The 5 Fatal Self Defense Weapons That You Carry

He who would trade liberty for some temporary security, deserves neither liberty nor security.

One’s right to own and bear arms is clearly stated in our Constitution in the second amendment. We are used to taking that right for granted because it’s always been that way, for as long as we’ve been a country. Unfortunately, it’s no longer that easy.

Fast forward to 9/11.

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Since then, we’ve entered a completely different era. Now personal liberty and individual rights are being disregarded by collectivist and totalitarian ideas about “the greater good for the greater number”, and “trading individual rights for the greater security provided by Big Bro”. These are ideas which were proven wrong time and time again in recent history, but we just don’t seem to learn.

We’re living in scary times, in which our elected tyrannical government (the bolded word was mentioned in the Declaration of Independence also) tries hard to limit our rights day after day, passing laws that defy the Second Amendment. They’re relentlessly working to associate legitimate gun owners with domestic terrorism via a massive propaganda campaign in mass-media and even Hollywood movies.

Since not every state in the US allows people to carry (open or concealed) firearms on their person to protect themselves, in this article we will take an alternative crash course in 5 fatal and inconspicuous self-defense weapons that you can own. You already carry most of them without a license or being bullied by the forces who vowed to defend and uphold the values written by our founding fathers in our Constitution.

Check them up and learn to properly use them for your own defense!

1. The Scarf

Let’s start with one of the most improbable (and fatal) self-defense weapons, namely the humble scarf.

We all know what a scarf is and what it’s used for by regular folks. Now, if you’re a professional hit man for the mob or a maybe a ninja, you may know the domestic and harmless looking scarf as a garrote, because that’s what you can use a scarf as. You can use it  to strangle a person, using the scarf as the means to a “fatal” end.

I know it sounds like a James Bond movie, but with a little bit of training and technique, you can use a scarf as a fatal self-defense weapon. Soldiers and Special Forces members are using improvised garrotes regularly (for hundreds of years) as a silent mean of assassination. As a matter of fact, elite soldiers from the French Foreign Legion made a name for themselves in this niche.

Just search some online videos and you’ll get the general idea about how to use a scarf as a garrote/self-defense weapon, but you’ll require serious training if you want to master this ancient technique flawlessly.

2. The Pen

My second choice for a potentially fatal self-defense weapon that can be used anytime and anywhere without the slightest chance of detection is an item carried by most of the people on a daily basis: the pen.

What’s a pen from a self-defense point of view? I bet you’ve already guessed: a stiletto! Okay, what’s a stiletto you may ask? A stiletto is basically a dagger with a thin and narrow blade and a needle point, used primarily for stabbing. And stabbing is the name of the game when we’re talking about pens as fatal self-defense weapons.

I bet you’ve seen movies featuring pens that are actually firearms, used by KGB and various other secret agencies in assassinations and what not.  But there is also a special type of pen that can be used as a tactical weapon; they’re simply called tactical pens. There are lots of companies manufacturing them (UZI, Boker, Gerber), you just have to check and choose one for yourself. Or see this clip.

CLICK HERE to find out more about using unconventional weapons for your defense.

Anyway, you can use any regular pen as a self-defense weapon if SHTF. Even a wooden crayon will do the job if you use it for targeting vulnerable points on your adversary, i.e. the eyes or the neck.

3. Car Keys

Car keys make the number three spot on the invisible self-defense weapons list to be used in a life threatening situation. If you think I’m kidding, just go and do a little research on push daggers.

Do you see where I’m going? Car keys, specifically the big non-folding ones, can be successfully used as a push dagger. Even if they’re not as sharp and pointy as a regular push dagger, if used properly they can do serious damage in a SHTF situation, when you’re pumped up with adrenaline and your heart is ready to burst!

For optimum results in a (I must emphasize) LIFE THREATHING situation, go for the eyes or neck.

4. The Sap Cap

Number four comes with a bang, literally, and it’s my personal favorite: the sap cap! The sap cap is basically an impact weapon (hence the bang) disguised into a regular baseball cap.

The secret behind this ingenious weapon is the special pocket on the back of the cap, filled with tiny yet heavy micro-spheres that give it the necessary weight for disabling your adversary with a well-aimed punch.

To use the US-made sap cap, you take it off your head and smack your adversary with it if you think there’s no other way around it when diplomacy goes out the window.

5. The Credit Card

My fifth suggestion comes directly from a Steven Seagal movie, “The Glimmer Man”, where he defeats the bad guys using some kind of credit card knife. The credit card is number 5 on my fatal self-defense weapons list.

Credit cards are regularly used for buying stuff you don’t need by most of the people out there, but they come handy also as self-defense weapons For this, you’ll need a special kind of credit card, obviously, and some skills, but the surprise will be immense, believe me!

Bonus: Water Bottles or Umbrellas

Now that we’ve finished with inconspicuous everyday objects that can be used as fatal self-defense weapons, let me give you two more ideas about “non-lethal” aids or means for self-defense; again, these can be improvised from harmless stuff, like water bottles or an umbrella.

How to use a water bottle for self-defense you may ask? I can see what you did here Chris, just smash them with the bottle on the head!

Well, not exactly, because a small plastic water bottle – the kind that we use for hydrating ourselves on the go – can’t inflict much harm or even pain against an angry attacker. The surprise may come from its actual content: water that is.

The idea is to flee rather than to fight, and you can flee after using the water inside the bottle as a diversion. You’ll open the plastic bottle and splash the water in your opponent’s face, then flee while he’s confused, distracted and relatively blinded.

Umbrellas come handy on a rainy day and also as a self-defense tool for martial arts aficionados. You can use an umbrella to hit or to control your attacker in any number of ways. Start practicing with your life partner or your kids, it will be massive fun! And if you have any suggestions about self-defense weapons improvised from everyday items, feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Written by

Chris Black is a born and bred survivalist. He used to work as a contractor for an intelligence service but now he is retired and living off the grid, as humanly possible. An internet addict and a gun enthusiast, a libertarian with a soft spot for the bill of rights and the Constitution, a free market idealist, he doesn't seem very well adjusted for the modern world. You can send Chris a message at editor [at] survivopedia.com.

Latest comments
  • I have a thought on the water bottle idea. You could keep something other than water in the bottle. Not saying something very dangerous. There are herbal extracts that look clear. I once got garlic essential oil in my eyes while washing out an amber bottle. It burned like pepper spray. You could just add some salt to the water if you’re so inclined. My point is that, yes, water in the face alone may disable vision and confuse someone for a moment, but he’s going to be angry and chasing after you now. Better to disorient him more effectively.

    • sounds great

    • Back in the old days, instead of water, it was hairspray, and right in the face. It was a favorite weapon for women. Don’t know if modern formulations would work. This was when Mace and the like were illegal in NYC.

    • There are all sorts of “nasty” stuff * that can permanently blind the perp. They won’t be chasing you and you can then have some fun with them . (ie: a spray can of flammable material and a lighter.)

      * pool acid, bleach, etc.

      • Really? So, you’re just gonna happen to have hairspray and a lighter on you all the time? I almost always have a bottle of water with me!

        • Put Pool Acid the water bottle. When the attacker has pool acid in their eyes they will no longer be thinking about you. At the point , you can pull out your CCl weapon, and have some fun.

    • That’s the point. Confuse them for just enough time to pull out your “friends” Mr. Smith & Mr. Wesson and “introduce” them to 2 or 3 9 mm rounds.

    • In all but the hottest seasons those bottles of water could be HARD frozen, like for a week and in rotation. Slip a sick over one a drop it in your purse, it’s “It’s insulation”… And a really well disguised popskull.

    • Put Pool Acid the water bottle. When the attacker has pool acid in their eyes they will no longer be thinking about you. At the point , you can pull out your CCl weapon, and have some fun.

  • While there are numerous common items that can be used in a self defense situation, you must practice to become comfortable with the use of them to the point that it becomes an automatic learned reaction. It is important for you to use situational awareness at all times and avoid putting yourself into a situation that could have been avoided. By being aware of your surroundings, you may also have items in your immediate area that can be utilized to your advantage in a self defense situation. Something as simple as falling backward and kicking with both legs will take out a single attacker as you have the element of surprise, the attacker cannot reach your vital areas, and the legs are much stronger than your arms.

  • Many persons are walking scared and fear anyone who approaches them aggressively. We need to discuss common sense solutions that can be utilized more frequently. The common sense solutions discussed in this article should be taught in local self defense classes to those of us who are seniors. I was taught these same solutions in the US. Air Force and never forgot them! When I taught these concepts I was told they just don’t work! Pepper spray also works, but most seniors are scared of misusing these items!

  • Sap Caps are illegal in several states, the article needed to specify that mere possession of one in several states is an instant felony.
    My personal favorite is the aluminum bodied flashlight. Legal in all fifty states, and is an effective impact tool on elbows, collar bones, shins, knee joints, etc.
    For my 60th birthday, I was gifted a fighting cane. Yes, it’s a very hard wood cane and I train with it regularly now, and it’s legal for me to carry everywhere. Yes, I’m of an age now where “limping”comes with the weather changes, so,m the cane is legal and excellent camouflage. I used a straight baton in my LE creer, so, the cane is a natural for me. I’m personally, NOT, a fan of the keys-between-the-fingers “thing”, as it is too easy to defend against, and most bad guys “expect” the key gouge. As for the “tactical pen”, I’ve found that two over he counter pens work as well (or better and far less expensive) than the commercially available “tacti-cool” pens do, the Zebra pen, available at all big bx and office supply places, and the Parker pens. Both work equally well when applied as a gouge, stabbing or pressure point application, and both hold up well to penetrating something coarse like a cantaloupe. Plus, they are both legal to carry anywhere in the US.(unlike machetes in New York if a certain politico as his way) Big fan of OC Spray, I use Sabre brand and have see it work first hand in my LE career.Bear spray is also excellent, far nastier than “regular” OC Spray, and s a tad farther range, too. With any chemical agent, expect to get “back wash” on you when you deploy the chemical agent in your own defense. Its OK, you can fight through it.(I promise)
    Remember, there is NO such thing as a “fair fight”, and the older you get, fighting is ill-advised. Good article, brings up a LOT of things to consider.

    • Wasp & Hornet spray are good OTC subs for OC spray.

      • The sons of silence had thier legal team spend a lot of time finding an improvised weapon that was effective and legal everywhere. The result is a smallish padlock at the center of a bandana. The recommended method is a sidearm swing straight to the throat. That works. Personally I like a little more lock and a little more liberty about targeting. If it’s bad enough to merit arming myself I’m probably PISSED. War welds on the old bean will make em think twice next time.

    • TP, my Pawpaw always said “If you find yourself in a fair fight, you’re doing something wrong!”

  • Don’t forget a magazine: rolled up it makes a blunt instrument that used as a stabbing instrument to the face or neck can buy you time to push a finger in his eye or thwart a knife attack. Best protection is situational awareness and avoid an encounter. If you really feel you have to enter a danger zone, then by all means carry an ‘improvised weapon’ and be sure to practice with it before entering a war zone. And make lots of noise as that rattles most street thugs.

  • I carry my S&W special tactical knife in my shirt pocket. It is rarely noticed. A move to the chest is not as threatening as a move to the pocket / waist area. A swift move across the chest with an assisted opening knife will be positioned to the front very quickly. Might want to consider it. T-shirt guys -sorry! Size of knife your choice!

  • Think about the belt (especially with a buckle). Use it like a mace, garrote or whip.

  • At 80 and weak from frequent hospitalizations, pacemakers, renal failure, physical problems, vertigo falls, etc. (5 in last 20 months) I feel that I will continue to take advantage of my CHL and the Castle Doctrine here in Texas and continue to carry concealed one of the several firearms purchased for that purpose.

    • If you use a cane, a cane is a marvelous versatile weapon. One handed you can stab their ankle, hit their knee cap. Two handed it’s defensive against blows. Two handed it’s a club to the head. Look it up. You can also carry a cane on an airplane.

  • As an NRA Certfied Pistol Instructor living in New Jersey, it is necessary to be aware of and offer trainees objects other than firearms, impact and edged weapons that are basically criminal items to carry or use in this super blue state. So let me add another favorite that is legal and very effective and provides excellent performance either close up or even at a 10 to 20 foot distance…
    It is a can of foaming wasp and hornet killer. Spray at their face and hands. The effect is severwe pain and temporary blindness. These products are water based and therefore the perp can and must then be treated at a hospital where treatment will restore vision. Incredibly effective and non-lethal. Most of the year weather wise you can carry one in a vehicle. Keep a few of them tactically around the house and property. Those big cans are very cheap $3 or $4 at any hardware store or supermarket. Buy a can or two and practice spraying. It will give you a sense of distance effectiveness and confidence that that particular can works well.

    • Hi
      Can you say what chemical/s are potentially incapacitating?
      Purely hypothetically of course ?
      Oh and what are CHL or OC or OTC abbreviations?

      Here in England, carrying anything that can be interpreted as a weapon or brandishing anything as a weapon or in a threatening manner is an offence.
      Oh, or premeditating how to improvise any item for defence is classed as a offencive weapon.

      Obviously the criminals don’t care so it’s only the law abiding people that are unarmed !!
      So that makes sense ??

      • CHL – Concealed Handgun License
        OC – Open Carry
        OTC – Over The Counter (usually refers to medicines not requiring a prescription, but I think here it means a weapon not requiring a license/permit.

      • You know NWEngland, Armed Revolution worked very well for We Colonials against a tyrannical British Crown.
        I’m sure it would work just as well for you REAL Brits too!

        • C.N.E.
          They “Cant know everything ”
          Nevermind the spelling.
          C.N.E.= Cods,neck and eyes”
          I’ve done decades of defense,armed and unarmed.
          Best tip came from a security guard.
          “Hit’em in one of those places, failing that”,”Use your head”. I said “what ?”.
          Nutt’em/headbutt them.
          They will “always ” be surprised and anyone will go down if you hit’em hard in one of those places.
          Then “if needed” 1st rule of defense = dont be there !!. Get on your toes while they are recovering or second rule applies= overwhelming violence, then wash your hands
          There are alternatives if you’re intelligent enough “believe me”. Not saying more because we dont have that freedom.
          But as I had the “po’po” searched my home five times, it gets tiring. .

    • Yes, better than a can of WD-40 plus a butane lighter !!!

  • Great post and awesome videos, well shared. Very useful weapons you have mentioned, as we used to carry these things in our daily life. This will be a great help for all ages.

  • One thing I always both get a “kick”out of and want women to understand, that, statistically 82 percent of adults, men and women have the sciatic nerves, that control the legs and can cause such bad lower back pain, run right across the pelvic bone of both sexes. I have seen women kicked by other women, square in the crotch, and watched them collapse in pain and in the short term loss in sue of their legs. A big shock to them, I can tell you, but it is true. Generally speaking, those whose sciatic nerves do not cross there, like they are meant to, have more problems with that nerve. I learned this when tests revealed mine did not after I was having a lot of lower back. sciatic pain. It would also explain a fight I was set up into outside a bar by a bunch of football players, the linebacker I kicked with cowboy boots on, three times, just grunted. He was pretty drunk but a pretty drunk man in great shape in a fight can sometimes take a lot of pain. My point ladies is this, over 4/5ths of women kicked in the groin, solidly, will drop, whether they want to or not, their nerves to their legs have just been interrupted. Secondly, don’t alway expect a kick to a man groin to drop him. Most people telegraph those kicks and a little bit of a turn, twist, will make hitting the man spot a miss. Then you have a guy who, depending on the situation, will make sure you understand, not to do that, or you have a problem that the kicks you have so enjoyed watching on TV, did not work for you. My first karate teacher told me three things that people are afraid of in a fight: One, losing and looking bad, being embarrassed; Two, getting hurt, and Three, hurting the other person. I have seen a very little but do tremendous damage and with others, tremendous damage, not kill the man or woman.
    Example, in the last 60s, in Japan, a large, not sumo but more America Professional Wrestler sitting in a bar, at the bar, spending a couple hours doing nothing but giving the small businessman, next to him a contact harassment. Since it went on for so long, the small man had gotten the notice and the sympathy of the other patrons. The old, pick on someone your own size mentality. At some point, the small guy, maybe 100 pounds to the wrestlers 280-350 pounds, sticks the wrestler in the chest with a small, two inch blade. He hit an artery. The bully was dead in a few minutes and immediately incapacitated. Judge and jury were sympathetic, so his punishment was relatiely minor. That same year, my friend, goes back to Denver and as a new beat cop, answers a family disturbance call. The woman, a constant target of physical abuse, had unloaded both barrels of a 12 gauge into her husbands large frame. They pull most of the 00 buck, 32 caliber slugs out of him, a few missed. The man lives. He is not in great shape, but he lives. Obviously at that point, he has come to understand, that although sadists and masochists attract each other, his wife was one masochist who had had all she was going to take. The neighbors of both sexes made sure he cleared out of the five-points and out of Denver. It was made clear to him by his men and women neighbors as well as the police, that should he try and press charges, the witnesses against him would be around the block and include police officers and social workers who had tried to get her to leave him for a long time.
    Two years later, they were back together.
    You have to know, every time he got out the shower and saw himself naked, with over 50 holes in his body from his knees to his collar bone, that it was a reminder not to hurt anyone or thing that can put sleeping pills in your drink and wait till you doze off to catch up with the mistreatment.
    Sorry about the typos I am getting up there.

    • In regard to the abusive husband shot by his wife: I used to give free self-defense classes to domestically abused people ( yes, sometimes they were the husbands). Like the couple you mentioned, most not only returned to the abusive situation, and rarely employed what they were taught. These lessons included proper mindset ( including staying calm and focused during non-physical aggressive displays) Unfortunately, mindset was still the problem- they simply had not decided that they would not accept abuse anymore. I eventually just stopped giving the classes out of pure frustration.

  • Pen Idea is great, it’s like a kubotan. I use a sharpie for that purpose. You can also buy tactical pens. Can also carry a bright flashlight and use it the same, even better when its hard metal and bright. Like the little surefires or nitecore lights. Or if just go with a good ole maglite using 4 or 6 C or D cells. That one will really mush a skull and kill a person though so you have to be careful.

  • Another interesting self defense item is the Knuckle Blaster Stun Gun, worn on the knuckles as a punching device. Has over 950,000 electro shock volts. An assailant won’t know what hit them.

  • People who are skilled enough to effectively use these weapons (e.g. Steven Seagal), don’t need them. Most of the time, trying to use these weapons on an assailant ends up as an exercise in and humility or worse.

    • A thin comb can be used to slash at the neck.

  • When I was younger and NY more dangerous, I used several of these to protect myself including the book and the pen. The two craziest weapons I ever used, both of which worked, were a bowling bowl in a bag, and a double-bagged set of perrier water bottles I was taking home from market. I swung both of them at different times, at the person’s head. Both times the attacker ran. Not sure if it was due to the weapon or due to shock that someone as harmless looking as I would fight.

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  • All comments seemed to be from “informed” individuals. My name is Nate Stone, I have almost 20 years experience dealing with people. As Military police, Investigations, and working security. Having done all of these most of my life, I’ve learned allot about people, there are good people everywhere. However, the SHADY PEOPLE are everywhere at the same time. I want to help all of the good people of america defend themselves from any situation. Personal attack, In-climate weather or natural disaster, or just watch your valuables when you cant..Please go to my website and DEFEND YOURSELF! http://www.stonedefensesurvial.com

  • Wow! A lot of Hollywood misconceptions here!
    Scarf: Even if you are an expert, (Thugee anyone?) it’s still iffy. A novice? You’ll get tied up or get strangled yourself.
    Keys: Try hitting anything with them and let us know how much you bleed and your keys bend.
    Umbrella: They are so flimsy they will only PO your attacker so much that they will escalate the assault to a severe beating or murder.
    Cap Sap: Get caught with one and the police will make you pay. Miss hitting or glance hit someone, SEE UMBRELLA ABOVE
    Pen: Will fall apart unless you have one that is built for the purpose. Oh BTW the police will nail you for a concealed weapon, as that is what they are classified now. Try to get onto a plane or into a courthouse with one!
    Credit Card: Really?!………I don’t have words for how silly this is!
    I won’t even continue with the rest……..
    Have these ideas worked?…….yes Have they failed? Far more than they worked. Graveyards and police reports are the evidence.
    Folks need to know the limitations of these “means of self defence” and adjust accordingly before they actually do have an occasion to use them.

    • Exactly!

    • True, the only proven ways to increase your odds in a violent encounter (and that’s as much as anyone can realistically expect) are proper training (as in years of martial arts practice like jiu jitsu, boxing or krav-maga), or a gun, which btw also demands extensive practic. Pepper spray is second and can really make a difference, it’s ok to have one at hand at all times if you will. All the others are just wishful thinking and Hollywood dreaming, and may in fact hurt your chances in a fight or cause overconfidence: you’re not protected, believe me. Don’t take the shortcut, take the training, avoid the confrontation or just run as fast you can.

  • I have a home-made version of the “Sap Cap”. It’s a MAGA hat with a one ounce fishing weight secured inside.
    I had to use it once on a mugger, and it was even more effective than I expected. He fell as if someone had flipped a switch to “off.”

  • a unopened 12 oz can of anything(soda pop ,tea,(trevon martins weapon), is a solid one pound weapon, and can be held in one hand, or put on a double plastic sack..smashed against the head at the temple area can kill, or knock unconsious….buy a hammer at the 24 hour store near u,carry it in the bag u bought it in,, with the receipt,,tell the cops u are returning it..if u get stopped.

  • Clear your homes entry area, with a glass of alcohol/gasoline and liquid dish soap have a second glass with straight alcohol and paper balls. When bad guy enters door toss mix at center mass followed by lit alcohol and paper,have per wetted blankets and fire extinguisher at the ready, bad guy leaves home, no more action needed, bad guy falls to floor, wait for a strong smell of burned flesh, put out fire on walls and furniture push bad guys body out doors !

    • I figure a nozzel or two above the doeer and hooked to LP or Matty has will do, and it’s less miss and fuss. If mini famethrowers don’t clear the area, go ahead and trip the mini charge under the door mat. Involuntary transportation is always a motivated. Yeah, yeah, compressed air will do till the starts, just a fast cylinder and a spring on one end of the board. Just a little time in mid air is plenty.

  • A roll of quarters Dimes or nickels is still legal everywhere . Clenched in a fist they will put someone’s lights out pretty quickly

  • This is a question. How effective would one of these REALLY bright flashlights be shining in an attacker’s eyes?

    • Tactical Flashlights can be effective as a two pronged defense. The brightness of the light creates a temporary stunning, sort of like the flash of a camera, but only creates a brief moment of opportunity to escape an attack. The blindness can be as short as 30 seconds or as much as 3 minutes depending on the level of ambient light. It is also only effective in a 1 to 3 meter range which places the attacker in close range. I was a corpsman with the Marines in Afghanistan and had an issued Surefire light with a strobe function that I used in conjunction with my M9 and M500 for self defense. The light alone would not have been sufficient in stopping the people who were intent on killing me or my marines.

    • 13o lbs of Rottweiler works for me.

  • A lit cigarette in the eye works really well.

  • A pair of Rottweilers has worked very well for me! They’ll knock the bad guy to the ground and will continue the glaring eyes and show their teeth

  • A recommendation from Asia – chilli water in a small squeeze-pack. A small container of pepper can also be most distracting.

  • When it comes to splashing anything other than water (and maybe even that) leaves you open to a lawsuit with the perp’s lawyer claiming you intended to maim someone, and his innocent client was being picked on.

  • I always walk with my 1dindoodown bang stick cane in 45 colt or 410- 45 colt usually–looks like a regular cane. and instantly deployable- raise it and pump a round- no fiddling around pulling froma holster or pocket and flicking off a safety. it’s great

    • got another 1dindoodown cane. can’t get enough! this one is lighter weight and in 22mag. but dig this- the powerhead rotates when the slide is pumped–4 SHOTS! HAHAHA
      I love this cane!

  • i found another one not called the 1dindoodown this is called 1landsharkdown walking cane and in 410/45 colt- im getting one!

    • found one on g.b.

  • Where on earth do all you people live that is so dangerous and filled with such evil threats?? Time to move to higher ground.

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