Nonlethal options for daily carry, gun being last resort

Examples of advice, training or real life stories welcome please. I am still new to conceal carry although I am prior service Army. I am interested in options and scenarios where certain situations would require certain defense weapons. Ive seen some great real stories where some individuals went step by step on which defensive options by levels to begin with even if it’s hand to hand to start. I plan to carry a taser, knife, pepperspray and a gun in my belly band; depending on what I am wearing and where I am going. Any multi use carriers have suggestions or Uscca Mods have training/class info? Thank you.

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That’s a lot to carry. Do you feel like you need all those? Is there one tool you’re more comfortable with than the others? No problem if you want to carry everything or even more than that, I know there are people here that do the same. My thought is just that if you narrowed it down to 2-3 things only, you wouldn’t need a full duty belt when you’re out and about. And you wouldn’t have pause to decide which one to use, or feel around in your belly band to find the tool you decided to use. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer on self defense.

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I don’t plan to carry them all at once lol. I rarely carry a knife. I was just saying depending on which scenario I would need it and where I am going. Unless I am doing full security at my church which is where I have seen guards go level to level on what type of defense to use. Typically, I plan to wear my gun and pepperspray on me daily. My taser would be concealed somewhere else, maybe a purse or car door. I like options :slightly_smiling_face:

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Ah, that makes more sense. I had this mental image of you walking around with Batman’s utility belt. :grin:

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I get excited and ramble sometimes! Im a SAHM and sometimes its just nice to talk to adults and not toddlers throughout the day, all day lol

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I don’t know,… I like the idea of always having a pocket knife available. It has been too handy even for non- self defense reasons. Ever try to open a plastic package from the store? It is a chore. I have seen Pepper spray and taser not work well, several times. In matter of fact, it seemed to motivate the person on the other end to be more vigilant and aggressive.
Definitely work on situational awareness. Avoiding and escaping from a bad situation is always the best tool to use for self-defense.

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I’m the same way. I always carry a knife, but it’s not for self-defense. It’s for opening things, and it’s a regular chore around my house. Frankly, I don’t have the skill to use a knife for self-defense. Besides, it’s a lethal tool, so there’s no real benefit to carrying one in addition to a firearm. If you see my pull a knife to defend myself, it means I made a big mistake and left my firearm locked in the car.

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Oh, I like that idealogy. I usually choose avoidance all together if possible, even if inconvenient. No ego battles!

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I figure it to be the same as driving a car, know who is around you and who else is paying attention. If you want to improve upon this skill when you see someone identify what color their eyes are, color of hair, and estimate their height, what are they wearing, where are their hands? To actually train for this start with getting the eye color. This will be an identifier as well as, a notice to them that you see them and that you are aware of them. Then build upon that.

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There are a few things to keep in mind if you are carrying multiple weapons. The first and I think most important would be, do you train with all of them equally? If all of your time is spent and the range with your firearm, but you never practice deploying your taser or pepper spray, what advantage would having that tool be? If you do plan to carry other weapons, please dont forget to spend just as much time training with those as you do your firearm.

Another area that I think can be overlooked would be the aftermath of you using force and being questioned on the disparity of force. For example, let’s say you are carrying a firearm and a taser, but you needed to defend yourself and you used your firearm. If you had the option of using the taser (since you were also carrying it) would you be certain that you could defend your actions to use the firearm instead of the taser? That is a lot of room for a jury to potentially believe that you used more force than was justified.

I like the “Into The Fray” episode where Kevin talks about carrying other weapons on you and I think you will enjoy it as well. You can check that out here: https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/choosing-alternate-weapon/

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Being in the over 60 club, a knife does not cut it…have to be to up close and personal. Does a taser have a second or third shot option ?? Guess I don’t need one of those. Pepper spray…wellll if the wind is blowing in the right direction. How long does it take you to cycle through those 3 options…how much time will you have ?? My EDC goes BANG !! I can have 2 or 3 or more shots, works up close and personal, doesn’t matter which way the wind is blowing. All in 3 seconds or less !!

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Great points!

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I see what you did, there. :wink:

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“I will cooperate 100 percent, but first I need my attorney.”
-USCCA post-incident instructions.

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I am out on this one because where I grew up ( Chicago projects ), we used everything from hands to bats and chains, and I still don’t no how to fight, but I have learned how to take a whipping better than most I know. Now do to age and laziness, all I use is lethal.

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Drill Sergeant used to say about hand-to-hand fighting, “I taught you just enough for you to get your @$$ beat in a bar fight.”

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I learned hand to hand combat and street fight when I was very young and gradually deepened my training in practice and classes. I continued that for many years. It’s a bit difficult these days since my injuries worsen over time. I’m still pretty quick but not as agile as I used to be which is why I’ve finally started carrying. As much as I don’t want to hurt or kill someone If backed into a corner I’ll do what I have to do to protect my family and survive. All of that other stuff will get you killed or in jail if someone liberal DA decides to crucify you.

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Suggest you subscribe to the Warrior Poet Society Network and take advantage of various training items already there. Also, in order to select and deploy those tools, one has to have enough time and space in which to react. A duty belt contains tools. Your weapon is between your ears. Also recommend Tony Blauer and SPEAR, Tim Larkin at Target Focus Training, and a Brit, Lee Morrison, at Urban Combatives. Tim and Lee have YouTube channels that you might find informative. Tony has a Facebook page and you can also find some historical clips via youtube.

Best of luck.

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Kukri or Katana

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I carry a pistol, a large folder, pepper gel and a heavy wooden cane without fail. :us:

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