One of the local News Stations did a piece called Self Defense Methods to Help Women Protect themselves. I’ve included the link here so that you can see it. In this news piece the reported picked out specific items and asked what she called self-defense experts what they thought of the products. From what I saw the experts were people who taught self-defense classes. While some of the advice they give, the piece did not give great information and should have been reviewed by better experts.
First, I will say that by all evidence, facts, statistics, and new stories it is not a matter of if you will be attacked, robbed or assaulted but of when this events will happen.
According to the statistical data that is collected by the Department of Justice and the FBI on reported crime within the next 60 seconds the following crimes WILL happen to someone in the United States:
- 24 Sexual Assaults
- 12 Rapes
- 124 Assaults
- 900 Thefts
- 189 Violent Crimes
- 66 Robberies
- 2 Murders
While the factors that increase the likelihood of you being the next crime victim depend on many factors, all we can do is ask you to be prepared to meet the challenge.
In the piece the ‘experts’ discussed dealing with an attack in an emergency situation, there are basically two types of situation.
- The ones you see coming
- The ones you don’t see coming
According to the experts women are more likely to be attacked coming from bars. This completely depends on the type of crime. For example women coming from bars are more likely to be rape victims than robberies. The emergency situations that you need to be prepared for are completely depending on the nature of the crime. In the video we see a woman walking past a van and being grabbed by the hooded criminal wearing black in broad day light. Hooded figured usually rob places, not grab people dressed like that. But I do realize that this was for the dramatic effect.
One of the items that the ‘experts’ favored was a special hair brush that concealed a weapon. Please Note that the expert said that “IF” she could get to it she could do damage. Now, I have a wife and two daughters, and I assure you that neither one of them, now most of the women I know can get a brush from their purse in a reasonable amount of time. This device is just as handy as the cell phone stun gun. It is a great concealed weapon that would great if you have it in a handy place that you can get you and use in a hurry. It works really great if you are walking with it in your hands.
One of the weapons that the ‘experts’ quickly dismissed was pepper spray. The experts said that it is not a good defense weapon for close quarters. We have written ad nauseam and continuum to talk about the effectiveness and usefulness of pepper spray as a self non-lethal defense device. The ‘experts’ in this piece said that they would not recommend pepper spray in close quarters because of the possibility of spraying yourself. This is true if you never practiced with it, or if the wind is blowing towards you. Pepper Spray is EXTREMELY effective. However, I will not that with most personal protection products, if you are not familiar with is, or have practiced with it, you have the potential of being a victim of your own defense, this is also true of stun guns, knives, guns, etc. With the Pepper Spray we sell we also provide a FREE GUIDE TO PEPPER SPRAY that include more information than this blog post on how to use pepper spray.
If someone if behind you, you want to spray them, not yourself. We always suggest that you PRACTICE with your pepper spray before you have to spray your attacker in panic. Aim spray at your assailant’s eyes and then dodge away if you can to avoid allowing any back spray to hit you. One of the things those most self-defense experts always recommended is to purchase an extra pepper spray unit to use for practice. It will not be helpful if you need to use your spray and have never actually used it before. Reading instructions is good, doing instructions is always better. Think of this, what is better, reading a book on Judo, or practicing what you’ve read in a book on Judo.
Practicing with your pepper spray teaches reality because when the time comes that you ever have to use your pepper spray in real life, you’re in a real situation. You want to have confidence that you can whip out that pepper spray and effectively fend off your possible attacker. In addition, by practicing putting your pepper spray into operation, you are familiarizing your mind and appropriate muscles with what needs to be done when necessary. Muscle memory is the phrase. Having an extra practice pepper spray lets you take several shots or lets a spouse or family member get some practice too. This is a good lesson for any self-defense method. This is why in self-defense classes you practice moves over and over and over.
As I said there are two emergency situations. If you can disable your attacker with pepper spray from several feet away, you have a great chance of escaping. The attacker can’t keep their eyes open and won’t be able to pursue you easily. They will be in severe pain as well. Get to safety immediately. Call the police to at least give a report and describe the suspect.
Getting back to practicing, by practicing you are giving yourself the best chance to take appropriate action in a dire circumstance.
One of the other devices that was reviewed favorably was the door stop alarm. While this is a great and highly effective device for college students, and people who don’t have adequate home security alarms, in the context of the news story I could not see how the device fit in being attacked on the street.
In conclusion when selecting person protection products, make sure you know the strengths and limitations. Make you have the ability to effective use it in time of need. I do agree with the experts in one respect, nothing beats common sense, and listening to those feeling that something is not right. I have also advocated that everyone learn basic self defense techniques, as your body and brain working in unison can do more to protect you than any product ever could, in emergency situations.
The Doctors: How Pepper Spray affects the Body
PepperEyes.com is dedicated to providing you with the best and most affordable personal protection products on the market to meet the security needs of you, your family members or your business, by assisting anyone who is unwilling to become a victim of crime. If you want to take personal responsibility for yourself, your home or your business, purchase our high quality discount personal protection products and arm yourself with the knowledge of the best way to stay secure in an ever-increasing violent world. In today’s society being equipped mentally and physically is no longer an option.
This is the second entry in a serious of articles on senior citizens and crime. This series was sparked by a recent incident where an 85-year-old citizen had her purse stolen while entering her house. Statistically senior citizens have the lowest crime victimization rate of any age group, but they are particularly vulnerable physically, psychologically, and financially. Senior citizens are more likely than younger members of society to be robbed by an assailant. These valuable members of our society are often targeted because they are less they are easy marks. They can’t easily flee, or put up a good fight. The protective weapons of choice among senior citizens are walking devices, arguing, screaming, trying to get away, or even trying to reason with their attacker.
In this week’s an 85-year-old woman with cancer was robbed on her front doorstep. This incident happened in Charleston, SC. The thief came up behind the elderly victim when she was returning home from her errands. “It was an experience that you won’t forget no time soon,” the victim said just hours after the incident. The victim had just returned home from the bank where she cashed some checks she received last Friday for her 85th birthday. She was intending to use the money for some much needed eye surgery. According to the victim here is what happened:
I have stated emphatically, when it come to protecting yourself against an assailant, and it’s you or them. Do what you have to do to stay alive. For many Americans this choice usually means having a firearm. Firearms have for a long time been the countermeasure of choice for effective defensive weapons. Statistically, most handguns that are purchased in the United States are for personal protection, often because that’s what we see on TV as glorified by Westerns and cop shows, or movies like Dirty Harry. However, In the opinion citizens not affiliated with the NRA or other such organizations, they are a poor option for personal protection. Guns are unnecessary in several situations and their use can have serious, life-long consequences for the user, even in justified situations. Don’t get me wrong, I know of several situations where just flashing a fire arm has made criminals think twice before committing a criminal act. On the flip side, I also know of several situations where someone who thought they were protecting themselves from an intruder had killed someone they knew, or their children got a hold of their loaded handgun and bad things happened.
