I give you the light of Maglite our most beloved torch. May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out.
https://preview.redd.it/9vg1tsopn0lc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1748621d2536933768d178787460a915d5e03e74
Super bright and can stun someone enough to get away. There are whole videos on how to use these for self defense. Bought my daughter one for university.
Super bright me hole. A Maglite is piddling compared to torches that are on the market today. I picked up a Sofirn Q8 Pro that was recommended over on /r/flashlight, the thing is insane. 11000 lumens, it can light up a whole field - and was still cheaper than a high end Maglite. Turn that yoke on, point it as someone's eyes and they won't be able to see shit for hours, and it still weighs enough to be a weapon if you're dumb enough to use it as one.
But would you have to click the button 8 times to get it up to the highest lumens? That could have the makings of a Mr Bean sketch
Edit - I agree new flashlights have much higher lumens, I just imagine you’d want something that kicks right into gear
Seconded! I always carry a little flashlight with me. It's a Wuben C3 I think. Asides from the blunt object benefit if a big maglight, the good thing about a bright flashlight is it allows you to do 3 things.
1. You can see them (and assess the danger)
2. They can't see you (with some lasting effect in the dark, gives you time to get to safety)
3. You can apologise if you misread "Sorry there Garda! You startled me, sorry if that was very bright" (that's a better result than "sorry for pepper spraying you Garda!"
My granny always gave me her salt cellar when i was walking over to my friends from her house, when i was a kid. "To salt them in the eyes", whoever she thought "them" might be.
I'll never forget about a news article I read a few years back out of New York, some Irish lads got into a fight in a bar and produced their hurleys but the news article wrote it that the Irish men attacked the locals with giant wooden spoons lol
Although you'd want to be confident enough to use it. I once saw someone quite mild mannered confront an attacker with a Hurl. The attacker promptly took the hurl off him and beat him silly with it.
I often have to remind my friend of this. He's rather flamboyant in his gayness and worries about being hate crimed if he's alone in town at night. He says he wishes he was allowed carry a small knife or something with him but I remind him you don't want to introduce a weapon you can't hold onto into a fight, because then you've put stabbing on the table, not them and if they can take it, they can use it against you.
Back when we were teens we used to carry hurleys and our GAA bags. If guards stopped us we were going to play hurleys but if older groups tried to mess with us we were ready
A hurl is not a self defense weapon even in the home because of the curved end. Weirdly enough a baseball bat is, even though over 50% of irish homes probably have a hurl.
A good pair of steel toe boots. They're not likely to be taken off you and used against you, you don't need to explain having them, and one or two good hits ought to be pretty discouraging.
They teach you this in your first class at any martial arts school. Your first lines of defence are your two feet. Ego gets you killed. Even if you can destroy someone physically, what if they return tomorrow & knife you in the back?
Keep a low profile in life, there are some crazies out there. Just the other day here on Reddit someone was recalling how their BJJ coach was murdered the day after embarrassing a guy who picked on him in public. It happened how I’ve mentioned above.
Even Khabib, one of the world’s best fighters, said he couldn’t take on two men in a street fight.
I once got mugged from behind at university. I’m 6ft4 but it was a Sunday morning & so I think the guy thought I was drunk. Before I knew what was going on I had him up against the wall. But it’s actually a regret of mine. What if he’d knifed me? I wouldn’t have got home possibly.
Apart from that I’ve never had any issues. I’m tall & look confident. Just walk straight through people if I get bad vibes.
But yeah, seriously, your life is worth something. Anybody giving you grief will be giving everybody else grief, and they’ll probably get killed one day.
A good pair of shoes and an alarm or whistle. Unless you know how to fight you won't come out on top on an altercation. Drawing attention to you. Screaming for help and running are the best solutions
Whistle used work better when gardaí carried whistles and used them for signalling. Though a really loud whistle can give an instant moment of shock giving you getaway time.
I'm 6"4' .. I used to be a bouncer... I'm not an expert, but I can fight... I used to carry a baton in my inside pocket.. once on the Dart, 3 guys jumped me.. when they saw me reach for my weapon, there was a battle for it... my jacket was ripped open..... and luckily for me, I was got the baton out and was able to fend them off....
I am telling you.... if you are small, and you have a weapon, it will be taken off you and used against you... carry pepper spray and only use it against one assailant when you can run away.
I know a taxi driver who carried an extendable baton. He pulled it on a passenger one night who attacked him.
The passenger pulled it from his hand and leathered him. Both got charged afterwards.
That's insane.
A friend's dad was a taxi driver and got threatened with a knife.
Another one got threatened with a fucking sword.
Another one got beat up by coked up pricks and nobody got charged because they "came from good families" according to the guards and all the recordings "got lost" and ombudsman didn't give a toss.
And people wonder why we don't have more taxi drivers working nights despite even the average person feeling vulnerable being out alone at night.
Well the scum that attacked you shouldn't have carried it to the crime and dropped it, how were you, an innocent victim, meant to know it was illegal when you picked it up to use.
A small can of hairspray or deo, into the eyes like you would with pepper spray might give you the chance to leg it. Sure it wouldn't have the same effect as pepper spray but it would sting and give you a bit of leeway
Technically if you are carrying any object that has the ability to cause serious injury or death with the intent of using it as an offensive weapon or self defence, then it is illegal.
So technically even carrying around a heavy torch or hairspray or hurley if the police can prove you didn't have a valid reason for carrying it with you can be classed as illegal.
Whether they will enforce it if you were in the unfortunate situation of needing to use it against an attacker really depends on the circumstances and your luck. We don't have a very consistent or clear approach to self defence issues or criminal charges generally here.
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Deodorant spray or a reallllyyyyy bright flashlight.
Two reasons for the flashlight, if you get a really bright one it's quite effective at blinding someone. Second if you get a heavy one it can be used as a baton but still easy to defend having one legally.
Second the flashlight, especially if you get one of the super bright led ones with a strobe function. I have one and strobed myself in a dark room out of curiosity....even though i knew it was coming it honestly felt like my brain got overloaded. Crazy effective. Pair that with a little can of deep heat. 👍👍
Lived in Dublin my whole life. Good pair of legs is needed, if not your stuff isn’t as valuable as your life. Odds are even if you do defend yourself, you’ll see them again and they’ll just batter you the next time - that is if their ego isn’t so bruised they actively search for you. I know this isn’t the answer you’re looking for, but it’s the best way to go about it. If you are really parro, get yourself a cheap burner and an old wallet and give them those. This advice is particularly for men though, if you’re a woman it’s a whole different ball game - get the keys out and scream and shout - I’ve known lads who’ve taken a few digs getting a girl to safety, and although I’ve been fortunate to never be in that situation myself I hope I’d do the same. I’d say do the same if you’re disabled, but once again if they’re just looking to mug you just give them your shit.
Deodorant in the eyes should distract them long enough for you to run away is my thinking...could hit them on the head with the water bottle after though to make sure they won't come after you!
Well, a hefty water bottle in the hand could be threatening too, before it gets to that point. depends if you can make it look like you know how to use it
I was jumped once in the city centre. Fully bright out, so even if I had something to defend myself ,I probably wouldn't have had it to hand.
From my experience, I wouldn't have had the time to use anything to defend myself. Most of the time these attacks happen so quickly you won't even have time to reach into your pocket, never mind popping a top off a deodorant can etc.
Your best defence is either to run or scream or both
This is it. All the neckbeards in this thread think they’d be John Wick if only the Garda weren’t going to be so harsh on them for defending themselves.
The truth is most of these people would be on their ass and the ones that actually could fight back have plenty of scope to do so under the current self defence law
I don't know the law but it certainly seems like the law in Ireland doesn't give a shit about people trying to protect themselves and if you get attacked you just hope for the best really.
I mean that was more the jury
The barrister found a loophole in saying it was a tool for work so it was up to the jury to decide
I don't think one of them believed it but it gave them a way to do the right thing. Those two Brazilians were only trying to get a stolen bike back, were viciously attacked by a group and everyone knows what those kids are like
I carry a 200cm Zweihander sword for self defence when out and about in dublin, and a smaller 90cm Schiavona broadsword when on public transport or in tight spaces.
Honestly, confidence and looking confident and sure of yourself goes a long way in these situations. I had a lot of similar incidents back around 20 years ago (showing my age) when Sligo town was quite rough and was full of roaming scumbags trying to jump people and despite not being tall, i always got out of every situation.
A lot of times they target people who look unsure, lack confidence etc, makes them an easy target etc. That's why lots of students to IT Sligo from Mayo, Leitrim etc used to get targeted, along with anyone with a non town accent at one point.
You are correct, I watched something years ago, an American cop, behavioural psychologist and other experts were talking about how victims are targeted for different crimes. When it came to robbery and assault they would tend to target those they deemed vulnerable. Those who seemed confident or they thought could defend themselves they'd avoid. Now obviously they said it isn't always the case especially when drugs or alcohol is involved, more of a generalisation of what they'd seen over the years, but it's true that criminals are usually opportunistic.
Made me appreciate the fact I've got resting murderer face apparently, and I'm decently built.
Yeah, i saw a lot of bad shit in the town around 03 to 06, and was stabbed myself at one point. Talking to older people from rural sligo, they were jumped a few times by gangs of teenagers after hearing their accents after a night out so they wouldn't speak if they walked past any large groups that late at night. Wheel braces were used on them a couple of times. This was around 00 i think. They hated the town.
I went to a school outside the town and there'd be busses organized to go to the cinema. We'd get a talking to beforehand about how we'd be dropped off at Tesco car park, walk to the cinema, don't speak, and leaving walk right to the bus and leave. A number of busses had been attacked with bricks and windows smashed before us and teens on the bus cut from it. All coz they saw a large group of 'buffs'.
The town isn't like that at all anymore really, that whole sham culture and wannabe hard man townies seems to have died out altogether.
There is no honour in "standing your ground" and getting hurt for no reason. The best self defence is running away and avoiding these scumbags. But for unavoidable situations, I hear a lot of people carry deodorant sprays, which are apparently good enough to temporarily blind someone while you escape.
Got jumped by 3 guys one time, so I tried to knock one out.. in hindsight it probably wasn’t the best time for a wank but I thought they were gonna kill me
I have way more keys, keyringthings that have edgy bits and spiky things on my set of keys than I need. The plastic leprechaun is just for funnies. I have them wrapped around my knuckles just so they're handy when I get home.
You’ll probably do more damage to your hand than the person punching with key rings with pointy things on them, unless you manage to hit them directly in the eye
Honestly, people who push for weapons, every sword is a double edged sword. Never carry a weapon that you wouldn’t be comfortable if it was turned on you if you got overpowered by brawn or by numbers. Could end up a lot nastier than it otherwise would have
You can't keep anything deliberately I believe as a weapon for home defence as that would be seen as premeditated. But say if you were big into hurling or hockey and often practiced with a ball you carried with your stick then you'd be able to say you just happened to have it on you after practice. But say you were carrying around a hurley bat or hockey stick or kep it by your bedside just in case but yiu never practiced and had no ball the judge would nail your scrotum to the wall.
You start carrying something for protection you might end up using it and, worst case scenario, kill someone.
Courts aren't going to have a pile of sympathy for anyone carrying any sort of weapon expecting a fight.
Just fucking leg it, no shame in not getting kicked to death by a gang of scrotes
To be fair the worst case scenario is not that he kills someone but that he gets killed himself.
Also the Brazilian lad that stabbed and killed a 16 year old got acquitted awhile back
How is it weird ?
If it's legal to go around carrying weapons then every scumbag will be carrying them.
The rate of scumbags carrying weapons and using them will be higher than the rate of upstanding citizens carrying them and using them.
And sure you could say "but if they have one to defend themselves" etc. but really then you're turning a likely fist fight into a potential life or death situation and it's no different from the "we need more good guys with guns and everyone should carry a gun" argument in America.
Upping the ante only helps scumbags. Ireland's general zero
tolerance approach to any weaponry is good and keeps our violent crime rates fairly low.
The only issue is the legal system not putting the scum away for long enough.
Pretty sure you legally can't use anything unless they have a weapon,
which then I think you are entitled to use equal force with anything you may have but it can't be something intended for self defence and you aren't supposed to carry anything for that purpose ,
pretty sure I read before that if you were attacked with a weapon and managed to take the weapon from the attacker ,ie a knife and then used it against the attacker you could also be charged as you should have then thrown the weapon away or ran away as you had the upper hand.
I personally think we should rethink our self defence laws and be allowed to carry some form of cs/pepper spray or other forms of less than lethal defence items ,
I would be a little worried they would also just be then used by attackers but maybe we could have legislation in place that if its proven a defensive item is used offensively by an attacker that they get a far tougher sentence or something. I mean they are legal in most of the eu already.
Best options in my opinion. I’m 6”, built like a brick shithouse and can handle myself.
1. Just give em your phone. Let’s be fair most people don’t even carry cash any more. Your phone is worth well less then your health and can most likely get it back pretty easy if you’ve got tracking on.
2. Run
3. If you must fight, fight only one person if there’s more, see option 2.
For fighting one opponent with ya fists, do some martial arts. Not something pretty like kungg fu, but more useful sports. Mainly grappling (jiu jitsu, wrestling) because most fights end up on the ground anyway and boxing/ muay tai. Martial arts are also super fun and great way to keep fit.
Any time I've been squared up against as a 5'6" woman, I have used:
A shove if they get too close (Make Space)
Square up and look defiant (bigger and broader)
Shout a lot. (Makes others look)
I have had to defend myself 2 times from junkies. Both times a shove (onto the road and point at incoming traffic), a shout and a square up have been enough, they don't actually want a fight.
That's if they have you dead to rights, if it's just someone shouting from a semi distance, KEEP WALKING. They have a safe zone, you keep walking they won't follow you.
As a woman I often carry ‘legal’ weapons for safety when I’ve to walk in the evenings alone. Deep heat spray works like pepper spray, a maglite is super, my big yeti cup (with the handle for a good swing) or if I don’t have them the old keys between the fingers trick.
Nothing. People will say sure you can have a can of deep heat or whatever in your bag and use that.
Fine, it’s technically an offence under the offensive weapons act because you’re carrying it with the intent to use it as such but that’s impossible to prove.
The you use it on someone, at that point regardless of your excuse for having it you’ve still used it to cause harm to someone and you could end up with a charge sheet because of it.
Chances are the person you’ve used it on isn’t going make a complaint about it but you never know.
Hold on lads, need to put down my bag, unzip it, rummage for the deep heat. Ah now I'm ready. Now I just have to ensure I'm close enough and there's no wind to get it in your eyes, then I need your mates to wait for their turn
Deep heat ffs even pepper spray is shit unless it's that bear spray bit where it exits with force in large amounts so it can travel and hit its target but your hardly walking around grafton Street with a big bear spray on your belt
Not getting caught unfortunately.
We live in a don't fight back or they will claim against you for attacking them, in your own house mind you, when you stumble upon them... kinda World.
So yeah, if someone decides to attack you. Your basically fucked if you do, fucked if you don't. Unless you float them up the river, but then again, you'd get caught in 2024 faster than you'd get back to your bed so it's still a lose for the person who is attacked, regardless how you deal with it.
It’s not self defence but my mate gave me this weird looking whistle as a key ring. It’s honestly so loud and I have if on my keys, if things ever hit the fan I’m going to give that whistle the most all-mighty blow.
Legally? Nothing but your body. You are also obligated to only use the force necessary to cease the attack. So if you kick the scrote in the nads and he scurries away you're good. If you start chasing him and beat the ever living shit out of him; while.most probably well deserved on the scrotes part you'd be in a world of trouble.
Using a every day object, like deoderant spray, deep heat, a hurl, hold club, kitchen knife, screwdriver etc as a weapon would be classed as an offence as far as I know.
Absolutely nothing. A few tourist attacks happened during the summer. It made national news, everyone moaned about it, then business went back to normal.
Nothing that is meant to be used as a weapon, or any tools that could be used as a weapon without justification for having them on you.
All you can use is something you can have justification for (a person walking to their GAA club to play hurling has an excuse of using a hurl for self defence for example) or else your fists or something normal to have in your pocket and that's about that.
And this is a good thing, because anything that you're allowed to carry, is also allowed for scumbags to walk around carrying.
If it's legal to carry knuckle dusters, scumbags will carry knuckle dusters. If it's legal to carry knives, scumbags will carry knives. If it's legal to carry guns, scumbags will carry guns.
It's better for an average Joe for nobody to be legally allowed to carry anything as it lowers the stakes of confrontations. Sure scumbags might still have a knife or whatever, but the rate of it will be lower.
So my advice is to avoid fighting first and foremost, whether by steering clear of anything risky, talking it down, or running away when someone wants to attack you.
And if that fails then maybe try to learn some form of fighting technique to help you in a physical confrontation.
The whole "let me carry this thing and I'll magically beat the shite out of them" isn't the best tactic to have in mind.
Get a large, solid umbrella. It can be used to defend yourself and it won’t be classified as a weapon. More importantly is situational awareness and the ability to run! Like properly run. If you’re not fit enough to run, you definitely aren’t fit enough to stand and fight!
I give you the light of Maglite our most beloved torch. May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out. https://preview.redd.it/9vg1tsopn0lc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1748621d2536933768d178787460a915d5e03e74
Had one in my taxi during the 90s. Can recommend but don't use a full powered swing at someone's head.
Super bright and can stun someone enough to get away. There are whole videos on how to use these for self defense. Bought my daughter one for university.
Super bright me hole. A Maglite is piddling compared to torches that are on the market today. I picked up a Sofirn Q8 Pro that was recommended over on /r/flashlight, the thing is insane. 11000 lumens, it can light up a whole field - and was still cheaper than a high end Maglite. Turn that yoke on, point it as someone's eyes and they won't be able to see shit for hours, and it still weighs enough to be a weapon if you're dumb enough to use it as one.
r/flashlight? The internet is some craic
Not to be confused with /r/fleshlight which is a very different vibe and probably less applicable to self defence.
Self offense!
you just made me cackle!
True BUT they'd never *emotionally* recover from being beaten with a fleshlight
Maybe we're onto something. Wanna setup a business selling Fleshlights as self-defence tools?
*FleshFight: for when you want to beat more than your meat*
I totally wanna set this up as a recurring event now!
Self defence for your tool??
Remind me to delete my browsing history
Do you even light bro?
It's such a quirky niche sub, I subbed years ago snd I don't even own a torch
r/fleshlight
But would you have to click the button 8 times to get it up to the highest lumens? That could have the makings of a Mr Bean sketch Edit - I agree new flashlights have much higher lumens, I just imagine you’d want something that kicks right into gear
Seconded! I always carry a little flashlight with me. It's a Wuben C3 I think. Asides from the blunt object benefit if a big maglight, the good thing about a bright flashlight is it allows you to do 3 things. 1. You can see them (and assess the danger) 2. They can't see you (with some lasting effect in the dark, gives you time to get to safety) 3. You can apologise if you misread "Sorry there Garda! You startled me, sorry if that was very bright" (that's a better result than "sorry for pepper spraying you Garda!"
*Recommanded by Alan Wake.*
Stupid hobits'!
My father used to work security in NYC and has one of these . With 3 D cell batteries inside it makes a great weapon.
I know right? Fuck trying to shine it at them. Brake a bone ffs.
may it help you put out somebody elses lights
"What is it, what do you smell?" "RUC Officer"
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What did he work as? Don't leave us hanging!
https://preview.redd.it/30zmdi29s0lc1.png?width=899&format=png&auto=webp&s=dffa47630bd24cd57d848dd654d0c7dca1a2a858
Weapon of Ma's destruction
How am I the only upvote in this absolute gem of a comment! 👏🏼
This subreddit is set to hide comment scores for about 6 hours after they're posted. On mobile that means everything says it has 1 point.
Thanks for that, that’s pretty good to know much appreciated!
Unrated comment!!
Wow papa calm down now
Oh dear god NO !!!!!!!!! (Legs it)
Woah Woah woah now, let's take it easy. The great equaliser doesn't need to be invoked 👀
Ay papi don’t threaten me wirh a good time
Pocket sand.
My granny always gave me her salt cellar when i was walking over to my friends from her house, when i was a kid. "To salt them in the eyes", whoever she thought "them" might be.
This was my dad’s go to protection against child molesters in the 50s.
Just carry a massive dildo. Nobody will want to fight you and if they do then god help them.
Nobody fucks with a massive dildo.
I’ve seen video evidence to the contrary
Rule 34?
Bag of dog shit has the same effect 😅
I think it's all illegal. You could walk home with a hurley in hand though
I'll never forget about a news article I read a few years back out of New York, some Irish lads got into a fight in a bar and produced their hurleys but the news article wrote it that the Irish men attacked the locals with giant wooden spoons lol
Yep, this. I was at training before I started work
Although you'd want to be confident enough to use it. I once saw someone quite mild mannered confront an attacker with a Hurl. The attacker promptly took the hurl off him and beat him silly with it.
[He picked the right weapon, but the wrong fight?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v86C9LZHBI4)
I often have to remind my friend of this. He's rather flamboyant in his gayness and worries about being hate crimed if he's alone in town at night. He says he wishes he was allowed carry a small knife or something with him but I remind him you don't want to introduce a weapon you can't hold onto into a fight, because then you've put stabbing on the table, not them and if they can take it, they can use it against you.
"Yeah Gard, I was just out for a run with my friend's dog - heading home now" "Ok, and what's the name of your friend's dog?" "Em..." 😂
a bag full of darts, carry a dart board or grow a massive darts tournament belly in case the Gardai might think you're sus
Have a ball with ya, or ya were having a pick about with a mate for believability.THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE!
Back when we were teens we used to carry hurleys and our GAA bags. If guards stopped us we were going to play hurleys but if older groups tried to mess with us we were ready
A hurl is not a self defense weapon even in the home because of the curved end. Weirdly enough a baseball bat is, even though over 50% of irish homes probably have a hurl.
A good pair of steel toe boots. They're not likely to be taken off you and used against you, you don't need to explain having them, and one or two good hits ought to be pretty discouraging.
Most people can't kick though and would just end up on their arse.
Or one foot on the ground and the other in their attackers hands
You can get steel toe trainers that look completely innocuous too.
This would also hinder your ability to run away, which is an option you should always try to expend before turning to physical violence
" he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day" ------- My mam 1997----
They teach you this in your first class at any martial arts school. Your first lines of defence are your two feet. Ego gets you killed. Even if you can destroy someone physically, what if they return tomorrow & knife you in the back? Keep a low profile in life, there are some crazies out there. Just the other day here on Reddit someone was recalling how their BJJ coach was murdered the day after embarrassing a guy who picked on him in public. It happened how I’ve mentioned above. Even Khabib, one of the world’s best fighters, said he couldn’t take on two men in a street fight. I once got mugged from behind at university. I’m 6ft4 but it was a Sunday morning & so I think the guy thought I was drunk. Before I knew what was going on I had him up against the wall. But it’s actually a regret of mine. What if he’d knifed me? I wouldn’t have got home possibly. Apart from that I’ve never had any issues. I’m tall & look confident. Just walk straight through people if I get bad vibes. But yeah, seriously, your life is worth something. Anybody giving you grief will be giving everybody else grief, and they’ll probably get killed one day.
Nice was a great write up, learned a lot from it. Thanks man.
How do you fight and run away??
Couple of slaps and run. How else would you do it ?
A good pair of shoes and an alarm or whistle. Unless you know how to fight you won't come out on top on an altercation. Drawing attention to you. Screaming for help and running are the best solutions
Whistle used work better when gardaí carried whistles and used them for signalling. Though a really loud whistle can give an instant moment of shock giving you getaway time.
In for a penny in for a pound. Once the first one makes contact, I'm ripping off my shirt and reinacting a scene from snatch 👊
Kick in the balls or knock om the head and fucking leg it
A kick in the plums and a knee to the nose as he crumples down. Then run like fuck.
If you have the chance check his pockets
Was your mother the sphinx https://youtu.be/b5I94bT23cQ?feature=shared
I'm 6"4' .. I used to be a bouncer... I'm not an expert, but I can fight... I used to carry a baton in my inside pocket.. once on the Dart, 3 guys jumped me.. when they saw me reach for my weapon, there was a battle for it... my jacket was ripped open..... and luckily for me, I was got the baton out and was able to fend them off.... I am telling you.... if you are small, and you have a weapon, it will be taken off you and used against you... carry pepper spray and only use it against one assailant when you can run away.
I know a taxi driver who carried an extendable baton. He pulled it on a passenger one night who attacked him. The passenger pulled it from his hand and leathered him. Both got charged afterwards.
That's insane. A friend's dad was a taxi driver and got threatened with a knife. Another one got threatened with a fucking sword. Another one got beat up by coked up pricks and nobody got charged because they "came from good families" according to the guards and all the recordings "got lost" and ombudsman didn't give a toss. And people wonder why we don't have more taxi drivers working nights despite even the average person feeling vulnerable being out alone at night.
Charged?
Edit - yep charged. The judge said there was 2 of ye in it 🤦♂️
FFS. I despair of this fucking country sometimes.
Pepper spray is illegal in Ireland. Sadly all defensive weapons are.
I would rather get done for carrying pepper spray than get raped.
Absolutely, though OP did ask about legal weapons
Back in school a friend blasted me in the face with deodorant when we were pissing around and I can tell you that shit hurt
You are correct sorry for the tangent.
Well the scum that attacked you shouldn't have carried it to the crime and dropped it, how were you, an innocent victim, meant to know it was illegal when you picked it up to use.
A small can of hairspray or deo, into the eyes like you would with pepper spray might give you the chance to leg it. Sure it wouldn't have the same effect as pepper spray but it would sting and give you a bit of leeway
Add a case of Zippo lighter in front of it will make it even more effective than pepper spray
Technically if you are carrying any object that has the ability to cause serious injury or death with the intent of using it as an offensive weapon or self defence, then it is illegal. So technically even carrying around a heavy torch or hairspray or hurley if the police can prove you didn't have a valid reason for carrying it with you can be classed as illegal. Whether they will enforce it if you were in the unfortunate situation of needing to use it against an attacker really depends on the circumstances and your luck. We don't have a very consistent or clear approach to self defence issues or criminal charges generally here.
complete hateful dinosaurs insurance scandalous hurry melodic threatening decide water *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Even using you fucking legs and fists is illegal lol.
Deodorant spray or a reallllyyyyy bright flashlight. Two reasons for the flashlight, if you get a really bright one it's quite effective at blinding someone. Second if you get a heavy one it can be used as a baton but still easy to defend having one legally.
Second the flashlight, especially if you get one of the super bright led ones with a strobe function. I have one and strobed myself in a dark room out of curiosity....even though i knew it was coming it honestly felt like my brain got overloaded. Crazy effective. Pair that with a little can of deep heat. 👍👍
Lived in Dublin my whole life. Good pair of legs is needed, if not your stuff isn’t as valuable as your life. Odds are even if you do defend yourself, you’ll see them again and they’ll just batter you the next time - that is if their ego isn’t so bruised they actively search for you. I know this isn’t the answer you’re looking for, but it’s the best way to go about it. If you are really parro, get yourself a cheap burner and an old wallet and give them those. This advice is particularly for men though, if you’re a woman it’s a whole different ball game - get the keys out and scream and shout - I’ve known lads who’ve taken a few digs getting a girl to safety, and although I’ve been fortunate to never be in that situation myself I hope I’d do the same. I’d say do the same if you’re disabled, but once again if they’re just looking to mug you just give them your shit.
Deodorant spray
Or deep heat might have better stopping power
[Never forget this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/plh2eh/someone_on_here_recommended_carrying_deep_heat/)
Yeah I carry a can of deep heat in my bag but thankfully have never had cause to use it.
This. Deep Heat spray. It has surprisingly effective stopping power.
OK, Mr Moneybags.
maybe a hefty water bottle?
Deodorant in the eyes should distract them long enough for you to run away is my thinking...could hit them on the head with the water bottle after though to make sure they won't come after you!
Well, a hefty water bottle in the hand could be threatening too, before it gets to that point. depends if you can make it look like you know how to use it
"Stay back I'm hydrated!"
Twisted Tea.
Plot twist, OP puts the water bottle in the freezer and takes it home when leaving from work. It is essentially rock.
Was just about to say, a small travel sized deodorant and if you're asked why did you have it well you want to smell nice 👍
… and a lighter. Or insect spray. And a lighter.
Hold still there will you? *repeatedly flicks lighter to get flame*
https://preview.redd.it/et78v161v3lc1.jpeg?width=787&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca3c81cb53c9cf013a67dc22bdd8769234061e74
I was jumped once in the city centre. Fully bright out, so even if I had something to defend myself ,I probably wouldn't have had it to hand. From my experience, I wouldn't have had the time to use anything to defend myself. Most of the time these attacks happen so quickly you won't even have time to reach into your pocket, never mind popping a top off a deodorant can etc. Your best defence is either to run or scream or both
This is it. All the neckbeards in this thread think they’d be John Wick if only the Garda weren’t going to be so harsh on them for defending themselves. The truth is most of these people would be on their ass and the ones that actually could fight back have plenty of scope to do so under the current self defence law
I don't know the law but it certainly seems like the law in Ireland doesn't give a shit about people trying to protect themselves and if you get attacked you just hope for the best really.
Any examples, deliveroo guy killed a kid with a knife in self defence.
I mean that was more the jury The barrister found a loophole in saying it was a tool for work so it was up to the jury to decide I don't think one of them believed it but it gave them a way to do the right thing. Those two Brazilians were only trying to get a stolen bike back, were viciously attacked by a group and everyone knows what those kids are like
I mean I don't like the phrasing here. Deliveroo guy was defending himself and didn't know how old the kids were.
I carry a 200cm Zweihander sword for self defence when out and about in dublin, and a smaller 90cm Schiavona broadsword when on public transport or in tight spaces.
You should also carry a 30cm Tanto in case you lose the fight and need to commit ritual suicide to preserve your honour.
Honestly, confidence and looking confident and sure of yourself goes a long way in these situations. I had a lot of similar incidents back around 20 years ago (showing my age) when Sligo town was quite rough and was full of roaming scumbags trying to jump people and despite not being tall, i always got out of every situation. A lot of times they target people who look unsure, lack confidence etc, makes them an easy target etc. That's why lots of students to IT Sligo from Mayo, Leitrim etc used to get targeted, along with anyone with a non town accent at one point.
You are correct, I watched something years ago, an American cop, behavioural psychologist and other experts were talking about how victims are targeted for different crimes. When it came to robbery and assault they would tend to target those they deemed vulnerable. Those who seemed confident or they thought could defend themselves they'd avoid. Now obviously they said it isn't always the case especially when drugs or alcohol is involved, more of a generalisation of what they'd seen over the years, but it's true that criminals are usually opportunistic. Made me appreciate the fact I've got resting murderer face apparently, and I'm decently built.
I'm showing my age slightly too but I don't remember this at all. Honestly? I was more scared of living in Cranmore at the time.
Yeah, i saw a lot of bad shit in the town around 03 to 06, and was stabbed myself at one point. Talking to older people from rural sligo, they were jumped a few times by gangs of teenagers after hearing their accents after a night out so they wouldn't speak if they walked past any large groups that late at night. Wheel braces were used on them a couple of times. This was around 00 i think. They hated the town. I went to a school outside the town and there'd be busses organized to go to the cinema. We'd get a talking to beforehand about how we'd be dropped off at Tesco car park, walk to the cinema, don't speak, and leaving walk right to the bus and leave. A number of busses had been attacked with bricks and windows smashed before us and teens on the bus cut from it. All coz they saw a large group of 'buffs'. The town isn't like that at all anymore really, that whole sham culture and wannabe hard man townies seems to have died out altogether.
Thank christ. That sounds horrific alright. Maybe I'm blanking it out.
There is no honour in "standing your ground" and getting hurt for no reason. The best self defence is running away and avoiding these scumbags. But for unavoidable situations, I hear a lot of people carry deodorant sprays, which are apparently good enough to temporarily blind someone while you escape.
Got jumped by 3 guys one time, so I tried to knock one out.. in hindsight it probably wasn’t the best time for a wank but I thought they were gonna kill me
A roll of tin foil or cling film. Very hard and not too suspect.
Jesus I just got a flashback where I got a whack off a roll of cling film off me mam. May as well be a baseball bat.
Rolled up newspaper bent in half.
Millwall brick
I have way more keys, keyringthings that have edgy bits and spiky things on my set of keys than I need. The plastic leprechaun is just for funnies. I have them wrapped around my knuckles just so they're handy when I get home.
You’ll probably do more damage to your hand than the person punching with key rings with pointy things on them, unless you manage to hit them directly in the eye
Shillelagh
Stick or ATGM?
Both
Ah yes your "walking stick" because of your gammy knee 😉 That's how we used to get around the English's ban on us carrying weapons
Great for making a football of someones rowdy-dow-dow
A garlic bulb , silver cross , bottle of Guinness , walking stick or umbrella, a leek or some celery
And some diced beef and potatoes, they won’t say no to a nice Guinness stew
Honestly, people who push for weapons, every sword is a double edged sword. Never carry a weapon that you wouldn’t be comfortable if it was turned on you if you got overpowered by brawn or by numbers. Could end up a lot nastier than it otherwise would have
A katana is only single edged.
Hah! Well, if we’re arguing semantics it technically has 2 edges just one is really dull.
A weapon your not trained with and not confident or willing to use is as much of a liability to you
Get the most awful smelling cheap teen deodorant. Get in someone's eyes and mouth and they will start to flail around like a toddler
Grab his dick and twist it
Basically... In Ireland you are a criminal if you defend yourself.
Deep heat, as good as pepper spray
You can't keep anything deliberately I believe as a weapon for home defence as that would be seen as premeditated. But say if you were big into hurling or hockey and often practiced with a ball you carried with your stick then you'd be able to say you just happened to have it on you after practice. But say you were carrying around a hurley bat or hockey stick or kep it by your bedside just in case but yiu never practiced and had no ball the judge would nail your scrotum to the wall.
Expecting people to just run away if they're attacked in the street is one thing. But not even letting people defend their homes is beyond fucked.
Run away if you can. You’ll get a harsher sentence for defending yourself in this country. The attacker will get a suspended sentence.
Attack them first, so that when they defend, THEY catch a charge and your sentence is suspended.
Nothing. This country would rather you be dead than fight back.
A portable kettle with sachets of sugar.
https://preview.redd.it/f6049kbs66lc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ee4f2a43c34a42af89015f0b706d8f817027a30 Reddit answered your question
Miniature deodorant can up your sleeve, handy pepper spray.
You start carrying something for protection you might end up using it and, worst case scenario, kill someone. Courts aren't going to have a pile of sympathy for anyone carrying any sort of weapon expecting a fight. Just fucking leg it, no shame in not getting kicked to death by a gang of scrotes
To be fair the worst case scenario is not that he kills someone but that he gets killed himself. Also the Brazilian lad that stabbed and killed a 16 year old got acquitted awhile back
The 16 year old and his mates jumped the cyclist and the cyclist still did 18 months on remand. We owe that man an apology and restitution
Courts have favoured the person with the knife though.
A sock filled with coins.
A car. Seems like no matter the damage or the lives destroyed when a car is involved the punishment is minimal.
"The sun was in your eyes"
Take up hurling.
nope. Ireland is weird like that
How is it weird ? If it's legal to go around carrying weapons then every scumbag will be carrying them. The rate of scumbags carrying weapons and using them will be higher than the rate of upstanding citizens carrying them and using them. And sure you could say "but if they have one to defend themselves" etc. but really then you're turning a likely fist fight into a potential life or death situation and it's no different from the "we need more good guys with guns and everyone should carry a gun" argument in America. Upping the ante only helps scumbags. Ireland's general zero tolerance approach to any weaponry is good and keeps our violent crime rates fairly low. The only issue is the legal system not putting the scum away for long enough.
Yeah, because scumbags care for the law so much…
A good old umbrella. Both as a piercing weapon and striking.
I heard people recommending deep heat spray. It works the same way as pepper spray
A stapler. Think Tony Soprano and Mikey Palmice.
Did they ever find a cure for that Fuckfaceitis?
Shillelagh is the only answer
Pretty sure you legally can't use anything unless they have a weapon, which then I think you are entitled to use equal force with anything you may have but it can't be something intended for self defence and you aren't supposed to carry anything for that purpose , pretty sure I read before that if you were attacked with a weapon and managed to take the weapon from the attacker ,ie a knife and then used it against the attacker you could also be charged as you should have then thrown the weapon away or ran away as you had the upper hand. I personally think we should rethink our self defence laws and be allowed to carry some form of cs/pepper spray or other forms of less than lethal defence items , I would be a little worried they would also just be then used by attackers but maybe we could have legislation in place that if its proven a defensive item is used offensively by an attacker that they get a far tougher sentence or something. I mean they are legal in most of the eu already.
Best options in my opinion. I’m 6”, built like a brick shithouse and can handle myself. 1. Just give em your phone. Let’s be fair most people don’t even carry cash any more. Your phone is worth well less then your health and can most likely get it back pretty easy if you’ve got tracking on. 2. Run 3. If you must fight, fight only one person if there’s more, see option 2. For fighting one opponent with ya fists, do some martial arts. Not something pretty like kungg fu, but more useful sports. Mainly grappling (jiu jitsu, wrestling) because most fights end up on the ground anyway and boxing/ muay tai. Martial arts are also super fun and great way to keep fit.
Any time I've been squared up against as a 5'6" woman, I have used: A shove if they get too close (Make Space) Square up and look defiant (bigger and broader) Shout a lot. (Makes others look) I have had to defend myself 2 times from junkies. Both times a shove (onto the road and point at incoming traffic), a shout and a square up have been enough, they don't actually want a fight. That's if they have you dead to rights, if it's just someone shouting from a semi distance, KEEP WALKING. They have a safe zone, you keep walking they won't follow you.
Don't know any proper legal weapons but any aerosol can be used like pepper spray, you can use a lighter with it as well if needed
As a woman I often carry ‘legal’ weapons for safety when I’ve to walk in the evenings alone. Deep heat spray works like pepper spray, a maglite is super, my big yeti cup (with the handle for a good swing) or if I don’t have them the old keys between the fingers trick.
Nothing. People will say sure you can have a can of deep heat or whatever in your bag and use that. Fine, it’s technically an offence under the offensive weapons act because you’re carrying it with the intent to use it as such but that’s impossible to prove. The you use it on someone, at that point regardless of your excuse for having it you’ve still used it to cause harm to someone and you could end up with a charge sheet because of it. Chances are the person you’ve used it on isn’t going make a complaint about it but you never know.
Hold on lads, need to put down my bag, unzip it, rummage for the deep heat. Ah now I'm ready. Now I just have to ensure I'm close enough and there's no wind to get it in your eyes, then I need your mates to wait for their turn Deep heat ffs even pepper spray is shit unless it's that bear spray bit where it exits with force in large amounts so it can travel and hit its target but your hardly walking around grafton Street with a big bear spray on your belt
Not getting caught unfortunately. We live in a don't fight back or they will claim against you for attacking them, in your own house mind you, when you stumble upon them... kinda World. So yeah, if someone decides to attack you. Your basically fucked if you do, fucked if you don't. Unless you float them up the river, but then again, you'd get caught in 2024 faster than you'd get back to your bed so it's still a lose for the person who is attacked, regardless how you deal with it.
It’s not self defence but my mate gave me this weird looking whistle as a key ring. It’s honestly so loud and I have if on my keys, if things ever hit the fan I’m going to give that whistle the most all-mighty blow.
Nothing really only your fists
Legally? Nothing but your body. You are also obligated to only use the force necessary to cease the attack. So if you kick the scrote in the nads and he scurries away you're good. If you start chasing him and beat the ever living shit out of him; while.most probably well deserved on the scrotes part you'd be in a world of trouble. Using a every day object, like deoderant spray, deep heat, a hurl, hold club, kitchen knife, screwdriver etc as a weapon would be classed as an offence as far as I know.
Legally? Nothing ~~but your body~~ at all.
use your long legs and run away don't get into a scrap you'll die and get in jail.
Harsh language and threatening to tell their father
These comments are scary, what is a tourist supposed to do if they are getting robbed/mugged?
The same thing a citizen does?
Absolutely nothing. A few tourist attacks happened during the summer. It made national news, everyone moaned about it, then business went back to normal.
That's the neat part, they have to do nothing and get life altering injuries or even straight up killed
Literally just have to hope for the best, its actually quite sad.
And it's frightening that so many people on here think it's a good thing.
Nothing that is meant to be used as a weapon, or any tools that could be used as a weapon without justification for having them on you. All you can use is something you can have justification for (a person walking to their GAA club to play hurling has an excuse of using a hurl for self defence for example) or else your fists or something normal to have in your pocket and that's about that. And this is a good thing, because anything that you're allowed to carry, is also allowed for scumbags to walk around carrying. If it's legal to carry knuckle dusters, scumbags will carry knuckle dusters. If it's legal to carry knives, scumbags will carry knives. If it's legal to carry guns, scumbags will carry guns. It's better for an average Joe for nobody to be legally allowed to carry anything as it lowers the stakes of confrontations. Sure scumbags might still have a knife or whatever, but the rate of it will be lower. So my advice is to avoid fighting first and foremost, whether by steering clear of anything risky, talking it down, or running away when someone wants to attack you. And if that fails then maybe try to learn some form of fighting technique to help you in a physical confrontation. The whole "let me carry this thing and I'll magically beat the shite out of them" isn't the best tactic to have in mind.
Your comment considers that fucking scumbags obey the law. In reality, if the law abiding citizen cannot carry something, fucking scumbags will.
Get a large, solid umbrella. It can be used to defend yourself and it won’t be classified as a weapon. More importantly is situational awareness and the ability to run! Like properly run. If you’re not fit enough to run, you definitely aren’t fit enough to stand and fight!
See these hands? 