Before Investing In A Weapon

While making personal safety plans, many people think about investing in at least one personal safety weapon. With all kinds of safety gadgets and gizmos in the market today, it is easy to be taken in by all the hype and believe that once we have a personal safety weapon, we are truly protected.

If you speak to safety experts, however, they will tell you that while all these devices are excellent aids, there is nothing to replace our instincts and our wits when it comes to planning our safety, anticipating an attack and dealing with an attack when it actually happens.

So before you consider investing in a personal safety weapon, here are a few questions you should be asking yourself.

1.    Will a personal safety weapon truly help me in times of distress?

If you are confident of being able to use a personal safety device quickly and effectively, it may be of immense use. But remember most us do not know how we will react in a stressful situation. If we do get confronted by a criminal and spend time fiddling around for the pepper spray or stun gun, chances are we may only end up angering the attacker and the situation may only get aggravated. Only when you are convinced that you are capable of using a device properly should you invest in buying one.

2.    Is a personal safety weapon legal in my state?

Do not buy a safety weapon just because your friend bought one or because your cousin from another state recommended that you do. Check out the legality of owning a personal safety device in your state and your area – these regulations change from place to place and you do not want to be caught breaking the law.

3.    Are personal safety devices truly effective?

This is a highly debatable point. Many experts believe that some devices like pepper sprays are not effective at all with many criminals hardly feeling any effects of the pepper. On the contrary, you may only end up angering them and they may end up hurting you, when all they may have wanted in the first place was your belongings. Others believe that they are effective in throwing the attacker off guard for at least a few minutes, which is more than what you will need to escape from the place. Do some more research into which personal safety devices are truly effective. Speak to representatives from local law enforcement agencies, who will give you a better idea of what safety devices will be effective.

4.    Am I ready to use it?

This is a question best answered by you. First, you should consider if you could really handle a stun gun or a pepper spray under extremely trying circumstances. If you are not confident of your abilities to manage these devices, you should be aware that there is a chance of the attacker actually using the device against you. Secondly, do you believe you have the calmness to analyze a situation and decide what is potentially threatening? If you tend to panic, you may actually end up using your device on a perfectly innocent person.