Less lethal Options

[striker55]

I'm 70 and used to have an aggressive neighbor, young thug, I wasn't scared of him because I could protect myself. My 45 made us equal!

[The Annoyed Man]

I carry POM pocket clip spray. Covid has made people edgy, easily angered. I've seen people rage at an autistic grocery clerk and been followed from the parking lot to the store by a guy that took umbrage to my driving on the correct side of the road in a parking lot while he tried to hit me head on (I suppose he was just not paying attention and blamed me for the near crash).

If an idiot is threatening me without a visible weapon, it's nice to have a non lethal option.

POM is what both myself and the missus carry. To the rest, Covid has certainly not helped, but we’d become a thin-skinned society long before that. People have been killing other people for at least 2 or 3 decades now for no other reason than they felt disrespected. And those who aren’t killing others, are loudly demanding that their life choices be affirmed above all others.

My default is to treat strangers with respect. But if I see someone behaving in a manner unworthy of respect, I’m not going to positively affirm their bad behavior. And that is why I always try to practice walk-away-fu. If at all possible, I’ll walk away from a potentially brewing confrontation before I have to speak my mind … because I will speak my mind if pressed.

[srothstein]

A long time ago, I used to carry less lethal alternatives. On patrol, it started with just a night stick, then progressed to adding some type of gas spray, and then a TASER. Off duty, I always recommended carrying spray and being prepared to fight before drawing the weapon, if justified. As recently as 2006 (when I left law enforcement), I was confident in my abilities to defend myself physically if necessary.

I have grown a little since then. My arthritis and old injuries keep me from doing a lot, including making a proper fist with my right hand. I have reached the stage where I think I am an example of the old meme about my pride saying I can do something and the body saying yeah, just go ahead and try it. I know I am no longer the biggest or baddest person on the street. I also no longer have the flexibility to reach a lot of the area on my belt where I would carry other alternatives (though there is more area to reach now too). The bright side is my knowledge of how to write a report has just kept on improving over the years. My judgement on where to go and not go has also improved.

So, my primary less lethal weapon in my brain and avoiding known trouble spots. After that, I might use my hands if I really had to, but I know I can use the disparity of force argument to justify using my firearm. It is a shocking affront to my pride to admit I will most likely lose the fist fights I used to win, but I did admit it and no longer carry less lethal weapons other than my hands with me.

Yes, i carry a knife, but as a tool, not as a weapon. It is not something I can easily access.