Looking for info on less lethal/non lethal self defense products

[MauleSkinner]

For the record, I got a 9mm with a couple of clips, and a box of shells.

 

[eman1200]

 

[Ed Haywood]

I have never met anyone who shot an assailant.

Off the top of my head, I can name 10 people who shot themselves or had a family member do so. I met 3 of them just in the past week.

 

[ateamer]

Keep in mind that if you use pepper spray on someone, you’re going to get it on yourself. Best to be exposed beforehand and know what to expect and be able to fight through it than have your first time be when you do it live. Every time I used or was present when pepper spray was deployed, there was secondary exposure.

As far as electrical discharge weapons (Taser et al), they are not a panacea. Tasers need both darts to penetrate the skin with a pretty good spread between them. 75% of the time that I used one or was present - meaning firsthand experience - the Taser did not stop the fight.

Stun guns are a pain compliance weapon. They do not cause neuromuscular disruption, so if the bad guy is really drunk or high, or is committed to the fight, it won’t work.

I’m not saying to not carry any of them, but just be aware of the limitations. I will say don’t carry any weapon that you haven’t trained with.

Avoidance is the best defense. Stay away from dopers, dealers, drunks, gangbangers, and bad neighborhoods. If you aren’t into drugs and/or gangs, and can keep your mouth shut when you drink, then you’ve reduced your chances of needing to fight by about 99.9999%.

 

[DaleB]

I have never met anyone who shot an assailant.

Off the top of my head, I can name 10 people who shot themselves or had a family member do so. I met 3 of them just in the past week.

I don't know anyone in either group, but I did know one guy who was killed, along with his wife, by an ex-convict with a stolen shotgun -- apparently "just because". I'm sure it would never have occurred to him to carry anything for self-defense, and I doubt he'd ever been in a fight of any sort. There's always that corner case.

 

[Half Fast]

I have never met anyone who shot an assailant.

I have personally known a few who stopped crimes using a gun without needing to fire a shot. I’ve never known anyone injured by a gun accident.

Personal experiences vary, and don’t necessarily constitute good data in themselves.

 

[Ed Haywood]

I’ve never known anyone injured by a gun accident.

I did not use the word "accident".

The majority of successful suicides are by gun. 90% of suicide attempts by gun are successful, vs 10% of other methods.

Before introducing guns into your home, be aware of this. Anyone with access to that gun can kill themselves in 5-10 seconds. That is not a lot of cooling off time for someone having a bad moment.

Last year over 27,000 victims and their families learned that the hard way. In the majority of cases, those closest to them had no clue they were at risk.

I am not anti-gun. I have carried them professionally, and I have been shot at. But if you are getting one to reduce the risk of something bad happening to your family, be aware of ALL risks. The stats clearly say the biggest risk of owning a gun is to your own family, by their own hand.

 

[DavidWhite]

Sig P365 is small, light, 9mm, and easy/fun to shoot.

Huh? The 365 shoots like a subcompact 9mm. Nothing fun about it. The X Macro 365 is probably the least unpleasant little pistol I’ve ever shot, but I would not call it fun. I had mine for a year and sold it because I preferred to carry other pistols that I shoot more.

The bigger the pistol, the more pleasant to shoot IMO. Hard go go wrong with a glock 19 imo

 

[sansoneservices]

My wife and daughters have been carrying pepper spray on their key rings for several years now, but there was an event this weekend where they both felt the need for increased protection. My wife and I took a concealed carry class a few years ago, but even with a few in the house, we just aren’t comfortable enough with the idea of carrying firearms for various reasons.

But when my wife was at the gun shop/firing range investigating alternatives, pepper ball guns came up. They seem a lot closer to our comfort level. The Byrne website, https://byrna.com/ , says “legal in 50 states,” but what does that really mean? And what kind of restrictions would we need to look for on the state and local levels?

Can anyone school me a bit on this stuff?

Thanks!

.380acp (just kidding)

 

[Pinecone]

I agree for the pocket 380s, but companies are making locked-breach 380s in bigger sizes that are very comfortable to shoot because they have almost no recoil. @SkyChaser has one. I think they can make for great first-pistols.

True. But now you can get a 9 mm the same size.

 

[Pinecone]

Huh? The 365 shoots like a subcompact 9mm. Nothing fun about it. The X Macro 365 is probably the least unpleasant little pistol I’ve ever shot, but I would not call it fun. I had mine for a year and sold it because I preferred to carry other pistols that I shoot more.

The bigger the pistol, the more pleasant to shoot IMO. Hard go go wrong with a glock 19 imo

You must be a wimp shooter.

As I said, I fired 200 rounds through mine the first time at the range and only stopped due to only bringing that much to the range.

It shoots like a much larger pistol.

 

[Flatiowa]

The rock island full size version of the 1911 M1A1 chambered in 9mm is an extremely pleasant to shoot pistol. Only caveat is it needs to be held firm or it will short cycle and jam. I don’t shoot mine regularly and have to consciously remember it (usually after the first jam, my usual shooting for fun go to pistol is a 62 caliber flintlock with rounded handle that has to be held loose to let it rotate to reduce the recoil).