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Decent neighbourhood. But the reports of break-ins have ticked up a bit. Especially at night.
Some of them are frightening.
One news report showed a gang of young men, about 5 coming up onto a person's veranda and proceed to try to kick in the front door. It was around 2am.
Very blatant. Just walk onto the property and proceed to kick the door about 5 times. Two big guys taking turns. The door held. So they just walk away quickly.
I have no license for a firearm.
I literally have nothing to defend myself or my loved ones if somebody breaks in.
Other than a 2x4 or kitchen knives.
I thought about getting an aluminum softball bat, but a lot of people says that it's pretty useless?
What's your opinion on any effective non-firearm type of weapon?
Or anything to deter or defend against any intrusion?
If someone had broken into my house and was going do horrible things (rape, murder) I would HOPE that my husband would have a gun.
We had a 195# English Mastiff that was VERY protective of my wife and I. If his bark didn't scare home invaders away and they gained entry they would have been in for a real treat! This dog wouldn't let anyone get between him and either of us. My wife said she never felt safer, even while I was away for a week at a time when we had our Big Jake! His bark was booming and anyone approaching the house knew there was a BIG dog on the other side of the door.
Be aware that the use of bear spray, wasp spray, etc. is illegal to use on humans. You may be the one that ends up in jail.
Another negative outcome of bear spray to consider is the risk of incapacitating yourself. All it takes is a light breeze blowing in the wrong direction and you'll end up blinded, hacking and choking, unable to take a breath. BTDT attempting to break up a 3 dog fight. Still, if your unaffected attacker touches you they'll end up suffering as well. The spray is stingy and sticky for a reason.
First I'd harden my doors against intruders. That will help you sleep better than dealing with anyone inside your home
The last house we moved into in Florida we knew nothing about the neighborhood so called the local police and they sent out someone who walked around our home and pointed out weaknesses, sliding doors were our biggest ones and he told us ways to make them more secure.
Your local police may be able to help you be more secure since they know there is crime happening near you.
I'd rather get a door too tough to kick down than use a gun.
Another negative outcome of bear spray to consider is the risk of incapacitating yourself. All it takes is a light breeze blowing in the wrong direction and you'll end up blinded, hacking and choking, unable to take a breath. BTDT attempting to break up a 3 dog fight. Still, if your unaffected attacker touches you they'll end up suffering as well. The spray is stingy and sticky for a reason.
Inside a domicile I doubt there would be a breeze. Have you ever used bear spray? I have. It’s a powerful blast.
Just a comment about bear spray: nobody sells real bear spray anymore. The EPA changed the maximum allowable capsaicin content to 2%. The "bear spray" on the market isn't any different than the OC spray you can buy for self defense against humans, the only difference is the "bear spray" holds more volume. The last time I bought real bear spray it was 15%, though cheaper brands were available at 5%. These haven't been available for many years.
The EPA contends that 2% is just as effective as 15%, the only difference is the higher percentages disable for longer and that isn't a requirement for self-defense or deterring bears.
So is buying "bear spray" worth it? It's expensive. Maybe if you're doing crowd control and have to disable dozens of people with a single large canister. Otherwise you're probably better off using the same amount of money to purchase several smaller canisters. A two ounce canister (1/4 the size of most bear sprays) sprays for about 18 seconds, which is still long enough to disable a small gathering and is a hell of a lot easier to carry and/or conceal than a small fire extinguisher sized container of watered down bear spray. Several smaller containers provides redundancy, can quickly be passed out to people on your side, and make more sense for rotating stock. Pepper spray has a shelf life after which they claim it starts becoming less effective, and probably more so now that the concentration of the active ingredient is reduced from the beginning. Another reason why multiple canisters makes more sense is you can have different types for the same financial investment. Where I live its frequently raining and/or windy and a stream makes a lot more sense than a spray. It would take a stiff wind to blow it back at me.
I've used pepper spray before and afterwards its hard to tell how much is left because the steel canisters provide little clue. It's good to replace a canister after its been used once rather than hoping you have enough for the next time. It's another reason why I like the smaller/cheaper canisters. I keep the partially empty canisters as backups, but if I'm leaving the house I make sure to grab one that's never been used.
Like any self defense product, a person should be trained before using it. I'm sure there are youtube videos on the subject, but if you only have a few seconds to brief someone, the main point is to hold your breath while using it and several seconds thereafter. Aim for the face and keep using it until the desired effect is achieved. If you're going to discharge it to break up a fight, and one of the people fighting is on your side, make sure you let them know you're about to spray their opponent. The usual indicator word is "SPRAY!" But they would have to be briefed on that beforehand to know what that means. Pepper spray has no stopping power. Most of the time it takes a few to several seconds before it disables somebody. They can close a lot of distance in that time. Sometimes it can take much longer, especially in the cold. If you do accidentally get sprayed the symptoms are severe but they are also self-resolving to normal healthy people. Washing the spray off as soon as possible will help, and water will make the boo boos feel better. Take off jackets, remove contact lenses, etc, and change clothes when you can. Usually medical attention is not necessary.
On the other side of the coin are the OC sprays that are too small, like the type that go onto keychains. I can't really think of a use for those other than providing a false sense of security. They usually deliver a half second "pump" style burst of limited range and quantity. If somebody was well trained and experienced on how to use a spray like that it might be effective but usually the people they are marketed towards have no training or experience and are unlikely to seek either.
Somebody mentioned wasp spray. It has an impressive range and it's cheap. Unlike OC spray, wasp spray isn't self-resolving. If one gets wasp spray in the eyes, they need medical attention.
Last edited by terracore; 04-08-2024 at 01:29 AM..
Decent neighbourhood. But the reports of break-ins have ticked up a bit. Especially at night.
Some of them are frightening.
One news report showed a gang of young men, about 5 coming up onto a person's veranda and proceed to try to kick in the front door. It was around 2am.
Very blatant. Just walk onto the property and proceed to kick the door about 5 times. Two big guys taking turns. The door held. So they just walk away quickly.
I have no license for a firearm.
I literally have nothing to defend myself or my loved ones if somebody breaks in.
Other than a 2x4 or kitchen knives.
I thought about getting an aluminum softball bat, but a lot of people says that it's pretty useless?
What's your opinion on any effective non-firearm type of weapon?
Or anything to deter or defend against any intrusion?
I think the best deterrence is dogs. They generally aren't much in the way of DEFENSE for the average owner but they have great deterrence value. Even criminals that aren't afraid of getting bit don't like the attention a barking dog brings to their presence. Deterrence is usually a basket of approaches- cameras, lighting, alarms, physical security measures (fences, gates, locks...), dogs, nosey neighbors, etc. Defense is for when all of those thing fail. Some dogs (mostly not all dogs) fall into both categories. I like having dogs around for their companionship so I would have them on our farm regardless, but when strangers come to the gate it's nice having a Belgian Malinois (Reaper) and a Doberman (Chaos) coming to "greet" them versus a couple of ankle biters. Living in a big city you might not have as many choices for keeping dogs as us rural folks.
Regarding baseball bats, they make a decent striking weapon and although people frequently get lucky using them, using striking weapons successfully in combat is a skill that requires training and practice. Baseball bats are frequently recommended because being a dual use item, having one doesn't indicate any intent of using it to cause harm unless you do something stupid like wrapping it in barbed wire. They are easy to find and relatively inexpensive. But there are better weapons for striking.
Last edited by terracore; 04-08-2024 at 02:21 AM..
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