. If you get a more powerful light with a thumb press (Sure Fire, Inova, Streamlight, etc.), there is always the technique of "flash and bash." In other words light up the BG's pupils with the bright light, immediately followed by hammer fist strikes with the flashlight.

As long as you don't get one of those toothy bezel lights, or something called "Hellfire Defender," you should be able to pass legal muster.