Nonballistic weaponry

Ahhh the ol "I don't have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun my slower chubby friend"

Well played sir.

 

i often wonder why the guys that talk about packing guns don't take it to the next level and discuss what brand of bullet proof vests they wear.

that's legal in all 50 states btw...

and you can draw the attacker in close by feining death...

owwww ya'got me

hah fake out... blam blam blam!!!!!



ok now I'm just being silly... enjoy gentlemen... its been fun

 

Coming in waaay late on this thread,only read thru a few pages so on to the point.

Ive carried a Flare Gun for over 20 years and never had an issue
from US DOT,LEO's or Border Customs.
They are are a cheap reliable means of Personal Protection.
Argue it all you want FMCSR 392.24 DOES NOT APPLY to this device.

Random acts are just that, trying to cover the percentage odds
is unrealistic.

 

a timing chain or a radiator hose will put a hurtin on somebody.

 

I ment to say or a radiator hose. ive seen both of em used plenty of times at the local mud boggs

 

Red Fox, I want to apologize, for my part in doing exactly as you expected, turning it into a ballistic/nonballistic argument. In this day and age of so many criminals using firearms to commit crimes, I just feel trying to protect your self with something else could prove fatal. Also, IF a perp were to come at you with other than a firearm, by revealing that you ARE armed could quickly end a potentially deadly situation, and allow you to keep your property. I understand your concern for losing your job by having a firearm, I share that concern, very often, as I am in and out of industrial plants, and ports often.

One rainy Sunday nite while en route to my home in Victoria, TX, I ran over a large piece of steel, in Houston, TX, ruining the right front tire, and wheel of my pickup. I crippled off the loop, and "luckily" found abandoned service station, allowing me to mount the spare out of the rain, under the canopy. What I didn't count on was the gang of drunk, and drugged(?) Hispanics inside the station, who decided to "charge" me $100 for the use of "their" roof. Paying the "rent" only made them decide it wasn't enough, after giving them the rest of my money, two of the drunks decided they wanted my pickup; thankfully I had removed my keys. All the while I was removing the spare from under the bed, bent over removing the lug nuts, etc. I was waiting for the hit, the club to the head, the knife blade, the attack. They stood around me as I removed the ruined tire, speaking in Spanish, laughing, joking, then as I pulled the ruined tire off, walked around to the rear of the truck to throw it into the bed, one of the crowd urinated on the spare I was fixing to mount. It really got tense when I began cursing him, and I figured this was it. Making my way around to the driver side of my pickup, I unlocked it, then reached under the seat to get the tire knocker I carry with me. Imagine my surprise when one shouted something in Spanish, and they hauled butt behind that station. After quickly mounting the tire, and leaving, I realized they thought I was reaching for a gun. Nothing else would have made them leave in such a hurry.
My travels, even in a pickup now include a Ruger KP90 which I jam in the seat cushion near my seatbelt latch. Had I brought out that tire knocker, I am convinced it would have made a bad situation worse, but I wasn't going to fight that gang barehanded, and a imo, the violence was seconds away.

 

after driving for 14 years, I have seen/been involved in a number of incidents where the lesser beings attempt to prey on those of us in the trucking industry, things don't seem as bed these days as they were back in the late 90's (the TA in Gary indiana has cleaned up nicely). however, with that said, I still carry a pistol in the truck, I avoid NYC and canada and the peoples republic of kalifornia like the plague. I never leave home without either my 32 acp or my 9mm (at one time I carried a 12 guage shotgun but that thing was hard to conceal)
I do not have a concealed carry license from my home state and I refuse to get one, I should not have to pay a tax or ask permission to exercise my second amendment rights, those are my reasons and I know they won't carry any weight in a court of law but its a risk I am willing to take to stay alive
as for non ballistic defense, I always carry a short fixed blade knife in a holster on my belt and have been known to carry brass knuckles and a sap
I am a large guy and can easily handle most threats, for the smaller men and ladies, I would recommend a taser style weapon and/or pepper spray along with a short blade for close in work
it also pays to be aware of your surroundings, stay out of poorly lit areas and beware of anyone who approachs you at random, this is particularly a problem in larger cities where the parasites seem to gather at truckstops due to the misconception of us being easy pickings
I have busted heads on more than a few of those vermin and will probably have to bust a few more before they learn to leave me alone, never had to shoot one yet but if one of those sleazebags pulls a weapon of any sort I will not hesitate to use it
which reminds me of yet another little helpful reminder
"if you are in a situation where you feel the need to brandish a defensive weapon, such as a taser or pepper spray or a gun, USE IT!!, any failure to do so tells the criminal that you won't and now you have armed the pos.
if the pepper spray comes out then empty the can on whomever made you feel threatened, do not warn them or hope they will get scared and leave, because they won't"

 

A coffee filled thermos?? Seriously...? I suppose that'd be fine if the bad guy isn't looking, and you have room to swing it. But do yourself a favor...don't rely on such a foolish notion inside of a cab. A child could block and counter that move, and a large child will take that thing away from you with one twist after you're off balance from swinging it.

Don't count on swinging anything inside a sleeper. Non-ballistically speaking, a knife or a pressure point device like a kubotan is your only viable option beyond chemical irritants like OC or CS. Just keep in mind that a knife or a kubotan isn't any good to you if you don't know how to use it. Short classes are way, way better than nothing, but even DVDs or reading on the subject is something. Also remember that if you use a chemical irritant inside the cab you're going to be out of service for a while so you can decon your stuff...and yourself.

On knives, I like 2 7/8" folders to carry as being under 3" will normally keep you out of any trick bags and unintended stays as a guest of the county. I love custom knives, but don't carry 'em cause I don't want to loose 'em...either on the floor of the crapper or to an evidence custodian. I like Colombia River Knife & Tool and Gerber knives. They're relatively cheap, easily replaceable, and of reasonable quality. I try not to use my "social" knife for anything other than "social" work. The right tool for the right job. If I open too many boxes with my social work knife, it may not be sharp enough to perform it's primary function. In the sleeper I think that a reasonable length fixed blade is pretty much legal enough in most places to not get you jammed up, and would be preferable to a folder IN THE CAB. Any decent SHARP blade around 5" or so should do. Remember that a 5" hunting knife is much easier to 'splain than a 12" Rambo knife. You can spend a lot on many, many different kinds of tacti-cool fixed blade knives, but for this purpose about anything will do. Just remember that thin stock blades (filet knives, boning knives, steak knives) are for slicing, and can't be counted on for stabbing.

Outside the cab, presuming it's not a gun fight, I'm confident with my knife fighting abilities. Not everyone is (or at least they shouldn't be, and they just don't know it). Impact weapons (yeah, I suppose even a thermos if all else fails), with a preference to tire thumpers and, to a lesser degree 6-C cell mag lights, since they're a tool of the trade would be a better plan for most people in most instances than a knife. I've found C-cell mag lights are much easier to control and faster on target than D-cell lights.

I've also seen more and more whips being used. Yeah...Indiana Jones was on to something. But today, tactical defensive whips are shorter and more concealable and made from things other than leather (like parachute cord). The handles on these things are a decent impact weapon in and of themselves, and with some training the whips are amazingly effective and offer more reach than any impact weapon or blade. I personally don't carry one because I'm quite certain that I'd hurt myself as I have no training on one. But I've seen them demonstrated, and was really impressed when I saw them cutting apples in half with them. The new breed of defensive whip is much more concealable than ole' Indy's was. But the real beauty of these things is that in MOST repeat MOST jurisdictions you can legally carry them so long as you have no offensive intent...kinda like carrying a screwdriver.

But, in the end...with no meaningful training...chemical irritants are still your best bet me thinks. Just make sure you keep track of the wind direction. OC works on bad guys and good guys alike.

That's what I think. YMMV.

BTW: I'm not a lawyer nor do I play one on TV. Seek your own legal advice.