Bear with me, I can be long winded.

It is difficult for non-gun owners to believe any justification for owning a gun or situation where it could actually be useful. Gun owners can be just as bad, saying how in this situation or that they would have done X and saved the day with their gun. Truth is, no one can know how a situation will play out until it has happened.

I own a gun, maybe I shouldn't admit that on the internet. I rarely carry because it is something else to fumble with, many places don't allow it including my job, and you're all of a sudden a threat to most cops if you ever have to deal with the law even in a pedestrian manner. Its fun to shoot and a great piece of mechanics, but I never plan to draw it on anyone ever.

With that being said, I recently had a confrontation while driving. This kid flies around me doing 50 in a 25, school zone, double yellow, dark, only to pull into the same complex as me 50 ft up the road and stop. I gave him the customary honk&holler as I passed, but he tries to pull out into me, flies up beside me, gets out and starts yelling and threatening. Kid must be 17 or 18, showing off for his skinny friend and fat girlfriend, but he comes up to my window and wants me to fight. I told him several times he was in the wrong and to just go away (I had my girl in the car with me). I did not have my gun on me, nor would I ever have wanted to even produce it in this situation. I didn't want to provoke him, and I would be a real ass to put a gun on some mouthy punk. I did, however, have a firm grip on a 7in, double edged and razor sharp dagger that I just so happen to keep in the side compartment of my door. He never saw it, but if he wanted to reach into my car and grab me, he would have certainly felt my hand around his wrist and that steel pressed firmly against his inner arm. But he didn't; he left on his own, doing a pathetic attempt at a burn out in his front wheel drive toyota, and no blood was shed.

Moral of the story is: situational awareness, avoid violence and bloodshed, keep your temper and ego in check, have the upper hand, but you don't need to start waving a weapon around to make it known. Pepper spray is the best option, I know I would have gotten a lot of satisfaction out of macing that punk.

I always have a pocket knife and have had a few confiscated going through security. I also keep a 3-4 decorative metal sheath knife on the side of the Savage's battery box, within easy reach.

The Boy Scout motto is Be Prepared.

I used to carry a rusted up wire brush in my car. I figured that if some jerk tried to pick a fight with me by reaching through the window I would just give him a whack on whatever skin was showing. It wouldn't damage him too much but it would really hurt. Pain is a great deterant. I've a real sharp beat up hunting knife in the car now.
 Knew a girl who bit a chunk out of a purse snatcher's arm when he reached into the front seat of her car going after her pocket book. It's not what you carry, it is how you use it.

A sharp pencil is quite effective at close range and can be deadly if needed

LANCER wrote on 09/20/12 at 17:48:26:


When I was about 12, I stuck a wooden pencil into my brother's thigh, and broke it off.  It didn't slow him down much.  We ended up that fight with baseball bats.

Gyrobob wrote on 09/21/12 at 05:24:50:

I teach school in detention centers from time to time. We count the pencils at the end of the class, and none are more than 3" long.

I still have the tip of a pencil lodged in the back of my hand.

I really do like the wire brush idea, especially a rusty one. Not as elegant hanging off the side of my bike though.

I like the buck engraved in it.


--Steve