What do you carry when you can't carry a gun?

[Rainbow Demon]

A stout cane of dense wood or practically anything that can be used as a club is a better defensive weapon than a knife.
If you swing with authority and they manage to block then you'll have likely disabled one of their arms. The pain of being struck with a heavy object is much greater than a more serious wound with a knife.

Connect with the skull and they will be dazed, while a slash to the face may hurt and frighten, a cracked skull is far more likely to disable.
A cane gives much greater reach than a knife and while you can block or divert a knife thrust with a cane, you aren't likely to divert a thrust or blow from a cane with a knife.

I used to own a sword cane, but since this was as much a deadly weapon as a pistol would be, and probably illegal almost everywhere in the U. S., I gave it away.

They used to sell a very neat small folding hatchet that would fit in a back pocket. I always wanted one of those.
I have a folding pocket saw that opens with a flick of the wrist and locks securely, that would make some guesome and extremely painful slashing wounds.

[flyinpolack]

Phone, wallet, keys.
And sometimes chap stick

[WIN71]

I'm looking for something small, effective easy, quick to deploy that can be kept in a suit.

A roll of quarters comes to mind. Tape the ends.

A stout cane of dense wood or practically anything that can be used as a club is a better defensive weapon than a knife.

Tightly rolled newspaper to about 1.5 inch diameter used as a poker/roll of quarters, is handy.

[michael t]

Cold Steel XL Voyager. always clipped on my jeans . I stay out of Federal buildings and court houses. That what I have a wife and 3 daughters for .

[Jammer Six]

Nothing.

[redhologram]

I tend to dress to where I can always carry. But I also carry my Bear Grylls knife as well.
Having said that, I believe some of my 4" heels would be considered a weapon.... lol
But I like to rely on a heightened sense of awareness to my surroundings and my brains first and foremost. Everything else I consider accessories.

[Tactical Jackalope]

Not big on knives.

I just have my

fists, elbows, feet, knees, and shins.

I'm alright.

[9ballbilly]

a CRKT ripple folding knife always. pepper spray when we're bike riding, in case of aggressive dogs, rather discourage them than shoot them. People too for that matter.

[Deaf Smith]

What do I carry?

Hands and feet mostly. Been in martial arts since college back in the '70s.

I guess, this being Texas, I could pack my Blackjack knife. It's a 5.45 inch fixed blade fighter (they don't make it anymore.) See a fixed blade has many advantages over a folder and in Texas the legal limit is below 5 1/2 inch. Hence the 5.45 inch (measured with capers from tip to hilt.)

And I might add pepper spray to that to.

Deaf

[dayman]

When I can't carry a gun what I carry is, less money than it would be worth someones time to steal. Though, I carry that when I do have a gun too.
Also, I guess a pocket knife - though the prospect of getting in a knife fight seems less appealing to me than throwing someone my wallet.
Like a lot of other people have said, I think attitude's most important - just be a less appealing target than the guy a block behind you, and you'll be all set.

This thread actually raised some questions for me.
For those of you that carry multiple knives: Is the plan to use more than one at a time?
Having been in a fight or two - though thankfully never one involving knives - it seems like keeping a hand free to grab your attacker with would be a good thing. It also seems like having something sharp attached to both hands at the same time is just asking to cut yourself.
Or is the idea that if you have a knife in every pocket one will always be in reach?
On that front, I just have a hard time imagining a place that I'd have better/faster access to than my front right pocket. Also I'd be worried that keeping a knife in the same pocket as my phone would risk scratching the screen.

I'm trying hard to keep an open mind to the idea, I just can honestly say I've never felt the need to carry more than one knife - at least when I'm not hunting.

[m&p45acp10+1]

Where I work at I am not allowed to carry even a pocket knife. Not even allowed to have one in my car. I carry my wits with me where I go. My gun never makes me feel more secure when I carry it. Bad things happen to people regardless of if they have a weapon or not. When I carry I act the same as if I were not carrying one at all. It keeps me from getting into situations, and from going places I would not have if I did not have it on me.

[Win73]

Nothing i don't feel that threatened to need to.

I don't carry because I "feel threatened." If I felt threatened about a place or situation, I would avoid it. I don't think my house is going to burn down but I carry fire insurance. I don't think anyone is going to try to break into my house tonight but I already have locked the doors.

I am sure those teachers and students at Sandy Hook didn't feel threatened either.

[Win73]

I believe some of my 4" heels would be considered a weapon

Back in my LEO days, the worst I saw anyone beat up was a fellow whose woman (don't remember if they were married or not) had used a high heel shoe on him. His face looked like hamburger.

[Win73]

I used to have a .32 acp Davis Derringer that I carried when I couldn't carry a gun. As long as there wasn't a metal detector, I carried it. I just dropped it in my pocket and it disappeared. My keys and change in my other pocket made more of lump than it did. Then the Ruger LCP came out. I got one of those. I didn't feel quite so undergunned with it.

Of course, now that I am retired and seldom go anywhere I am not supposed to carry, I carry the LCP in a belt holster that looks like a large cell phone case and usually have my S&W Airweight .38 snub in my pocket.

[johnwilliamson062]

"Tactical pen". A lot of times it is all I carry when I can carry a gun.

[Ben Towe]

For those of you that carry multiple knives: Is the plan to use more than one at a time? Having been in a fight or two - though thankfully never one involving knives - it seems like keeping a hand free to grab your attacker with would be a good thing. It also seems like having something sharp attached to both hands at the same time is just asking to cut yourself.

No, I don't plan on using them at the same time. The punch dagger around my neck is really a last ditch weapon. If my right arm is immobilized or if my pocket knife is knocked away is when it would come into play. It (the dagger) is unsuitable for cutting or slashing. It is only intended to stab. Driven into the solar plexus, groin, or throat, it would create a pretty bad wound. Obviously, it (any knife, for that matter) can only be used in a situation where deadly force is authorized.

[1stmar]

A little more info on my ask... I may be frequenting a state I do not have a ccw for (and likely could not get) and I will not be able to avoid areas that I would deem unsafe and that offer limited escape paths. Therefore I am looking for recommended weapons, beyond my brain, wits etc.. As previously said I am situationally aware and have some formal training and experience in these situations (mostly with handguns), I am an ex-marine and have had more then my share of bar room brawls and street fights. I know to look for every object I can possibly turn into a weapon, but having one in my grasp, that I am familiar with is beneficial. Certainly knives and pens rise to the top of my list, but I am no expert w either. Are there better ones then others? Specifically knives, I want something small, easily concealable that can be put into action quickly and effectively.

[Theohazard]

I may have missed it (I just skimmed most of the answers), but it looks like no one has mentioned flashlights yet. I carry a knife and a flashlight at all times, and if I didn't have my gun with me that flashlight would be the first thing I pulled out.

My Surefire E2D Defender has crenellations designed to be used as an impact weapon, but to me the blinding effect of the super-bright beam (even in daylight) is more effective for self-defense than a knife or impact weapon.

[Inspector3711]

A mean right hook. It's quicker than any other weapon I own

[Deaf Smith]

I believe some of my 4" heels would be considered a weapon

In many states a shod food IS CONSIDERED A DEADLY WEAPON if used to kick or stomp someone.

Deaf

[Frank Ettin]

Originally Posted by Deaf Smith

In many states a shod food IS CONSIDERED A DEADLY WEAPON...

Deaf, I think you meant "foot", rather than a reference to my aunt's cooking.

[MLeake]

Generally, the only places I go where guns are not allowed, also do not allow knives.

So, odds are that if I can't carry a gun, the only weapon I will have will be something makeshift, such as a truck key in a closed fist, protruding between two fingers.

But, as others have noted, I always have my mind, and I am reasonably good at empty handed tactics, too.

[SgtLumpy]

One Mind Any Weapon.

Do not make the potentially fatal error of thinking that it's the WEAPON that makes the difference between winning and losing a fight.


Sgt Lumpy - n0eq

[Single Six]

Cold Steel Rajah II, or another CS blade, the Extra Large G-10 Espada.

[Deaf Smith]

Deaf, I think you meant "foot", rather than a reference to my aunt's cooking.

Either one Frank can be deadly!

But yes, in LFI-1 class Mas Ayoob told us of court cases where they ruled a shod FOOT could be consider a deadly weapon when used to kick or stomp someone.

Actually it's MY cooking that is deadly, not my wife's.

Deaf