Want to defend yourself in the UK?

[hunter]

36. Pepper spray and knives release my inner berserker.

I'm a pacifist by necessity, not by natural inclination. I don't tell those stories here because they are sad and my inner idiot strong. I identify somewhat with Captain Piccard of the Starship Enterprise who lost his heart in a barroom altercation, although I'm nowhere near as wise as Piccard yet, only as bald and gray.)

The thing about random violence is that it happens quickly. People don't generally figure out what's happening until after they've been shot, knifed, or run over by a vehicle.

Seriously, what's your defense against a vehicle that suddenly turns onto the sidewalk? Maybe wear a helmet and full body armor wherever you go?

The "defense" industry is bullshit on all scales, from an individual carrying pepper spray to a navy fielding aircraft carriers. It's ALL offensive in the end.

Guns for "defense" are especially stupid. "Bad guys" shoot first and they are reckless and sometimes suicidal too, otherwise they wouldn't be bad guys. Cops carry guns and they still get shot. They also shoot a lot of people for no good reason. Once the guns come out, everything is fubar. It doesn't matter who is holding them.