The University of Arizona’s daily newspaper, The Daily Wildcat, printed an article today regarding a new self-defense club available on campus, primarily for women.
They discuss how this club teaches situational awareness, which I support wholeheartedly, and self-defense “techniques”, which I support somewhat less so. I note a distinct lack of firearms training, possibly due to the fact that it’s against state law and university policy to for CCW holders to possess firearms on campus.
If self-defense gets to the hand-to-hand stage, things have gone Very, Very Wrong. Better to avoid it where possible (hence situational awareness) or, if unavoidable, deal with it decisively.
A 110lb female college student, even with some self-defense training, is likely to be at a considerable physical disadvantage compared to a 180lb male attacker (a majority of attackers are male). A firearm — and the training and will to use it if needed — corrects for that disparity.
But no, they instead put up more “blue light phones” around campus and hand out free cans of pepper spray to female students (with no training on the proper use of it), as well as teaching self-defense “techniques” that are unlikely to work when confronted with a real attacker.
While I’m hardly an expert when it comes to self-defense firearm use, I’d be happy to take any UA student, male or female, at my expense, to the range to learn the basics of shooting. From there, I’ll happily point people toward instructors and programs that teach armed self-defense far better than I could.
8 thoughts on “Campus Self-Defense Club”
Comments are closed.
If you haven’t got your CCW yet, I forgot to let you know all my paperwork came through, and I’m good to go. I also have two (potential) instructors and we’re working on defensive mindset, and other skills.
You know your CCW is on me if you want. Beside, we haven’t hung out since pizza in Phoenix!
Awesome. I haven’t gotten it yet, but we definitely should hang out sometime and I’ll be happy to take you up on your offer of free CCW instruction.
Is it currently illegal to carry on campus? I thought it was just against school policy….
I think there’s an Arizona law against it.
Im the womens self-defense instructor @ the rec center, good article, but you forgot alot of things, most women r scare of guns & r against handling them, I have taught thou’s of girls & women self-defense all end up saving their lives all the time, guns end up turning the laws against one if I shoot someone in most cases u had no right 2 use deadly force & u could go to prison fast, gun laws also work in favor of crimmals he must be armed some how before u can use deadly force, also if u miss & kill a bystander which most likely will happen, u go to prison. The law & all police do not like civilians shooting guns all over their cities!!! It is against the law to carry a firearm on any school campus. Hey buddy guns, your way off base, theirs so much more I can point out 2 prove guns r the wrong way to go that its not even funny!! Leave gun play up to those who r fully trained to use them which r lawmen & lawwomen period !! I know many many 110 lb girls & women young & older that can dismantle & attacker in less than a minute, so this my point about the self-defense club we r telling the girls & women if you come & train you will learn how to take care of an attacker so they must train not GUNS!!!
Brian: Thanks for your response. No doubt training is better than nothing, whether or not one is armed.
I know several people, a few of them women, who are alive today because they were armed — with guns — and had the training and presence of mind to use them (and on some occasions, fire them) to defend themselves.
Every person I’ve taken to the range, including females, have greatly enjoyed the experience and hold no fear of firearms, though they respect the potential for harm that they hold.
I’ve worked with police officers as a Range Safety Officer, and I’ve seen how poorly many of them shoot. (I’ve also seen how well quite a few of them shoot, and hold them in high esteem.) Many train only enough to meet the periodic qualifications, and can hardly be considered to be experts on the use of arms.
As for the legality of carrying firearms on campus, that has come up for discussion in the legislature several times over the last few years. Concealed carry laws have been trending towards being more liberalized, so it’s likely that campuses will not be prohibited places in the future.
When it comes down to it, most females tend to be smaller and physically weaker than their attackers. While no doubt various self-defense techniques can help lessen this physical disparity, a firearm can be used by even even the weak, frail, or infirm and can easily level the metaphorical playing field even against larger, stronger, or more numerous attackers.
If you’re interested in comparing techniques, I’d be happy to teach you what I know and learn what you have to offer.
Mr. Williams,
Have you ever taken a quality CCW course. I would recommend that you do before you make comments as you did above.
A CCW course takes care of most of the concerns you stated above.
I also appreciate you coming forward to respond to this post.
You may b right in very few ways as u said (I KNOW A FEW WOMEN) or I know a few that could play pro football or pro basketball theirs always going to b a few women that can do some things similier or even better than a man, we can talk back & forth 4 years the thing is women must dedicate themselves 2 my or your way but they must b honest & say I train a few times a week with my gun understand all laws & always will use great judgement before firing my firearm this requires dedication on the highest level because bullets have no names on them & don’t forgive once fire, the same applies in hand 2hand combat, I agree policeman need much more training with guns & hand 2 hand combat, u know rifleman we would make a hell of a team ha-ha five blackbelts & a gun expert wow who would in their right mind try to harm us!!! Your field & my field actually go together u see it in movies jet-li, steven segal, use firearms & hand 2 hand combat, my conclusion is women must learn 1 or both ways that we both describe, women would b better off, WE BOTH CARE ABOUT ONE LEARNING HOW NOT TO B A VICTIM, THE U.S.A. BEING THE MOST VIOLENT COUNTRY AGAINST GIRLS & WOMEN!! THANKS RIFLEMAN I’M ALWAYS OPEN TO LEARN!!