Johns Hopkins University is located in Baltimore, Maryland. (not a safe place)
A 21-year-old chemistry major was home one was evening when he heard a noise in his garage.
Earlier in the day, the garage had been burglarized and electronics had been stolen.
Around 1:20 am, the student went to investigate the noise he heard in the garage…
The door to the garage was open. The student grabbed a samurai sword from his home and confronted the intruder.
The student asked the burglar what he was doing and told him he was going to call the police.
The suspect lunged toward the student and forced him against the wall. This is when the student stabbed the intruder with his sword.
The burglar’s left hand was almost severed. It was described as hanging on by a thread.
The intruder also suffered a severe cut to his upper body and died at the scene.
The suspect was a habitual offender. He had 29 prior arrests for similar types of crimes.
A few days before the incident he had been released from jail after serving about a year.
Now, a samurai sword would never be my first choice for a self-defense weapon…
But, this student used what he had, and it saved his life.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a gun guy. But you need to have other tools for self-defense and some people have asked me about non-lethal options.
So, here are a few of them…
Non-lethal shotgun shells:
The shotgun is the favorite home defense weapon for many people. It has a lot of firepowers and is easy to use for shooters of all levels.
But you can also use non-lethal shotgun shells for home defense.
There are two main types of non-lethal shells: beanbags and rubber slugs.
The goal of these non-lethal options is to strike the threat with blunt force and knock the person down, or cause enough pain that they will think twice about what they are doing.
The non-lethal shells are not designed to penetrate the body. Nor should they do permanent damage.
One advantage to non-lethal shells is that you don’t have to modify the shotgun to use them. The size of the non-lethal shells is the same as your regular shotgun shells.
Some people who prefer not to use deadly force even keep their shotgun loaded with non-lethal options as the first few rounds.
Then have the last round be a real slug if the non-lethal options are not effective.
If you are interested in non-lethal shotgun rounds, check out Fiocchi Less Lethal ammo, as it provides plenty of knockdown power.
Tasers:
Most everyone is familiar with tasers…
These are the tools that police all over the U.S. carry to incapacitate people for several minutes.
The taser overloads the human nervous system without causing permanent damage.
The problem with tasers is that you have to be close to the threat for them to be effective.
You also need to be able to hit the target with two contact points for the taser to work correctly.
Ask any police officer and they will tell you that it can be difficult to hit a moving target with two prongs.
Plus, even if you are five, or ten feet away you have to compensate for how much the prongs will spread apart.
In other words, these are only a good idea if you are at close range. But how close do you want to get to someone that is trying to harm you or your family?
Taser is the name of the company that makes most of the stun devices used by police.
They also make a civilian version called the Taser Pulse. This sells for $450 and is a quality choice if it’s the best option for your situation.
Pepper gun:
Pepper spray is a common self-defense tool…
The drawback to pepper spray is that it can be challenging to hit your target.
And it doesn’t work on all people. Some people can fight through the effects and continue their attack.
Also, like a taser, pepper spray requires you to be close to your threat, as most pepper spray canisters are only effective within four to six feet.
But, there is another pepper option called pepper pistols.
These are pistols that shoot a pepper bullet, instead of real ammo. These guns are usually powered by CO2, like a BB gun.
Some pepper pistols can shoot as far as 60 feet. Upon impact, the bullet capsule explodes into a cloud of pepper.
The goal is to affect the target’s vision and breathing. But, pepper balls are not deadly and don’t have long-term effects.
When it comes to pepper ball guns there are a lot of options.
Check out the Sabre Pepper Spray Launcher. This is effective up to about 60 feet. So, you don’t have to get too close to the intruder.
Sabre is a popular brand trusted by many law enforcement agencies so you are getting a quality product. The Sabre launcher sells for $350.
When you need to use force to stop a threat nothing will be as effective as a firearm.
But some folks cannot own guns or don’t feel comfortable owning guns.
These non-lethal alternatives give you a chance to fight back.
