Prepare Now, Before The Economic Crisis: Personal And Home Defense - Part 3

Continuing on from part 2…

With the state of the country that we now live in everyone needs to be more aggressive towards security at home or when going out alone. With many people out of work and no employment prospects on the horizon crime rate is increasing. Furthermore when the economy really tanks and a severe depression or inflation set in, crime will become an everyday occurrence on your street. You will need to protect your home and family from harm.

Another major area of concern will be your emergency food & any other supplies you have been collecting and storing. This will become a prime target. Especially if word gets out you have a food supply stashed. There are going to be many people wandering around hungry looking for food because there will be virtually no food available. Once your stash is known to others you will have to keep a 24/7 watch over it or risk losing it all together. You will need protection. Here in part -3 we will be reviewing non-lethal defense options you can acquire.

Personal Protection – Non Lethal Defense Options

Personal protection can be many things ranging from non aggressive to deadly force. What you use obviously is determined by both your skills and the immediate threat you’re confronting.

Non deadly actions will include talking down your opponent by reasoning with them, and stepping it up the more your commands are resisted. Unless you’re already a trained martial arts person or have very good street fighting skills you’re going to be at a big disadvantage if a fight does breakout assuming the person is not armed. If the person is armed and you’re not you have an even bigger problem.

To better your odds it is a wise idea to either carry on your person or within easy accessibility some non lethal deterrent device that can render a person incapacitated but not suffer any long term health affects. Such devices would include:

1. Pepper Spray: also referred to as OC spray, OC gas, and capsicum spray or mace which contains Oleoresin Capsicum a chemical compound that will cause severe eye irritation and tearing and choking or gasping. It also will cause significant pain and burning sensations. Temporary blindness also occurs which can be effectively used in the defense of humans, dog’s even bears. The temporary blindness forces the eyes to close further removing vision allowing enough time to either restrain the person or run away. The burning and blindness affects usually will last between 30-45 minutes along with reduced effects lasting hours. The effective range depends on the manufacture but is usually between 10 to 15 feet. Another benefit these canisters of Pepper Spray they are inexpensive and require no training to use. Simply insure you are within the effective range (10 -15 ft) then point/ aim at the persons face and squeeze off a shot. It is important however you position yourself downwind from your attacker before discharging the pepper spray or risk the wind carrying the pepper spray back towards you.
2. Stun Guns: also referred to as electroshock weapons or directed-energy weapons are considered incapacitant weapons. That renders a person harmless through the delivery of an electric shock. Depending on the length of time a shock is administered usually between ½ second to about two to three full seconds. The ½ second shock creates immense pain and contractions of the muscles. A two-three second jolt will most always cause the subject to become dazed and drop to the ground. A jolt over three seconds will in most cases totally disorientate the subject causing him to immediately drop for several seconds. The voltages delivered are very high between 300,000 volts to around 7 million volts. The higher voltage types are better used to penetrate through several layers of clothing or a heavy coat. Where the lower voltage types cannot penetrate thru these additional layers of insulation. Even though high voltages are used in these stun guns, they employ a high frequency A/C current where naturally the skin actually will have a high enough resistance that a deadly amount of current cannot travel through the body to create death. The most effective places to administer the electric shock for maximum effects are in the upper hip areas, upper shoulder areas and below the rib cage. Stun guns are inexpensive and easy to use requiring no training however you need to be physically within arm’s reach of the person you intend to stun.
3. Tasers: are incapacitating weapons designed for non-lethal use. They use an electrical current administered into the body thru wires connected to a set of two darts. Which creates involuntary control of the muscles through what is called “electro-muscular disruption or EMD technology. Where the subject will experience stimulation of the sensory and motor nerves creating severe involuntary muscle contractions. Also a sudden unavoidable incapacitation unique in that it is not based on pain and positively cannot be overcome. The darts are sharp enough to penetrate clothing and have small barbs on them to prevent the subject from quickly pulling them out. The maximum range for civilian models by law is 15 feet. A small nitrogen cylinder is used as the pressure to discharge the two darts into the target subject. While the subject is being tased he cannot move however once the taser current is shut off normal body functions are immediately regained. During most encounters subjects that have been tased one time will comply with demands of whoever is turning on and off the electricity for fear of another paralyzing jolt. Tasers are a great option for paralyzing your opponent/attacker. Even though the effects go away immediately once turned off you can turn on and off the current as often as necessary so long as the darts are still in the person’s skin they will keep getting shocked. Tasers are considerably more expensive than stun guns and the dart cartridge is only good for one shot. Refill dart/propellant cartridges are relatively expensive for a single shot. Training might be a good idea however it is not 100% necessary. You can purchased a Taser that includes a training cartridge so you can have one shot to see how the weapon works and reacts before you actually carry it for self defense. Additional training cartridges are also available.
4. Guard Dogs: To round out non-lethal ways of securing your home this is probably the most basic and time tested way to defend your family and property. A good dog, a good friend. Great at sniffing out intruders and sounding the alarm when there are spotted day or night. If they are trained at attacking better yet. Now you got a mobile attack force to chase them away before you have to. If you don’t have a dog and live in an area where you can have one then get one or two. If you do not know how to train your dog you can take it to a dog security training course where your doggie goes thru boot camp and comes out the other side fighting. You can find locations for dog training and security programs online. They are a really good investment for your family’s safety and security. To be continued in part 4…

Be Prepared!

Tom Genot -