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My neighbors daughter just moved out and into an apartment complex in North Dallas. She has never been around guns and is not old enough to carry yet anyway. He asked me what I would suggest for her to use to protect herself at home, and in her parking lot, etc.

My suggestions were maybe a pepper spray or something she could carry with her, and a shotgun for her apartment. I told him that I could teach her about firearm safety and how to use the shotgun. I thought maybe some of you have dealt with a similar situation and could offer some advice that I could share with them. My ideas my be way off base and I am looking forward to your input. Thanks!

bigolbigun wrote:My neighbors daughter just moved out and into an apartment complex in North Dallas. She has never been around guns and is not old enough to carry yet anyway. He asked me what I would suggest for her to use to protect herself at home, and in her parking lot, etc.

My suggestions were maybe a pepper spray or something she could carry with her, and a shotgun for her apartment. I told him that I could teach her about firearm safety and how to use the shotgun. I thought maybe some of you have dealt with a similar situation and could offer some advice that I could share with them. My ideas my be way off base and I am looking forward to your input. Thanks!

Your suggestion to carry pepper spray is good advice IMO. A shotgun makes a good home defense weapon but can be a bit unwieldy for some folks. Even though she is not yet 21 and cannot obtain her CHL, she is not prohibited to own or possess a handgun.

She cannot "buy" a handgun/handgun ammo...but she can have one for home protection.

More importantly, she needs to recognize that "moving out" and being alone....exposes her to certain potential dangers that may not have been such a concern for her before. She needs to develop a sense of awareness and a "fighting mindset" just in case it is ever needed.

The options are many, but will be for naught if she doesn't have the "mindset" part down first. Since your neighbor is asking what she should/could use, I suspect that a defensive mindset was not part of her upbringing.

If she is not "there" yet, maybe you could buy her a copy of Mind Hunter by John Douglas or Principles of Personal Defense by Jeff Cooper and then refer her to a good instructor in the area.

Can of OC, pocket folder, home shotgun, high intensity light, kubotan or similar device...all come with pros and cons. I make my daughter carry at least pepper spray (mainly for dogs) and a pocket folder when she is outside the house, but I have also made her attend professional training and reinforced it at home with more training/discussion.

If i'm correct under castle doctrine i believe she can have a handgun in her vehicle,but like other people have said if you are not able or willing to pull the trigger in a self defense situation the BG may sense it and disarm you.I believe she needs to be trained in the use of firearms and to learn to shoot to defend,also shotguns are great defensive weapons,with a minimal of training you can hit your target,and you can use a 20 gauge which has buckshot and slugs available.If she is close enough to 21 to be able to take a chl class and then submit the paperwork on her 21st birthday in the time frame alowed that's also an option

Does she have a dog? I can't imagine living as a single women without a dog (the bigger the better). But, even if it's a small dog, it could help bark to let her know if someone was trying to get into her apartment.

+1 for the dog.

Proper firearms instruction, in safety and marksmanship is key if a firearm is to enter the picture. Instruction is key for any weapon, as the introduction of a weapon provides potential for that weapon to be used against its owner. Such requires a total-picture approach, if you're going to learn to shoot for defense, you must also know how to protect and maintain posession of that firearm. Ditto spray (not 100% effective, CS has virtually no effect on me at all, OC will give you a chance to run for about 10sec.. might be enough if you're really fast.) A high intensity flashlight was mentioned, but should never be used as a weapon in my less than humble opinion. I've seen far too many people get shot immediately after turning on their weapon light. Thank God they were all wearing their plates.

Whatever she does, situational awareness and her own intuition will always be her most valuable assets in self defense. Without fully putting both mental assets in play, the effectiveness of any other means of defense is drastically reduced.

I second that mind-set is the first step - awareness, reality and decision making. One of the books I recommend is The Gift Of Fear and Other Survival Signals That Protect Us From Violence by Gavin de Becker. de Becker is an anit-gun guy but very good with all other things that describe responsibility for personal safety. I then follow up with the book, Armed Response by David Kenik as one of the most thorough for having a weapon for self-defense. Not an Easy Target: Paxton Quigley’s Self-Protection for Women by Paxton Quigley too is good and from a woman's perspective. As for the justification for handguns if she's not been exposed to the safety and deterent effects of concealed carry, More Guns, Less Crime, Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws, by John R. Lott Jr.

May I suggest a few things?

Since this is North Dallas (I presume she is still somewhere near there) then Krav Maga for self defense when she does not have a gun handy. Eveyone needs to know how to fight with their hands and feet.

Pepper spray is ok, but it has faults.

Same goes for stun guns as they do have faults.

A dog, say a nice little one that barks, is a real good intruder alarm. Well worth the money. If she gets one... get two as little dogs need friends to.

Cell phone is a MUST.

And like others have posted, I think it is legal, even if she is 18, for her to have a handgun, illegal knive (that's one with a blade over 5.5 inches or a spear, or a Hattori Hanso), and club in the car as long as they are concealed (I doubt she is a gang member...)

I also suggest Mas Ayoob's book 'In The Gravest Extreme' for a good book. Gavin's work is also good (and you can find it cheep at Barns and Noble.)

Also a good walk around where ever she is now living and make sure the locks are good, there is good lighting right outside her door, and no way for someone to enter without lots of racket being made.

The most important thing for her to remember is while bad things happen to 'other people', well to everyone else she is 'other people'. And thus it can happen to her.

I guess I may be wrong, but I would suggest first getting her mindset better by taking one of the NRA Refuse To Be A Victim classes.

Well, maybe others checked before I did because I don't find one scheduled in her area. The books are great ideas, but I don't think most people will read them until they have already decided to live that way.

Check on other classes similar to the RTBAV class in the area. Most people get more from a seminar type situation than reading a book they are not too interested in.

Either way, mindset and awareness are the first steps she needs to take. After that, she can decide on the weaponry SHE wants to learn about. And, for what it is worth, from what I have heard Krav Maga is one of the easier martial arts to learn and is very effective. I have not checked them out fully yet, but the word in the LE field is that it is pretty good.

bigolbigun wrote:My neighbors daughter just moved out and into an apartment complex in North Dallas. She has never been around guns and is not old enough to carry yet anyway. He asked me what I would suggest for her to use to protect herself at home, and in her parking lot, etc.

My suggestions were maybe a pepper spray or something she could carry with her, and a shotgun for her apartment. I told him that I could teach her about firearm safety and how to use the shotgun. I thought maybe some of you have dealt with a similar situation and could offer some advice that I could share with them. My ideas my be way off base and I am looking forward to your input. Thanks!

I provide 4-hour self-defense workshops for the women of one large corporate client. Getting ready to do it again by demand. We use everything at the women's disposal including keys and everything in the purse. These are things the women can use 'tonight" in the Wal-Mart parking lot, not three months from now after much practice and proficiency. Fox Labs sprays can also work wonders. It's about refusing to become a victim. It's about survival. I'm also an NRA certified firearms instructor. You get your friend to contact me and bring his daughter to San Antonio and I will provide the unarmed defensive training and the firearms safety and handling for free if he gives me about 4-6 hours. I travel a lot out of state and out of the country so we will have to work it out. I have a 20-year old daughter in North Texas and I know the feeling. I would not start her out with a shotgun.

two words,

.40 cal.

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Tools aren't very useful without the right mindset. That's the first priority.

After mindset, then come gun handling, marksmanship and tactics. Equipment is last. I bet on a competent person with a $200 revolver beating an incompetent person with a $2500 Baer 1911 on the range and on the street.

If she decides to have a gun at home, it should be a gun she likes and shoots well instead of a gun someone on the internet likes.