I’m an older female with bad hands. I bought a .38 revolver for home defense. What ammunition should I use?

-From Beth M.

Answer: I would try Speer Gold Dot. It’s great self-defense ammunition and I would definitely recommend it for use in a home defense weapon.

Just make sure you always know your backstop and what you will be shooting towards if you are inside your home.

In addition, the Gold Dot ammo typically has less recoil compared to other brands so this is a good choice if your hands aren’t as strong as they once were.

 

My family and I live in a state where concealed carry is not an option. We also can’t move anytime soon. So, I want to buy pepper spray for my wife and teenagers to carry for self-defense. Is there a brand you recommend?

-From Greg T.

Answer: I would check out the brand Sabre, this is a quality brand that is commonly carried by law enforcement.

They make all different strengths and sizes of pepper spray and they sell their products to the general public.

 

I understand you are not a doctor. But during an EMP is there a way to protect my pacemaker from malfunctioning?

-From Liz L.

Answer: A lot of folks want to know exactly what sort of electronic devices would be impacted by an EMP attack.

The reality is, there are so many different factors that will dictate whether or not a specific device will be affected, including how far away the device is from the center of the attack, as well as any barriers between them.

Now, pacemaker technology has come a long way over the past decade and according to different studies a disruption of pacemakers by an EMP is considered unlikely… but there are no guarantees.

 

When traveling and staying at hotels do you allow the maid service to clean your room? I feel like it’s an invasion of privacy and I’m worried they go through my personal belongings.

-From Bill R.

Answer: It all depends on where I am and what I am doing. If I’m overseas, I never have maid service.

If I’m here in the states and in a hotel for several days, then I will. However, I never leave anything in the hotel room that could be compromised.

So, no cell phone, no computer, no tablet.

Also, even if I put up the Do Not Disturb sign I always assume someone will enter my room while I’m gone, which is why I never leave anything valuable.

 

I have a fenced in yard and I put a lock on the gate. But the lock keeps getting opened by neighborhood kids. Is there any combination lock that you recommend that might be a little more difficult to open?

-From Brady P.

Answer: Unfortunately, many combination locks are susceptible to being picked using something as simple as a hair barrette.

With that being said, if you want one of the more secure locks. I would suggest Abloy combination locks.

They’re more expensive but you get what you pay for.

 

I’m thinking about buying a taser for self-defense that is similar to the ones used by police. My concern is what would you do if you have to deal with multiple assailants?

-From Lacy W.

Answer: A Taser can only fire one cartridge at a time, therefore you would need to reload with another cartridge, which means removing the first cartridge, rendering it no longer effective.

In other words, hitting multiple attackers with multiple cartridges is not very realistic since the cartridge that is in use would be the only one delivering a shock.

However, Tasers also have a “drive stun” capability, where the Taser is held against the target without firing the projectiles and causes pain without incapacitating the target.

Basically, once you fire your Taser cartridge you would then be able to use the Taser like a stun gun and make direct contact with your attacker.

However, as you pointed out, a taser is not great against multiple attackers, which is why I carry a gun.