Ditto - not as a weapon, just as a tool. The issue about them getting used against you is a question of training. And it is a great leveller / force multiplier. I absolutely agree that self-defence is 95% mental and avoidance etc. But if it does become physical - as a 300lb 6'4'' fighter* I've trained with a number of ladies (and smaller men) and generally they will need to be very good technically to overcome the size difference. A knife with much less training will balance things out. (*I maybe bigger (read: fatter) than a lot of frat boys, but there are plenty of big strong athlete types on campus who will present a similar challenge)
Presuming sufficient training, it then becomes a question of deployment. I'm guessing the college student who goes around with a knife in a quick-draw sheath is not as likely to attract the social circle that would be the best form of protection. Remembering that pockets are not as ubiquitous on women's clothing as on men's.
Agreed - I think in an earlier post I referred to the benefits of tools that can be in hand when needed (e.g. torch in a darkly lit room). Deployment would be part of training. (I'm actually not much in favour of blades as self defence tools generally, for a whole bunch of reasons that would derail this thread. But in response to the OP asking about what could a girl in college carry, I keep coming back to it as an option just because of the reduced lack of force needed)
Rape-attack alarms work...if they do not sound like a car alarm. But the alarm should be accompanied by shouts for help and the attempt to flee to a crowded area As for the knife, Hannibal maybe well trained-versed with it, but a female who does not have these skills, may wind up with it taken away, or her not being able to deploy it for some reason
You missed the point about carrying - because it is massively useful outside of "SD" it becomes habitual...I feel naked without a knife and it is not just down to my Viking obsession As for training, that is a given with anything. Give your daughter a marker pen and then take it off her...is it easy? That is how even an untrained person can wreak havoc (no pun intended) with a sharp pointy thing
funny story... we were learning knife techniques years ago at my hapkido school--wow over a decade ago now. stumbled upon this video one night putzing around the interwebs. really kind of changed my life and thinking about what i was learning. [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk-EVLyIpts"]Paul Vunak Knife Philosophy - YouTube[/ame] go to :38 for the quote hanni is referencing.
If it's on a night out, it will have to be in a handbag. Of course, a rape alarm on a keyring would as well, but I'd say that most people would be more likely to feel okay about pulling their keys out if their spider-sense starts tingling, over pulling out a blade with the thought that they might have to slice someone up. Not to mention the legal aspects of brandishing a weapon before a clear threat to one's safety is made. By the time the intention to pull the blade is strong enough to actually do it, where is the handbag and how accessible is it? An alarm won't be used against you. It is not likely to escalate a situation. If it attracts other people you are in a better situation than being alone with a knife in a fight. You won't go to prison or get sued for using one, and you won't get PTSD from memories of slicing someone up (which will significantly increase your risk of suicide).
I've said before we used to have rape alarms on every till when I did a Saturday job at M&S. Sometimes they'd roll off the till and land top down and go off. They are not something you can ignore and they make anyone within 40 foot turn and look (and will the damn thing to stop!). That seems a much more useful thing to deploy than a blade even if the person deploying it has the guts to actually knife someone.
Even if no-one does come to investigate, it will still be shocking and distracting for any ne'er-do-well. I just think that pulling a knife would likely escalate the level of violence, if it has already turned into a violent situation. Let's not forget that most rapes will not be an attack from some balaclava'd stranger. They will be a very slow escalation from someone the girl thinks they can trust. At what point does the knife come out? If a friend is taking liberties and not taking no for an answer, an alarm is a good shocker to escape the situation that doesn't need a level of intent necessary to spray the blood of someone you thought of as friendly all over the walls.
Or let's look at another common situation for girls of that age: she's out with a guy and he gets attacked. Is that situation helped by her pulling a knife and attacking his assailants? Or would pulling the pin on her rape alarm and calling the cops be more likely to produce a better outcome for all involved?
And again in 99% of cases they remain unused whereas an EDC has a myriad of additional uses - plus this is in the US where you can get a gun free with your cornflakes* A woman being attacked by a male is unlikely to be in the same "escalate" category as a male vs male ego battle....they likely will either want the bag (give it to them) or to sexually assault you - in which case it is already pretty escalated. Thats a little like suggesting we do not teach physical skills of any kind in case that escalates too Granted a blade has inherent lethality, but a cut assailant is far less likely to return to "up the ante" whereas a bruised one just might Again given my blade bias my opinion may be colored, but untrained with a knife is infinitely more dangerous than untrained with a rape alarm *blatantly untrue stereotype
Chances of having a rape alarm within arms reach in those type of scenarios are exceptionally low, so I would instead suggest vocal and physical interraction I am not anti rape alarm, nor suggesting a panacea - but given teh OP set up (mum wants her to have a tool) it makes sense to have one that can be used regardless of teh minute chance of having to deploy it combatively
Absolutely. But the goal isn't to be dangerous is it? The goal is to carry something that the person will actually use, in a place they can access it, in the kind of situation they will need to access it and that will ultimately keep a person safe. Although to be sure being a blade wielding berserker shield maiden is a fairly reliable way to prevent being assaulted.
Yes, but I'd say more dangerous to all involved. As for someone who wants her bag - isn't the advice always to hand your bag over?
Unless the guy's life was in immediate danger - and she had the training to assess that, I would suggest that going to lethal force with a deadly weapon would not be a smart option.