New Year's Resolution: Always Carry 10 Concealed Weapons

Dangerous children are most dangerous because of their creative minds and their wide range of practical skills. But the training of the dangerous child does not neglect the crucial aspects of self defence and self-preservation in the face of threat.

Since it is never too late to have a dangerous childhood, we grownups should also take this New Year's opportunity to resolve to increase our own "DQ," dangerousness quotient. The best place to start is to learn how to "arm up" whenever we go out.

Normally when we think of "concealed carry," we think of firearms. And certainly, concealed firearms are very useful in a situation when faced with a dangerous adversary, including those who are carrying a knife or a gun. But many places we go, we will have to do without firearms. We still need to carry 10 concealed weapons.

Guide to Concealed Carry

"10 concealed weapons," you ask? "And how am I supposed to wear 10 weapons on my person without looking like a medieval Japanese samurai warrior?"

Relax. You already carry 14 concealed weapons with you, even dressed in your birthday suit, unless you have had significant body parts removed.

Although these are not the weapons that I am talking about, let's get them out of the way first:

1. Two feet
2. Two hands
3. Two elbows
4. Two knees
5. Two shoulders (!)
6. Two hips (!)
7. A hard head (!)
8. A brain

Bonus weapon: Your teeth!

The hands can be used open or closed, front or back, fingers first or heel of palm first. They can be used for striking, clawing (eyes etc.), clapping over the ears, choking, or a number of other things which I am not allowed by Google to mention at this time. ;-)

Likewise for the other body parts -- the number of ways in which they may be used as weapons is almost endless. But again, those are not the weapons to which I refer in the title.

Here is a short blurb on personal defense weapons offered by a website called http://www.weapons-universe.com (no endorsement implied).

For safety aware individuals, there are a variety of non-lethal personal defense weapons which are used for the act of defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. Such personal defense weapons include pepper spray which is a chemical compound that irritates the eyes of your attacker to cause tears, pain, and even temporary blindness. Also an air taser or stun gun which is an incapacitant weapon used for subduing an attacker by administering electric shocks aimed at disrupting muscle functions. And expandable batons for less lethal self-defense, also called collapsible or telescopic batons are like metal sticks of less than arm's length used to defensively strike, jab, block, and can aid in the application of armlocks. And SAP gloves, also called weighted-knuckle gloves are a type of weapon used in hand to hand combat used to help protect your hands against injuries when punching without compromising the effectiveness of the punch. _WU

The collapsible baton is a particularly useful concealed weapon if it is well constructed. They are easily deformed in a real fight, so you may only get one good use out of it. Even so, if you know how to use a short stick in very close combat, a collapsible baton can save you from some of the more dangerous weapons.

More on the short stick:

The Joongbong, or short stick, is the most versatile and easy to learn weapon. Once mastered, the principles of the Joongbong can be applied to any blunt weapon. The most comfortable length for the Joongbong is the length of your arm from the armpit to the middle fingertip when you stretch your arm out with your fingers fully open.

Grip the Joongbong approximately one to two inches above the end. The tip of the Joongbong aims at the eyes or the Adam's apple of the opponent with your arm at almost a 90 degree angle to the Joongbong.

There are five different blocks: high, cross, inside, outside, and low block. There are five offense skills: straight strike, thrust, inside cut, outside cut, and cross cuts. _Junsado

There is a wide range of "wearable" weapons, including knives and sharp jabbing implements. There are also creative weapons such as this self-defence cap, these steel knuckle gloves, or this key chain baton.

As you can imagine, this does not by any means exhaust the list of potential concealed weapons. Credit cards, for example, have been used as deadly weapons, as have writing pens, eyeglass frames, heavy belt buckles, and even concealed dental floss.

If you do happen to have a concealed carry permit for firearms, and want to be stylish about it, here is one gentlemen's guide to stylish concealed carry.

You may wonder whether all of these weapons for personal defence are legal in your area. That is certainly a concern, so you will want to try to stay within the letter of the law as far as possible, while maintaining a safe margin of protection for yourself and your family. And if you develop good relationships with local law enforcement before the fact of a life-saving interaction, far fewer questions are likely to be asked afterward. Also, if it comes to that, you may ask yourself whether you would rather repent and pay penance, or rot underground. The choice is yours.

Seriously, any type of law that makes it difficult for non-violent and non-aggressive individuals to protect themselves from violent and aggressive persons, is not necessarily the kind of law that should be adhered to -- or allowed to stand unchallenged.

So think about it. If you take the survival of yourself and those you care about seriously, you may want to make a New Year's resolution to go out better prepared in the days ahead.

Note: Weapons do not protect you without your help. If you choose to carry weapons, make sure that you are trained in how to use them safely and effectively.

If you find yourself confronted by an armed mugger who seems mainly interested in your money, give him your money. Perhaps that will be the end of it. But there are tipoffs that may tell you that he will not be content with merely robbing you. Do not let an entirely natural emotional denial and wishful thinking prevent you from seeing the indicators that you are in a life and death struggle.

It is best to avoid such situations in the first place, which is why it is a good idea to talk about them ahead of time. But sometimes crime happens to the best people, and if they are not mentally and physically prepared, they may die.