Thanks for clarifying, Bing, but you missed my point. (I added your original quote to clarify a little further.) Regardless of which is the high end of scale, 246th isn't 1st or 261st, so "New York is America's safest big city by a mile," is an exaggeration.

I don't belabour the point to argue about how safe NYC is or isn't, or even how best to interpret the stats. We could do that all day and accomplish nothing but tick off everybody here by further sidetracking this thread.

My point is don't take the news, or even statistics, at face value. The same goes for what you need or how to prep or carry for EDC, GHB, BOB, etc. The OP has already received conflicting information about defensive weapons, as an example, demonstrating the need to wade through it all to figure out what works best for him, instead of getting caught up in endless debates about which is the best whatever.

My simplest advice is to do your research. Get advice and opinion. Be discerning. Listen to your experience and your gut. Remember that other people's prep lists may not accurately reflect your threat assessment, even if you live/work/commute through/visit the exact same city.