If you're expecting trouble, it adds to the effectiveness. Locking/bolting the doors and windows are obvious but there are other things you can do. The classic chair up against the doorknob and irregular shelving/furniture underneath windows can add critical minutes to entry.
Any heavy or sharp object can be turned into a weapon. Heavy jars, mugs, glasses and knives can all be projectiles.
High pressure aerosols, especially wasp/hornet spray, give you a range of over 10 feet. Oven cleaner, other bug sprays, hair spray etc. will also work but have a lesser range.
If it gets to the point of close in, then you want sharp/pointy or real heavy. Kitchen knives, pencils/pens, keys, screwdrivers, etc along w/ the classic frying pan.
The issue of panic also came up. If Joe Dirtbag is busting down your door, odds are good you're going to be scared and forget what to do. It's kind of hard (and would probably look silly) to do tacticals w/ a frying pan. But if you come up w/ a plan and review it in your mind from time to time, just like you would a fire drill in the home, it increases your chances of recalling what to do if that situation ever occurs.
What other suggestions/ideas do my readers have for good (primarily improvised) home defense w.o a firearm?
13 comments:
If you're willing to take on the added responsibility - almost nothing beats having a dog as an early warning system. A larger dog can sometimes act as a deterrent for many would be criminals.
My dog has stopped at least two break-ins. Both attempts occurred when no one was home. Both attempts ended with slobber dripping down the sliding glass door and a dropped entry tool (one a screwdriver, one a pry bar) outside the door.
But, like I said: a dog is a responsibility - almost like a child, requiring care and time spent training and playing.
Yep, the "dog" idea is a good one. Which is why i have a 106lb. Full (German) bred GSD.
But here's another tip, buy yourself a couple of high powered Surefire or Streamlight flashlights. Having, and shining a HP flashlight in the attackers eyes will disorient him/her and give you time to hit him with that frying pan -- hard.
I also like the 5-D Cell Maglight too, but not for the shining part, but for the clubing part.
In my medic experience, the following make great weapons:
1 golf clubs, especially the irons
2 baseball bats
3 a master lock on the end of a leather belt (need room to use this one)
4 use very bright flashlight to blind opponent
5 hairspray
Also, try this:
http://www.doorchucky.com/why_doorchucky.htm
A *very* bright flashlight is a useful tool. The long-range bug spray is another, and if properly used with a butane lighter can be truly terrifying to an attacker.
Just keep a good fire extinguisher handy, and the 10 lb dry powder ones make a good throwing item if you're strong enough.
I keep a kubotan on my keychain, as does my wife. We have two large breed dogs, though one is still pretty young and is more likely to lick someone to death.
We live in a rural area with nearby neighbors - out here, it's not a question of whether you own guns, it's a question of how many. I'd trust my neighbor to shoot someone from his front porch and hit only the bad guys.
We have a fire extinguisher near both exterior exits. Also, this might surprise some people, but my wife's hard-core kick to the groin will down any man instantly. Also, paperweights, glass cups, etc. as projectiles work well.
Over a decade ago, a guy delivering pizza to me (I was single) saw I was alone and his two buddies then pushed into my apartment. I fended all of them off with a folding chair (WWF style). Later that night, I went to the pizza joint, waited for the guy to come out to his car, and kicked the shit out of him. That was the life lesson that taught me to keep a shorty shotgun always at the ready at home.
All are good ideas, but an important aspect is the mentality. Going over potential scenarios and having yourself think of them as possibilities rather than "something that could happen but probably won't" helps to train you to take such instances more seriously as well as focusing your mind.
Know your house. Ambush points can be handy. Nothing like a ball bat hiding in that dark alcove in the hall.
Alarms are good. I like the one that you can customize the audible alarm. A friend recorded this:
"911. Please state the nature of your emergency."
"Someone is in the house. I have a shotgun. Send the cops! Please hurry."
"Sir, remain calm. We have units 2 minutes away. Please stay on the like."
"Shhhh... I hear them..."
Silence...
The dry chemical fire extinguisher is a good long range fogger, and if the guy breathes it in, it will seriously screw him up long enough for you to beat him with the extinguisher. If you have ever fired one off and breathed it in, you know what I mean.
A good sturdy kitchen knife on the right hand and a heavy 10-12" cast iron frying pan in the left would be pretty formidable as well if someone is determined to use it.
A toilet tank lid can make a good ambush weapon.
I have always thought about dousing a robber with gasoline if I ever got stuck up at the pump....... it "might" almost be worth a bullet if the last thing I see is an impromptu wickerman display at the local BP.
Wasp spray for self defense is a bad idea. It is a myth! Stick with the Pepper Spray. Wasp spray is unproven and has never been tested on humans. Wasp Spray will NOT work on those who cannot feel pain i.e. drugs or alcohol. Pepper Spray is an inflammatory which will cause the eyes to slam shut no matter the situation. That’s why over 40,000 law enforcement agencies carry it nationwide and even the smallest canisters will fire 10 ft while the larger will canisters will fire 25 to 30 ft.
Some good advice I came across long ago is to get out the shovel and dig out a decent area under each window, then pile on some pea gravel.
If anyone ventures there, the big dog you should have will have no problem hearing the noise and alert you.
Bark mulch may look nice but it's nice and soft and quiet.
This will give you a heads up that someone or something is a tad bit too close to your castle.
Reminds me to get a new dog and teach her that cars are dangerous.
Rest her soul.
I can't remember who said it, but...
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."
(Baldr, I deleted your comment. Other than adding a link to your blog, you had nothing additional to add, and I'm not going to simply promote your blog from here.)
My Mom's house had two doors that were in locations where it would be easy to break in. We put deadbolts on both doors then had 1/2 inch plexiglass cut large enough to go out beyond the windows on both doors. Anchored them with heavy wood screws inserted through washers. From outside you could not see the plexiglass. Figured, as it was NJ, we'd get sued for damages by anyone who tried to break the "glass". OldeForce
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