Non-lethal/improvised weapon options

Steve Martin - November 12, 2022

I teach a class in self-defense to transit bus drivers a couple of times a year and thought that maybe our forum here might make use of the advice I issue to them. Many of us have gotten training and now have firearms available, some at home, maybe on your person, whatever…but what if you don’t want a gun? Or maybe have decided the world is safer without you waving a gun around? Perhaps philosophical objections? Whatever the reason you may find yourself in danger without a firearm….there are probably non-lethal options nearby.

Nearly every public building has dry chemical fire extinguishers hanging conveniently all over the place. If nothing else, use it to blind the assailant and while he’s rolling around on the floor trying to claw his eyes out, either make a quick exit or take the empty extinguisher and use it as a weapon upon his head…repeatedly if necessary! These usually have a good 20 foot range, the powder is unbreathable so you have him blind and can’t breath! Another option is hornet spray. I have a can near each door of my house. 20 foot range and the police can’t bug you about that gun permit! Pepper spray, mace and tear gas all work well, but you may run into police in some areas who consider those illegal weapons. Heck I even got in trouble one time on a military base once because I had a “tire thumper” in my car trunk ( they searched) A tire thumper is essentially a billy-club with a lanyard on the end for hanging it up. It’s used to check that truck tires have air in them. You thump the tires with it. The lanyard is what makes it a weapon in the Army’s opinion! Some people carry tasers and stun guns….same problem. Some states consider these offensive weapons and regulate them….and they require your assailant to be very very close to work. I don’t won’t any bad guy that close. When thinking about non-lethal options, don’t rule out the good ol Louisville Slugger. I once faced down an armed intruder with the baseball bat labeled “The Bowen Butt Buster”. It was all I had available and it worked. I was just out of the Army in 76, and had been hired to “clean up” a business establishment that had developed a bad rep due to the nasty types hanging out there. The old manager had given me the Butt Buster as he left on his last day. I still have it, right next to my bed. But it too forces you to have the target waaay too close.

5  

The Bourne Identity movie taught me that anything can be made into a weapon. A rolled up newspaper or even a ballpoint pen. 

 

“Nearly every public building has dry chemical fire extinguishers hanging conveniently all over the place. If nothing else, use it to blind the assailant and while he’s rolling around on the floor trying to claw his eyes out, either make a quick exit or take the empty extinguisher and use it as a weapon upon his head…repeatedly if necessary!”

The story above is not describing self defense. Anyone who has already incapacited someone, then proceeds to beat them in the head with a fire extinguisher, is committing murder and can expect to spend a lot of time in jail.

That other story about using a baseball bat to “clean up” a business sounds like a good way to end up in jail as well. I’m getting the impression that “non-lethal” and “self defense” are both being used as euphemisms for something else here.

 

Your impression is incorrect. You seriously think is a survival situation/mass shooting that the police will care that you used that extinguisher for defense? Last option is what I tell my students. Flight is the first best option in our situations, if you can’t flee and feel you have no other option, use the things around you as weapons.  

 

I’ve never been faced with an altercation situation before, but I have mentally ran through scenarios so I have something to go off of and am not totally thrown off. When faced with a situation, here’s my continuum of what I will run through. I will stop as soon as possible, but if the threat continues or grows, it will force me to go up a step until I or my family is safe.

1.  Prevent such a situation from happening by implementing steps such as not going out at certain times of night, or hardening my home. I talk about this more in my post How to prevent and survive a home invasion
2. Deescalate the situation verbally. Use passive and submissive speech when getting mugged and handing over your wallet that isn’t worth your life. Use commanding and aggressive speech when needing to force a home invader out of your home. Depends on the situation
3. Flee if verbal deescalation doesn’t work. 
4. Use nonlethal methods such as spraying the fire extinguisher to the face and then fleeing or a stun gun.
5. Use lethal force only when 100% necessary, and think about it five more times before actually going through with it. Like I mentioned in that home invasion post, taking a life can really mess you up for life, even if it was justified.

I agree with you both Eric and Steve Martin, there are times when escaping is best but there are also unfortunate times when we must take things further than we want if we want to ensure our own safety.