Armed Citizen Corner: Traveling Armed Part IV/Unarmed

 

 

By Brian Montgomery

Continued from Part 1 (Know the Law), Part 2 (Airplanes), and Part 3 (Complacency Kills).

 

Carry your gun. Carry it wherever and whenever you can. Also carry a re-load, back-up, flashlight and communication device. Yeah, I know, everyone carries a cell phone, but do you routinely carry a secondary power source? Oh, and make sure you know the law of the land…when you land.

I know I’m mostly preaching to the choir. I also know I travel to – or at least through – the occasional non-permissive environment (like Maryland or New Jersey, where you just can’t or shouldn’t carry a concealed firearm). Or perhaps you know you are going to be engaging in activities that preclude you from carrying: imbibing alcohol, working out, going to the beach, etc. – you get the idea.

When I can’t carry a gun, I at least carry a knife…and once in a while I’ll carry a can of pepper spray. Recently I found a great little backup weapon from ASP: a 12” collapsible baton. Lethal? Nope. But it fits in my shaving kit for travel and fits even better inside the waistband for concealed carry, is easy to carry in running shorts and has a handy clip. It is just longer than the width of my hand, has three segments (similar to standard sized batons), but is much lighter and very easy to conceal.

All of the above mentioned tools are really about the projection of power, as well as the ability to carry them comfortably concealed (without the use of a “sock holster”, of course). Will a 12” baton really deliver a devastating blow? Possibly not, but it will work better than a focused blow, palm-heel strike or garden variety “haymaker”. And I really like having another use of force option to complement my typical EDC set up.

I’ve been toting this little dude around for a few weeks and I really do like it. One of my kids immediately recognized it and said, “Hey, a baby-whacky stick!” Which is precisely what it is.

Barring the ability to carry something that goes bang with which to dissuade mopes, assholes and cannibal clowns, this baton is a great option. Another is the JPX Pepper Gun (which Trek and Reeder call the “2 Ball Blaster”). I’ve heard rumors some people will carry a cue ball and a spare pair of socks in their carry-on — this is obviously not optimal for carry at your destination, but could come in handy on the plane if Abu Din Goat Fawkah tries something nasty.

Read the Original at Breach Bang Clear