If You Don’t Want to be a Victim of Violence or Theft, What Weapon Should You Carry Daily?

The first category to determine your weapon of choice is to choose whether you want to carry a weapon that is LETHAL or LESS-THAN-LETHAL.

LETHAL

This is a measure sufficient to cause death. A weapon is lethal because it is designed to cause death—it’s the nature of the device. Some examples of lethal self-defense weapons are firearms, knives, swords or any weapon designed to primarily cause death.

LESS-THAN-LETHAL

This category didn’t exist until fairly recently. Before, they were considered non-lethal but the name was updated since sometimes their use can cause death albeit unintentionally. Some examples of these weapons would be rubber bullets, beanbag projectiles, tasers, pepper spray, tactical batons, clubs and brass knuckles.

When deciding whether you want to carry a LETHAL or LESS-THAN-LETHAL weapon, you need to be able to use it without hesitation. The best defense is one that you know you can and will use.

If you know in your heart that you can’t kill another human being even if they will kill you, then a LESS-THAN-LETHAL weapon would be better suited for you. However, a LESS-THAN-LETHAL weapon may not be able to deter your attacker, especially if they have a weapon that is more effective than yours.

Most gun stores, sporting good stores, and self-defense sites offer a variety of LESS-THAN-LETHAL self-defense items and can help you pick out the perfect one for you. Pick one that is easy to carry daily and fairly effective. We won’t spend much time on less-than-lethal weapons because they are insufficient to deter violent crimes.

Make sure you know how your weapon operates and make sure you are familiar with it. Just because it’s LESS-THAN-LETHAL doesn’t mean you can use it anytime you feel threatened. Just like with a firearm, you’ll get in trouble if you can’t prove it was used in reasonable self-defense. This is a “last ditch effort” when you have no other option, and the use of a LESS-THAN-LETHAL weapon has been proven to cause death in some instances!

What if you use a taser on someone with a heart condition that was just going to ask you directions and they die because you made a bad judgment call? You have to realize that you can and might possibly take a life—even though it’s less likely!

If a robber or rapist pulls out a gun and you respond with a knife, taser or pepper spray—the odds are definitely not in your favor.

If you know that you can kill another human that is coming to kill you, then a LETHAL weapon is your best choice. A LETHAL weapon is not a weapon that you would ever use to intimidate an attacker. If it works that way—then you’ve gotten lucky. Any reputable self-defense instructor will confirm that you only pull out a LETHAL weapon when you have intent to use it on the other person.

It’s obvious that a personal defense firearm is the best defense for yourself and your property. In most states, you can get a concealed firearm license so that you can have a personal firearm with you most places you go.