In the hierarchy of everyday self-defense weapons, a concealed firearm is clearly near the top of the pyramid. Of course, concealed handguns are also bulky, heavy, and illegal many situations.
But it’s not what’s at the top of the list that I’m interested in for the purpose of this article. Instead, I want to draw attention to an everyday object that’s a lot higher on the pyramid than most people think. Yes, I’m talking about the fire extinguisher.
About 95% of the preppers I know carry a locking blade pocketknife. Many of them seem to think their knife puts them at a great advantage in a confrontation.
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A knife may serve to intimidate your opponent, but I’d rather have a fire extinguisher any day…
Why? Think about it… a fire extinguisher shoots a powdery mist of chemicals with an effective range of 12-15 feet. You can temporarily blind an attacker with that, and irritate his air passages. Simply being sprayed directly in the face with that chemical crap is enough to send most to the ER.
If he still wants to come at you with his 4″ knife, you have an 20″ metal tank to beat him with… and the good news is that almost any contact you make, even if the opponent blocks it with a forearm, will do damage.
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Sure, it’s not as effective as a gun (if you’re trained), or perhaps pepper spray, or perhaps even a broadsword, but a fire extinguisher is a lot more formidable than most people give it credit for.
Maybe it’s time to take an inventory of all the fire extinguishers are in your day-to-day life — at home, at work, in public buildings, etc. — with fresh eyes.
Fire extinguishers are just one everyday item that can easily beat what conventional wisdom tells us are effective weapons. Click here to see a few more everyday objects that can save your life.
From what I have heard and seen, the vast majority of attackers use hand guns. A few might have knives.
Just remember, though, it takes several seconds to remove the FE from the bracket, break the seal, pull the pin, and aim. A knife can be lunged and stabbed in that same amount of time. This idea could be useful if a person was a bystander and wanted to help someone in distress.
A can of wasp and hornet spray, with a concentrated stream out to about 22 feet, also puts up a pretty effective defense.