How Do I Defend Myself Without Firearms?

A reader emailed me the other day and asked: “I live in the UK and sometimes in Spain. We do not have access to firearms and even carrying a knife will get a citizen into trouble. We have no amendments which gives us rights. Some farmers can have a shotgun but have to have it licensed which means very heavy regulation, My question is that I’m disaster planning how do we defend ourselves without guns.”

My Answer

Well, that is a tough question because there’s nothing even remotely as effective as a firearm for personal self defense; not even a large knife would be nearly as useful. Add in the fact that you’re willfully choosing to prepare yourself for times when, I assume, resources will be scarce and people are desperate and that’s a recipe for trouble. Oddly, if you were merely one of the unprepared masses then you might be less of a target and, hence, in less need for self defense, all other things being equal.

The obvious answers might include stocking up on nonlethal options like pepper spray, a stun gun, or telescoping baton (if any of these are even legal where you live) or relying on makeshift weapons like a baseball bat or a large wrench, for example. Unfortunately, most of these nonlethal or makeshift items either won’t incapacitate an attacker or are too unwieldy to use indoors, in my opinion; I guess they’re still better than having nothing. Others might suggest using cans of wasp spray or similar items, but these could be considered illegal to use for such purposes as well, even in the States. Even suggestions I’ve seen like cans of bear spray aren’t ideal and may be detrimental to you! And, while knowing some sort of martial arts could prove useful too, I wouldn’t rely on just those skills either.

Out of curiosity, I found this YouTube video to be of interest for home self-defense without a firearm and I believe he makes some good points to consider:

Beyond that, I’d say the most important thing to consider is how not to make yourself a target to begin with. That is, if it’s obvious to everyone around you that you have plenty of food, water, medicine, and so on then they’re going to come to you looking for it whether you want them to or not. As such, you need to keep quiet about what you have, where you have it, and who you tell. That is, don’t tell all of your neighbors, friends, and family that you’re preparing UNLESS you want or expect to survive with these people. Of course, there is something to be said for safety in numbers, so if you can surround yourself with trustworthy people then that would likely be better than going it alone in most cases. This could simply be you and your neighbors choosing to band together in some fashion, or it could be your friends from another city.

If that’s not possible and you have to go it alone, then I would suggest that when times are tough you do your best to keep your activities under wraps. This could include boarding up windows to reduce light leaking out at nighttime or cooking indoors (if you’re able to do so safely). It could also mean not using gear like generators or chainsaws in order to reduce noise. Whatever you can do to reduce attracting attention is probably good to consider. Of course, this is likely solid advice no matter whether you’re surviving alone or with others.

What if you have to defend yourself against several or dozens of attackers? Well, that’s going to be a losing situation for you, especially without a firearm, proper training, and a serious defensive plan in place. Thus, your best bet is probably going to be to evacuate which means you’re going to have to have a plan for that in place, a rendezvous point, supplies to rely upon (when you get there), and maybe even an action plan to retake your home, but all of that is beyond the scope of this answer. Just start to think about what you would do if you did have to evacuate for whatever reason.

I should point out that I do know people who choose to prepare themselves for disasters and also choose not to own firearms here in the States. I don’t think it’s a good plan, but it is possible to prepare yourself without firearms and certainly better than having no supplies to rely upon.

Note to readers: The next day I realized that I didn’t say everything I wanted to in my email response and added the following: I got to thinking about this more and I remembered a video I shared on my blog a while back that may be of interest to you as well about home defense 101.

Hope that helps.