I like the one where a 100 pound woman thinks the baseball bat that has never once been swung in anger or training that she's stashed next to the door in the umbrella bin will be either accessible or effective vs a 19 year old professional criminal who starts fights for fun and will be through the non-reinforced door in 5 seconds flat.
"I'll just lace my keys between my fingers like wolverine claws to fight off an attacker" doesn't even deserve acknowledgement.
As someone who used to teach self-defense, I will say this: The goal of using your keys, or say breaking off a car antenna and using it as a metal whip, is to encourage said attacker to go find easier prey.
I know that in the 70's, 80's and even 90's this was often a successful tactic. Typically the type of men doing assaults back then, before the rise of 'thug culture' would often move on and look for someone easier to take down.
Nowadays? Now I'm no longer sure that these things will work, especially as the 'thug culture' types are often on some sort of drugs to start with.
Yes, John, the defense of self, survival was all over the place from the 50's to the modern day. Duct tape the seams of your windows and doors, duck & cover, wear a mask, do not resist, give the man your wallet, shelter in place, COM or head shot, get on the bus and go to the FEMA camp, Meplat or fps/ME, "You need 3 days of survival rations, mimimum" . So much advice out there with values between 1 and 10. But the good news is that if you shop around and have a moderate amount of skepticism and good friends to guide you, you can prep yourself quite well. And even free advice like we're getting here (and elsewhere) can be worth way more than what we are paying for it. Like oven spray, for instance. I did the duck & cover drills when I was a kid. They should have had us run out to the playground shaking our fist at the sky, screaming "Eff you, you commies bastards!".
In self-defense, if the situation may or may not require the use of deadly force, then one should know in advance which "aid" to use. Maybe just having that aid in your hand will stop an attack. Maybe not. But best to do your research in advance. Consult the MSDS's for LD50's on pepper spray, oven cleaner, 115gr JHP's or a rape whistle (if it has an MSDS). Choose wisely...or multiply (pronounced "multiplee").
Wow! I have been involved in Self Defense for YEARS and this is the first I've heard of using oven spray for self defense. I must have missed that day at Self Defense Training College. Thanks for posting this!!!
Another good rule of self defense is 'Never Do Anything that Will Involve Paying a Lawyer LOTS & LOTS of Money to Explain You Really DIDN'T Mean to Do It".
Oven cleaner cans deliberately modified to be weapons seems to apply here.
I was a bit disappointed the article didn't address how much harder the Oven Spray will be on your bedding, wood surfaces, drapes and carpets then pepper spray. It's not like you're going to get the funds to fix/replace them from the miscreant, or the government victim's assistance folks.
Also, how useful would oven spray be for cleaning up after putting two or three round of your favorite self defense ammo into said miscreant? Would it be better in getting the blood off of hard surfaces and grout than other cleaning products? Would the time it takes to fetch a can from downstairs make any significant difference in how well you can clean up?
Perhaps a post on dealing with bio-hazards and challenges it presents in proper clean-up would help folks make a better informed decision on whether to DIY or hire professionals.
"Again: If you live in some God-forsaken hell-hole which criminalises basic self-defence I can’t help you. Bloody well leave."
That would be pretty much the entire fscking United States.... unless you think that debt slavery via lawsuit from Joe Critter / it's heirs and assigns isn't criminalizing basic self-defense. How many evictions /foreclosures/ repossessions did you attend equipped and sanctioned by government to arrest / kill if the victim didn't go along with the financial penalties imposed via bankruptcy again?
Until the legal system starts treating self defense once proven in a criminal case as "we won't even allow you to file against the defender" so that no costs are incurred, that's the reality of "self-defense" in this country.
Per caselaw to 18 USC 113(a)(3), assault with a dangerous weapon, a dangerous weapon is an item which, when used as a weapon, is capable of causing death or serious bodily injury. SBI in turn, is defined as bodily injury which involves—
(A)a substantial risk of death;
(B)extreme physical pain;
(C)protracted and obvious disfigurement; or
(D)protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty.
Not familiar with TX code, I've worked with NM and federal criminal code quite a bit and different definitions are a bit different. OP was right about deadly force under TX law, though.
Not sure oven cleaner would qualify as "deadly force", but it would likely constitute a "dangerous weapon " if used as envisioned . "Don't squick out the jury" is a great rule.
""Deadly force" means force that is intended or known by the actor to cause, or in the manner of its use or intended use is capable of causing, death or serious bodily injury."
"Serious bodily injury" is define in 1.07 of same Penal Code as:
""Serious bodily injury" means bodily injury that creates a substantial risk of death or that causes death, serious permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ."
Eyes are organs. "Protracted loss or impairment" of those organs counts a serious bodily injury, thus Deadly Force.
Are prosecutors allowed to even bring charges against you for using it as intended (assault and disturbing the peace are real popular)? Then I really don't care what's written in some scrap of paper; REALITY is that it's criminalized.
I like the one where a 100 pound woman thinks the baseball bat that has never once been swung in anger or training that she's stashed next to the door in the umbrella bin will be either accessible or effective vs a 19 year old professional criminal who starts fights for fun and will be through the non-reinforced door in 5 seconds flat.
"I'll just lace my keys between my fingers like wolverine claws to fight off an attacker" doesn't even deserve acknowledgement.
"I'll just lace my keys between my fingers like wolverine claws to fight off an attacker"
Try this one simple trick to break your fingers!
Exactly!! Just like those silly "cat keychains" that are supposed to work like brass knuckles. The user usually ends up destroying their hand.
As someone who used to teach self-defense, I will say this: The goal of using your keys, or say breaking off a car antenna and using it as a metal whip, is to encourage said attacker to go find easier prey.
I know that in the 70's, 80's and even 90's this was often a successful tactic. Typically the type of men doing assaults back then, before the rise of 'thug culture' would often move on and look for someone easier to take down.
Nowadays? Now I'm no longer sure that these things will work, especially as the 'thug culture' types are often on some sort of drugs to start with.
Yes, John, the defense of self, survival was all over the place from the 50's to the modern day. Duct tape the seams of your windows and doors, duck & cover, wear a mask, do not resist, give the man your wallet, shelter in place, COM or head shot, get on the bus and go to the FEMA camp, Meplat or fps/ME, "You need 3 days of survival rations, mimimum" . So much advice out there with values between 1 and 10. But the good news is that if you shop around and have a moderate amount of skepticism and good friends to guide you, you can prep yourself quite well. And even free advice like we're getting here (and elsewhere) can be worth way more than what we are paying for it. Like oven spray, for instance. I did the duck & cover drills when I was a kid. They should have had us run out to the playground shaking our fist at the sky, screaming "Eff you, you commies bastards!".
Sodium Hydroxide (or any other caustic chemical in a spray can) used on another human being would be considered Deadly Force.
As to why, just Google the Safety Data Sheet for the stuff. As will the Prosecution. Did the assault justify the use of Deadly Force?
So much for the illusion that it's Less Lethal, like OC.
Technically Deadly Force is the worst and least effective kind of Deadly Force.
In self-defense, if the situation may or may not require the use of deadly force, then one should know in advance which "aid" to use. Maybe just having that aid in your hand will stop an attack. Maybe not. But best to do your research in advance. Consult the MSDS's for LD50's on pepper spray, oven cleaner, 115gr JHP's or a rape whistle (if it has an MSDS). Choose wisely...or multiply (pronounced "multiplee").
One really should some basic homework if one is determined to defend one's self.
This includes your local laws (as they really work), the tools you intend to use, where the bad areas are, and any risk you can reduce.
Learning how not to get into trouble in the first place, and how to get out of trouble without using force is also a very valuable skill.
Taking Trump out of context, "Drill, baby, drill!"
Soon to be banned in California.
Everything's banned in California. And/or causes cancer.
Seems like permanent eye damage from oven cleaners might bias a jury against the defender, and open him up to some very expensive damages.
Wow! I have been involved in Self Defense for YEARS and this is the first I've heard of using oven spray for self defense. I must have missed that day at Self Defense Training College. Thanks for posting this!!!
I find it adorable that while reading these posts in my email the advertisement on the side changes from Raid to Easy Off.
Another good rule of self defense is 'Never Do Anything that Will Involve Paying a Lawyer LOTS & LOTS of Money to Explain You Really DIDN'T Mean to Do It".
Oven cleaner cans deliberately modified to be weapons seems to apply here.
I was a bit disappointed the article didn't address how much harder the Oven Spray will be on your bedding, wood surfaces, drapes and carpets then pepper spray. It's not like you're going to get the funds to fix/replace them from the miscreant, or the government victim's assistance folks.
Also, how useful would oven spray be for cleaning up after putting two or three round of your favorite self defense ammo into said miscreant? Would it be better in getting the blood off of hard surfaces and grout than other cleaning products? Would the time it takes to fetch a can from downstairs make any significant difference in how well you can clean up?
Perhaps a post on dealing with bio-hazards and challenges it presents in proper clean-up would help folks make a better informed decision on whether to DIY or hire professionals.
"Again: If you live in some God-forsaken hell-hole which criminalises basic self-defence I can’t help you. Bloody well leave."
That would be pretty much the entire fscking United States.... unless you think that debt slavery via lawsuit from Joe Critter / it's heirs and assigns isn't criminalizing basic self-defense. How many evictions /foreclosures/ repossessions did you attend equipped and sanctioned by government to arrest / kill if the victim didn't go along with the financial penalties imposed via bankruptcy again?
Until the legal system starts treating self defense once proven in a criminal case as "we won't even allow you to file against the defender" so that no costs are incurred, that's the reality of "self-defense" in this country.
Per caselaw to 18 USC 113(a)(3), assault with a dangerous weapon, a dangerous weapon is an item which, when used as a weapon, is capable of causing death or serious bodily injury. SBI in turn, is defined as bodily injury which involves—
(A)a substantial risk of death;
(B)extreme physical pain;
(C)protracted and obvious disfigurement; or
(D)protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty.
Not familiar with TX code, I've worked with NM and federal criminal code quite a bit and different definitions are a bit different. OP was right about deadly force under TX law, though.
If you're on the private property uninvited you are now considered a 🎯.
I have the right to protect my valuables and personal assets.
I have the right to shoot the perp if I feel I am in imminent physical danger.
That's sort of how my country's constitution works.
I can leave a bottle of rum on the dash with the windows wide open and no one will dare reach in and grab it.
Not sure oven cleaner would qualify as "deadly force", but it would likely constitute a "dangerous weapon " if used as envisioned . "Don't squick out the jury" is a great rule.
Texas Penal Code, 9.01:
""Deadly force" means force that is intended or known by the actor to cause, or in the manner of its use or intended use is capable of causing, death or serious bodily injury."
"Serious bodily injury" is define in 1.07 of same Penal Code as:
""Serious bodily injury" means bodily injury that creates a substantial risk of death or that causes death, serious permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ."
Eyes are organs. "Protracted loss or impairment" of those organs counts a serious bodily injury, thus Deadly Force.
Pepper spray is USELESS.
Have fun getting some in Noo Joizee, let alone carrying it, and never mind what will happen to you if you dare to defend yourself.
https://www.johnzarych.com/new-jersey-pepper-spray-and-mace-laws/
I lived in Noo Joizee…
It’s a totalitarian hellhole.
Are prosecutors allowed to even bring charges against you for using it as intended (assault and disturbing the peace are real popular)? Then I really don't care what's written in some scrap of paper; REALITY is that it's criminalized.