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

[breakingnews]

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.

[Tonchi]

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.

[mrnoodle]

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...

[Tonchi]

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.

[Beestie]

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.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by Beestie

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.

I second this very inventive solution. From personal experience.

I was changing the brakes and had the drum off the car once and in the process of cleaning the cruddy, muddy, greasy blech off the parts, I managed to spray myself in the eyes. I was cleaning a bearing race and the part made a neat U-turn of the stream of chemicals right into my face. I never saw a neater trick in the cartoons to return an attackers fire. Damn. Anyway, my shade tree mechanical comedy show was immediately preempted by several minutes with the garden hose in my face. This shit will do the trick, it's cheap, innocuous, shoots a long strong stream, and effective. Except for the effective part, I suggest you go to the local auto parts store and buy a can a try it out for your self. You don't even need the little coffee stirrer nozzle to get the right effect.

[Tonchi]

Cool! Thanks for the hint, Beestie, I'll definitely pass that on. She could stash a can of that in every room of the house and in her car and the police couldn't say anything.

As for "reporting him to the authorities", such as they are, I told her to go to the Barangay chairman of her district. It appears that it's not going to help, because she was told that until he actually lays hands on her there is no proof of bad intentions, and besides, he was seen in an apparently friendly chat with one of her other aunts outside their gate. Told you that your family is often your worst enemy over there, and it was not her aunt's mother who died in that creep's house. No doubt her aunt will tell her she behaved in a very shameful manner if she actually manages to get the best of her tormenter.

I wish we could be talking about immigration options instead, even in her household everybody agrees that it's the only way for my friend to have any kind of life