Do you carry anything for self-defense?

IanClark wrote in post #15982574
if my life or well being was in danger, my weapon would be a gift of the camera and tripod. Then I'd leave quickly.

That's not a weapon, that's a concession.

I live in CA so the laws here aren't too far off from yours.

Still, if you're unarmed and someone wants you dead then you're dead almost all of the time.

If you're armed and someone wants you dead you've at least got a fighting chance and, if trained, a damn good one.

As mentioned above situational awareness is key and "condition white" is your biggest enemy, but if your life is on the line you want the best odds possible...

Channel One wrote in post #15982931
Here in Florida while we where trying to get the Jack Hagler Self Defense act passed there where dire predictions by media of fender benders turning into wild west shootouts and domestic arguments becoming bloodbaths, the reality is in the years after the act was passed violent crime dropped, at least against the locals.

DING! We have a winnah!

GoWolfpack wrote in post #15983030
It's not the odds, it's the stakes. The stakes in self protection are literally life-or-death. The odds don't matter one bit to me. I carry the most important tool with me everywhere, that's my brain. I carry the second-most important tool, that is some sort of force multiplier, everywhere it is legal for me to do so. It is not because I believe something might happen that would require me to defend myself, but because I may be killed if I do not prepare myself for the possibility.

Almost perfectly said. One correction - here in the states there is nowhere that it is legitimately illegal to carry your "force multiplier."

Plenty of places and folks think otherwise and I'll agree in advance that it's not a fight that anyone can really win, but that doesn't change reality and the law of the land one iota.

Erik S. Klein wrote in post #15984296
That's not a weapon, that's a concession.

Not only that, but Ian ignores the very real possibility that someone might attack him out of a desire to harm a person, not to gain a camera. For some the violence is an end unto itself. These people legitimately frighten me because they hope for a confrontation and are more mentally prepared for it than I am.

I'll agree insofar as there are vanishingly few places I wouldn't be able to possess some kind of defensive tool, but my favored one is highly restricted even in a relatively free state such as mine. I'll be going on a cruise next month and the airport is extremely restrictive of what I'm legally allowed to have to defend myself with.

I could talk at length about whether any of these laws are truly legitimate in a sense, because they restrict my rights based on the possibility that I might harm someone else, not any proof that I actually have or would if given the opportunity. But that's another story for another time and another venue.



Take away self defense tip for photographers: if you're out in public, don't become so engrossed in your work that you lose awareness of what's going on around you. If you don't feel you can do that, be sure to have someone with you to watch out for you while you work. You cannot possibly hope to defend yourself no matter what tools you have without first and foremost a keen awareness of your surroundings.

Nah, the most dangerous thing that could happen to me is to fall off a cliff or get mosquito bites.

But I know a (very very little) bit of Krav Maga. Aim for vital parts and when it's safe, RUN!

GoWolfpack wrote in post #15985261
I could talk at length about whether any of these laws are truly legitimate in a sense, because they restrict my rights [...]

And that's my point.

We could talk at length but the answer will always be the same. They are not legitimate.

Have fun on the cruise!