May I have your recommendations for buying a TASER, please?
 

You guys could probably give me some really good advice on this subject. I need to know what I should give my best friend in the way of a Taser or stun gun. She is being stalked by her biological father, of all people, because she refuses to give him money or come back to live with him. She was adopted by her aunt many years ago after being rescued from that man, and she wants nothing to do with him. We believe he plans to kidnap her, and either get ransom money out of her aunt or sell her to his friends. He is shadowing her everywhere, he bragged to another aunt about it. My friend is very small, less than 5 feet, but she has already taken self-defense classes and some karate instruction. She can't take a gun with her to school or the gym and obviously somebody can't be walking with her every minute of the day. What kind of personal defense weapon could she get under these circumstances? It has to be concealable. Your input is greatly appreciated.

How old is she and what state is she in? Actually, don't tell me what state she's in. But you or she will need to research the applicable state's laws regarding personal defense.

I don't believe that the police style line and dart tasers are legal for the general public, so anything that would even be potentially available would be the direct contact type.

I don't know enough about those to offer any useful advice or product recommendations.

Have the local police been contacted about this? Is there any legal recourse that she can take? Protection from Abuse orders often don't work ... but if she has one and he violates it and she uses some means of self defense, no matter what it might be, she may have better standing in court if she gets charged.

She's in the Philippines, Wolf. Manila. There is no law there, no justice, and your family is your worst enemy. If you are filthy rich, you can hire somebody to kill your tormenter or persuade him it is not worth his risk, but she does not fall into that category. I checked and people are carrying Tasers, and it is not on the restricted list to mail one to her. The problem she faces is the town is a slum of millions of people, very easy for a pursuer to get lost in the crowd, and even in a car you move only feet per minute so it is easy for somebody to follow you.

Almost forgot, she's 31. But she is very petite. Small but brave, I call her my Little Rambo.

Emigration may be her only viable option.

I have a friend who is from there...I will ask her if she has any ideas...stay tuned!

We had all the paperwork for a student visa, she was accepted in an American college, and they refused to let her out. Thank you Homeland Security for protecting the world from this girl instead of dealing with the people at the American Embassy in Manila who are selling visas for $10,000 to people who will go on welfare once they arrive to join their already illegal families.

Thanks for your offer, Brian. But if your friend is Filipino-born, she will tell you the same things I already know. The country is hopelessly lawless and corrupt. If you have money, you can make your problems go away. If you don't, you have to find a way to protect yourself because nobody else will do it. That's why I am thinking that a Taser might be her best solution, she can't just shoot the creep or the police will come and get her instead.

Couple shots from a can of OC-10 will deter all but the most wigged out PCP-head. I don't recommend a Taser. She'd only get one shot, and if she misses, she's in trouble.

OC-10 is pepper spray for those who might not know. Important to get the stuff designed for people-spraying, and not the bear stuff. I can't remember why at the moment, but it's something I heard at the gun shop. Maybe capsican content.

I don't think that pepperspray can be mailed overseas. (although the thought of a can exploding in the cargo compartment of a jet is somewhat amusing to me)

wolf - you are sick. sick, i say. and it amuses me too.

i vote for a handgun. you have more than one try and you don't have to come into direct contact. there is a carry option for every situation.

I initially said handgun, too, but the Philippines have extremely restrictive gun laws. They used to issue carry permits, but the president revoked them. Now, Filipinos are limited to two firearms -- a shotgun or .22 rifle and a handgun, both of which must be licensed, and they're not allowed to have them outside the home (even for transport), without a seperate license specifically for that purpose. Even then, they can't be carried as protection in cars. They have no constitutional protection in this regard, so the chances of her gun being taken away are pretty good in the long term. An article I found while googling "Philippines+gun+laws" says that half of the 1 million legal firearms owners failed to renew their licenses, and were ordered to surrender their firearms to the police.

Of course your friend could buy one in about 10 minutes from a street hood or one of the gangs of bandits that run around in the hills there, if they didn't shoot her first. I guess the government forgot to add "this means you, criminal" to the end of their law.

Tasers (made by Taser International) are being by law enforcement used all up and down Asia. The attitude toward stun guns there is very lax compared with here in the U.S., where the folks at Amnesty International have their panties all in a knot because people are getting killed by these weapons. Why they're dying is unknown, but each story I've read about "accidental" deaths seems to suggest Taser misuse.

Anyway, buy your citizens Taser <a href="http://www.taser.com/self_defense/index.htm">here</a>. They're fully legal in Calif., and have restrictions in a handful of other states. I'm not sure about mailing overseas, but the company says more countries are approving Tasers. They've been OKed for use on passenger flights in Korea.

Thank you all for your well-considered input so far. Yes, we checked it out and I can buy the Taser or other device here and ship it to the Philippines without penalty, provided it goes by Global Express Mail so that it will stay out of the hands of the Filipino post office (which considers the mail from citizens as their personal shopping cart). She bought some Mace before and carries it in her hand everywhere, even while walking around their family compound, but she has never used it so far and we don't know if that was the best option against somebody who grabs you from behind. Hence the Taser or stun gun, which she might reach backwards and aim at the crotch of anybody trying to wrestle her into a car. We found some that look like cellphones on the net, but she tells me that gangs run up to you in the malls and tear a cellphone out of your hands so that's not the best idea. Nobody really cares if she terminates this guy, but the way it works is the police rush up and arrest the person who defended themselves and they rot in the legal process until a high enough bribe is paid to get them out.

If pepper spray is really the most effective protection, how can I determine the best choice to get for her? Is there a name brand which is better or more reliable? And would she put herself down while using it at close quarters? I have been gassed during protests at the Pentagon and Berkley and that was not even at close range, so I can imagine how it could backfire in a tussle.

The one thing this gal has going for her is she does not give up. Typical Filipinos are completely unnerved by a tiny female who refuses to be subdued and deferential. But a stalker is something else, and he might bring along some friends.

If you go the pepper spray route, they'll ship to the Philippines (at least, I didn't see anything to the contrary on their website).

Counter Assault is the name of the company, and the link goes directly to the personal protection page of the website. I'd recommend the fogger rather than the stream one, personally. The stream version will go further, but people tend to spray too much of it, and the active ingredient gets bound up in the medium and isn't as effective as a fine mist. Just hold your breath, shut your eyes, and give him a 2-3 second burst, Binaca style. Then run. That way you don't get a sneezing fit, and you can watch the attacker whimper and roll around from a safe distance while you call the police.


Kind of rethinking the Taser idea...if she's competent with one, it would most definitely have a more immediate effect...

They don't exactly have stores that teach you how to use a Taser in the Philippines. In fact, if a woman walked in and said she wanted to know how they worked, she would probably be ordered to leave by the male clerk. It would also be nice if she could get one and practice on the next squatter who tries to climb over her gate, but like I said, the police would then have an excuse to arrest her instead. The fact is she probably will not find out whether she knows how to use any of these items until she actually does it.

Come to think of it, the slimeball would probably drop from shock if she was the one who attacked HIM; he probably remembers how he could bounce her off the walls when she was younger and has no idea how much she has changed since then.

CRC brake cleaner. One shot in the face and down he goes. Don't get the green can - it has to be the red can. They come in small "toolbox" sizes - the 16oz can is too big. I got this info from someone I believe to be reliable. And you can always come up with a lame excuse for why you are carrying it around. I used to live close enough to the Phillipines to know that it is a lawless jungle - esp. for females. Good luck to your friend.

But, I think she at least needs to follow wolf's advice and at least make a gesture to the authorities - even it its useless, they can't say she didn't try.

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