#non-lethal

Infrasound: Very low-frequency sound generators could be tuned to incapacitate humans, causing disorientation, nausea, vomiting, or bowel spasms.

Laser weapons: Low-energy laser rifles could dazzle or temporarily blind enemy soldiers, or disable optical and infrared systems used for target acquisition, tracking, night vision, and range finding. The International Committee of the Red Cross has initiated a humanitarian campaign to prohibit the use of lasers as weapons of war.

Supercaustics: These highly acidic chemical agents can be millions of times more caustic than hydrofluoric acid. They could destroy the optics of heavily armored vehicles, as well as tires and structural metals.

Biological agents: Microbial cultures can be "designed" to chew up almost anything. Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory reviewed naturally occurring organisms that could be cultured to enhance certain characteristics. "As a result, we discovered a bacterium that degrades a specific material used in many weapons systems."1

Acoustic beam weapons: High frequency acoustic "bullets" used against people would induce blunt-object trauma "like being hit by a baseball." According to John Alexander of Los Alamos, "Proof of principle has been established; we can make relatively compact acoustic weapons."2

Combustion inhibitors: Chemical agents can be released into the atmosphere or introduced directly into fuel tanks to contaminate fuel or change its viscosity to degrade or disable all mechanical devices powered by combustion.

Mini-nukes: Jumping onto the non-lethal bandwagon, the redoubtable Edward Teller has proposed developing mini nuclear weapons with explosive yields of 100 tons ("The 'Soft Kill' Solution," March/April 1994 Bulletin). These would be non-lethal, one supposes, as long as the enemy does what he is told.

So one of our players, with a critical hit dealt an accidental 214 points of damage to one of the party's mother who was being mind controlled by an enemy.

Needless to say she was killed instantly.

Non-Lethal Self-Defense Tools:

Even in "peaceful" societies, it doesn't hurt to have a self-defense method or skill in place, and at-the-ready, while jogging, walking the dog, driving, shopping, at work, or watching TV at home. Whatever it is, it's important to know how to use it effectively BEFORE it is necessary and know that you are emotionally and physically ready to use it when a threat comes knocking. However, situational awareness should be our greatest defensive weapon. As never before, we have many non-lethal and lethal weapons choices. Before deciding if you even want to use a weapon in determine, ahead of time, your level of accepting the consequences of taking a human life or causing serious injury. This may help to reach the conclusion of what to use or even if you are going to use anything. Selecting non-lethal and/or lethal personal defense weapon(s) will be based on availability and level of proficiency, trust, hospitality, beliefs or paranoia or a combination of these or others. The obvious are firearms, knives, stun guns, and pepper spray but thinking outside-the-box, when none of these are readily available or desired, may be the difference between surviving and dying. Consider, also, that marauders will be on the lookout, and searching, for the obvious weapons. Non-Lethal Self-Defense Weapons: The way things are going, it may get to the point when any self-defense "tool" may become illegal (including non-lethals). Wasp/Hornet Spray shoots a stream about 10 feet. "Judge, I had wasps in my car and I just didn't remember to remove the can from my car after I sprayed the wasps. And when I was attacked by these ass-wipes, I was in fear for my life and grabbed the first thing I could reach to defend myself." BE PREPARED to use whatever means necessary to defend yourself before and after the attack. But here may be some current legal options, depending on your jurisdiction:    [Link 1]    [Link 2]    [Link 3] Pepper Spray:    [Bear Spray vs Pepper Spray]    [Pepper Gel vs Spray]    [Defense Spray with ID Dye] Commercial Projectile Weapons: Byrna Kinetic and Pepper Projectile Launcher [Link 2]

Treating Exposure to Pepper-Spray / Mace / Chemical Irritants:

Don't touch or rub contaminated skin or eyes.

Wash Eyes with mixture of two teaspoons of table salt per liter of water OR a 50/50 mix of bland liquid antacid & water.

Remove contaminated clothing. Wash separate from other clothing with STRONG detergent.

After pain begins to subside, decontaminate skin using liquid soap diluted with water.

Make Your Own: We all know that purchasing a weapon can cost a lot of hard-earned money. Fortunately, you can make your own effective self-defense weapons without breaking the bank. Although these weapons are homemade, they are reliable when emergency circumstances arise. We should never be sure that we are safe or complacent about our security so it’s better to be protected than sorry.    [Make a Powerful, Easy & Cheap Stun Gun]    [Homemade Pepper Spray] Turn Everyday Items into Improvised Weapons Improvised Self-Defense In The Wilderness [Make and Use Improvised Weapons]    [Other Ideas 1]    [Other Ideas 2] In addition to Non-Lethal Self-Defense Weapons above, learning how to use ordinary objects as weapons may provide some sense of security and protection during a self-defense encounter. When commercial weapons or ammo is scarce or you're forced to leave your supplies behind, improvised weapons may be your only choice for self-defense. Hardening a Wooden Walking Stick Into a Spear: Carrying a long stick, made from hard wood (like Oak or Maple), in the wilderness helps with walking rough terrain but sharpening the top end into a point also makes it a formidable defense weapon to keep potential dangers at a distance or catch food. Hardening the point with fire will help keep it sharp. Rotate the point area just above the flames of a small fire to dry out the wood. Once it starts to get a "toasted" look, you're done. For a point of reference, pretend trying to toast the perfect marshmallow over those flames. It should be golden brown, with little to no black char. Sharpened the point again after hardening. Once done, rub plant or animal oil on the spear point. Peel the bark from the shaft, or leave it in place for gripping. Re-harden if the point becomes dull with use. Distribute Weapons: Having a single place to store or secure weapons leaves you unprotected if you don't happen to be in that area of the house when a self-defense event happens. It's always good to secure weapons to prevent theft or use by young or inexperienced household members. But, to improve ready-access by "authorized" members of the household, weapons should be distributed throughout the residence. Consider these Concealed Gun Safes. Hand-To-Hand: Taking lessons for fist fighting, martial arts, kick boxing, even fencing, are options to consider if you have the proper physical and emotional makeup. Distance: Generally, defense at-a-distance is preferred to up-close-and-personal to reduce the possibility of injury to yourself (see the 21 Feet Rule above). Striking tools like a baseball bat and fireplace poker or pepper spray may already be available in the house and are fair distance weapons but the greater distance to stop an attack, the better. For keeping predators further away, a high-powered rifle with scope and sniper training may be considered. A dog with a "big dog bark" may deter a predator but a dog that has been trained to attack is a formidable defense weapon. [Author's Reference Link] Related Resources: Making and Using Improvised Weapons and Tools

[11-Cs Basic Emergency Kit] [14-Point Emergency Preps Checklist] [Immediate Steps to Take When Disaster Strikes] [Learn to be More Self-Sufficient] [The Ultimate Preparation] [P4T Main Index]

NOTICE: Contents of this blog have been gathered from sources believed to be reliable but should not be considered authoritative. You are solely responsible for your own actions on how you use this information. Do your own research on topic(s) included.

New items!

These are non-lethal self-defense tools, made from hard epoxy resin, and we can make them in almost any color (not the shrimp ones).

The point of a self-defense tool (no pun intended) is to make your attacker realize you're not worth their effort. Fight back! A sharp jab or scratch with one of these little guys is going to (ha ha) drive that point home.

As Edna Mode told us, "luck favors the prepared, darling", and you may feel just a touch safer with one of these in your hand.