What is the best weapon or device for home defense or personal defense?

The best weapon or device for home defense or personal defense is NOT the one that CAN stop the attacker. It is the one that DOES stop the attacker. 

So, what is the difference?

Many people see the best weapon or device for home defense or personal defense as the most deadly. In that case, a gun is better than any non-lethal defense device like pepper spray, stun devices, sound alarms, GPS alerts or the many “non-lethal” weapons or devices.

Using that same logic, a AR-15 or shot gun is generally more powerful than a hand gun. An AR 15 can kill someone who is farther away and is more accurate than a handgun, so that can, in some ways, make the person feel that is the best weapon or device for home defense or personal defense.

There is the psychological consideration created by the fact that I can send the message, “I’ll kill you if you mess with me or my family.”  Knowing you have that capability is empowering for many. But again, the question is not whether or not it CAN stop the attacker, but whether or not it DOES stop the attacker if, when and where you are attacked. Then, there are all the questions surrounding the justifiable use of lethal force. Having to take a life is a terrible thing, even when legal, moral and justifies. Not having to take a life, but doing so, is worse.

The other big question is whether or not there is one best weapon or device for home defense or personal defense that will take care of all your possible defense needs. Everyone would love to be able to make that one decision, fork out the dough and be done with it. Then, if they could just put that thing in a gun safe, or a glove compartment or a purse or back pack not have to think or worry about it again, would be great. Unfortunately, it’s more complicated, but worth the time and effort to think about and make important decisions.

Unfortunately, important decisions are often difficult, but you always feel better after having put in the effort to make the best decision you possibly can.

There is one most critical of all considerations. If we knew where, when, by who and in what manner we were going to be attacked, then we could make sure we had the “ideal” weapon or device for that particular situation. The problem is, we do not know any of that.

Here are a few questions to consider:

1. In what situation would killing the attacker be justified legally, morally and ethically?
2. In what situation would lethal force be necessary, whether legally, morally or ethically justified, or not?
3. Will the weapon or device be legal to have in your hand in the location you are attacked?
4. Will the attack be sudden and unexpected or will you see it coming and have plenty of time to retrieve the appropriate weapon or device?
5. Will it be a single attacker or multiple attackers?
6. Will the attacker be armed with a force multiplier?
7. Will the force multiplier used by the attacker be lethal or non-lethal?
8. Will you be able to easily overpower the attacker without the use of lethal force, or any force multiplier?
9. What is the intent of the attacker?
10. Is the attacker a bad, evil person or are they mentally ill or temporarily mentally unstable due to a drug overdose or an adverse reaction to legal prescriptions or some other unintentional means causing an otherwise good person to act in an uncharacteristic manner?
11. Will the attacker make known his intent to kill, rape or otherwise harm you?
12. Will you have both lethal and non-lethal options that are all available?
13. Will every one of those options be accessible and deployable within the time you have to respond?
14. Will you have time to retrieve a weapon or device from its holster, purse, pocket, backpack, car or elsewhere?
15. If you are able to retrieve your lethal and/or non-lethal weapon or device, will you have the time and ability to take off the safety, position it in your hand and activate or fire it.
16. If you are physically attacked, by surprise and have no time to retrieve a weapon or device, no time to take off a safety or position it in your hand, will you have something already in your hand that does not require taking off the safety or positioning it in your hand in order to fire and stop the attacker, either by incapacitating him or killing him? If it is to kill him, then many questions above will need to be answered.
17. Will the device remain in your hand or on the ground if it is a sudden, violent physical attack?
18. Are the persons actions and appearance a reliable prediction of their intent to do someone harm, even themselves? 
19. Is price or effectiveness the biggest consideration?
20. Are you willing to spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to maximize your preparation?
21. Id not, will you and your family members be able to use your best weapon or device for home defense or personal defense effectively, with minimal or no training? 
22. What is the weapon or device that, when all these things are taken into consideration, is the most likely device or weapon to actually be used to stop the attacker or attackers in the greatest variety and most likely attack scenarios?
23. When considering pepper spray, what is the greatest indication of potency?
24. When considering pepper spray, what is the greatest evidence of effectiveness?
25. How can you know what the most effective non-lethal device is?

Note: I know of several mentally ill individuals who are normally very nice people and who would normally never harm anyone. In two cases, they were in situations in which they had a knife and lethal force would likely have been legally justified, but TigerLight’s were used to incapacitate them and their lives were spared and many people were incredibly grateful for police officers who were exceptionally prepared. In these case and many others, the officers said lethal force would have been the likely outcome without the TigerLights.

When we designed the D.A.D.®, our only goal was to design the most effective non-lethal device that could be designed. 

First, we knew it had to be the most effective at stopping the attacked, whether drug impaired, or not. We already had the most effective non-lethal defense weapon or device available and it had proven that in major studies conducted by top law enforcement agencies. So, we knew this new device had to incorporate the same technology that caused that exceptional effectiveness.

Second, we knew that perhaps, even more important than that, the device had to be something people would be able and willing to carry in their hand while going from place to place, walking, jogging, hiking, going to work, riding a bike, walking the dog, getting the mail, waiting for a bus or train, traveling or engaging in any of hundreds of activities during which an attack might occur.

Third, we needed to know that the device would remain in hand and that the user of the device would be able to operate it while being physically assaulted and while experiencing a major adrenaline dump eliminating the use or fine motor skills that are often required to operate a weapon or defense device.

Fourth, we wanted to find a way to alert potentially hundreds or even thousands of people who were near the person being attacked and who could become a major deterrent to such attacks causing a dramatic decline in person-on-person attacks. 

The D.A.D.® 2 of defense alert device by TigerLight accomplishes all those things. Nothing else does. Go ahead and buy a gun. Be sure to get ongoing training on how and when to use it. Do lots of scenario training. Use it safely and wisely, but also make a really good, educated decision and get the device that is, by far, most likely to end up being the difference in a person-on-person attack. That device is the D.A.D.® 2 by TigerLight.