If You Live in an Anti-Gun State or Just Can't Get to Your Firearm in Time, Here Are Five Unconventional Self-Defense Tactics to Use

LAS VEGAS -- Roger Eckstine, author of “Shooter’s Bible: Guide to Home Defense,” used to live in New York City, one of the most anti-gun areas in the country. In an interview with TheBlaze at the 2015 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, he revealed how it required him to get creative when it came to self-defense.

Realistically, no one can be 100 percent prepared to face off with a criminal at all times. Sometimes, improvisation is key. That’s why he included an entire chapter on improvised weapons in his book.

So, if you happen to live in a state or city that isn’t gun friendly, or you just want to be prepared in the event that you can’t get to your gun in time, here are a number of unconventional self-defense weapons.

Your Keys

Source: "Shooter’s Bible: Guide to Home Defense"

“Above all, fighting and defending takes a never-give-up attitude. Chances are, if you have nothing else with which to protect or multiply force, there are always your car and house keys,” Eckstine writes in the book. “Split between fingers, a rake of the eyes by a very small person can be as powerful a blow as a blow struck by a giant. Some people have iron jaws and others have washboard abdominal muscles, but we all have the same vulnerable eyes.”

Canned Goods

Eckstine recalled living in New York City’s Lower East Side in the 1970s and witnessing a burglar trying to break into his home through a window. Because he was unarmed in the city, he was forced to use a “truly improvised weapon.”

“I discovered that hurling unopened cans of beans was one was to get a would-be burglar away from a window and off the fire escape,” he revealed in his book.

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However, Eckstine also told TheBlaze that it's ridiculous that W. F. Burns Middle School in Valley, Alabama, tried to arm students with cans to defend against school shooters, saying such a tactic should only be used as a last resort in desperate situations.

“That’s how desperate you can get when you live in an area that doesn’t allow guns,” he said.

Ant Spray

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Ant spray can double as makeshift mace and possibly help temporarily incapacitate an intruder or attacker, according to Eckstine. He suggested leaving a can by the front or rear doors just in case.

“A can of ant spray by the front or rear doors could merely signal that your war with ants is ongoing,” he writes. “But bear in mind that any airborne chemical can also splash back at you as well.”

LED Flashlight

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If you’ve ever had a high-powered LED flashlight shined in your eyes, you are well aware that it can leave you temporarily blinded.

Using the tactic against an intruder or attacker might give a victim just enough time to gain the upper hand, Eckstine told TheBlaze. The actual flashlight can also be used as a striking tool, he added.

“If you can get that beam in their eyes, you can create the opportunity to do a couple of things,” he added. “The first thing you can do is strike the flashlight. The other thing you can do is move. You can escape or you can move to possibly grab a weapon — a gun or a knife — that you maybe didn’t have time to grab before.”

Ballpoint Pen

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If you are facing an imminent threat, a basic ballpoint pen can be used as a deadly weapon, according to Eckstine.

One of an attacker’s most vulnerable areas is the neck — and a stab with a ballpoint pen directly under the jawbone or the carotid artery has the potential be devastating, he said.

Eckstine also suggested going for the eyes, which he considers the “most vulnerable part of the body.”

"Shooter’s Bible: Guide to Home Defense" has much more self-defense information than just improvised weapons, including several tips on defending your life, family and property with firearms, knives, dogs and more. Check it out here.