Taser and pepper spray training in Florence - WAFF.com: North Alabama News, Radar, Weather, Sports and Jobs-

Taser and pepper spray training in Florence - WAFF.com: North Alabama News, Radar, Weather, Sports and Jobs-

Senior Citizens - Protect Yourself and Your Home

I found the article below and wanted to share it with everyone. It provides very helpful information and perspective.

How Senior Citizens Can Protect Themselves and Their Homes

Are Rape Victims at Fault?

That's what a poll found in the UK. It was reported on Monday, that more than half of the people surveyed in the UK (56%) believe that some victims of rape should take at least some of the responsibility for being attacked. Reasons cited where women are at least partially responsible include:

• Wearing revealling clothing - 28%
• Dancing provacatively - 23%
• Accepting a drink from a stranger - 15%

The research was called Wake Up to Rape. Read the full article here and let me know what you think in the comments.

The Good Wife and Guns

So, I watched The Good Wife on Tuesday night. One of the story lines was Diane Lockhart, the female senior partner at the law firm – played by Christine Baranski, was having to deal with the potential release of a former client who had be convicted of murder, and upon his conviction had threatened to kill her when he was released. Since the initial threat, she had testified against him at his parole hearing. Now, the episode starts off with Diane working on a case that deals with illegal guns and how they are being acquired. The firm’s investigator, Kalinda, is working with her on the case and takes her to a gun shop. While at the shop, Kalinda confronts Diane, and tells her that she knows that Diane had turned dropped the gun case; Kalinda then asks Diane, do you need a gun? Diane then confides to Kalinda about the former client potentially being released from jail. Kalinda ultimately gets Diane a gun, and there is a scene where Kalinda is showing Diane how to use the gun. During this scene, Diane tells Kalinda that she was raised anti-gun, she isn’t comfortable with using a gun. She even asks, “Can’t I shoot to injure? Why do I have to shoot to kill?” Later in the episode, Diane is frightened by sounds in her house at night, she pulls out her gun and has it pointed at the door, ready to shoot. The suspense builds, until, finally, her tiny little dog comes scurrying into the room. The storyline culminates with Diane giving Kalinda the gun and saying that Kalinda needs to get rid of it. Kalinda asks Diane if the gun scares her and she says, “No.” She likes the gun.

Unlike Christine Baranski’s character, I was not raised anti-gun. Actually, my dad and brothers are familiar with guns, know how to use them and go hunting. I, however, was never really comfortable around guns. I don’t think that I could actually shoot someone else; even if I thought my life was in danger. However, I can see myself using a stun gun or taser on someone who was threatening me. I think the fact that stun guns and tasers are considerably less likely to be lethal, makes me much more comfortable using them to protect myself.

Are you like me or the character Diane Lockhart? Would you have a hard time owning a gun and potentially using it on someone? Consider purchasing a stun gun or taser or even pepper spray. Each will provide you with a level of protection against a potential attacker without being fatal.

The Human Body vs. the Stun Gun

The human brain sends electric signals throughout the body, expanding and contracting muscles in the right sequence necessary for basic functions like walking, picking something up, going to sleep, etc. For instance, when we eat, the mouth signals the brain to tell it what the food tastes like. When we touch something, the hand sends a signal to the brain describing what the object feels like. So, electricity is used by the body to communicate with the brain.

The basic function of a stun gun is to disrupt the body’s electric communication system by delivering a high-voltage, low amperage electrical charge (high pressure, low intensity). The high voltage of stun guns allows it to pass through heavy clothing and penetrate. The low intensity of a stun gun prevents permanent damage to the body, unless it is applied for an extended period of time – it only takes 1-5 seconds for the stun gun to have its affect.

The ultimate effect of a stun gun is to confuse the brain:

• The electric charge combines with the brain’s electric signals. Essentially adding random noise to the body’s communication system and thus overloading the system to the point that the brain has a difficult time getting through to the body’s muscles to tell it to move. This temporarily, partially paralyzes the body.

• The electric current from the stun gun mimics the body’s electrical signals, overloading it with instructions. The body then uses all its energy, and it quickly becomes very weak.

So, this is how stun guns are able to incapacitate – applying electricity to the body’s muscles and nerves. With muscles and nerves all over the body, it doesn’t matter where the stun gun touches the body.

The MAGLite vs. The Stun Gun Flashlight

When I left home to head to the city for college, my dad gave me a MAGLite for safety. Now, MAGLites, for anyone unfamiliar are aluminum flashlights requiring multiple large D-size batteries. Police men and women can be seen using these flashlights. The advantage of using these flashlights, as my dad taught me, is that the long barrel that holds the batteries, can be used as a weapon.

Fifteen years later, I still have the same MAGLite and have faithfully kept it in my car. I have even purchased a second one to use while walking my dog. I will now be upgrading my MAGLite to the Large Stun Gun Flashlight. The Large Stun Gun Flashlight meets the 2 purposes for which I currently use my MAGLite - light and self-defense. However, it has additional features that will significantly improve my safety with its additional functions. A 130-decibel built in alarm can be used to attract attention when necessary and startle any would-be attackers. There is also an attachable red cone that can be used to signal danger. Finally, it is a 200,000 volt stun gun, which will temporarily incapacitate any attacker. The flashlight is made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic, is 16.5 inches long and uses 3 9-volt batteries.

The Personal Safety Fear Factor

Over the past few months I have been reading a lot and doing a lot of research into personal safety, especially for women. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! The vast majority of what I have read is scare tactics, and while they may be effective, I think they can also go too far. Yes, bad people do bad things, and yes, there are bad people out there. However, we cannot let that control our lives. I will not regurgitate all of the horror stories that I have been reading. Rather, I want to empower women out there to continue living their lives, unafraid of the things that we cannot control.

So, I want to challenge all women to think C-A-P:

• Be Confident! Walk with purpose and with your head held high. You are in control of your surroundings. Attackers are looking for someone who looks unsure of what they are doing or where they are going.
  
• Be Aware! Look around you when you are walking, look out the window or through the peep hole on your door before opening it, assess situations before you walk in to them. If you feel you are walking into a questionable situation, do what you can to get out of it and if you cannot get out of it, then have an exit strategy ready and if possible, have someone with you. At home, do not answer your door to an unexpected guest, especially at night and especially when home alone. Know who is supposed to be walking around in your neighborhood and take note if you see someone out of place.
  
• Be Prepared! I am not going to tell you to buy a gun. While I am not against guns, I have come to the conclusion that they are not for me. I prefer non-lethal protection like a stun gun, or taser, or even pepper spray, all of which I sell on my website: www.morethanstunguns.com. There is a wide variety of non-lethal weapons available today. The first thing you need to do is to find out what is legal in your city and state - some laws either prohibiting or restricting the use of some of these devices - check out the list of laws and restrictions that I have posted on my site here. Next, figure out what you are comfortable with. For some of us, pepper spray may be the best option - it is effective and there are several small pepper sprays that have keychaings making them easy to carry around. Stun guns and tasers definitely pack more punch. A stun gun can be used to chock someone who gets too close to you. As with pepper sprays, there are several different types of stun guns available. While stun guns generally require physical contact with an attacker, a taser is a derivation of a stun gun that does not require physical contact with an attacker and can be used up to 15 feet away. So, do some research for yourself and determine what you would be comfortable having on your person for your safety.
  

Now, go out there and live your life! Yes, as a woman, you may be more likely to be the target. Accept that fact and do what you can to be a difficult target – think C-A-P! Be Confident! Be Aware! And Be Prepared!