weapon? If the answers to these questions are yes, the cane is a viable weapon and should be included in your personal-defense strategy. The fact that it, by nature, is in-hand when you are using it also makes it an excellent first line of defense — since the issues of carry, concealment and draw stroke don’t apply. If you can’t maintain your balance
without the cane or don’t have the physical strength and coordination to wield it with power, you must choose another path. Although potentially lethal, the cane as a weapon really represents a less-lethal option. Since you’ll be using it exclusively as a mobility aid, you need to find another option to fill the less-lethal need. An excellent choice — provided it’s legal in your area — would be pepper spray. Properly employed, it would give you the ability to deal with a non-life-threatening attack very effectively. It also has the potential to stop an attacker decisively enough to allow you to escape — even with limited mobility. If possible, you should also have a
lethal-force option at your disposal. A knife is certainly a possibility, but again, you must have the physical ability to employ it effectively. If so, it’s another potential layer of your defense. If you don’t — or even if
you do — a firearm is the next logical step. If concealed carry is a legal option in your area, it’s time for some more self-assessment. Can you maintain your balance well enough without your cane to shoot the gun two handed? If not, are there other viable shooting positions you can use effectively? If you need to use the cane to maintain your balance, can you shoot effectively with only one hand? If so, what size and caliber of gun will allow you to stop a threat effectively without exceeding your ability to control recoil? As you go down this path of deci-
sion-making, you should also think about the other aspects of defensive firearms use and how they apply to your situation. For example, if you must use a cane to maintain your bal- ance, you must shoot with one hand. That means reloading will be more challenging because your “off” hand is encumbered. So a high-capacity semi-auto might be a better choice than a revolver or auto with a limited magazine capacity.
Carry Options And Personal Tactics If you are right-handed and have
a bad right leg, doctors would advise you to use a cane with your left hand. If forced to defend yourself, your
right hand would be free to draw and shoot. However, if you have a bad left leg, the cane would start in your right hand. To draw, you’d have to pass it to your left hand, stabilize your balance, and then draw. This same process would also apply if you were deploy- ing pepper spray, a knife or any other weapon instead of a gun. Thinking through this process as it applies to you, your specific physical condition and your choice of weapons is the next piece of the puzzle. It’s also what will allow you to realistically plan and integrate your carry strategies for your preferred weapons. When it comes to carry and
deployment, remember your situation may be dynamic and require you to integrate your use of weapons. You may strike an attacker with your cane to create an opportunity to draw your pepper spray or gun. You may spray one attacker and be forced to shoot another. To consider all these options, go back to wargaming and incorporate carry, deployment and transitions into your response- planning process. Personal protection is up to the
individual. If you have a physical disability, use the logic stated here to develop a plan that works for your specific needs. That’s your key to staying safe. *
WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM
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