The Ultralight ‘Persuader’: I know many folks discuss carrying items for self-defence – and whether it is legal or not to do so. County.com’s Titanium Persuader is one such you might consider. US$45 (Sept 2018).
It weighs only 1.1 ounce (31 grams) and is milled from solid titanium bar. It certainly looks like an innocuous pen when not in use, complete with a handy pocket clip. I’m sure you have encountered situations where something like this might have been handy though most everyone wishes we hadn’t. It works on the theory that when someone else realizes that you have ‘fangs’ they are much more likely to back away.
Here’s what they say about it: ‘Only you will know of its power to move through a crowd persuading others until it’s too late. When properly used The Persuader will allow you to make others move, turn, and even drop to their knees when necessary. Many will just plain run once they have had a taste of the persuader.’ Well!
Here are some other options. These you can actually write with as well: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tactical-pens/ . They might be a more apt defence against a suggestion that you are ‘going armed’. I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that it Government’s prime duty to defend its citizens – in which case it is wholly inappropriate for it to ban citizens from being able to defend themselves. If (especially women) were legally allowed to carry mace or capsicum spray and/or tasers I feel there would be many fewer (successful) assaults on them.
See Also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tactical-pens/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-stun-gun/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/great-way-to-advertise-a-shanghai/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-diy-gunsmith/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/poachers-moon/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pocket-slingshot/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/small-thin-pocket-knives/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/credit-card-knives/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/guns/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/packable-rifle/
PS: You can’t carry anything at all for personal defence in Victoria. To do so carries a 14 year penalty. Year before last I spent months fighting being caught at the airport on my way to NZ with a fruit knife ie a pocket knife with a blade less than 50 cm – even though I was also carrying fruit! One of the these, which are so ingenious, beautiful and useful at 24 grams. This one had been a gift which I had completely forgotten was in my wallet. I had been through airport security with it a number of times.
They were seriously going to charge me with carrying a ‘prohibited weapon’ ie akin to a machine gun or a bazooka. A young ‘lady’ cop was the problem, one who, as I said to her, could not tell the difference between the bad guys she did not have the courage to pursue and a retired farmer who had never hurt anyone in his life and was therefore ‘easy game’ for her litigation.
I employed a specialist lawyer who demanded a copy of the law she was wanting to charge me under. She could not find it, but still wanted to make a nuisance of herself. I went to the Firearms Officer and transferred all the guns into Della’s name because as soon as she charged me they would cancel my Firearms Licence. This cost me over $300 (for which reason I still have not transferred them back).
The Firearms Officer contacted her supervising sergeant who managed to persuade her that there were other more dangerous felons she should pursue, but not before I had to upgrade my firearms security to an impregnable safe which would normally cost over $1,000, even though (as I told him – and he agreed) there was nothing illegal about me having loaded firearms leaning up against the wall when I was home – and they had been quite safe in my old storage cabinet for 35 years.
They never returned my confiscated fruit knife. Nonetheless a very stressful three months, and considerable costs. If it had not been for the intervention of the Firearms Officer I would have lost all respect for the police. I don’t have a lot now though all the same.
Conclusions: While such knives are beautiful, ingenious and very very useful – I would not recommend carrying one in the State of Victoria – though they might in fact be legal. Anyway, don’t try to take one through Airport Security.
Sorry to read about your hassle. – Just an idea I’d like to add: a tent peg can be pretty similar to the “persuader”.
Thank you Tim. I think a tent peg might stand out a bit more in the main thoroughfare of a major city. The idea behind these ‘tactical pens’ etc is that they give you something solid you could use in an emergency to show that your bite is worse than your bark without necessarily being obvious or illegal to carry. A friend of mine always has a large wire brush in his car. He reckons that anyone clouted with a wire brush has about a thousand puncture wounds all of a sudden which gives them something else to think about other than assaulting or robbing you!You are not allowed to carry an axe handle or a baseball bat or a monkey wrench, etc. Of course the bad guys carry all sorts of nasty stuff!