Criminals are a smart lot. They will not attack when you expect it. The same goes for disasters; they will happen unannounced. So, you may not get time to reach out for your weapons. Similarly, you may be locked out of your home so you may not have access to your weapons.
The stakes are even higher in the case of martial law, home invasion, or anarchy situation. You may not be able to defend your family and properties if you lack weapons. So, what do you do in such a case? The answer is improvising weapons.
Why Would You Need An Improvised Weapon?
We have already mentioned a few scenarios that may separate you from your usual self-defense weapon. At times, you may have the weapon, but the emergency is sudden. For instance, your handgun or shotgun might be in another room, locked away or unloaded.
Another scenario is where your home is under siege, or your attackers are between you and your weapons. Maybe you do not like guns or weapons are illegal in your jurisdiction. It does not matter what your reasons are; the good news is that you can improvise a weapon to help you deter the attacker at least until help arrives.
Types of Improvised Weapons for Home Defense
Improvising a weapon requires high levels of imagination, ingenuity, and creativity. These attributes define a successful survivalist. If you are creative, you can come up with your own. Here are some basics to act as a springboard for further research and ingenuity:
Bludgeon
In normal circumstance, a bludgeon is simply a thick stick with a heavy end. There are specially made bludgeons used as weapons. In an emergency, you can improvise many household items to use as a bludgeon.
In fact, anything that has some heft can be used as a bludgeon. However, you must first ascertain that you have enough strength to wield it. Furthermore, you will need enough room to maneuver the weapon.
A few examples of household items that can serve as bludgeons include fire extinguisher, glass or mug, chair, tablet or laptop, lamp, pot, a belt with a buckle, and rolled magazine or newspaper.
Shield
The stuff we have mentioned as possible improvised bludgeons can also serve as shields or blocks against attack by assailants using a handheld weapon or using their hands or fists. Anything that is thick and sturdy can serve as a shield as long as it is not too heavy for you to lift to your chest level.
Besides the items listed above under bludgeons, you can use other everyday items such as clothing, bedding or pillows, a book, furniture, a bag, a briefcase, a plate, and a table among others. Women can also use body sprays in their purses as repellents or deterrents.
Stab
In ordinary cases, you’d use a knife or a spear to stab your attacker. If you cannot reach them, then you’d have to find something to improvise. Thus anything that is sharp or pointed can be improvised into a weapon. The longer the item, the better it is for stabbing an attacker.
Many items can be used for this purpose. The best examples include a pen or a pencil, a broken bottle, a fire poker, cuticle clippers, a kitchen knife, a broken light bulb, a spoon, a toothbrush, ceramic shards (from a broken mug, plate or bowl), screwdrivers and a toothpick among others.
When it comes to improvised stabs, some items deserve special mention. These include an umbrella and a set of keys. An umbrella, especially the pointed one, is excellent because it gives you better reach and therefore more advantage against your attacker. A collection of keys, on the other hand, can inflict serious injury on your attacker if you use them correctly to target soft tissues around the face.
Distraction
At times, the best weapon against your attacker is a distraction. If you do something that your attacker does not expect, it may just give you enough space and time to escape to safety. Pulling this off needs slip second decision before the attack can comprehend what you are up to.
You have an advantage because you are familiar with your surroundings. So, consider anything at your disposal to create an advantage against the assailant. A few examples include using your voice to yell as loudly as you can, throwing paper or other material widely or acting crazy (rapidly and deranged).
A buttstock
If you like watching movies, you would see attackers beat their victims with the end part of their long rifles called the gunstock or buttstock. You can improvise one using one of many items available in your house. Suitable examples include a baseball bat, a flashlight, a walking stick, crutches and other elements of that kind.
The Most Important Survival Weapon
A story is told about a 100-pound woman who managed to fight off a 170-pound assailant successfully. The assassin was sent to her to kill her by jealousy consumed ex-husband. The assailant attacked her with a knife and stabbed her several times. Despite her injuries, the woman managed to fight him to a standstill until authorities arrived.
You could ask how she managed it. She did not have a gun, a knife or even other weapons for that matter. She won because of her insatiable desire to live. Your determination to fight to the end is the best weapon you have against your attacker. Weapons can deter them, but they can still gain an advantage and overpower you.
You can also enroll in self-defense classes. You can become a formidable weapon if you have martial art skills such as karate, jujitsu, taekwondo, and kung fu among others. With these skills, you can fight and even disable your attacker who may not know how good you are.
Conclusion
There you have it prepper. You now know you cannot depend only on your self-defense weapons. In case you cannot reach them during when an attack is in progress, be creative and ingenious and you will soon find something around you to improvise into an effective weapon. Added to your determination, these improvised weapons can make you invincible.