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 Ketara wrote:
I made this thread for the purpose of asking for suggestions to help my girlfriend.

The best solution, albeit a long term one, is probably to organize/vote for candidates who will work to repeal laws that hamstring the capacity of people who are already vulnerable, because of where they can afford to live, what shifts they get stuck with at work, their inability to afford safe transport, etc, etc, to defend themselves against violent crime. The short term solution is of course to carry whatever effective weapon one can obtain if the probability of being sexually assaulted, maimed, or worse is sufficiently alarming.

 Ketara wrote:
I'll be honest squire. I made this thread for the purpose of asking for suggestions to help my girlfriend.

Then I would invest in illegal pepper spray, an illegal collapsible police baton, or some other excellent illegal self-defense weapon, if you'd like your girlfriend to actually be protected - it worked for mine.

 Witzkatz wrote:
It's important to take into account that a self-defense class is something that has to be done regularly and with conviction, otherwise it'll just create a false sense of security, because she's "doing something". Muscle memory needs to be formed, and a proper response even when suddendly attacked.

True but it's better than many of the other options and it's totally legal far as I know.

 Witzkatz wrote:
It's important to take into account that a self-defense class is something that has to be done regularly and with conviction, otherwise it'll just create a false sense of security, because she's "doing something". Muscle memory needs to be formed, and a proper response even when suddendly attacked.

I suspect that the torch idea combined with some form of MMA or Thai Kickboxing a few times a week would appear to be the most logical solution here. From what I can find, the wasp spray seems to be an imperfect solution that could potentially infringe upon the law, the dog is impractical right now, and whilst totally awesome, the modified lighter/flamethrower probably wouldn't deter someone so much as seriously injure them and get her arrested.

 judgedoug wrote:

 Ketara wrote:
I'll be honest squire. I made this thread for the purpose of asking for suggestions to help my girlfriend.

Then I would invest in illegal pepper spray, an illegal collapsible police baton, or some other excellent illegal self-defense weapon, if you'd like your girlfriend to actually be protected - it worked for mine.

That's wonderful. Next time, please read the part of OP and title noted as 'Legal'.

 Manchu wrote:

 Ketara wrote:
I made this thread for the purpose of asking for suggestions to help my girlfriend.

The best solution, albeit a long term one, is probably to organize/vote for candidates who will work to repeal laws that hamstring the capacity of people who are already vulnerable, because of where they can afford to live, what shifts they get stuck with at work, their inability to afford safe transport, etc, etc, to defend themselves against violent crime. The short term solution is of course to carry whatever effective weapon one can obtain if the probability of being sexually assaulted, maimed, or worse is sufficiently alarming.

As far as I'm aware, there's absolutely no mainstream political party that champions that sort of agenda. Weapons ownership is quite antithetical to the British in many regards. It simply isn't the same political hot topic it is in the US.

Whilst assault is always a risk, I suspect it isn't high enough to potentially get arrested/locked up for violating offensive weapons law, and the lady herself has asked for it to be kept legal. Hence the specification 'legal'. I could get a dozen tasers posted from the US if I wanted, but alas, it doesn't help my problem right now.

 jhe90 wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

 Chute82 wrote:
Did a little research and a Schutzhund trained German Shepard cost around 60k if you want a protection dog. Be cheaper to buy her a car.

But this would be so much fun

http://youtu.be/4cW0vigD6EE

There might be local shelters that train rescued dogs. The dog in my avatar was Schutzhund trained because the people who rehabilitated him before we adopted him worked with lots of Rotties andGerman Shepherds, and he was practically free. You don't even need to Schutzhund train a dog, just get a moderately big dog and train him with German command words.

Plus German sounds aggressive.

Dogs are one thing but there's law involved there too. Ie agressive dogs get put down.

Trained dogs are typically not aggressive, unless commanded to be. A big friendly dog is still a deterrent because nobody is going to think that dog is cool with an attacker hurting his owner.

Obviously big dogs are not the most practical for everyone.

whatever object she chooses for defense should be something she can carry in her hand the entire journey. Anything she carries in her purse or pocket might as well be on the moon in a self defense situation.

I think women should all be able to carry pepper spray. The pepper spray itself should have an alarm that activates when the trigger is depressed, as loud as an air horn, so that anyone can hear and come to the situation. It will then act as a further protective device for women using it as a self defense object and a deterrent towards using it offensively as you'll clearly be able to be found. Make it so the pepper spray won't come out if the alarm isn't in place, and the alarm can't be shut off by anyone other than a police officer who could have a key or datacard specifically to shut the alarms off. If someone tries to high tail it and leave it in a bush, fingerprints. It's not like it can be used to kill, anyway.

That being said I personally am not the least bit worried about getting pepper sprayed for no reason. Women live in a scary world of large, strong, perverse animals that can take advantage of them.. Society should do everything to alleviate that fear and lack of comfort. Of course investigations should be done properly, but come on.. is there really any reason to prohibit pepper spray? The only people afraid of pepper spray should be those that provoke its use.

If anyone is really worried about it, just take names of the customer every time a pepper spray is purchased, and stamp a serial number on the inside of the can. That way, if one is used by an assaulter and they get away, you can at least go question the person who originally purchased it and investigate from there, and they shouldn't be able to remove the number without breaking the spray and hurting themselves in the process.

It's very saddening to me that women need to be afraid like this... they need to be allowed to defend themselves.

If someone is assaulting your girlfriend and she brains them with a police baton or flashlight or anything really, is that guy actually gonna go to the fething cops about it? He's probably gonna turn his tail and be satisfied with freedom for the time being, or lay on the concrete with his head busted until he's found by someone. Women don't generally assault people. I'm not telling her to break the law, but with my current mindset if I was worried about my freedom to not be violated against my will, I'd carry the most effective weapon I could and use it with no second thoughts.

The person assaulting me or anyone in this manner more than deserves anything they get. If caught by the police, there's no use for them anyway, and they aren't willingly going to go to the police if they're assaulters. Sexual abuse is not okay and needs the highest punishment available for it.

I don't know what the laws are like in the UK as far as sentencing, but I know people commonly get far less jail time for sexual assault than they should here.

 Ketara wrote:

 Witzkatz wrote:
It's important to take into account that a self-defense class is something that has to be done regularly and with conviction, otherwise it'll just create a false sense of security, because she's "doing something". Muscle memory needs to be formed, and a proper response even when suddendly attacked.

I suspect that the torch idea combined with some form of MMA or Thai Kickboxing a few times a week would appear to be the most logical solution here. From what I can find, the wasp spray seems to be an imperfect solution that could potentially infringe upon the law, the dog is impractical right now, and whilst totally awesome, the modified lighter/flamethrower probably wouldn't deter someone so much as seriously injure them and get her arrested.

It may also be possible to make certain appeals. Get cops to patrol the area or something. Talk to law makers about this situation (and hope they don't drag their ***es on it). One time there had been break-ins around a neighborhood I was in and somebody often in the late hours would knock on my door (probably waiting for me to open the door so they could jump me). I looked from inside my place and nobody was outside. I called the police about it (not 911 but the department number) and described the situation and they said they'd send a car to patrol the area from time to time. I never heard a knock again at that time at night.

 flamingkillamajig wrote:


It may also be possible to make certain appeals. Get cops to patrol the area or something. Talk to law makers about this situation (and hope they don't drag their ***es on it). One time there had been break-ins around a neighborhood I was in and somebody often in the late hours would knock on my door (probably waiting for me to open the door so they could jump me). I looked from inside my place and nobody was outside. I called the police about it (not 911 but the department number) and described the situation and they said they'd send a car to patrol the area from time to time. I never heard a knock again at that time at night.

There's actually police tape and officers all over the area at this exact moment (I'm told). Multiple assaults by groups of men is taken quite seriously (I doubt the local constabulary wants a Cologne on their watch). That presence is a temporary measure though of course.

I'll suggest that she try and get the SU to press for more lighting to be placed. Considering that one of last night's assaults took place on a main road in front of an off-license though, I'm not sure what good that'll do....

I can understand that firearms aren't an option to common people in other countries (and many would be uncomfortable carrying anyways), but I'm having trouble wrapping my head around why pepper spray isn't legal.

I mean, it's not fun to be pepper sprayed, but it's not lethal or even permanently damaging. Worst-case scenario, someone is irresponsible or crazy with pepper spray, the victim is in pain for a couple days at most and the person who sprayed them gets stuck with an assault charge.

Regardless, it's more than troubling to imagine having the only weapon legally available to defend yourself with is basically a spray can paint to hopefully identify your attacker after you're robbed, raped, killed, or all of the above.

How did that come about?

But on-topic, my brother is a cop in the US and he has an extremely bright rapid-strobe flashlight meant to blind attackers. It is mounted on the bottom of his service pistol, though, so it's not exactly his last resort. You can try googling 'rapid strobe flashlights' for some options.

It might be a thought, but, again, it's a bit concerning to think of using a flashlight as a personal safety measure. And it would be nigh-useless against multiple attackers.

 flamingkillamajig wrote:

 Witzkatz wrote:
It's important to take into account that a self-defense class is something that has to be done regularly and with conviction, otherwise it'll just create a false sense of security, because she's "doing something". Muscle memory needs to be formed, and a proper response even when suddendly attacked.

True but it's better than many of the other options and it's totally legal far as I know.

It really isn't. Learning self defense in an area known for gang rapes is like going to the gym to get in shape and not having it count until you look like Schwarzenegger. I took Krav Maga for months when I lived in Oakland and the most important lesson I learned is that self defense martial arts are practically worthless outside of certain specific situations. She's not going to River Song her way through four or five guys who get the drop on her.

 Ketara wrote:

 flamingkillamajig wrote:


It may also be possible to make certain appeals. Get cops to patrol the area or something. Talk to law makers about this situation (and hope they don't drag their ***es on it). One time there had been break-ins around a neighborhood I was in and somebody often in the late hours would knock on my door (probably waiting for me to open the door so they could jump me). I looked from inside my place and nobody was outside. I called the police about it (not 911 but the department number) and described the situation and they said they'd send a car to patrol the area from time to time. I never heard a knock again at that time at night.

There's actually police tape and officers all over the area at this exact moment (I'm told). Multiple assaults by groups of men is taken quite seriously (I doubt the local constabulary wants a Cologne on their watch). That presence is a temporary measure though of course.

I'll suggest that she try and get the SU to press for more lighting to be placed. Considering that one of last night's assaults took place on a main road in front of an off-license though, I'm not sure what good that'll do....

Were these women attacked by themselves? If so perhaps you could make them go home in groups. If nothing else even if they do overpower the group of people saying one person couldn't get away and alert police would be hard to believe.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

 flamingkillamajig wrote:

 Witzkatz wrote:
It's important to take into account that a self-defense class is something that has to be done regularly and with conviction, otherwise it'll just create a false sense of security, because she's "doing something". Muscle memory needs to be formed, and a proper response even when suddendly attacked.

True but it's better than many of the other options and it's totally legal far as I know.

It really isn't. Learning self defense in an area known for gang rapes is like going to the gym to get in shape and not having it count until you look like Schwarzenegger. I took Krav Maga for months when I lived in Oakland and the most important lesson I learned is that self defense martial arts are practically worthless outside of certain specific situations. She's not going to River Song her way through four or five guys who get the drop on her.

Would you recommend she take the 'Nin-Jutsu' class so she can carry a boken or something instead then? I know martial arts have something of a mixed rep in real life situation, but the only experience I have is of Kendo/iaido based, so not really applicable to the bare-fist stuff.

It sounds like a few people ruined it for everyone by messing around with pepperspray and as a knee jerk reaction everyone was banned from having it.

sounds very silly to me.

Edit: 90% sure that nin jutsu class is a complete sham and a waste of time and money. most of those classes wont be of any use in actual situations. i think some one mentioned earlier its a false sense of security.
she really needs to aim for the nuts and run the feth away. assuming they come exactly from the front. and not blind side her and stuff.

 Ketara wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

 flamingkillamajig wrote:

 Witzkatz wrote:
It's important to take into account that a self-defense class is something that has to be done regularly and with conviction, otherwise it'll just create a false sense of security, because she's "doing something". Muscle memory needs to be formed, and a proper response even when suddendly attacked.

True but it's better than many of the other options and it's totally legal far as I know.

It really isn't. Learning self defense in an area known for gang rapes is like going to the gym to get in shape and not having it count until you look like Schwarzenegger. I took Krav Maga for months when I lived in Oakland and the most important lesson I learned is that self defense martial arts are practically worthless outside of certain specific situations. She's not going to River Song her way through four or five guys who get the drop on her.

Would you recommend she take the 'Nin-Jutsu' class so she can carry a boken or something then? I know martial arts have something of a mixed rep in real life situation, but the only experience I have is of Kendo/iaido based, so not really applicable to the bare-fist stuff.

Alternatively, take up LARPing as a wizard. Gives her a reason to carry a heavy wooden staff in case she needs to go Gandalf on somebody


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Desubot wrote:
It sounds like a few people ruined it for everyone by messing around with pepperspray and as a knee jerk reaction everyone was banned from having it.

sounds very silly to me.

That sounds like a lot of UK law, with special emphasis on UK drug law.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
She's not going to River Song her way through four or five guys who get the drop on her.

^

As my sensei once said, the best solution to confrontation is to run like a mad bat mother fether out of hell!

The idea that you can just learn some kung fu on the weekends and then take out a band of potential rapists in a 4v1 fight only happens in Hollywood. Even in a 1v1 fight, it's a huge risk because the attack could just get angrier, have a knife, or who knows what. The best solution is always to run, and do whatever is necessary to assure escape.

 A Town Called Malus wrote:


Alternatively, take up LARPing as a wizard. Gives her a reason to carry a heavy wooden staff in case she needs to go Gandalf on somebody

'Honestly Officer, I was just trying to cast Magic Missile, and my thumb slipped and used 'Head Crack' instead!'

I'd heard good things about Muay Thai, but as I said, I'm really no expert in the hand to hand stuff. By the sounds of things, it would be most advisable to just give her a legit reason to carry an actual weapon of some kind and training to use it. I know from my own training you can kill/hurt someone with little more than a stick if you know what you're doing with it.

 Kap'n Krump wrote:


But on-topic, my brother is a cop in the US and he has an extremely bright rapid-strobe flashlight meant to blind attackers. It is mounted on the bottom of his service pistol, though, so it's not exactly his last resort. You can try googling 'rapid strobe flashlights' for some options.

This is a good suggestion. Thank you.

 Ketara wrote:
As far as I'm aware, there's absolutely no mainstream political party that champions that sort of agenda.

I mean, that just seems incomprehensible. Here we are having a discussion because your lady friend justifiably fears being sexually assaulted to the point of wanting to obtain, let's be honest here, a weapon to defend herself but faces the problem of carrying whatever might be considered a weapon, even in the context of self-defense, being illegal. And you're telling me that there is nobody credible over there who can take up this issue as a matter of politics? It's an absolute paradox from my perspective.

 Medium of Death wrote:
Have you ever sprayed perfume/aftershave in your eye accidentally?

There's no reason why a woman wouldn't be carrying perfume in her handbag.

That gives her what, maybe a foot of range?

 Ketara wrote:

 A Town Called Malus wrote:


Alternatively, take up LARPing as a wizard. Gives her a reason to carry a heavy wooden staff in case she needs to go Gandalf on somebody

'Honestly Officer, I was just trying to cast Magic Missile, and my thumb slipped and used 'Head Crack' instead!'

I'd heard good things about Muay Thai, but as I said, I'm really no expert in the hand to hand stuff. By the sounds of things, it would be most advisable to just give her a legit reason to carry an actual weapon of some kind and training to use it. I know from my own training you can kill/hurt someone with little more than a stick if you know what you're doing with it.

 Kap'n Krump wrote:


But on-topic, my brother is a cop in the US and he has an extremely bright rapid-strobe flashlight meant to blind attackers. It is mounted on the bottom of his service pistol, though, so it's not exactly his last resort. You can try googling 'rapid strobe flashlights' for some options.

This is a good suggestion. Thank you.

I dunno I suggested a night watch, going home in groups, getting cops to patrol the area and I dunno. If running is the best option just have her run on a treadmill or in real life every day. I'm kinda out of suggestions over here.

UK law sounds like it'll ban everything from the dangerous to the merely annoying. Jeez I'd be surprised if the UK isn't entirely baby proofed. Seriously I understand having assault rifles (some types) legal in the usa is probably too far but UK law is very restrictive on the most basic types of self defense. How can you ban pepper spray? In the usa as long as you have a license it's totally fine far as I know.

 Ketara wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

 flamingkillamajig wrote:

 Witzkatz wrote:
It's important to take into account that a self-defense class is something that has to be done regularly and with conviction, otherwise it'll just create a false sense of security, because she's "doing something". Muscle memory needs to be formed, and a proper response even when suddendly attacked.

True but it's better than many of the other options and it's totally legal far as I know.

It really isn't. Learning self defense in an area known for gang rapes is like going to the gym to get in shape and not having it count until you look like Schwarzenegger. I took Krav Maga for months when I lived in Oakland and the most important lesson I learned is that self defense martial arts are practically worthless outside of certain specific situations. She's not going to River Song her way through four or five guys who get the drop on her.

Would you recommend she take the 'Nin-Jutsu' class so she can carry a boken or something instead then? I know martial arts have something of a mixed rep in real life situation, but the only experience I have is of Kendo/iaido based, so not really applicable to the bare-fist stuff.

I don't know, man. My wife carries pepper spray and an alarm and still calls for a security escort if she has to leave work after a certain hour. We also have maglites and those car windshield breakers everywhere, as well as a very scary dog for home defense. None of those sound like an option for her. If a martial arts class isn't too much of a burden and let's her walk around with a weapon, go for it. If she is in a drama class or artistically inclined, you could probably get away with carrying a display sword or something that she ostensibly uses for cosplay. A big padlock might be useful if she has a reason for it.

In all honesty, though, if there are gangs of violent guys about then she could do everything right and it still wouldn't save her. Minimizing the amount of time she spends in that neighborhood might be the best defense.

 Ketara wrote:

 A Town Called Malus wrote:


Alternatively, take up LARPing as a wizard. Gives her a reason to carry a heavy wooden staff in case she needs to go Gandalf on somebody

'Honestly Officer, I was just trying to cast Magic Missile, and my thumb slipped and used 'Head Crack' instead!'

I'd heard good things about Muay Thai, but as I said, I'm really no expert in the hand to hand stuff. By the sounds of things, it would be most advisable to just give her a legit reason to carry an actual weapon of some kind and training to use it.

Muay Thai is brutal and very effective but it's an art that involves a fair amount of brute force and getting really close to your opponent. It is not a defensive art but an offensive one. For beating the gak out of people, it works great, but for defending yourself from harm it is counter intuitive. And to be blunt, unless your girlfriend is very brawny, Muay Thai wouldn't help her much. It's physical intensive and you need to condition yourself a lot to make full use of it. Arts like Judo and Jujitsu with lots of grappling would also be counter intuitive. The last thing you want in a street fight where there may be multiple attackers is to be on the ground.

If you want to learn some basic self defense, and one that actually serves that purpose rather than something to boast about, Aikido is a good pick. It was specifically designed by its creator as a defensive art (as in for protecting yourself). You don't need much physical conditioning to use it, and it is predominantly about controlling an opponents ability to move and harm you rather than beating them senseless. The focus is on arm and wrist locks and simple throws that can be done while standing. There are several versions of Kung Fu that are also designed this way.

 Ketara wrote:


I'll be honest squire. I made this thread for the purpose of asking for suggestions to help my girlfriend.

Lots of people take self defense classes in the states. It doesn't have to be 3 hours every week for the rest of your life, either.

Some good tips here: http://mpdc.dc.gov/page/guarding-against-robbery-and-assault

Also, tell her to get a cheap bike. She will be a lot more mobile, and muggers/attackers are looking for easy targets. If it gets stolen, so what? It was a cheap bike.

 LordofHats wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
She's not going to River Song her way through four or five guys who get the drop on her.

^

As my sensei once said, the best solution to confrontation is to run like a mad bat mother fether out of hell!

The idea that you can just learn some kung fu on the weekends and then take out a band of potential rapists in a 4v1 fight only happens in Hollywood. Even in a 1v1 fight, it's a huge risk because the attack could just get angrier, have a knife, or who knows what. The best solution is always to run, and do whatever is necessary to assure escape.

And if all else fails, kick him 'inna fork!

 Manchu wrote:

 Ketara wrote:
As far as I'm aware, there's absolutely no mainstream political party that champions that sort of agenda.

I mean, that just seems incomprehensible. Here we are having a discussion because your lady friend justifiably fears being sexually assaulted to the point of wanting to obtain, let's be honest here, a weapon to defend herself but faces the problem of carrying whatever might be considered a weapon, even in the context of self-defense, being illegal. And you're telling me that there is nobody credible over there who can take up this issue as a matter of politics? It's an absolute paradox from my perspective.

I believe UKIP says you should be able to legally own a licensed handgun, but that's a bout it.

I mean, check out the vast number of signature on this recent petition on the subject.
https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/52631

The British, generally speaking, don't do weapons. That's why there's no belief that it's infringing on our rights. Because we generally don't care to have them. The only people who do are those who want to do nasty things with them. Obviously, the law is exceedingly broad here, and perhaps should be changed (certainly in the case of pepper spray), and I think that's because of the occasional knee-jerk legislative change (I know it was the case with katanas).

Compared to the US though, where everyone fights about your right to own and carry what can best be described as 'tactical arsenal', nobody here cares about such things. Mainly because it doesn't normally infringe on our lives. Crime rates have been going down for decades, so there just isn't the call for it.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

 Ketara wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

 flamingkillamajig wrote:

 Witzkatz wrote:
It's important to take into account that a self-defense class is something that has to be done regularly and with conviction, otherwise it'll just create a false sense of security, because she's "doing something". Muscle memory needs to be formed, and a proper response even when suddendly attacked.

True but it's better than many of the other options and it's totally legal far as I know.

It really isn't. Learning self defense in an area known for gang rapes is like going to the gym to get in shape and not having it count until you look like Schwarzenegger. I took Krav Maga for months when I lived in Oakland and the most important lesson I learned is that self defense martial arts are practically worthless outside of certain specific situations. She's not going to River Song her way through four or five guys who get the drop on her.

Would you recommend she take the 'Nin-Jutsu' class so she can carry a boken or something instead then? I know martial arts have something of a mixed rep in real life situation, but the only experience I have is of Kendo/iaido based, so not really applicable to the bare-fist stuff.

I don't know, man. My wife carries pepper spray and an alarm and still calls for a security escort if she has to leave work after a certain hour. We also have maglites and those car windshield breakers everywhere, as well as a very scary dog for home defense. None of those sound like an option for her. If a martial arts class isn't too much of a burden and let's her walk around with a weapon, go for it. If she is in a drama class or artistically inclined, you could probably get away with carrying a display sword or something that she ostensibly uses for cosplay. A big padlock might be useful if she has a reason for it.

In all honesty, though, if there are gangs of violent guys about then she could do everything right and it still wouldn't save her. Minimizing the amount of time she spends in that neighborhood might be the best defense.

If this happens mainly at night then never have her go outside in that neighborhood at night. If she'd need to go there and it's night time have her stay the night somewhere else and go back to her place during the day. I'm fairly sure you wouldn't mind keeping your girlfriend company during the night ;P.

Just keep in mind OP, if that maglite is used correctly, it can cause serious damage. Basically the way cops use it is you hold it near the light, with the long handle extending back toward your face. If the attacker keeps coming, youre already holding like a club or a bat, essentially like if you were testing it on your shoulder (its not long enough to reach your shoulder, but gives the mental image) If the guy keeps coming, you swi g for the face. Don't bother with anything else, aim for the face and skull.

Keep in mind if she's doing this correctly, even a fairly weak woman could cause serious brain damage or even kill the attacker with a solid enough metal flashlight. These things are brutal.

I know I'd rather be shot in the gut than be hit in the skull with a really solid maglite.

Additionally, if you go the maglite route, MAKE SURE SHE KNOWS THIS, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, IS MENTALLY PREPARED FOR IT. Bashing a guy in the face with something like that will not be pleasant. There will be blood, there will be other fluids, it will be very unpleasant. People make this mistake all the time in the USA when they decide to carry guns or knives. They think its gonna be all Hollywood and clean but when the moment comes its a horrible, traumatic experience, and they freeze up or panic.

 kronk wrote:


Also, tell her to get a cheap bike. She will be a lot more mobile, and muggers/attackers are looking for easy targets. If it gets stolen, so what? It was a cheap bike.

Now THAT is a good suggestion! You don't tend to hear about many people on wheels getting attacked for anything but a bike theft. I'll suggest that to her, definitely.

Thanks, Kronk Kronkington the first.

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
Just keep in mind OP, if that maglite is used correctly, it can cause serious damage. Basically the way cops use it is you hold it near the light, with the long handle extending back toward your face. If the attacker keeps coming, youre already holding like a club or a bat, essentially like if you were testing it on your shoulder (its not long enough to reach your shoulder, but gives the mental image) If the guy keeps coming, you swi g for the face. Don't bother with anything else, aim for the face and skull.

Keep in mind if she's doing this correctly, even a fairly weak woman could cause serious brain damage or even kill the attacker with a solid enough metal flashlight. These things are brutal.

I know I'd rather be shot in the gut than be hit in the skull with a really solid maglite

More useful information. Thank you.

 LordofHats wrote:


Muay Thai is brutal and very effective ....snip..... Kung Fu that are also designed this way.

This too.

 Ketara wrote:

 Manchu wrote:

 Ketara wrote:
As far as I'm aware, there's absolutely no mainstream political party that champions that sort of agenda.

I mean, that just seems incomprehensible. Here we are having a discussion because your lady friend justifiably fears being sexually assaulted to the point of wanting to obtain, let's be honest here, a weapon to defend herself but faces the problem of carrying whatever might be considered a weapon, even in the context of self-defense, being illegal. And you're telling me that there is nobody credible over there who can take up this issue as a matter of politics? It's an absolute paradox from my perspective.

I believe UKIP says you should be able to legally own a licensed handgun, but that's a bout it.

I mean, check out the vast number of signature on this recent petition on the subject.
https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/52631

The British, generally speaking, don't do weapons. That's why there's no belief that it's infringing on our rights. Because we generally don't care to have them. The only people who do are those who want to do nasty things with them. Obviously, the law is exceedingly broad here, and perhaps should be changed (certainly in the case of pepper spray), and I think that's because of the occasional knee-jerk legislative change (I know it was the case with katanas).

Compared to the US though, where everyone fights about your right to own and carry what can best be described as 'tactical arsenal', nobody here cares about such things. Mainly because it doesn't normally infringe on our lives. Crime rates have been going down for decades, so there just isn't the call for it.

Then why is this such a problem for you? If crime rates are going down why are you so stumped with how to handle these increasing rates of groping and possibly worse soon in your girlfriend's neighborhood? Clearly your laws aren't perfect or this wouldn't be a problem. I think we agree pepper spray should've been allowed to an extent or just some sort of preventative measure. They should have a clue how to handle this effectively rather than shrug their shoulders and say 'I dunno.'

Wasp spray is one of the best/worst available items you can spray in the eyes. Hell just breathing it in will cause massive coughing. Get it in the eyes and the dude is going to have to spend quite a while with his eyes under a water faucet before he is able to see without being in pain and might have to go to the hospital. If he goes blind, who cares? He is a scum bag anyway. Say she is allergic to bee stings so she carries the can just in case.

A large mag light is a good choice for multiple things. Although practicing with a similar item just to get a handle of how to use it and range will be required. Its the least effective thing I can think of.

Does she work with electronics or electricity? You can get your self a handy dandy line workers belt kit which has a razor on it with a handle designed for slicing open wire casing. Close in it would be an effective weapon as it is very sharp and would cause more damage than the maglight. Its a real tool so it should be legal.

I have a similar problem with my wife. She works often well after dark on a large campus in Central Florida with a large number of foreign students(almost 2/3s at her college), most are simply rude and obnoxious(more for cultural reasons than actual malice) but no doubt there are some dangerous ones, they are deported as fast as they are caught and paperwork done. Not to mention a high South/Central American population off campus including well known international gangs like the Latin Kings. The campus has an extremely high crime rate although most is not attributed to the campus for PR reasons and the chief is either incompetent, forced to follow a script, or simply has his head in the sand. A frat house on campus was robbed at gun point a few weeks back, never made the news. Thankfully they are about to pass a law in FL that allows concealed carriers to carry guns on campus. That will put my mind at ease quite a bit. She doesn't like guns but she can bulls-eye the hell out of targets with me distracting her at 10m with a .38. Not an option for you guys though, sadly. We will see in a few years how that opinion changes as violence increases in Europe in general and violent crimes here continue to decrease as gun ownership increases. Self defense is a human right and should not be legislated(Within reason of course).

One further comment earlier about a spray inconveniencing them short term and a bullet ending them forever. Yeah and? Rapists deserve to die. Anyone who preys on the weak deserves whats coming to them.

I didn't feel like going thru the whole thread but has anyone mentioned a kubaton. And if that doesn't pass you can get a pen that functions like one. They are very effective. But she would still need some training.