How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It - James Wesley Rawles [93]
If you are well dressed and groomed, then law-enforcement officers in most jurisdictions will hardly give you a second glance if you are carrying a walking stick. But if you are shabby-looking, then expect to get plenty of grief. Canes, especially aluminum ones like those that look like true walking aids, are far less likely to attract suspicion than walking sticks. Folded umbrellas can also be used quite effectively for jabbing.
My general preference is to use a shoulder-width, two-handed grip in most situations, to maintain control and, more important, to assure retention of the stick. This is akin to what has been taught for many years by police academies in the use of long (“riot”) batons. The last thing that you want is to have Mr. Bad Guy gain control of your weapon.
Do some research on your local laws. In most jurisdictions, any blow with a striking weapon to the neck or head is considered potentially lethal. So don’t escalate unless you are absolutely certain that your life is threatened and you have no other choice. Essentially it is the same as firing a gun—at least in the eyes of the law. Most courts look at things in terms of equal force and a graduated response, roughly as follows: If Mr. Bad Guy uses his fists, then you can use your fists. If he uses a weapon, then you can use a comparable weapon. If he strikes above the chest, then you can strike above the chest.
Show restraint, and never dole out punishment. Just reduce the threat with a quick jab or two, disengage, and then engage your Nike-jitsu technique. (Run!)
When carrying a striking weapon or an edged weapon of any sort for self-defense, be sure to develop the same situational awareness skills that you would for carrying a concealed firearm. Extensive training in self-defense combative techniques is worthless if you don’t see an attack coming. Be alert.
If you don’t live near a school that teaches cane and stick fighting, there is a forty-minute training DVD produced by the Gunsite academy titled Defensive Techniques: Walking Stick. It is available from Blade-Tech and directly from the Gunsite Pro Shop.
Blinding Flashlights for Self-defense?
When lasers blind, they do so permanently, by destroying the human retina. The “dazzling” effect is quite different from blinding. Never use a “non-eye-safe” (blinding) laser against an attacker, or you will very likely be sued.
There are indeed flashlights with a temporary dazzling effect designed for self-defense, but I have not tested them. At least one publicized prototype uses pulsating LEDs designed to induce dizziness and/or vertigo. Keep in mind that these dazzling effects might work well in controlled, low-light conditions, but they cannot be trusted to be effective in split-second real-world confrontations, which can take place in all sorts of light conditions.
Knives
I am by no means a knife expert. (Although the Memsahib claims that I am a seasoned expert at buying knives.) My general preference is for folding knives, because you will almost always have a folding knife in your pocket. Big sheath knives get left behind—often when they are needed the most.
I prefer low-end stainless steel folding knives with a positive lock and tanto-style blade tip. For versatility, I also tend toward knives that are serrated on the back half of the blade (commonly called “50/50” or “half-serrated”). My everyday carry knife is an extra-large (five-inch blade) Cold Steel 29 Voyager. On occasions when I need something smaller, I carry a CRKT M16 with a two-and-three-quarter-inch blade. Again, it is stainless and half serrated, and has tanto-style tip. During deer and elk season, I substitute a Case clip-point folder.
I’ve never spent more than fifty-five dollars for one of my pocketknives—and I’ve spent far less for most. A knife should be an everyday tool to use, not an object of art to admire. The Cold Steel, CRKT, and Benchmade brands