Best defense weapons for women running

You are right. A .22 and a .45 are equally effective - or is it ineffective? - at stopping an attacker. My bad.

You are also right about Glock. Of the millions of guns that have ever been made, maybe a dozen are superior to Glock's offerings. Not a bad statistic. But seriously, I get it: there are reasons not to like Glock... but none of them have to do with reliability. I bought a Glock because I am confident it will go bang every time I pull the trigger. Why? Because every soldier and law enforcement officer I have ever talked to recommended it. Are they all drinking the same kool-ade? Maybe, but that must be some damn fine kool-ade.

Quu wrote:

treadmill in your basement

^Yup that was and has been my solution. Even 22mi+.

Grushenka wrote:

Quu wrote:

treadmill in your basement

^Yup that was and has been my solution. Even 22mi+.

Seriously, what do you do for 22mi? Watch a movie? Or just, I dunno, "feel the run"?

lots of gun salesmen here. The knife is the lightest and therefore best weapon to carry on a run. Either a folding knife in your pocket, if that is comfortable, or a fixed blade that you can strap around your waist. Then you should also be comfortable taking it out of the holster while jogging, being careful to point the blade away from your body of course. Just being able to take out a knife and flick it at someone is a lot more than most attackers want to deal with. If you need a gun on your running route, maybe try running in a more relaxing area, seems a bit much. You can always work out at a track where there is safety in numbers.

YaRly wrote:

lots of gun salesmen here. The knife is the lightest and therefore best weapon to carry on a run. Either a folding knife in your pocket, if that is comfortable, or a fixed blade that you can strap around your waist. Then you should also be comfortable taking it out of the holster while jogging, being careful to point the blade away from your body of course. Just being able to take out a knife and flick it at someone is a lot more than most attackers want to deal with. If you need a gun on your running route, maybe try running in a more relaxing area, seems a bit much. You can always work out at a track where there is safety in numbers.

Just passively hold this in your hand. (I'd recommend mace over a knife, tho... just a matter of safe distance, huh? Although, the knife will certainly fail less often...)

YaRly wrote:

lots of gun salesmen here. The knife is the lightest and therefore best weapon to carry on a run. Either a folding knife in your pocket, if that is comfortable, or a fixed blade that you can strap around your waist. Then you should also be comfortable taking it out of the holster while jogging, being careful to point the blade away from your body of course. Just being able to take out a knife and flick it at someone is a lot more than most attackers want to deal with. If you need a gun on your running route, maybe try running in a more relaxing area, seems a bit much. You can always work out at a track where there is safety in numbers.

or, why choose? lol

Sig Sauer P938?

Whatever weapon you carry, it's going to be used against you so be ready.

retractable rod

very simple and easy- never never run alone, especially at night; always always carry pepper spray and know how to use, and be ready to use it in an instant

Zee wrote:

Ok. There is some good info here from several ppl. I never really thought about practicing with pepper spray before hand but that makes a lot of sense.

This is my concern when it comes to self-defense recommendations. You shouldn't just buy a canister of pepper spray and carry it hoping that you'll be able to figure it out should you ever need to use it. The same goes for any form of self defense... you have to train to use it.

You need to see how it works. It's not super easy to deactivate the safety catch on the cap. It's not always super clear to figure out what direction the spray is going to go. It's not always easy to open the safety catch with one hand. It's not effective past a certain distance that varies with the brand and type of spray. The range of the small keychain and jogging sprays are about 5 feet and you must contact the eyes for it to be fully effective.

Don't get me wrong. Pepper spray is a LOT better than nothing, but you need to get some training on how to use it and then practice using it.

It's the same with a handgun. You need to get proper training and practice.

There are a lot of great things about training classes. Not only will you get better, you'll learn the legal ramifications of your use of force and the necessity of situational awareness. Most people have zero situational awareness.

OP, do you live somewhere that is that unsafe you need a firearm? I say this having run in some of the least safe places in certain states and never having felt unsafe. I can honestly say I can't remember hearing of a single case of a runner being killed, kidnapped, or harmed in such a way that pepper spray wouldn't have done the trick. As much as I would hate for you to be harmed, I would hate for you to purposely shoot someone and a court rule it was inappropriate.

I carry a handheld pepper spray that is easy to use and have a GoGuarded knife/ring thing. It's a last resort but if I am getting grabbed the knife is already out and will cut even if I am not thinking about it. One time I tripped and hit my hand on the pavement and the GoGuarded knife cut the living hell out of my other fingers. It works.

Call around or visit your local gun stores and ask about self-defense training for women. Here's a course I tracked down that my training partner is planning to attend. There is no requirement to own a firearm to attend or to even desire to own a firearm. The course includes discussion of pepper spray and some basic hand-to-hand combat moves. FWIW, I've attended a similar course. The moves I learned were amazing and definitely disabling, but it also reaffirmed that hand-to-hand combat is a messy, dangerous scenario. :)

WOMENS SELF DEFENSE

Take control of your personal safety by learning awareness and avoidance skills as well as effective self-defense techniques to prevent yourself from becoming a victim.

This will be an active class, so please wear comfortable clothing and shoes!

COST: $40

LENGTH: 3 Hours

I'm literally a women. When I was a former D1 leader in my state, I used to carry small stones in my running shorts which I would literally be able to throw at anyone threatening me. The big issue was chaffing and bruising from them bouncing around in me. I was literally thinking of getting a big wolf like dog to run with me, and protect me like an Alaskan Malamute.

txRUNNERgirl's sister wrote:

Sig Sauer P938?

That's my CCW, but I'd never bring it on a run.

My wife carries an LCP2 when she runs, but I think it is a ridiculous idea. Odds are she would never even get to it if assaulted. The perpetrator almost assuredly would be trying to use some element of surprise, and once someone has their hands on you, it's too late to try and get to your firearm and use it (thinking of man assaulting a woman)

I really think the best option is to run with other people or to run with a dog. If you put some thought into what you'd actually need for the best chance, it would be something that could be retrieved / deployed / used from any position and any element of surprise. So either wolverine claws or something you have in your hand at all times and that you know you can use.

Grizzly mace. Not sure whether it’s legal in every state — you can get it at a sporting goods store in mine. I’ve been carrying it for years. I run in the mountains and it’s not people I worry about, but I can attest to its effectiveness because once I accidentally caught just a whiff while trying to break up a dog fight. My neighbor came up and delivered just one spray from his can, aiming away from me. The two 100+ lb dogs were instantly neutralized and I couldn’t see or breathe. It was completely disabling.

Make sure you learn to use the sprayer properly, keep the nozzle clean, and replace the whole thing it every six months.