Preview – Pen-Ultimate Defense

A Practical Approach to Tactical Pens

It seems everyone and their mother has a tactical pen these days. Giving folding knives a run for their money in the everyday-carry department, tactical pens have grown in popularity for a variety of reasons. These writing implements are slim, lightweight, and affordable — not to mention great for striking, applying wristlocks, and eliciting pain compliance. And don’t forget their original mission: Quality pens are great for, well, writing.

But carrying a tactical pen doesn’t automatically mean you’ll know how to use it effectively…or at all. Just as you would if you carried a folding blade or a handgun, you need to learn and practice how to handle and employ a tactical pen for a variety of situations. In these pages, we examine this topic, giving you a practical look at how a pen can be a mighty tool in the hands of a prepared warrior.

Reality of CQB
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), “approximately half of all robberies, about a quarter of all assaults, and roughly a twelfth of all rapes/sexual assaults involve an armed assailant.” Their statistics also reveal that of the roughly 9-million violent victimizations that occur in the United States annually, 66 percent are committed by unarmed attackers and about 16 percent involve the use of a non-firearm, contact-distance weapon.

If you think about that from the perspective of your personal-defense training, statistically, you are far more likely to be attacked at contact distance than you are to be involved in a stereotypical “distance” gunfight. In fact, that same BJS study confirmed that firearms are used in only one in 10 violent victimizations.

To the gun-centric crowd, that may seem to be good news. If you carry a firearm and are aware enough to get it into play before you start getting hit or stabbed, statistically, you’ll probably have the superior weapon. However, if your attacker is slick and manages to get close to you before launching his attack, you’ll need other up-close options. Also, if you take the “only have a hammer” approach, you may find yourself wrestling for control of your gun or trying to justify shooting an unarmed man. More importantly, if you travel, go to school, or you work or live in a non-permissive environment where concealed carry isn’t permitted, your gun-fu won’t do you any good.

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