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Perhaps in your everyday carry (EDC) inventory you have at your ready convenience a pen and notebook, sunglasses, a flashlight, a pocket knife, OC (pepper) spray, and even a defensive firearm to navigate the multiple minor to major situations you could possibly encounter while out and about.
Have you considered the idea that self-defense preparation includes being ready to “defend” yourself from injury of all sorts—small cuts to life-threatening bleed-outs?
At the very least, you should insert a few BAND-AIDs® into your wallet or purse for those occasions when you or a friend suffer a paper cut, pin prick, or the like. But to be prepared for the eventuality of more serious injuries, consider toting (in your pocket, around your ankle, on your belt, in your purse, in your car, etc.) an Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) or Gunshot Trauma Aid Kit (GTAK) filled as minimally or extensively as your comfort level will allow. The basics (for stopping bleeding) include
a tourniquet
pressure dressing
Z-fold gauze and
a pair of chest seals.
The following is a SemperVerus resource of links to information and products to help you assemble and use your own IFAK.
If you carry a gun for self-defense, you should also carry pepper spray.* Even if you don’t carry a gun, you should carry pepper spray, also known as oleoresin capsicum (“OC”).
Using a firearm for self-defense is always the very last option in a lethal attack situation. But you shouldn’t rely solely on a gun as your only means of self-defense. FBI/DOJ crime statistics tell us we’re 5 times more likely to be faced with a non-deadly threat, against which only non-deadly defensive force is legally appropriate, than we are a deadly threat.
Under what circumstances is the use of pepper spray as a defensive tool lawful and advisable? What conditions have to be met before you can use pepper spray in self-defense? Pepper spray is a non-deadly form of self-defense and can be used to stop any reasonably perceived threat of non-deadly harm, which means almost any degree of harm. So long as you use it defensively and not offensively, generally speaking you should be within your rights.
In the following video, Chris Baker of Lucky Gunner says, “OC gives you a force option that’s somewhere between harsh language and shooting somebody. We all know that statistically, we are very unlikely to end up in a situation where we need to use our firearm to defend our life. Much more common are situations that call for some kind of intervention that’s less than deadly force. Maybe someone is behaving in a threatening way, but they don’t have a weapon and they have not done anything yet that would warrant using deadly force. That might be a good time to deploy some OC.
Preparedness is a vital element of SemperVerus mindfulness. One act of being prepared is to be intentional about selecting specific practical items to keep with you in your pockets, purse, belt pack, day pack, or vest as you travel through your day.
Everyday carry (EDC) is the collection of useful gear you consistently tote on your person to help you overcome simple everyday problems and to anticipate unexpected and possibly dangerous situations. Your selection of tools you consider to be essential is a personal decision. An item you think is vital may not even enter the mind of someone else. But that makes it no less important for you. You need to balance practicality and preparedness with weight, bulk, and comfort. Each component of your EDC should serve a purpose or have at least one specific, useful function.
To help you think through your own EDC, here’s a list of major categories to consider and item ideas for each one. You decide what and how much you want to carry every day.
