Not trying to be a smart ass, but a good pair of running shoes or being in relatively good shape to run.

Even if you do have a firearm, for example, I live in a "duty to retreat" state, and in most cases, if you don't attempt to retreat where reasonable, before using deadly force you can get charged

I saw a show about self defense for women in NY city. The instructor said to always carry a sucker. One of those tootsie pops or the like. If in trouble, hold the ball in your hand, turn the stick outward, between your middle and ring finger and punch at something soft and fleshy like stomach or face (eyes, mouth). It's nice because it works everywhere. Even the TSA will let you board a plane with a sucker.

For the record, carrying a gun for self defense is illegal in most countries.

Most countries treat gun ownership as a privilege, not a right.

Self-defense is rarely accepted as a justification outside the U.S. and a few other exceptions.

What's your threat model?

so here's the thing about self defense: it's only a last resort. Don't try to actually defend yourself unless it's the only thing left to do. Reaching for a self defense tool at the first sign is cop shit.

As for defense tools, they're all good and viable. You just need to know how to use them. There's no such thing as a no-effort defense tool. Buying a pepper spray and sticking it onto your keychain without a second thought does not make it a self defense tool. You need to practice to the point where it's second nature to use it. That means knowing the effective range, knowing the shortfalls and limitations, and continual practice.

Umbrella. No one looks twice at someone carrying an umbrella, but it can still give you a reach advantage or be used as a weapon in extreme circumstances.

Compact super bright flashlight at nighttime to buy a few seconds head start. Maglite flashlight if you want a makeshift baton

Best defense will always be having a friend with you, so maximize socialization.

Training.

People already commented about running. Best answer. There are plenty of martial arts that can help too.

Whether it's a gun, a blade, a club, a spray, your own body, an alarm... they all require consistent training to actually function in the crisis moment.

If you haven't been practicing and can't execute the defense without thought, it's not likely to serve you when the time comes.

Yourself, along with some martial arts training.

You won't be doing any Bruce Lee moves with basic training, but even basic training can make a big difference.

One of the first things you learnt in most martial arts is how to balance and move. This, combined with some basic blocks, is often enough to disengage and retreat quickly. It also helps train your brain to drop into defence/combat mode when required. This stops you freezing up for a critical few seconds.

Any weapon is mostly useless without the training to use it in the heat of an encounter. If you're going to train with something, it might as well be a weapon you will always have available.

My preference is Tae Kwon Do, but any general martial art will be hugely beneficial.

Oh, and as a side effect, martial arts often help train a mindset change. You know you can defend yourself, and so subconsciously project confidence. It makes you less of a target to begin with.

Best weapon is brains; don't put yourself in a dangerous situation.

Any weapon you have to pull out is useless. Either they are already hitting you or will take it from you.

Best weapon is steel toed boots. Can't be pulled out of your hand and your thighs are usually your strongest muscles.

Pepper spray is good. Especially for dogs.

Make sure you are aware of how your spray comes out. There’s the traditional type that comes out as an aerosol cone and the recipient can’t really block (it just goes around their hand) but there’s also the kind that comes out as silly string that can be blocked but won’t be affected by a stiff breeze and just blow back into your face.

The nice thing about pepper spray is you and your friends can get together and do jackass routines on each other to figure out how you’ll actually fish it out of your pockets or purse when you need to use it and get comfortable spraying it. You can also subsequently figure out how to counteract the effects so that if it blows back on you or gets smeared on you you’re not experiencing it for the first time in a “I bet you’re wondering how I got here” type freeze frame.

It’s also good to come home to the wife filled with adrenaline smelling like a five pepper curry plate mixed with spoiled milk making your most amorous advances.

Your best non-firearm self defense object though is a gun. I know that sounds crazy, but stay with me. Self defense is staying alive, in most places, legally speaking. When some crap happens and a month later you and the other person are in front of some law authority, that judge is gonna be trying to figure out if one of you claiming self defense can reasonably be considered to be in fear for your life or safety. So it’s not like there’s a legal obligation not to use a gun if you’re allowed to have one and a firearms generally considered status as lethal force acts as support for your claim of life and limb, if you credibly have one.

But didn’t you just fucking say “non firearm”? Yes. Yes you did. At least in the United States, but also in many other jurisdictions, some guns aren’t firearms. In the us, cap and ball revolvers for example, even modern reproductions, are not considered firearms. For the question of viability, see the many YouTube videos of gun influencers dressing up in cosplay and shooting the gel torso man with uberti’s latest product.

So you can generally use a gun in self defense and if for some reason you are barred from carrying a firearm, guns are an option.

Make sure to schedule similar fun time with friends to figure out how to safely carry, draw and reholster your blunderbuss. Do not point guns at people you don’t intend to kill.

Okay here’s the thing to actually read:

If you haven’t been in a situation where you’re scared for your life, don’t go seeking one out. Develop a way to express your emotions and practice everyday saving them up for that release instead of being goaded. Avoid every fight as much as possible. You do not get stronger from fighting, you physically destroy your body and mind. Using a self defense object will cause you to experience deep and lasting trauma whose consequences will have an effect on every relationship you hold.

Retain the services of a lawyer in your area to obtain specific advice for your situation. They will be familiar with the local authorities, laws, training organizations and you will be protected from scrutiny by their client confidentiality.

Again, go directly to your local legal aid agency and locate a lawyer who can advise you. No one knows who or where you are and they will ask questions that are pertinent in your jurisdiction.

I’m gonna take from this thread that most people are both heavily armed with random dangerous shit in their pockets including knives and guns, very skiddish and ready to fight, severely untrained, while also being willing to use anything else in your immediate vicinity as a weapon including water bottles and wooden walking sticks fashioned with dangerous sharp spikes on the end.

I am keeping a safe distance from all of you until further notice

Your knees and elbows. Train some kickboxing on how to strike with them.

Most items carried can be taken and used against you.

A portable alarm with a high intensity strobe can give you time to run toward safety. Or a smart-watch with a duress/emergency feature, to sound alarm and call assistance. There may not always be the chance to pull out an item though.

Your body size matters, get some expert advice on what will actually work for you, at your current size and fitness.

Confidence, if you prepare and walk tall, your chances of being targeted diminish.

The best defense is being able to run.

Wasp spray. If you're being attacked, 9 times out of 10 it's probably a wasp or a wasp ally. I imagine wasp spray also works pretty well on animals with eyes or other exposed mucus membranes.

BAC of 0% and situational awareness and a buddy

Sturdy flashlight.

I can run real fast.

Used to carry a tactical pen disguised as a ballpoint pen.

Like people said, the best answers are the boring ones.

Best defense is being deescalating and avoiding dangerous situations, second is fast legs, third best is going to the gym, fourth best is probably pepper spray, and I would say the fifth best is a knife if legal. But most fights are over in under a second and there are no winners but only survivors with less severe injuries, and then it's almost always weapon > muscles > luck > technique > stamina.

Oh yeah and don't forget fighting is never cool. Everyone looks dumb, everything hurts and you will almost always regret it if you are sane.

Steel water bottle with one end narrowed to be a convenient handle –

A fat water bottle can't be gripped. Bad handle = bad weapon –

An umbrella built to be a defensive baton, no I am not kidding.

If you aren't in an enclosed narrow space and having an umbrella/parasol this is by far your best option besides pepper spray type options.

Something like this (not recommending this site specifically just using as an example).

https://www.primalsurvivor.net/tactical-umbrella/

Here even knives, sprays and batons are illegal, unless definable as tools

Best defence is to run fast with good stamina.

If that's not an option, dog poop bag and round stone size of a golf ball. You can claim it was inspired weapon.

...or a two sided monkey fist with ballbearings that you can claim was a stress toy.

Shoes you can run in.

Look up less-lethals. They are like overpowered BB guns for self defense. You can legally carry them anywhere that doesn't have a no weapons sign. My brother got me into them. I still never shot it so I don't know how lethal they are but they look exactly like real guns.

Number one thing is knowing where and when not to be somewhere. If this is more so about a woman and avoiding a sexual abuse then literally having an object visible is a strong deterrent aka like an umbrella. Usually attackers will avoid everyone except for who they think is an easy target.

Flipper Zero?

@CaptainMan251@lemmy.world , if you’re hoping to get good input from this thread you really gotta elaborate on the situations you’re worried about in order to differentiate between useful and useless advice.

A barky dog is good advice about some types of home security. It’s no use if you’re worried about walking down the street