Wudang Gongfu Of New Orleans

Weaponized Self-defence

aedhcarrick Avatar
aedhcarrick

As some may or may not know, I work in the Quarter at G. I. Jane’s General Store. I sell a variety of self-defence and urban survival supplies. Stun guns and pepper spray are the biggest sellers. I make it a point to insist that they have it available, ie. In their hand. Think about how long it takes the average woman to get her keys out of her purse (sorry ladies, I don’t mean to be sexist). Now try and imagine a mugger waiting patiently for half that time. Probably not going to happen.
Despite living in one of the most violent cities on earth, most people who come in my store seem to be incapable of discussing crime/self-defence/weapons in serious fashion. They point and laugh, tell jokes about killing or f^@kin someone up, but when it comes to dealing with the very high (new orleans remember) probability that something might happen to them, they laugh it off or change the subject. The small hand-full who have given it serious thought don’t seem to have a realistic grasp of their options. Prime example: “I don’t want a stun gun, because you have to touch them with it and I don’t want them to get that close.” Sounds logical, but what you want and what happens….. If it were up to us, of course, we wouldn’t want anyone to mess with us at all. Unfortunately we don’t live on that planet.
Personally I’m torn. I’ve seen situations where the introduction of a weapon escalated things beyond sanity or control. I’ve also seem the timely and judicious use of a weapon stop fights before they started. I myself don’t carry a weapon. I’m also 6’2″, 190lbs and have facial tattoos. Besides I am perfectly comfortable using most anything at hand as a weapon. Ideally, I think, if one is worried about their safety, even a few weeks of almost any MA is going to help. Will you be able to stand up to Brock Lesner on PCP? No. But you might notice him coming up on you a little sooner. That would theoretically make it easier to run/deploy weapon/etc. I am afraid there is no one solution to every problem (relaxing couldn’t hurt though).

So… what do you think? Should people carry weapons? Which ones? What advice should I give someone? Keep in mind: weapons are not magic!

4 responses to “Weaponized Self-defence”

  1. kigung Avatar
    kigung

    As a former soldier and a lifetime devotee of martial arts i realize that my view is predisposed positively towards weapons. It has been my duty and responsibility to be skilled in their use. I personally don’t believe it is the duty of every member of our modern society to be able to defend themselves. If you would rather be harmed than harm another, i believe that is your right. If you do choose to defend yourself or the people you love, a properly deployed weapon greatly enhances your effectiveness. I would say that if i were in a post apocalyptic situation ie hurricane Katrina, i wouldn’t want a team member who refused to defend themselves, our group, or resources. A gun is obviously the most effective weapon, anything short of that is a fall back plan or last resort. As it pertains to martial arts, buying a gun and getting proper training with it is the best, quickest way to become capable of defending yourself.

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  2. aedhcarrick Avatar
    aedhcarrick

    I agree that in terms of obvious physical threat a weapon affords one a distinct advantage, but that said, the vast majority of encounters are more about posturing and social dominance. In those situations a weapon can tempt the wielder into using it as a prop, thereby instigating a physical encounter where none was called for. I believe soldiers are typcally highly trained and go through a ‘weeding out’ process long before they get their hands on a weapon. I, however, sell to the ‘general public’ to whom concepts such as ‘personal responsibility’ remain fuzzy. It might be wishful thinking on my part, but I still believe that the selling of weapons to the public is good in general. It’s just that one bad egg can make one hell of a mess and even more so if he’s armed.

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  3. Shawn Avatar
    Shawn

    Perhaps along with selling the weapon you should also offer information on where the buyer can find training, or, conceivably, teach a class yourself.

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  4. aedhcarrick Avatar
    aedhcarrick

    That is a good idea, in fact one of the first I mentioned to my boss. At present I have a collection of business cards for some local schools, but my boss seems strangely resistant to my putting up a cork board. I’ll wear him down eventually.

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