...I'm saying that, for those who are not familiar with even the most simple principles of self-awareness and personal safety, touting a flashlight will not give them an edge over an assailant.
The principles are really very simple; while you cannot simply hand someone a Minimag and say, "There, you're safe now," I believe a little knowledge and a little awareness is better than no knowledge and no awareness.
In fact, the light can be (easily) taken away and used *against* them by a determined attacker,
The argument, "It will just be taken away from you" is used to dismiss the carry of just about any weapon. I think people who say this don't stop to think just how hard it is truly to disarm someone who is tightly holding something with which he is also beating you.
or it may give them a false sense of security, which may lead them to get themselves in an unwanted situation.
That is a danger with
all self-defense implements and tools, however. There are people who buy guns thinking them to be magic wands, who then get themselves into trouble because they don't think they have to behave with simple common sense anymore.
Doesn't matter how many books you (or others) write about the topic, that fact is not going to change.
Respectfully, this is like saying that no amount of education will ever stop people from being stupid. You have to start somewhere.
For a flashlight to be used as tactical tool (either for defense, awareness, hand-to-hand combat, linked to a firearm, etc.), you must at least have the proper mindset and adequate (and constant) training.
I would dispute this. It doesn't take hours of training or some sort of constant, unceasing ninja outlook to learn to drive a short rod of metal into someone's face. It does take
some training, yes, but anyone can learn the basics in a relatively short amount of time.
"Regular" people interested in the concept? Probably a few but learning self-defense from a book is like thinking you can fly a plane because you read a book about how they work. Again, it may lead some people to think they're safe from harm just because they carry a flashlight somewhere inside their pack.
I would hope it would get them
started and give them ideas for future study, while providing them with the basics of a simple concept that anyone can apply.
On the other hand, there's probably good material in your book for those who are interested. Writing a book is a very serious mental exercise in synthesizing your knowledge and intelligently sharing it with others. Congratulations for your publication.
Thank you. The book does contain sections on awareness, body mechanics, and other self-defense basics that are applicable to anything (not just flashlights), so I truly do believe beginners and "regular people" would find it of use. I wrote this book keeping in mind that I would want to be able to give it to, say, any member of my family who knew nothing else about self-defense.
