I have mixed feelings about lights. I have a few that are little ghetto-blasters and will affect an attackers eyesight for a while, but, this light also tells a perp where you are too.
EDC SWAT Touniquet....?????
People like to talk bad about using a concealed carry purse but most don’t realize for many women the option is to use a purse or not carry. People, women particularly, don’t radically change their style of dress to accommodate a gun. And much of women’s clothing is not compatible with most carry methods.
I like to mention a story from old China about the origins of a martial art.
Buddhism doesn’t have just monks, it also has nuns. And these Buddhist nuns faced a predicament. Often attacked and sometimes raped by men, typical martial arts didn’t work very well for them, because they had been grabbed with a bear hug. They were just too close to their attacker to punch or kick.
So they came up with a new martial arts technique for very close infighting, called the “iron hand” techniques. This involved training the fingers to be used like knives, and the entire hand to be used like a stabbing sword. And at very close range.
It is very ritualized training so fingers and hands can do this without being damaged in the process, but the results are extraordinary. For example, a small woman could jam a finger or two through an attackers rib cage into a lung, or stick her hand deep into his abdomen. Which really puts a damper on rape.
In any event, I mention this in regard to women’s self defense, and the vital nature of having a very close range weapon *as well as* concealed carry.
In the article, the woman did carry a knife, but it was a folding knife, most of which are difficult to quickly brandish, at least compared to a sheath knife. This matters in very close range fighting, because a gun can be deflected, but it is extremely hard to get past a knife.
This is not to disparage guns at all, just to point out that knives can be very complimentary to guns in a self defense situation, so it is a good idea to think of the two together as a team.
Purse is okay, better with open pocket on side for handgun that can be instantly drawn. It’s about speed, access. Keep the firearm and blade on the body. Dress around the gun. Night keep the flashlight on you.