| Awareness, Preparation, and a Strong Will to | | | | do not require the use of a weapon. |
| Survive may be the best and sometimes the only | | | | Criminals are often predatory in nature. They can |
| self defense tools you can carry with you at all | | | | attack at will or may choose to stalk a victim for |
| times. However, it does not hurt to take along a | | | | longer periods of time; learning your habits and |
| little back-up! | | | | determining the best place and time to execute |
| You probably don't think daily about what you | | | | an attack upon you; their unsuspecting victim. |
| would or could do to stop an attack, if you were | | | | Ultimately, your first line of defense is YOU. Be |
| ever attacked. The key word in your brain is "IF" | | | | aware of your surroundings at all times, by taking |
| and for many people "IF" equates to "That will | | | | notice of people and objects that seem out of |
| never happen to me!" or "I live in a nice | | | | place. Be on guard whenever a stranger |
| neighborhood and those things don't happen here!" | | | | approaches you or is watching you; even if they |
| Then, something happens, you may hear about a | | | | appear harmless. Have you ever noticed someone |
| home invasion in the area, a rape or a mugging on | | | | watching you and felt the hair stand up on the |
| a nightly news report, or you read an article in a | | | | back of your neck. Your natural survival instincts |
| newspaper or online. You may be walking home | | | | are giving you fair warning to a potential danger. |
| and notice someone following you or watching | | | | Pay attention! Your awareness of your |
| you and you get an uneasy feeling. These events | | | | surroundings can give you the extra seconds you |
| trigger a natural fear response in your brain and | | | | may need to prepare for defensive action or to |
| cause you to take positive action toward not | | | | get help. |
| becoming a victim. You begin thinking about | | | | At some time in the past, you might have |
| purchasing a non-lethal self defense product; such | | | | thought about buying a non-lethal self defense |
| as pepper spray, a stun gun, or a Taser. | | | | product, but always stopped when you got to the |
| Most self defense products will have varying level | | | | question, "Which product is best or which type of |
| of effectiveness, depending on the different | | | | self defense product(s) should I buy?" You may |
| situations that you may encounter. Your comfort | | | | have heard from co-workers, friends or a relative |
| level in using these devices and your personal level | | | | about how the pepper spray they carry is the |
| of commitment to stopping the attack may | | | | best or how the stun gun they bought is the |
| ultimately determine the final outcome. Pepper | | | | most powerful stun gun you can buy or how |
| sprays, stun guns and Tasers all work effectively | | | | effective that new Taser they bought will be in |
| in overlapping defensive situations. However, not | | | | stopping an attacker in their tracks, IF they ever |
| all self defense products are created equally; | | | | need it. It is important to to understand that all |
| different threat levels and different situations may | | | | the pepper spray in the world and all the high |
| call for you to deploy a specific type of self | | | | voltage that a stun gun can generate are useless |
| defense weapon or sometimes more than one | | | | if the person carrying the device is unsure of their |
| self defense weapon may be needed. Whenever | | | | ability to use it, uncommitted in stopping the |
| possible, you should not rely solely on one line of | | | | attack, and under the impression that they'll never |
| defense; while realizing that all defensive actions | | | | need to use it. |