We’ve all seen those lists of people’s greatest fears, right? In
addition to dying, public speaking is right up there, as is being
trapped in a small place. For those of us who have been victims of it,
home invasion sure seems a lot more frightening than speaking to a group
of people or suffering from claustrophobia. There’s almost nothing
scarier than suddenly realizing an intruder is in your house or
apartment. You don’t know what this person’s intentions are – theft,
rape, kidnapping, murder? – but you know they’re not good.
If someone breaks into your home while you are there, your
window
of opportunity for reacting effectively to protect yourself and your
family will probably be very small. You have to make every second count
in this situation, and you will only be able to accomplish this if you
are fully prepared.
If you have a gun and can access it quickly, that’s obviously the
best answer to a home intruder. But if you don’t own a gun or are unable
to get to it swiftly enough, you may find yourself in the position of
needing an improvised weapon. This type of object is any device that was
not designed to be used as a weapon but can be put to that exact usage
in an emergency. Right now you may be thinking of four or five items you
have sitting around the house that could double as a weapon if
necessary. By the time you finish reading this, your list will have
grown to about 40!
Get Out If You Can
It’s possible that your best self-defense weapons against a home
invader will be your legs and hands. If there is an escape route, take
it. Use your legs to get out as quickly as possible and use your hands
to knock things over behind you to slow down or perhaps trip the
attacker, especially if it’s dark. Run to a neighbor’s house and call
911. Maybe you’ll have your cell
phone
in your pocket and be able to place the call even faster. Of course, if
you have other people in your home who you need to protect, you’re not
going to run away. But if you’re alone, escaping might be the most
prudent thing to do. That’s not being a coward. It’s being smart.
Stay Alive in Your Living Room
If you’re sitting in a living room or dining area when an intruder
enters, you need to think fast. There should be a number of items you
can grab to use as a club, including tall vases, candleholders,
statuettes, large bowls or large ashtrays.
Tall lamps
can also be used as clubs, but they’re more effective as spears, as are
fireplace pokers. With a dining room chair in your hands, you can go on
the offensive by charging your attacker. Make sure to hold the chair so
that the legs are facing him in a diamond shape rather than a square.
If you can get it around his neck, a laptop cord could prove very
effective in subduing him.
If He Can’t Take the Heat, Stay in the Kitchen
Nobody wants to face a home invader, but if it had to happen, the kitchen would probably be your
best bet.
Talk about an arsenal. Your first choice would be to grab two sharp
knives and start swinging them in the direction of your assailant. Other
options are frying pans or rolling pins for bashing, scissors or broken
glassware for gouging, and canned goods, plates or a nice, thick
tumbler for throwing. A mop or broom handle could also do the job,
especially a broken one with a jagged edge. If you keep a can of
high-powered wasp killer in your kitchen pantry, you might be able to
spray it in his eyes and really ruin his day.
Bathroom Brawling
The bathroom would seem like a bad place to be confronted by an
intruder, especially if he’s bigger than you are. But you might be able
to use a shower curtain rod or a towel rack as a spear, or hairspray to
slow him down while you try to escape. A ceramic toilet tank lid could
also do some serious damage if you have room to maneuver.
Other Weapons
There are probably plenty of other items in various rooms of your house that could be used as weapons, including…
- Fire extinguisher. Spray him with the white stuff and clunk him with the red thing.
- Golf club. Pretend like you’re trying to drive the green on a par 4.
- Baseball bat. We’re looking for the long ball here, not a bunt.
- Long knitting needles. Doctors will need to do considerable
stitching to the assailant’s body if you’re able to use these
effectively.
- Tools. The sharp edge of a hammer, the point of a screwdriver or a heavy wrench might be enough to make this tool think twice.
Targets
In the frenzy of an attack, you’ll want to strike at any exposed
area. But if you find that you have some options, go for the eyes,
throat and groin. That’s where you are most likely to stop or slow down
an attacker rather than just making him angrier. If those areas are too
well protected, aim for just below the ribcage with a stabbing weapon
pointed upwards, which may enable you to reach the spleen, pancreas,
liver or kidneys.
I’ve heard it said that encouraging people to inflict serious injury
on an attacker is wrong. Really? Did I ask to be attacked by some
scumbag so that I could take pleasure in maiming him? No, but if someone
attacks me, I will do whatever is necessary to subdue him. I’m not
going to punch this loser and then politely ask if he’s OK. I’m going to
try to incapacitate him however I can and as quickly as possible. If I
have to choose between the lives of my wife and children, and the
physical wellbeing of a home invader, I’m going with the former over the
latter
Shields
In a confrontation with a home invader, you will probably not be the
only one using a weapon. You may have to go on the defensive first.
Among the items you could use to fend off attacks until you’re able to
take an offensive position are a metal cookie sheet, chopping board,
backpack, trashcan lid, briefcase, book, duffel bag and stool. Use
whatever you can get your hands on quickly.
What If I’m Outside?
Sometimes an attacker will make his move as you are approaching the
front door of your residence. When that happens, you won’t have those
household items at your disposal, but you can use whatever you have on
your person. A single key, held between your thumb and index finger, can
be used to stab and slash. Or hold a ballpoint pen in your fist and
strike with a hammer blow. Carrying pepper spray or a pocket knife while
walking from your car to your front door is not a bad idea. If you
happen to be holding an unbreakable umbrella, it will come in handy.
There may be bricks or rocks that you can grab and throw. Finally, loose
change flung into the face of an intruder could slow him down enough to
enable you to escape.
Practice
Being attacked is not something any of us want to think about. But it
might happen someday and the better prepared you are, the better the
outcome might be. So, think about the items you have around your home
that could be used as weapons and work on grabbing them and being ready
to use them in an instant. Practice maneuvers such as dropping and
rolling under a table and then bolting for the door. Know your best
escape path in each room of your home.
Remember that attacks can occur anywhere you are…restaurants, health
clubs, banks, even churches. Always be aware of your surroundings,
including the people in your vicinity. Wherever you are, look around for
improvised weapons before an incident occurs, not afterward. The better
prepared you are, the higher your chances for survival.
Ed Note: If you cannot read what's below, Hold the
left button on your mouse down and run your cursor over it and the text will
magically appear.
If for
any reason you have trouble getting into this youtube, there are at least four
ways to do it:
Cut and
paste the youtube website almost immediately below
click on
the title in the black band at the top of the frame
click on
the white triangle in the frame
click on
the youtube logo in the black band at the bottom of the frame
IF none
of those work, there is absolutely no hope for you.
Good
Luck.
Aaaaaaah
Shala My Lickem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6U28rLTyao
Published on Aug 7, 2012
Not the best video out there but I hope that some of the points I made serve some practical use in the case of a home invasion/intrusion.
Note:Despite the fact the police mostly offer a fantastic service to this country they are not bodyguards,whilst a burglar breaks into your home you need to be able to defend yourself before they arrive the police respond to crime and do not stop it before it happens.
MORGAN: What other things can you do with a pressure cooker other than kill people?
CAMPFIELD: You can cook food.MORGAN: Right. What other things can you do with a gun other than shoot things?CAMPFIELD: Other than shooting. I guess you can use it as a walking stick. You can hunt with it. You can go target practice. You can do all sorts of things.MORGAN: You use a gun as a walking stick, do you?CAMPFIELD: You. I guess theoretically you could. You could use it as a hammer if you really wanted to. But what's that have to do with anything? We're talking about an inanimate object that does nothing by itself. It does absolutely nothing by itself, just like a pressure cooker does absolutely nothing by itself. Now that gun control has failed, Piers, I'm wondering when are you going to move back to England. Because everyone in Tennessee is dying to know.CAMPFIELD: I'm going to hang around and just see if people can't grow enough courage in this country to face the reality of your gun violence problem.