By Terry C. Misfeldt

Last week’s blog outlined four basic categories for your characters to employ the use of weapons. We also dealt with the Provision option, so this post will cover the Protection choice that is perhaps the most common reason for your character to weaponize.

Protection: In this day and age, fiction and nonfiction characters have concerns for protecting themselves from threats. There are several options to use weapons for self protection, including firearms, knives, spray repellents, and simple physical tactics.

Let’s start with simple ones. If you carry a purse or bag of some sort, including a backpack, it can be a means of protecting yourself. The first element, of course, is being aware of your character’s surroundings and the situations they find themselves in. Walking on a dark street can be scary. If you are creating that mood with the intent of your character being assailed, a purse or bag swung with full force at the attacker can be a most effective weapon in facilitating escape. A key can also be effective, as can a kick to the groin or an elbow to the jaw. How your character departs from that scene is up to your imagination.

Carrying a firearm, whether concealed or open carry, includes the onus of being willing and able to use said weapon should the need arise. If your character only carries a firearm to “feel” safe, it may be in their best interest to get training in the consequences of shooting another person. One of the unwritten rules of firearm use is that you do not point that weapon at anything you do not intend to kill. Once the trigger is pulled, there is no retrieving the bullet. It’s on its way toc ause damage or death to whatever it hits.

If your character is concerned about protecting their home or property from invasion or attack, the best weapon to deter such action is a shotgun. The character’s choice in shotgun ammunition is either buckshot or slug.. Buckshot creates a pattern of pellets that cause a wide range of impression whereas a slug is more like a rifle bullet. Keep in mind that a shotgun is most effective at close range and pulling the trigger initiates a repercussion when the shell is discharged. That kick can hurt the shooter’s shoulder.

When it comes to knives, the weapon choices range from a large survival knife or machete to a pen or pocket knife. Blade length varies, too. Using a knife to defend oneself means the character either strikes to stab, slash, or cut the assailant. This involves some training to avoid personal injuries from defending oneself. A knife in the hands of an untrained individual can be easily pushed away by an attacker with a defensive gesture. Training in the use of knives and the correct choice for self preservation are important.

As for a home invasion, it is advisable to you, as a writer, to investigate the castle laws in the state where your work is staged. Some states have more strict regulations on how you kill or wound an intruder on your property.

This is, by no means, an exhaustive approach to protection weapons. The more you are familiar with what you plan to have your characters use, the more realistic your story will be for your readers.

Next week: Recreation Weapons