There are tons of companies on the internet selling stun guns, bullet proof vests, blowguns, pen knives and all kinds of other things you probably haven’t even dreamt about, yet. There are also several catalogs you can obtain through the mail, such as The Edge Company Catalog and the Sharper Image that also carry fun personal security devices. I, myself, get the Edge Company Catalog and have even ordered stuff from it. One Christmas I got my husband a pistol crossbow as a gift, thinking it would be a fun thing to play with in the backyard. Well, let me tell you, that thing was no toy. We took it out back and shot the darn thing and the bolts moved so fast you couldn’t follow them with your naked eye. In a matter of moments, we had lost all the bolts because we couldn’t see where they went and also because the force of the crossbow drove the one bolt we did find the entire way into the ground, leaving nothing sticking out. We immediately packed the crossbow back up and decided never to us use it in our development since the power of the thing made it likely we’d take out somebody’s family dog by accident. So, don’t think that these items are toys for kids or for playing cops and robbers, they’re some serious, serious stuff. I now keep the crossbow cocked and by the bed when my husband is away for I have no doubt it would do some massive damage to any intruder stupid enough to enter my house.

I had also purchased a telescoping steel rod from The Edge Company that is a deterrent to physical assault. With a flick of the wrist, a heavy steel spring snaps out of the rod and opens up to about twenty-four inches in length. This is then used to strike an attacker and, believe me, you wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of such a blow. I had read about these telescoping rods in a Dick Francis novel and was immediately intrigued. Then, once I found out that they’re illegal in England, that was it, I had to have one. I placed my order and waited with bated breath for it to appear. In a short amount of time, I had it in my hot little hands and was merrily slamming it onto anything obliging at home. One word of warning, however. I had been carrying it around in my purse where, since it’s heavy, it immediately settled to the bottom with all the dirt, dust and various unidentifiable objects that tend to collect in the depths of a purse. One day, I got it out to show to a friend, but much to my chagrin, I couldn’t get it to open. It seems that some pieces of a broken stick of gum had maliciously worked their way inside my treasured rod and the darn thing wouldn’t open. After fastidious cleaning, I finally got it back into working order and it now resides in my car in case of carjacking. However, I felt it only fair to pass on the warning. Keep it clean!

Anyway, check out some of the cool things on the Internet. You can buy blowguns for anywhere from $10-$19 at www.netm.com/mall/defiance. Bulletproof vests can be had for anywhere from $1,128 to $1,750 at Rainier Company’s website of www.stunguns.com. Their vests are made from Aramid, which is a composite polyamide made of woven fabrics into a flexible, lightweight body armor. It’s excellent in stress and strain and has low thermal conductivity, or so I’m told. You can also buy stun guns from Rainier. If you’re not certain what a stun gun is, it’s a handheld device which, according to Rainier’s website emits a high voltage electrical charge which if applied for a: “blast of ¼ second duration will startle an attacker, cause minor muscle contractions and have a repelling effect. A moderate length blast of 1 to 4 seconds can cause an attacker to fall to the ground and result in some mental confusion. It may make an assailant unwilling to continue an attack, but he will be able to get up almost immediately.

A full charge of 5 seconds can immobilize an attacker, cause disorientation, loss of balance, falling to the ground and leave them weak and dazed for some minutes afterward.

NOTE: Any blast lasting over 1 second is likely to cause your assailant to fall. If you do not help them down, gravity may injure them.”

Now, personally, that last paragraph puzzled me greatly, since if someone’s attacking you, why should you care if they’re hurt when they fall. Personally, I’d hope they hurt themselves, it would serve ‘em right. However, I came to realize that the paragraph really wasn’t talking about ‘attackers’ after our publisher related a story of a college party where everyone was hammered out of their minds and someone was going around shocking people with a stun gun just so they could see what it was like. Personally, I would have to be hammered before I would let anyone approach me with one of those things, but I guess I’m just funny that way.

If weapons, even self-defense weapons aren’t your thing, you can get some really cool alarms and safes from www.personalsafety.com. They offer a travel safe that looks like a beer or soda can in which you can store your valuables for just $12.95 (one word of warning on these things, make sure you put them somewhere the housekeeping staff isn’t going to throw them away, assuming their empties). They also offer portable door locks that prevent anyone from opening your hotel door, even if they have a key, for $6.95. That’s to prevent nefarious hotel employees from entering your rooms while you’re sleeping or otherwise occupied. (Something I think would come in handy, since I always have a horrible time with maids walking in while I’m in the shower. I don’t know about you, but I find that rather discomfiting). They also sell such things as the SuperScanner for $249.95 which is your own personal metal detector. So, if you’re afraid people are going to be packing when they come to your home, you can set this thing up in your doorway and scan for metal weapons. But, don’t forget the little tray for everyone’s keys like they have in the airport.

So, if you have a hankering for some personal security devices or just some cool, fun things to amaze your friends, check out the websites on the internet or grab a copy of one of the catalogs selling such items. It’s as much fun looking through the catalogs and deciding what to buy as it is showing your friends your new purchases.

Sidebar – Internet Sites for Cool Security Items

www.personalsafety.com – Alarms, security devices.

www.stunguns.com – Weapons, stun guns, armor.

www.netm.com/mall/defiance – Miscellaneous

www.spy-equipment-store.com – Canada’s largest spy equipment store.