[rocket5979]

I am active duty and will be deploying to Afghanistan here soon. I am also away from my wife and 9 year old son for months at a time even when "home" due to where I got stationed. My problem is that I want to ensure that my wife will at least be somewhat protected if she ever encounters a home invader/burglar/rapist while I am gone.

I am very proficient with the use of firearms in combat/defense situations and have talked to her about having one in the house that she could use (and us course she'd be trained on it) but she was against it. Maybe eventually I will be able to change her mind but it will not be in time before I leave.

Since I realize I cannot force her to get one I am looking at other options. Mainly pepper spray. I will be getting her two different units that will serve different purposes.

#1 Portable use in purse unit - The first one will be a small unit that she can carry in her purse with her at all times. It will spray a mist/fog pattern because I would expect that she would use it outside where backspray would be less of a chance than while in a confined space and I want her to have a better chance of hitting where she aims, even while scared.

#2 In home unit with higher capacity and easier to control - This I plan to be bigger and somewhere in the 9 oz range with either a firemaster or pistol grip for better ease of control and more capacity to really disable someone long enough for her to maneuver around them to get out of the house and/or call 911. I will post a poll on this within the thread but if you have anything else to add please post on it too.

I am still deciding on a few things when it comes to the larger unit for home protection. Namely between a stream spray and fog pattern since foam just seems to take too long to act. My concerns are that she will likely never experience the affects of the spray firsthand before she would have to use it (which makes fog less appealing due to higher chance of backspray in confined space such as a home) but she also is likely not a good marksman (which makes the stream less appealing). Even though we live in a "good" neighborhood I know that bad stuff can still happen when least expected. It really wrenches at me that I cannot protect her the way I want to but it is what it is.

I really don't think I will be able to change my wife's views on the whole gun thing and I know she won't have the time to invest in any real PD training or classes which means that I have a limited area that I am able to work within. I need something that is simple to use, effective, reliable, and minimal chance her incapacitating herself while trying to deploy it. I admittedly am trained more to put 2TTC1TTH than disable so I just don't know all the in's and out's of less-than-lethal and the benefits and disadvantages of the different devices. I would really appreciate any assistance you guys and girls could provide that helps me ensure my wife is protected while I am so far away.

 

[pcon]

I voted for fog or mist pattern simply for ease of hitting the target. I haven't ever tested this out, so it's simply my opinion, but I would think in a harry situation, it may be hard to direct a stream correctly to the eyes. I would think that the fog or mist would allow for greater chance to incapacitate the intruder. Again, OMHO.

 

[HotGuns]

Taser.

Spray in a house and you'll get some yourself.
Just transporting someone in a car in handcuffs in the back seat that has been sprayed is enough to make you want to cry.

Buy a Taser,they come with videos and teach her to use it.

 

[64zebra]

You are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

OC/less lethal in the home is not the best choice, as you already know. If someone is in the home uninvited they are not there for tea. My wife won't use OC or taser in the home....they get lead from the Glock 26 or the Mossberg.

OC will be great for her to have in purse/clipped on her pants when out and about. However, using OC in the home is tricky on several fronts..first....can she hit effectively under stress when confronted with the dirtbag, next is her getting hit with it in the confined space or kids if any also
One suggestion I'd make is the home 9oz can be gel to help the wife since she most likely will not be highly trained and under stress, this will help with her not getting hit with the OC, make the purse/body carry the fog or conical spray pattern to aid in hitting the perp.

Taser makes a personal defense version and there are training videos that come with it and other info/training on their website. Probes go out 15ft and when fired it goes for 30 seconds. This could allow her to get out of the house, call for help, etc.

Good luck with this bro, and watch your 6 over there.
Thank you for your service.

 

[Superhouse 15]

I'm becoming a fan of the Kimber launcher. More reach and less back-spray than a fog.

 

[rocket5979]

I'm becoming a fan of the Kimber launcher. More reach and less back-spray than a fog.

Are you talking about THIS ONE??? How does it back-spray less than a fog does?




BTW, I had a talk with my wife today on the phone about pepper spray and me wanting to ensure she is a little safer while I am gone. I put the question of stream of fog to her, naming the key advantages and disadvantages of both, she was kind of on the fence as to which one she thought would be better for her but at least I am getting her to learn a bit about these things. I also told her that I want her to sit down and actually read the directions to it and also have our son present in the case that he needs to use it. While our son is only 9 years old he is very responsible for his age. I also think that him knowing that there is something in the house that will assist in protecting him and his mom will put him at ease while I am gone. I figure I can trust him with pepper spray being that when I was 9 I already owned a few of my own guns.

Even though I will not be present I think I will advise her to do a little shooting practice session with him in the backyard with balloons to just get familiar with it. Just make sure the wind is blowing the right way. I figure that if I buy a 9oz canister or bigger that a few practice shots out of it cannot hurt the overall pressure or quantity remaining, right?

 

[oneshot]

Don't have much to offer you here,
It's sad that she knows your away, she has a 9 yr old to safeguard against possible evil, and yet still persists in the belief that SHE, Is not responsible for her own safety , and the well being of YOUr child while you are not there.
I have begun to train my two teen daughters, (my 20 yr. old son is already schooled somewhat) in what to do in the event of an intruder in our home and my wife and I are not present at the time

Good luck,
Maybe send her to this website;
The Armed Citizen
not to frighten her but to bring her aware of what is indeed taking place in this country on a daily basis, and maybe, just maybe there won't be someone there for her
The Stupid Ideaology, "it can't happen to me" mentality needs to stop


"If you put the government in charge of the desert, there would be a sand shortage within ten years." - A very wise man

 

[RETSUPT99]

I'd get the stream...easier to direct. IMHO
OC spray or a taser is only going to make a determined BG angry. I hope that your wife is prepared for the worst in the event of an unannounced 'entry'.
I do understand though, my wife is not afraid to shoot guns, she has her permit...but many times she still goes out unarmed. I can only shake my head and 'let it go'. At some point, we all make our own beds...:blink:

 

[Siafu]

Kimber America Store > JPX Jet Protector Orange Frame

Ballistic delivery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2TgkRH3wSA

 

[dnowell]

Best thing I can imagine would be a guard-trained dog?

 

[Ram Rod]

I'll vote for the stream OC/pepper blaster. More concentrated, and more than likely better to follow a stream onto target. I honestly don't know too much about the less than lethal options although I have armed a few folks since they weren't too keen on the lethal. It's a better option than nothing, and my wife an I have gone to carrying OC on occasion for an option depending on where we go or what activity we are pursuing.
What I would actually do in your situation, and to give you even more peace of mind is this......once you've got the $15 OC spray or whatever, find a good SD or Judo class in the area and get your wife enrolled (assuming she'd go for something like that). Basic survival skills pretty much outweigh the use and deployment of 'hardware', and generally speaking, it's an almost failsafe backup plan when one does decide to use 'hardware'. Thinking more about all of this less than lethal pepper sprays and such.......I actually believe those sort of options should be used by those more skilled in the other combat/survival tactics as an option rather than those less skilled as a first line of defense. Build a firm foundation first. One that instills the instinct of survival, and something to fall back on when things don't go as planned.
We thank you for your service. One of our sons is going to Afghanistan from Ft Campbell soon, leaving his wife and our grandson there. They live on base. I wish you the best.

 

[F350]

Go to a sporting goods (hunting/hiking) store and get her one of the larger canisters of bear spray, they are more concintrated, hold more OC and have a longer reach.

 

[MeatPuppet]

Taser or a big dog.

Keep your head on a swivel, be safe, thanks for doing what you do.

 

[nutz4utwo]

Dog, Dog, Dog, Dog, Dog,

and Dog.

Good luck on your deployment!

 

[mercop]

Does anyone know of someone using a Taser or OC during a burglary / home invasion scenario?- George

 

[rocket5979]

Don't have much to offer you here,
It's sad that she knows your away, she has a 9 yr old to safeguard against possible evil, and yet still persists in the belief that SHE, Is not responsible for her own safety , and the well being of YOUr child while you are not there.

I think you misunderstand. She wants to protect herself and our son but she also knows what she is and is not capable of handling too. Some people just aren't good with firearms. I have even seen this in the service too. She and I grew up in totally different types of households so we were exposed to very different things while growing up and in turn have differing comfort levels with various things. I believe that in time I will have made her comfortable enough with firearms to go shooting with me and even let me train her with them but I also realize that if I push her too hard too sudden then I will turn her off to it altogether. I see it as a delicate situation that shouldn't be rushed.

The nice thing was that when I talked to her tonight about it she seemed like she was all for it. She was the one that actually suggested that I possibly get one for our son and we could both make sure he knows how to use it in addition to her. I kind of liked that it was she that came up with that idea.

 

[mercop]

Your wife is in a better mindset than many firearms owners who think they know what they will do in response to a threat.- George

 

[Spec]

Nearly 8,000 home invasions happen every day in this country. Pepper Spray is a good start but you need to get her mind switched... a rapist or BG might get even more angry after pepper sprayed ESPECIAL when on drugs... (roid rage) shotgun or revolver

 

[rocket5979]

Nearly 8,000 home invasions happen every day in this country. Pepper Spray is a good start but you need to get her mind switched... a rapist or BG might get even more angry after pepper sprayed ESPECIAL when on drugs... (roid rage) shotgun or revolver

I plan to work on her situational awareness and ability to protect herself without any weapons in the future but am somewhat backed into a corner right now. Eventually I will be able to teach her basic handgun proficiency, then the 4 positions, railing out, failure to stop, and all that jazz but I am already "gone" and it won't be before I officially deploy.

As far as the whole "ticking the rapist off even more" scenario I look at it this way. If she doesn't spray or otherwise defend herself then she is 100% guaranteed to get harmed or raped. At least if she uses the spray on the guy then the chances that he will bug out or be less able to focus on attacking her are better. Maybe I am putting a little too much faith in the affects of OC and pepper spray but I would figure that more often than not a BG would be less able to attack her after being sprayed than before. That is also why I plan to get her a bigger can of the stuff for the house so she can spray the ever-lovin-**** out of him if she has to.

 

[rocket5979]

Your wife is in a better mindset than many firearms owners who think they know what they will do in response to a threat.- George

Thanks George.