Less than lethal EDC items

Less lethal can be very effective, if your inside with alot of people around you. I would primarily use it in places like a mall or a department store. You can’t always place your bets on can or can’t I/ should or shouldn’t I!! If you have the ability to take a control of a situation before it goes sideways, but you have alternate tools at your disposal… it’s safe for people around you. Just please don’t use chemical irritants unless you have extensively trained with them…

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Even though it’s not something I believe I’ll carry, going to test this thing when it arrives and see how it holds up.Screenshot_20190130-220424_AliExpress

Will see how it holds up to striking objects.

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And if you diffuse the situation with a less than lethal weapon you don’t have as big a legal nightmare I’d think. But I don’t really see a situation where less than lethal would be necessary… :thinking:

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The USCCA actually just shared a “what would you do?” video that plays out exactly how I see this going (of course i can’t find the link now). It was a guy pumping gas who gets approached by a guy asking for cash, when he says no the other guy goes to walk away then immediately turns around and comes at the guy at the pump. He never pulled a weapon but he closed the distance between them to quickly to react. This is the instance I see something like pepper spray or a good stun gun being the better option. Since he never presents a weapon it doesnt warrant deadly force however a hand to hand confrontation could result in loss of control, if you can quickly incapacitate the guy (without ever getting in arms reach) it would buy you some time to get out of the situation.

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I know exactly which video you’re referring to, @Andrew, and I cannot find it either! :confused: I’ll keep looking and post it if I find it.

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It was short and sweet but got the point across, i dont know how it got buried that quickly. I even tried looking it up on the YouTube channel and couldn’t find it.

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I searched a different way and was able to find it. The “attacker” in this scenario is a great guy so it’s funny to watch him in this:

https://www.facebook.com/USCCA/videos/10156144115799371/

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It is funny you ask this, I used to have a keychain that I carried and then found out it was illegal. I can shoot you but not poke your eyes out. I do have pepper spray but not sure how laws are written in my state , I know it is legal, I just don’t know if it is an assault charge if I use it. Knives are tricky because they can’t be over 4 inches.

An unarmed attacker can be just as dangerous as an armed attacker. My friend’s dad had a few thugs come up to him and harassing him for money. They were young, there were a couple of them, but he was older and in ill health. When they wouldn’t back off he started to put his hand on his gun and they saw it and left him alone. The very next day, a man was kidnapped and thrown in his trunk and they stole his car. These were the same unarmed attackers that were trying to harass my friends dad.

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Disparity of force is a huge consideration in those situations, @TWeinzerl. I’m so glad your friend’s dad was able to defend himself.

Getting older stinks in some ways (reduced mobility/speed and your mistaken for a target), but being able to defend yourself no matter what your age is a good thing.

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Yes!!! Thanks for posting this. I always carry pepper spray in addition to a pistol. My way of thinking is if your firearm is your only line of defense then you are just that much more likely to have need of organizations like the USCCA. I didnt always carry spray too. There was an incident in a park involving my wife, myself and two unsavory characters that ended with me going from concealed to we’ll just say, open carry. It ended in them deassing the area but as with all such incidents you end up second guessing every decision made. Bottom line is I decided from that day on, I wanted a non-lethal option. It gives my hand something to go to, other than the thunder stick. Some might say I could just go hands on but @ 40 years old I’m becoming aware of how the aging process works. Keep calm and carry on.

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Great example, @AdamJ thanks for proof of concept. Glad everything worked out the way it did.

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I did just order this green laser. It is illegal in some states so I am not so sure I would carry it , but it supposed to blind people temporarily. It looks like a tiny lightsaber and the beam is supposed to be able to be seen for a long distance. We were playing with it in the house and shining it on a white door messed with eyes a little. I can’t imagine shining in it in someone else’s eyes. I would though if they were coming at me!

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I know for me pepper spray isnt my choice, because i dont find it 100% effective, unless you buy the one with tear gass in it… called freeze +P. But i do have a baton, and a kabar in my car, and i usually have a handmade 550 cord hamdle on my keys, its about the size of a quarter thick and maybe 7 to 8 inches long… but it hurts to get smacked with it… mokey fists are also effective (especially for the ladies) becaise of reduced upper body strength, if you have the right fulcrum on it the strength requiremnets are negated…

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I carry at least a penlight, if not a small LED flashlight of some sort, a tactical pen, and a Kershaw Axle folding knife.

I keep flashlights handy in areas around the house, and at least 2 in each vehicle kit. The other tools I have are not to go toe to toe but to create distance if things get up close and personal.

Illumination can be an effective deterrent and help promote maximizing maintaining distance and a bit of a stun factor.

My daughter in law had someone hiding in the shadows 2 houses up the street. Simply by tagging him with a flashlight once I found his general outline he got startled not expecting to be discovered and stood there like a deer in the headlights. Then I hit my car key remote fob to turn on the headlights to light up the street he completely didn’t expect that then took off in an expeditious manner.

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I’m glad your encounter stopped there, what a great reminder to carry a flashlight!

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Many “tactical” flashlights are available today that have a strobe mode, these are pretty effective in low light conditions, Many also have an edge around the lens the protrudes just slightly, giving you a striking surface. Mine happens to be a Streamlight, I always carry that light…also a short bladed knife. I also have a “bug zapper”, as a general rule though I’d rather keep potential threats beyond two arms length. My wife is very familiar with this trait of mine, it actually pre-dates my enhanced interest in self defense.

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I bought a Fenix UC-30 flashlight a few years back. 4 levels, the brightest being 960 lumens, with a strobe. Its small, and uses the 18650 battery with built-in usb charger. Use it a lot at work, still on the original battery. Glad to have it handy if needed.

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Beth Alcazar did a great blog article on a couple of less than lethal products y’all (sorry, channeling my inner Beth accent) might be interested in:

https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/pepperball-lifelite-when-lethal-options-arent-an-option/

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Those pepper ball lights, seen them a long time ago.

Personally I’d rather go with the TIPX version with straight feed mags. Simple proven on the paintball field, reliable, easy to load, shoot, and change Co2. Fun feature on the TiPX, it does not puncture the Co2 until the first trigger pull, second trigger pull shoots it.

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The TCR is the same internals but newer platform and allows users to carry a spare mag on the platform with fast change Co2 and is more easily changed to left hand operation.

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