The thing about lethal force, whether or not you intend it to be lethal, is that the consequences can be extremely high if we use it in ways that are not legally permissible. Watching the news and social media are not complete educations about what is and isn’t okay in the eyes of the law,
Step 0: Are you carrying pepper spray? You should be. If a stranger is an actual issue, OC is very likely enough to solve the most common worst-case scenario problems. Step 1: Relax. Are they really following you or are they also just looking for Diet Coke? You can change your path through the store
Every time I take Exit 5 off the Blue Route, a major highway in the Philadelphia region, I think of Aimee Willard. A star college athlete, she didn’t make it home from a night out with friends back in 1996. Her still-running car and a pool of blood were found that night at that exit.
The homicide rate in Philadelphia has been soaring for the last few years, since the start of the pandemic and the aftermath of George Floyd led to 2020 being the most violent year suffered by the city in three decades and the second highest in six. Nearly five hundred people were killed that year, and
The story of Adam Simjee and Mikayla Paulus has been floating around the news recently. As is often the case, there is some disagreement between sources about exactly what happened, but here’s the outline we’ll go with today, based on the initial Clay County Sheriff’s Office news release and early news reports. It was mid-morning
This past weekend, I spent two days with John Hearne of Two Pillars Training. Advertised as separate classes, Saturday was all about examining the characteristics of people who win in violent fights, and how we can learn from them to increase our own odds of success if we face that worst day ourselves. Sunday, we
When I think about OHO, there are many types of women I think about. It’s hard to tell folks who OHO is for, because of all the different times in life when a woman might be on her own. One of the classic scenarios is when a young woman moves out from her family home,
We’ve spent a lot of time lately talking about the kinds of self-defense training and mindset that can and can’t keep you safe. The skills you have and the ways you think are not the only factors in what I like to call full-spectrum self-defense or full-spectrum personal safety, though. Tools can have a part
Time is our most precious commodity. Once it’s gone, we can’t get it back. My friend, John Johnston (Citizens Defense Research), likes to tell students that when he teaches, and it’s both his gratitude for the time you’ve spent in class and a warning to spend your time wisely. It’s connected to that idea of
I’d like to pause today to remember Dr. William Aprill. His work influenced mine enormously, and long-time readers will recognize my frequent references to him. He passed away two years ago this past weekend, and I still frequently catch myself picking up my phone to text him a question. Instead of my words today, I’d
