Fire

willravel, I will attempt to answer your questions- first, as to my training, I have studied I.T.F. taekwondo, Kali arnis escrima, judo and jujitsu, kendo, european fencing, traditional european swordplay, and close quarter combatives, (with gun/ counter gun, and gun retention) I am by no means an expert in any of the above, but have had to use more of it than I would like and am proficient.

as to the other weapons question, I have been maced while working security,while engaged in a bad gang brawl- I and my wife often carry sabre brand mace, and find it to be effective, some of the time- I for example wanted the intense pain and burning to end, but was able to function, and continued to fight- some people can pretty much ignore it, some people are alergic and get hospitalized- sadly, it is not a reliable substitute for a gun- you have about a 10 foot range, and while there are styles that are slightly better, in windy conditions, it is likely to get you too.....it will also get you too if you use it in your car, or a close hallway btw......
As to the taser, my shop occasionally sells one, so we tested one in the interest of being able to fairly endorse it (or not) - it works, in that I was incapactated, except that it has some hefty limiters- first, you have one shot, and then you are down to using the contacts on the unit, which is not great as the minute that you loose contact they can move again ( when we tried it it was like throwing on and off a switch- neat and with no lasting side effects, but if you hit someone and they fall, you tend to loose contact, then they can move again- not good at all if they have even a knife). with your one shot, you have 15 feet or range- that is not much at all, and if they have a gun, or hell, a crossbow, you are quite dead. finally, the leads that shoot into you must get good contact, and stay in- I have talked to one officer who's taser failed cause the perp fell and rolled, dislodging the leads, and another that had the leads stopped by a heavy coat- (the other officer with him shot for the legs with his taser) Tasers are doing great things for law enforcement, but usually they are used while multiple officers are present, and to prevent them from having to beat someone down- it is simply not something that I would stake my life on..... Look, I run a weapons store- we sell everything but guns, and if it is a weapon, from a knife to a sling to a bow to a freaking bronze axe, I have handled it, used it, and have a good idea as to its strengths and weaknesses- yes they will kill you dead, but none have the versatility and effectiveness of a firearm. this is why firearms are so popular- I could ask my wife to use an inferior weapon if her life was threatened, but I am not going to- if her life (or mine for that matter) is threatened, I am going to use something that will work, and will kill my attacker grave yard dead.


Oh- and as to how my mother in laws assailant got a gun, he was a multiple felon, and unable to buy one, but had contacts in the aryan brotherhood, and got one illegally through them- which bolsters the argument that if guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns........

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Thought the harder, Heart the bolder,
Mood the more as our might lessens