This Week: What to get if you don’t carry a knife or gun… A quick question about the Personal Protection Alliance… And, a family meeting place in case of an emergency.
The top three self-defense tools that I carry daily are my gun (currently a Springfield 1911), a knife (Benchmade, Kershaw, or one of several others), and a Tactical Pen (this one here.)
However, I realize not everyone is comfortable carrying a gun and I would never recommend someone do so who isn’t comfortable and well trained. Also, some people don’t carry a knife for self-defense and maybe not even a tactical pen although it’s a no-brainer to carry one in my opinion.
Therefore, if none of the above appeal to you (or your spouse) another option you may want to consider is a collapsible baton, often referred to as an ASP because ASP is the company that makes most of the batons for law enforcement agencies.
When I was a police officer I carried a baton on my belt and they’re a great self-defense tool. You can deploy them quickly, and being that they’re made out of metal, they can do some serious damage. You can use them to stop an attacker by “whacking” them with it and you can also use them to smash out windows in an emergency.
Collapsible batons are relatively lightweight and they can be carried in a laptop bag or purse, and I know of several people who carry one in their vehicle.
If you do decide to get a collapsible baton I would spend the money for the ASP brand. They make the quality batons that will last you a long time, and you obviously don’t want to go cheap when you buy your self-defense products.
Just make sure you know your state law before you decide to purchase one of these. I know in California (big surprise) it’s illegal for civilians to have one of these. I’m sure in other terrible states it may be illegal too.
Even if you don’t want one of these for every day carry, you could get one to throw in an escape bag in the back of your car because when they’re fully collapsed they hardly take up any space at all.
Also, if you’ve got a son or daughter heading off to college next year, a Tactical Pen and a collapsible baton would be a good combination if a gun or knife are not viable options.
The Mailbag
From Peter S: I am going to be with a group of colleagues in Mexico City from June 4-7. I wondered if we could do a one or 1.5 day training to learn some of the escape and evade techniques, somewhere around Mexico City. Please let me know if this is possible.
A: Sorry, but I don’t do training in Mexico. If you want to come to Las Vegas, I’ll be happy to train your group there. (Just this past weekend, I had a fellow tell me how 15 people he knew had been kidnapped in Mexico not too long ago.)
From Troubled: Would you please help with a suggestion for a plan to meet up during an emergency. How can we guarantee, as much as possible, a meet up place and route?
A: Everyone should have a special meeting place not too far from their home in case there is an emergency. It should be a little off the beaten path and not at a place that’s likely to be overrun but it should be easy to get to and remember. Also, have a back up meeting place in case the first one is inaccessible or too dangerous to get to. Since I don’t know where you live I obviously can’t give you an exact location that would be good to use.
From Tim T: Jason, I want to thank you for allowing me to be part of your excellent training. It was an amazing and enlightening experience. These are truly life saving skills that every American can benefit from. I’m looking forward to sharing the skills I learned with my wife and three teenage daughters. All the best to you and your family.
A: Thank you for the kind words. I sure had a blast with you and the rest of the group at the Las Vegas Spy course this past weekend.
From Cindy L: Hi, I read all the info that you pack into the personal protection alliance. I already own the credit card knife and the pocket tool and a tactical knife. I would love to know more about the other items offered. Does one receive all of that the first month or do you parse it out? Please advise.
A: We send you the survival gear as soon as you take your free trial. Then, every month, you get the printed newsletter, gear reviews, a legal briefing, and a safety and survival training video. (You can take your free trial here.)
In one of your news letters you talked about outside security lighting that was battery operated. Please let me know the brand you recommended. I misplaced that news letter.
Hi Carmen,
The security lights I recommend are called Mr. Beams 300 Lumen. These are battery operated motion sensor lights. You can purchase them on Amazon for around $90 for a set of three. They are really easy to install.