Adult Development
Self-Defense
By H. Bernard Wechsler
Nov 15, 2007

Self-Defense: what is a Skunkgun?

Statistics put me to sleep, but stories stick in your mind and teach us something.

First, who says so, because being a Contrarian I figure folks make up numbers
to sell something. The New York Times 10.12.07 reported a bunch of numbers
that grabbed my 3-pound coconut and created vivid images to remember.

How about: the U.S. Department of Justice says there were 40 million arrests
(2003-2005) and 7 million convicted criminals are either in jail (2.2 million),
or on probation or parole. How many did you say?

This one bothered me – there were 174,760 assaults on law enforcement officers.
Don’t you figure if the thug is going to attack the cops, you and your family are
not exempt?

Carjackings

We have 300 million folks in the U.S. and 243 million registered passenger cars,
according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Hold on. There were about 50,000 carjacking attempts in the U.S., and in 92%
the villain used a dangerous weapon.

During the day more women are driving to malls and shopping centers than men.
It is not a stretch to discover women are likely to be victims of assaults, carjackings
and robberies.

Question: How many of these crimes on women are reported? Estimates are up to 50% of the victims who escape do not notify the police. They do notify their insurance company for a scratch on the hood, but many are embarrassed to declare themselves a victim. See: NCVS National Crime Victimization Survey

International Reggae Star Lucky Dube

October 19, 2007, Motown recording artist Lucky Dube was killed in attempted
carjacking in a suburb south of Johannesburg. He was highjacked, got away, but
they still shot him to death. Dube was dropping off his son and daughter when
he was attacked and murdered for his motor vehicle. Dube was declared dead
at the scene by the paramedics.

Note that Dube, a wealthy man, was in a fancy suburb at the time of his victimization. His son and daughter witnessed his carjacking murder.

Maryland: Fuel Truck Hijacked 10.20.07

The driver of a tanker truck with 7,100 gallons of diesel fuel was
taken at gunpoint. It occurred at a City of Baltimore fuel depot,
and the vehicle was later found in Washington D.C.

The driver was not injured though he was threatened with death if he resisted.
It is considered a robbery, and did not appear to be terrorism related. The truck
driver was defenseless and appeared to be traumatized.

Self-Defense

It is SOP (standard operating procedure) to recommend to both the public and
employees to comply with the carjacker to avoid physical harm. Big deal, we are
all smart and scared enough to not resist a criminal holding a weapon in our face.

Are there any numbers about people who did not comply with the attacker?
The answer is no, because the media does not want to encourage the public
to resist and potentially suffer injury or death.

How do you feel after being a victim of a carjacking? Up to 25% suffer psychological trauma and require professional help for as long as one-year.

Suggestions

The follow six rules can sometimes prevent carjackings, muggings and robberies.

1. Choose valet parking or an attended garage.

2. Women exiting a mall or shopping plaza should request a security escort
to their motor vehicle. Yes, one will be provided because not complying
with such a request is legal negligence. How about your teenager who just
obtained his driving license? Ego issues aside, an armed security guard marching you to your car, discourages watching carjackers.

3. Never turn your back while loading packages into your car. Move the car
into the light and among a crowd before loading your car.

4. Instruct your kids to enter and exit your buggy quickly and shut the doors
behind them. Sorry, muggers are entrepreneurs of opportunity and watching
for their chance to live off the fat-of-the land.

5. This is a biggie – if you are bumped in the rear, do not immediately jump
from your vehicle to exchange insurance information. The intentional
bumper is waiting to jump you and grab your money and car. It is a fact
you must learn to expect danger. Your mom was right about not talking to
strangers.

6. Beware of Good Samaritans. If you have a flat tire or smoking engine, do
not stand around and accept help from a stranger. Get into the light where
there is a crowd and wait for professional assistance.

Fight-or-Flight

You are genetically engineered to survive. It comes with the mind and body and
reinforced by life experience – the environment teach us self-protection.

Your Sympathetic Nervous System activates adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol
(our stress hormone) to save you from potential danger. Fight-and-Flight syndrome causes you to react without conscious analysis because time is of the essence during
danger.

Your brain is a triple threat star because it contains instincts, emotions and logical thinking to save your life. Instincts like survival and self-protection are contained in your Reptilian complex.

Your Limbic system is the core of all your emotions and commanded by your Amygdala. Fear is your greatest motivator.

The NeoCortex (new brain) grants us logic, reason and the ability to analyze facts
and circumstances. All three operate simultaneously to help us survive.

Often there is no time to contemplate your options, and instinct and emotions are
your best weapons. If you can run away from danger, that shows courage and
intelligence.

Giving in to fear is a weak weapon, and often a dangerous reaction to circumstances. Those who allow their fears to rule may regret the results compared
to a measured response.

Skunkgun: a New form of Self-Defense

A teacher and business associate in Seattle has discovered a self-defense approach
that some of us may find valuable. It is a hand-held canister spray containing a
stench so horrible, so painful to your olfactory bulb (sense of smell ) as to disable
the mind and body.

The Skunkgun is for police, security and the military, and now is available as a
consumer self-defense device.

It is not a like a stun-gun, pepper spray or tasers with up to 50,00 volts; the skunkgun does not serious injure, maim or kill, it disables the carjackers or
mugger for up to four hours.

When the spray strikes within 20 feet and lands on the clothing or skin, the brain is overwhelmed with a stink so powerful, the mugger’s sole emotion (thought is entirely deleted) is escape. The odor remains operative for the next four hours.

If you desire a humane form of self-defense, yet so powerful as to disable the villain’s mind and body, you may want to see www.skunkgun.com

See ya,
copyright 2007 H. Bernard Wechsler www.speedlearning.org hbw@speedlearning.org
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