To Carry A Weapon Or Not to Carry A Weapon, That is the Question

If I thought it was shocking to hear a male college police officer tell me that he didn't recommend that female students carry pepper spray, but that they should use their bodies as a weapon instead, imagine my shock hearing a woman advocating against the carrying of weapons, pepper spray included, by women. The police officer didn't want pepper spray on campus. The woman is a self-defense trainer who believes that the body should be enough because any weapon can be taken from a woman and used against her. She believes that weapons of any sort, pepper spray, Tasers, stun guns and 'real' guns, all give women a false sense of security. I disagree.

I am a firm beliver in having more than one way of defending yourself. I stress non-lethal and non-contact tools, such as pepper spray. That works only if the woman is doing everythng else she is supposed to do in order to stay safe. True, you can protect yourself without ever buying a weapon or without ever taking a self-defense class. Our brain and our gut are the best self-defense tools! However, I look at law enforcement officers, typically big, strong men. The fact is that they don't rely soley on their brains, gut instinct, bodies and their training, but they have several 'back-ups'- including pepper spray, batons, Tasers, flashlights AND a gun, now that tells me something. Without some form of back-up, women don't stand a chance!



Women who do purchase weapons, need to know how to use them. In order to not have a false sense of security. women need to be confident in their self-defense training and the weapon of choice. It should be a true sense of security. They need to practice using both of them. Women need to fine-tune listeing to the survival signals that their bodies are sending in the presense of fear according to Gavin deBecker, author of "The Gift of Fear". They need to have their weapon of choice accessible and visible. I would not go un-armed and unmatched in a battle. The odds are already against me as a woman.


As far as being over-powered, that can happen if a woman is not paying attention and allows someone to sneak up on them. Whether or not she has a weapon, she is in trouble. I advocate that women pay attention to what is going on around them. Women should 'scan' as they walk. See who is around, see what they are doing, see who may pose a threat. Once she senses danger, she is on alert, plus, they know that you are paying attention to them. Suddenly, she is no longer an easy target. She has removed the element of surprise from the would-be attacker. No one will walk up to her, as she locks stares with them and try to take away her weapon of choice, no matter what it is. If by chance, someone takes the pepper spray away from a woman and uses it on her, it will not kill her, the effects last 30-40 minutes. Prevention is the best method of defense.