It’s kind of a knee-jerk reaction to news stories that aren’t all that newsworthy, really. Just publicized muggings because they’ve been in “nice” neighborhoods where muggings have certainly been happening all along.
For those not familiar with recent Chicago news headlines, here’s a recent article:
[Chicago Breaking News - Chicago Tribune - Chicago Tribune](here’s an article), (the hidden url code isn’t working for me) and there was another one in the news this morning.
Now I’m paranoid, and it takes a lot to make me paranoid, plus the attacks have all been on men, but I keep thinking it’s just a matter of time before they escalate and decide women are just that much easier a target. I hope to just use the Mace pepper gel/tear gas only, but have the knuckle knife now, too, because if I decide to show it, it can’t be taken away from me by an attacker. Illegal? Maybe, but I’ll bet the police won’t hold it against me for defending myself.
As much as I agree with the “just give them the wallet” adage, I know myself having been robbed at a store I worked at when I was a teenager. I fight back, it’s stupid, but I know I’ll do it so I may as well be armed.
I work nights and am frequently walking alone anywhere from 11pm to 4am. An easy target I refuse to be.
Anyone else carry self-defense items? Any advice, except for “do not engage” because I know that and I’m pretty sure it will happen anyway, I couldn’t help myself when I was a kid, and I don’t see me just handing it over in my older age either.
Mkay… did you read the instructions on the mace canister? Last one i read it said use in one second bursts. Well this may be okay against unfriendly dogs and such but I would suggest once you push the release trigger in anger keep it pressed until its empty because if it isn’t effective enough to deter an attack then you can be sure you will be disarmed and it will be used right back at you.
Full disclosure… I have only ever carried cs gas to protect against animal attacks while carrying out surveys on remote wellhead locations. Not sure what a knuckle knife is though sounds similar to a butterfly knife. Am 6 foot 2 and wouldn’t fancy my chances in a fight involving knives or other lethal weapons. Wouldn’t a really loud rape alarm or something other similar be sufficient deterrent?
All I have for you is a story: a long time ago (early 80s), a friend of a friend of a friend was walking home in Lincoln Park (neighborhood, not the park) after a busy day of shopping. She was mugged–or they attempted to mug her. After being told to “gimme your purse!”, she said, “no fucking way!” and hit the perp with her shopping bags.
Now, if she had just been to Field’s or Anne Taylor’s this story would have a different ending, but this woman had just finished shopping (and lugging) home 2 large shopping bags full of Le Creuset. She may have broken the perp’s arm when she hit him!
They’re unwieldy, but I’m here to say that cookware can make an excellent defensive weapon. YMMV.
My advice; go buy another can of mace. Why the second can? So you can practice whipping it out of your bag under stress. When I bought some, I got some of the cheapie $5 ones. I ran up and down the block then tried to dig one out as fast as possible and attacked a target. In this case, a cantaloupe, because I don’t like cantaloupe. Running around helps simulate your fight-or-flight response and you need to use it if you have been running anyways.
Wait, you did get the spray on kind of mace, and not the stick with the pointy ends kind, right? A knuckle knife sounds like a WW1 trench knife to me.
If you have to fight with a knife a knuckle knife is a good choice, but be aware that all knife fights result in amazing amounts of blood being spilled, some of it yours. Are you ok with that? How long is your blade? Is it a good quality? You don’t want the blade breaking off in the middle of the fight, cheap knifes are good for about one good thrust. A really good one should have set you back over a $100.
I actually did get 2 cans of mace, they’re each about 1.5 ounces, and both discharge a continuous stream for approx. 10 seconds. 1 can is pepper gel - that sticks to the face like glue and sprays 16-20 feet, the other is pepper/cs gas, sprays I think 10 feet and is my backup for when I empty the first one. These were about $32 between them.
A knuckle knife is like brass knuckles with an automatic blade that comes out the palm. Would be difficult to drop, and would be nearly impossible to force out of my hand without knocking me out first. I wouldn’t feel confident about any other kind, that it couldn’t be taken from me. Not that I think things wouldn’t go very badly if it got to that point, anyway. I’m just trying to make myself feel better after letting media spin get to me after so many years of walking alone at night with no problems!
Manila, I take your words to heart, and do plan to just spray the whole can, even if the guy goes down right away, then throw it and run like hell! I’m hoping if I ever have to use it, the gel really will work the way they say, and will plaster to his face, not just irritating but literally “blindfolding” him.
Thanks for fixing the link, Quartz!
Please keep the comments coming, I need anecdotes, advice, am considering just walking around with a frying pan…
One thing you might want to consider is that these guys are attacking in groups, 2-4 people versus one target. I think it was the latest case where the duo of attackers had a gun, and for the first group of 4 attackers they are having a hard time with any identification reports because the muggers were attacking from behind. So make a good decision about what to do if you see that you have a group on you. If you only manage to Mace one guy out of 4, the other 3 may not hold back at all.
Lessons from my “self defense” class in college:
Be aware of your surroundings. One of the latest victims got jumped, and said he didn’t even know what the guys said to him because he had his iPod on when he was attacked. No listening to headphones, no being self-absorbed in texting. Look around you while you’re walking. If you think someone is walking behind you, look back - even turn completely around (360) while still walking and look right at whoever may be behind you. This looks more confident than furtive glances over your shoulder, plus potential attackers will think their chance at surprise may be ruined and that you might be able to identify them later.
Cross the street, even in the middle of the block. Say you’ve turned around and seen a couple/few guys walking up behind you, or maybe you see someone up ahead. Time to cross the street. If they’re decent guys, maybe they don’t notice, or maybe they do and feel a little insulted that maybe you think they’re criminals. That’s better than you guessing wrong. If they want to rob you, maybe they decide you’re too wary and give up - or maybe they proceed to cross the street too. (This is why crossing in the middle of the block is a good idea, helps rule out coincidences.) If they cross too, you can suspect you are about to be in deep trouble. Find a late-night business to duck into, try to get to a more populated area, flag down that cab that’s just up the block, whatever is available to you.
If you are going to carry a knife, please get some training as to how to use it effectively. While it is more difficult to drop or be taken from you than a regular knife, it is still very dangerous to you if you’re not familiar and comfortable with technique.
And as Ferret Herder noted, it is a real possibility that you could be confronted by a group of assailants rather than an individual. 1.5oz isn’t going to go very far. Head out to Gander Mountain or Bass Pro Shop and pick up a can of bear attack repellent.
What she did was yell, “No fucking way!”* and BLAMMO! hit him with the bags. Dude ran away.
I love that story.
*I like to picture this woman (it could be Every Woman) having an expression on her face that says, “this is sooo not happening to ME” and WHAM! Hee. It makes me smile.
Is the knife a “switchblade” style knife (you push a button on the HANDLE to release the blade) or an “assisted opening” knife (you push a protrusion on the BLADE to release the blade)?
Switchblades are illegal in many states, unless you are a police officer or member of active-duty military, assisted openers are legal, the main difference being that a switchblade has a “bias to open”, IOW, it wants to stay open, the button is holding the blade closed under spring pressure, an assisted opening knife has a “bias to closed”, IOW it wants to stay closed, you have to manually open the blade about 30 degrees or so to defeat the closure bias before the spring/torsion bar will take over and open the blade the rest of the way
if an officer finds you carrying a switchblade, you could get in some fairly severe legal hot water, and seeing as Illinois has rather…draconian “weapons” laws, it’s best not to land on the wrong side of the law
I’m not sure of the legality in your area of other opening devices like the Emerson “Wave”, which is a hook on the top of the blade, as you withdraw the knife from your pocket, the wave hooks on the corner of the pocket and pulls the blade open, but a Waved knife (Emerson Wave series or Spyderco Wave series) has no springs or torsion bars, aside from the lockback spring on the Spyderco Waved knife, it’s completely manual, yet it’s faster than even a switchblade or assisted opener, and it’s legal in most states, please check your laws before purchasing though, what is legal in Maine may not be legal in your location, as always, YMMV
Brass Knuckles are also of unknown legality, so if your knife combines brass knuckles and a switchblade, you might be in a legal bind if you’re stopped while carrying it, stick with a legal pocket knife and learn how to use it correctly
This is an interesting problem, in that the law forbids most really effective means of self defense, as they are equally effective on offense. The expandable baton, for example isn’t legal to carry where I live, and the knuckleduster knife certainly looks like one is looking for trouble.
Check out the unbreakable umbrella (Umbrella Weapon Keeps Everyone From Questioning Your Authority | Gearfuse) for an object one can legally carry, but which might be of value in a pinch, and will be make for a good story when the cops interview you. “Yes, officer, then I hit him with my 'brolly”
Mace (or pepper spray) is one thing. A knife is another.
Putting aside the questions of whether or not you’re trained to use a knife (I’m not, but I’m betting there’s more to it than one would think) and the legality of carrying such a weapon (I seriously doubt that it’s legal), are you sure that you have the will to actually stick a knife into a human being? I’m pretty sure I don’t.
Finding out that you don’t when you’ve committed yourself to a fight involving weapons meant to kill would be a very bad thing.
Capsule summary of Chicago, Illinois knife-related ordinances:
Chicago – Unlawful to possess switchblades. See, CHICAGO, ILL., MUNICIPAL CODE § 8-24-020 (2005). Concealed carry of dirks, daggers, stilettos, bowie knives, “commando knives”, any knife with blade greater than two and a half inches, ordinary razors, and “other dangerous weapon[s]” prohibited. See, id. Unlawful for person under 18 years of age to carry or possess knife with blade two inches in length or longer. See, id. Carry on person or in vehicle passenger compartment of “utility knife” (e.g., box cutter) by person under 18 years of age prohibited. Certain exceptions apply. See, id. at § 8-24-021. (Excerpted from Knife Laws of the Fifty States: A Guide for the Law-Abiding Traveler, page 48).
Looks like you’re limited to a manual opening single-edged blade of 2.5 inches, the Endura and Rescue Waves are too long, the Delica is close, if not a hair too long, the Harpy and Tasman Salt are also close to legal length
two decent defense knives that are completely legal and have cutting power far beyond their physical size are the Spyderco Cricket (1 7/8" blade) and the discontinued, exceptionally hard to find but worth every penny Dodo, both knives have Spyderco’s “Reverse-S” blade, an incredibly effective edge profile for precision cutting, excellent point control and a great utility design, think of it as a “box cutter on steroids”
Please (please, please, please) get some real self-defense lessons. At this point you might be more of a danger to yourself than a mugger. I’m not trying to be sarcastic or insulting, but seriously… if you’re *that *worried then take some realistic steps to protect yourself.
So, the next step is definitely taking some classes. Hopefully I can find something that fits my crazy night-working schedule.
I haven’t been talked out of carrying the knife, yet. To answer some questions, it’s got a 2 3/4 inch blade, and is a “flick” style opener, so still illegal, and I still don’t care. I’m a nearly 40 year old middle class woman with absolutely no record. I’m the lady the cops might pull over, but let me out of the ticket (twice). That’s it.
If they ever catch me with the knife, it will be after I’ve been attacked. I’ll bet a paycheck the worst that would happen is they take it away from me and slap my wrist. I’m really not worried about that part.
Learning how to use it, well y’all talked me into that.
