A roll of quarters is something I thought of just this morning. I'm not sure why I didn't think of it sooner. When I was a teenager and there was a bunch of bad kids in the small town I grew up in, a roll of quarters was always in my pocket.

A tightly rolled magazine does wonders if you've had any stick fighting training. So does an umbrella. But thanks for that list- I now know exactly how much trouble I've been in in the past going to Canada and leaving the firearms at home. *blinks*

Everything is a weapon in the hands of someone properly trained or sufficiently desperate. Even an empty foam coffee cup, but you usually have to hold them down while you feed it to them and it takes a while for it to bind up in their intestines. *evil grin*

Maybe we need to start a seperate "improvised weapons" thread. All kinds of things make great weapons. A full, unopened can of Coke is always good. So's a good solid metal pen. Even for those of us who can carry a gun, OC or a knife there are times when we can't and these are always a good fall back.

Check this out...I've never heard of a place where a magic marker is illegal:

https://edcdepot.com/merchantmanager/pro...f7636657b9718bc

I've never seen this presented here, but since this has gotten into improvised weapons I thought I'd throw it out. One thing that is always allowed, even inside a courhouse or an airport, and something everyone carries everyday anyway, is a ring of keys. Keys, used properly can be an effective improvised weapon. To make them effective as such, simply equip your keychain with one of those "around-the-neck" lanyards. At about 18" or so, these offer some standoff from an attacker, and can deliver a painful blow.

Not only can blows be delivered, but should the attacker manage to grab the keys, he can be pulled in close for follow-on blows or off-balancing techniques. If I didn't have my EDC handgun, I would take this over a knive for 99% of confrontations.