(Continued from Part 5. This concludes the article.)
Fire
I’ve saved what will probably be the most controversial type of weapon for last – the use of fire for self-defense. Humans have an instinctual fear of fire, so you can harness that fear by adding fire-based weapons to your potential arsenal. There are a number of such options you should consider, but be aware that carrying pretty much any of these during ‘normal time will most likely get you in trouble with law enforcement.
- Molotov Cocktail – This is any breakable container filled with flammable liquid with a soaked wick sticking out – you light the wick, throw it and watch it break and burn. However, you first need to forget everything you’ve seen about them in the movies – modern glass bottles are designed not to break, so getting them to break on anything other than a hard surface like concrete or brick is very difficult. They can also be very dangerous to the person using them, since any gas spilled on your hands or clothing can catch you on fire. That being said, there may be scenarios where you can find smaller glass bottles you can fill with flammable liquid and store safely, which means without the wicks in them. However, in order to use them you’ll need to have the time to take them out, remove the cap or cover, stuff the wick in, allow the wick to soak up some fluid, then light them on fire and throw them onto a hard surface in front of or next to your attackers. A defense scenario with that amount of reaction time is probably not going to happen often enough to justify trying to carry them.
- Propane torch – A small propane torch that you find or buy can be an extremely effective way to deter an attacker. Try to find one with a trigger start so you don’t have to hold up a lighter to start it. There’s also going to be a short delay when deploying it since you’ll need to turn on the gas before you can light it.
- Flammable aerosol – You can do just like James Bond did and light the stream coming out of many types of aerosol cans such as deodorant, hairspray, WD-40, etc. Keep in mind that there are many ways this can go wrong and backfire on you, especially if you try to keep up a continuous stream for a long period of time.
- Flammable liquid – Fill a small plastic HDPE or aluminum squirt bottle with a flammable liquid like gasoline, lighter fluid, kerosene, etc., and when you’re attacked pull it out and squirt your attacker(s). Where you squirt them doesn’t matter, as long as they get some on them. Then light up your Zippo lighter and threaten to throw it at them if they don’t skedaddle. Note that a Bic-style lighter won’t work, since it will go out if you throw it. A 4oz. Zippo lighter fluid can also works well, since it’s designed to hold flammable liquid and it can squirt a decent distance.
- Torch – Wrap some 100% cotton material tightly around the end of a stick, soak it in flammable liquid and light it on fire. Swinging it in front of you will tend to keep most attackers at bay (human or otherwise). Keep in mind you’ll have many of the same issues as a Molotov cocktail – you’ll either have to carry something soaked in flammable liquid around with you, or hope an attacker will give you time to soak it and light it.
- Flare – Swinging a lit road flare in front of you will keep most attackers at bay, assuming you can keep them in front of you and you’ve got a backup plan for when the flare runs out. You can also use a flare gun to shoot flares at an attacker, although those are typically a lot harder to find than road flares. You can also break up road flares into smaller pieces and use a lighter to ignite them for a great fire starter.
Continue reading“Alternative and Improvised Weapons – Part 6, by J.M.”
