never, thank god....Northern Ireland back in the early 90's, British Military....and went spec ops for a couple of years, worked all over the world...loved it...got mates out in Afghanistan, spec ops and ex spec ops working private contracts and its a battle we can't win...so i'm happy im out of it. hats off to those who've done a tour though!!!

I was there in '06, I worked with Brit spec ops a couple of times. Nearly bought it the first time. Unlike some of the military over there, the Brits were professional. I'd work with them again anytime.

yes mate, can't comment on the state of things in 2006, but in 92 it was bad. i was three days before my first contact...18 years old. best training ground in the world though...miss it...good times 🙂

sorry mate ...miss read it...you were out in the Stan in 2006....got it. hats off to you brother.

Afghanistan in 2006. But I was also in Northern Ireland. That was in 2000 and I was on holiday, no shootin'. Got enough of that in Kosovo.

too many people think that they can just pick up a gun and start banging away at predators. There is a large phsycological part of it. In the army, the training is geared to help soldiers overcome that barrier. We're taught from birth, both socially and morally that killing is wrong. The first time you are placed in that situation, you come up against that barrier. No one knows for certain if they can squeeze the trigger until the time comes. A lot of people will say "Oh I'd have no problem doing it". The fact of the matter is, you don't know until you're there. But, you hesitate, you die.
The first time I was faced with it, I didn't hesitate, I squeezed and I was able to walk away. I spent a lot of time thinking about it and eventually realized that at that crucial moment I had used a trick my father taught me about deer hunting. I had also spent a lot of time in the years prior, going over countless scenarios in my head. Everyone will have their own way to prepare but the only way, is to try and develop the mindset ahead of time.

Agreed, and the exact point I was trying to make, just made a little more articulatly. If anyone reading this is interested there's a book out by an ex squaddie called Dave Grossman called 'On Killing". He coins the term "killology". He still does a lot of speeches/ confrences but you'd be lucky to get a seat. His talks are booked out months in advance by LEO's.

Now for a quick mention of a weapon ignored for its value as a weapon, think of the cane - the invisible weapon.

YES, and then attach that spike on the bottom to grab on snow and ice and you have something very legal to defend yourself. Great idea.

To reiterate a previous post. Even experts have had their weapon taken away and used against them. So, whatever you choose, learn how to use it before you try anything. Years ago, as a karate instructor, I constantly reminded my students, practice any technique a minimum of a 1000 times before you even consider using it for real.

I have read some of the posts on this from the beginning and have one point for all of you, if like me your self defence weapon is a gun of some sort remember most people in this country dont have guns and it would be used mostly for intimidation. I have a family that would be relying on me to protect them and i think the sight of a weapon would be enough to deture all potential threts to you and anyone with you. not to mention in a long term shtf situation you would need some sort of abilty to hunt. The most important self defence weapon you have is your bug out route and your ability to stay away from situations that would require you to have to defend yourself. if you plan on bugging out you should have routs planned that keep you away from the rest of the population. it is leagle to carry a non restricted firearm in public in canada as long as you stay within the law, As long as it is not loaded and is locked and any amunition is locked as well but at that point is is only usefull as a baseball bat. lol

WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR OWN FREEDOM!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1nz0rPIU_w

it doesnt matter so much what your carrying, if it isnt deployable in less than three seconds the guy 10 feet away that goes from begging for some food to ill kill you to feed my kids is going to gut you with his dads old hunting knife. but this point has been made several times already, skills, practice, and sheer ruthlessness are more important by far than what you are using as a weapon, be it a 12 guage or a 12 inch skillet,

pacmanpackslight you got it right. In a shtf situation you could walk around with any weapon you want, if you dont know how to use it or are unwilling to use it well then you may as well just leave it at home. My father always said dont bring a knife to a gun fight and if you bring a gun make suer you shot first!

- crow bar

- baseball bat

- mace (not the spray, it would be easy to make a medieval mace)

- nail gun (if the safety can be removed)

- not sure, but can you buy bows and arrows or crossbows at outdoor stores?

not sure if it's be mentioned, but if a police officer sees you walking around with a baton on your belt, they are going to take it. it may be legal to own and carry but they won't care. they will take it! i've heard ONE account of this happening.

AA mini mag light, metal frame as good as a kubaton, rolled up magazine, i can break boards with it. original zebra pens all metal body, metal ink cartage. . . pocket knife with a clip ("it's not concealed you saw it hanging there officer, oh, i use it to cut burdock out of the garden and paddocks, damn things keep coming back . . . look at the mess they make on the blade ") little can of WD40 in your pocket?

because this is an open forum i'm going to end the list there. . . but anything you use as a weapon, even in self defence may be held against you (or used against you)

your best weapon is trained eye, smart mind and NOT being there in the first place. if it's forced on you, make sure you are the one walking away.

As I said in an earlier post, your two best weapons are situational awareness and decisiveness of action.
Hit first, hit fast and hit hard.

and get your butt outta there 🙂
but when is it ok to hit someone?
if they hit you, free game.

but what if it's just getting in your face? someone being a smart mouth isn't always going to take it to the next step, but if you try to leave and they stop you. . . that's assault, make sure your next attempt to leave ends with you leaving!

if and when the cops get there, you stop fighting and retreat, you squeeze out a tear and say "i was afraid he was going to kill me, they just won't stop " . . . then say NOTHING until you have a lawyer!

i've been in two fights, one the guy picked it, i ended it after he started swinging. the next fight was when that guy ran to the party where the school foot ball team was getting happy. he told them two guys "jumped" him. the foot ball team finished that fight 😛

oddly enough, no one ever got charged with that. the foot ball team later apologized for beating us (only minor injuries) and the guy that started, i'm pretty sure his mother got drunk and beat him (my mother was his aunt from her first husband, he was too drunk to realize it was me he was fighting with)

if you're afraid for your life, you don't stop until you are safe! (whether that is hitting, running, or a combination of the two)

I have been in 400+ barfights. In a number of those, I swung first. I have only been charged with assault twice. Both times, the charges were dismissed because, through my experience and training (former self-defence instructor) I was able to convince the court that I knew the attack was imminent. The other party was about to cut loose on me. Therefore, both times it was deemed self-defence. Know yourself and know the enemy.
If you are aware, you can pick up on the subtle clues that can mean the difference in who walks away and who remains at rest.
Fight hard and train even harder. Situational awareness and decisiveness of action, I don't know how many times that has been drilled into me over the years. I stopped fighting in the ring when I realized that even when I was talking to my wife, in the back of my mind I was considering the options I had if she was to attack me. I guess there can be such a thing as overtraining. But, situational awareness and decisiveness of action saw me through more than one firefight in Afghanistan.