Several days ago, I saw this ad in a magazine. Shell Oil advertising department was trying to make the gas station chain appear neighborly. So far, so good.

The advice seems sound. In fact, I have seen much the same suggestions made at my favorite web board. However, something important was missing.

I remembered where I first saw this kind of advice: my college handbook. Their safety tips sounded equally reasonable and had the same flaw in their logic. What if no one is around to help?

What happens if you are twenty miles from the nearest town, somewhere in the country? What happens if you are a hundred feet from a gas station, but your stalker is at arm's length from you? Perhaps people are present but, as was the case with Kitty Genovese, too afraid or apathetic to get involved.

Avoiding a confrontation is usually the best policy. However, sometimes that is not enough, just like careful driving is not a 100% guarantee that no accidents will happen over your lifetime. Wearing seatbelts, having a first aid kit and the skill to use it does not make you more likely to get into a car crash. Those measures can, however, make a difference between life and death.

The college handbook advised using your keys to scratch attacker's face. I wonder why they did not advise any effective means of self-defense.Seems to me that making your opponent even more mad would be the last thing you'd want to accomplish.

Perhaps they assume that a woman can live her entire life without venturing out of her home without an escort. Maybe they do not think that a female can fight back and win. Most likely, the legal advisor would not permit publishing any advice that could get some poor stalker hurt.

Improvised defenses require dangerous proximity to the attacker. Criminals try to pick victims weaker than themselves, so closing in gives them all the advantages. US Department of Justice statistics indicate that half-hearted resistance is more likely to get you hurt than cooperation with the thug. They also note that you would be least likely to be hurt, by a factor of two or more, if you fight back with a gun.

Considering that neither papper spray nor tasers are adequate for self-defense, I would like to recommend a life-saving tool that was first introduced over half-millenium ago. It has evolved into a simple, effective and safe device that saves millions of lives each year.

If you have never fired a handgun, give it a try. You might decide that it is not for you, or that you would like to get training in using it effectively. Get a friend or a certified instructor to show you the basics. Most ranges have firearms for rent, so you can try a low-power .22 firearm and, when comfortable with it, move up to a common defense caliber.

Hi-res

Carrying a defensive weapon is not very difficult physically. The revolver pictures weighs only 13oz (370g) and takes up no more space than a compact 35mm camera. In the rare instance when its use is warranted, the mere threat of harm sends most criminals fleeing. But, if you must, you would be able to save your own life when no other options exist.

Unfortunately, nineteen states in the Union have laws that prohibit or seriously hinder being armed outside of home. There's no surprise that these same states have a more bold criminal population and higher violent crime rates. The legislators side with the muggers and rapists by insuring that law-abiding citizens are easy prey. If you live in one of those states, perhaps you better do as the Shell ad advises. You might perish, but at least some innocent thug's livelihood would not be endangered.