Home Defense the Non-Lethal Way by Shane Hurkmans
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There are several options when it comes to defending your home. Locks and alarms don’t always keep the determined criminal out. Owning a firearm for home defense is one choice but in some cases having a firearm in the home is not possible. What are the alternatives when someone decides to break into a home? There are non-lethal ways to defend a home with or without having guns in the house. I would recommend the use of one of these methods that will best suits your needs.
First, I’m going to talk about products that everyone can use safely in the home. Mace, pepper spray, and stun guns are the way to go. Why these and not a bat? First and foremost you don’t want to get that close to someone that just broke in to your home. Mace is a great way to protect yourself without getting too close. Some cans of mace will shoot out to 50 feet. You can find mace in stores but I find that the pepper spray used for bear’s works the best. I have used this spray and I can tell you “do not get this in your eyes.” When using this in the home, you can spray down a hallway and make the person think twice before going any farther. If you have to defend yourself or others in the home with mace, you can retreat while backing off from the person. The good thing about a can of mace is that everyone in the house can use it. If you decide to use a can of mace please make sure that everyone knows how to use the mace and understand what it can do. With kids, make sure that they understand that mace is not a toy and what to do with it if they need to use it.
There are other ways that mace can be used. They have mace balls that can be shot from paint ball guns. A hand full of these going down range will stop someone in a hurry and if you hit the person with one you can be sure they will remember it. First the sting of the ball hitting them and then the sting of the mace is a two for one sale there.
Stun guns are another great way to stop someone. Stun guns are different than a tazer, stun guns gives you one or two little probes that shoot out from the gun. This can give you space from the person that has entered the home. You have to face the person to use the stun gun, but if you hit the person with one of these guns it will stop them in an incapacitating way. The distance from the person depends on the model of stun gun you buy. Getting shocked is not my idea of fun. You can get these guns in different powers or voltages. This depends on price and how much you would like to spend on one. I would recommend that you buy what you can afford.
For those of you that have guns in the home and would like to defend your home in a non-lethal manner, you have a few more options. You have beanbags, rubber balls, Mace balls and other substitutes. Beanbags are great way to stop a person. Hitting them with a bag out of a 20 or 12 gage will nock them down. With shooting beanbags you don’t have to worry about the bag going through a wall and into a room where loved ones are sleeping. I have seen mace shells for a shotgun on the Internet and on TV but I have never used them or seen them in person. What I have seen with these mace balls is that some of the balls blow up at the end of the barrel, not reaching its intended target.
If you choose to use a gun loaded with mace, beanbags, or rubber balls make sure that the shells are placed in a spot that you won’t mix them with your other shells. Mark them so everyone knows what they are and no how to load them.
I hope this gives you some insight on how to protect your family without being lethal and yet still provide protection for your home. Stay safe out there and remember to always follow the rules with any firearm or home defense product.