Q. How does Mothers Arms
help women like me?
A. Mothers Arms provides information, resources
and support to help you learn how to defend and protect yourself
and your children from assault and aggression. Mothers Arms
enables women like you to develop awareness of your surroundings,
gain common-sense safety skills and use safety defense tools
if you wish.
Q. Does Mothers Arms support
the use of guns?
A. Mothers Arms promotes self-defense. Which
safety rescue tools you might choose, if any, is your decision
and it depends on your circumstances and beliefs. Mothers
Arms does advocate that everyone learn basic gun safety, especially
women who do not own guns.
Q. What does Mothers Arms
mean by 'First Defense?'™
A. Unfortunately, far too many of us rely unduly
on the timely response of law enforcement to save us from
an assault, rape or murder. The sad truth is that police officers
often arrive too late. It’s a simple fact and not a criticism.
Mothers Arms offers a policy of First Defense.
First Defense™ means that you become your own, best,
first line of defense, and that you should be prepared to
defend yourself, or others, while waiting for help from professionals.
Dialing 911 is a key step, but taking direct First Defense™
action is equally important.
Skills you adopt can range from awareness and
avoidance strategies through martial arts and safety defense
tools. Training and practice are required to become proficient
in any of these approaches. When you acquire First Defense
skills, including the use of your preferred safety defense
tools, you will make yourself, your children and family safer.
Q. What kinds of tools can
I use to defend myself?
A. Wherever you are, be prepared. Around your
house, locate everyday items you can use to defend yourself
in case of a home invasion. For example, think about how you
can use furnishings in your home or everyday household products
as a weapon. Scout out heavy objects to use for striking and
household sprays like oven cleaner to debilitate an intruder.
Or purchase a can of pepper spray (60 grams or larger), a
club-like Mag-Lite flashlight, or a blindingly bright SureFire
flashlight to use at home or on the go. Consider a whistle
to draw attention, a knife, a cellular phone or all of the
above.
Q. Is using pepper spray
a good idea?
A. Pepper spray is inexpensive, non-lethal and
reasonably effective. Plus, it’s typically not restricted
by law. On the other hand, pepper spray is for short-range
applications and vapors could incapacitate the user, especially
since most don’t practice its proper use. And, sometimes
it doesn't work on the enraged or drugged.
Avoid using the tiny key-chain sprays. If you
are serious about self-defense, buy a dispenser that is two
to three ounces in size (60 to 90 grams). It contains more
OC (Oleoresin Capsicum…the main ingredient) and more
propellant to push the spray out toward your attacker. Ideally,
you should buy two cans of spray. The first one is used for
practice so you know what it does (a self-defense instructor
could help you with this). The second can is for you to carry
for a year.
Spray is a better option than foam for most
civilian and law enforcement uses. Consider foam only if you
are in an environment where the spray would cause decontamination
problems (health care institutions, for example). Generally
look for a "fogger" or "cone" type spray
rather than a "streamer." Streamers require greater
accuracy than is usually practical. Do not be persuaded by
the percentage of OC in the spray since the Scoville Heat
Units (SHU) rating determines the "heat" of the
pepper. It does not take a particularly high SHU to be effective.
The percent of OC rating (usually 5percent or 10 percent)
indicates the relative length of time the spray may incapacitate
the attacker.
As with any force option, training and preparedness
are vital.
Q. Should I have a cell phone
available in my home?
A. A cell phone may be a valuable backup to
your landline in the home - smarter criminals disable phone
lines. As with many tools, the more you have and are trained
to use under crisis, the better your odds. But realize that
911 is not an immediate answer to danger ... you must defend
yourself and your loved ones until the police arrive, and
that could take some time.
Q. What do I do if I
am assaulted?
A. Whether your plan is to escape or fight,
distance is your friend. You will need distance to lose the
attacker, and you will need distance to ready your self-defense
tool, whether it is pepper spray, a gun, knife, keys or flashlight.
The rest of the answer is best discussed with your self-defense
trainer ... training and practice are keys.
Q. Are there typical warning
signs before an assault?
A. Attackers often show an unusual interest
in their prey. They can be very friendly and they will inevitably
attempt to invade your space. Trust your "inner voice"
that tells you to get out of the situation. If you are wrong,
you err on the side of safety.
Q. What can I do to avoid
being assaulted?
A. Look confident- walk briskly with purpose.
Be aware of your surrounding. Avoid parking in dark and distant
locations. Travel with a group to your destination. Get in
the habit of looking strangers in the eye. Look all around
and under your car before getting in. Get in quickly and lock
the doors. Start the engine before you do anything else. Be
prepared to drive away immediately - don't sit in your car
adjusting your makeup or writing a check. Consider getting
a fanny pack holster (one with the draw string that protrudes
from the corner of the zipper) It may contain only your wallet
and pepper spray, the attacker won’t know. Cars and parking
lots are common areas for criminal activities. The self-defense
trainers will tell you to visually inspect your vehicle from
a distance, and check around the vehicle, under the vehicle
and in the back seat.
Q. How can I be sure
my attempts to defend myself won’t backfire?
A. Prepare and practice. Seek training. Then
practice some more. Think through different scenarios as if
you were playing chess. Doing so is the responsible way to
anticipate problems and is no different than learning how
to be a defensive driver.
Q. How should I react to
someone who jumps out at me with a weapon?
A. If possible, run in the opposite direction
… quickly. Put as much distance as you can between your
assailant and you. It makes his weapon less effective and
allows you time to take defensive action or get help.
Q. What do women who
have survived attacks say they would do differently?
A. Most often, a victim says she should have
listened to her inner voice and acted on her instincts. Although
she felt uncomfortable and suspected something wrong, she
didn't want to make a scene. She now realizes that a day or
a week of embarrassment is nothing compared to the emotional
trauma of rape or a beating. That’s why you should have
a plan of defense based on your own personal strengths and
weaknesses. You should envision different situations in which
violence may occur and decide how you will respond, be it
verbally or physically. It is better to overreact and survive
than to suffer the real physical and emotional consequences
of violence due to your own lack of action.
Q. Is there a common “type”
of victim that sex offenders seek out?
A. In general, many sex offenders simply look
for an unaware, weak, timid person. However, the same criteria
do not always apply to children. In most cases, children know
their attackers and even trust them. Sex offenders attempt
to build relationships with children in order for them to
become submissive to abuse. Overall, be very aware of your
surroundings, appear confident, walk with purpose when you’re
out, and be wary of someone who tries “too” hard
to be around your children alone.
Q. What information
do I need to give when reporting an incident?
A. It is important to offer a detailed account
of exactly where, when and who was involved in the incident.
Be ready to give a description of the person(s) involved.
This would include the following: What the suspect was wearing,
their age, race, sex, height, weight, etc. Try to identify
something unique in their appearance, such as a scar or an
unusual piece of jewelry. If a vehicle was involved in the
incident, give a description of the vehicle with the license
plate number, make, model, color, any noticeable damage and
the direction in which they left.
Q. How can I teach my children
to avoid strangers without making them afraid of adults?
A. Each child matures at different stages. What
you tell them depends on their age, circumstances and your
environment. It is always important to encourage your children
to be aware of their surroundings and to resist close contact
with strangers. Talk to your children about never being alone
with someone they don’t know. Create a secret password
only your family shares. If you send someone else to be with
your children, they should use the password so that your kids
know they are okay. Without the code, a stranger making advances
will signal danger and your children should leave the area
immediately.
Q. What types of resources
are available to learn more about campus safety?
A. Make the Internet your quick link to statistics,
warnings and national databases of colleges. Surf the web
to find statistics regarding a specific school and learn if
they offer a parental notification policy that will keep you
and your child informed about campus safety. Organizations
such as Security on Campus, Inc. focus specifically on college
campus issues and the dangers threatening students. Take advantage
of these resources and do your homework!
Q. Now that we moved to
a rural town to avoid gang violence, what should I teach my
kids about safety?
A. Whether you are living in the big city or
in a remote town, you still have the responsibility of sharing
safety information with your children. The circumstances and
probabilities may be a little different, but crime can happen
anywhere and to anyone. Teaching your children about “stranger
danger” and not leaving with adults they do not know
still applies regardless of where you live. Always know the
families of your children’s friends and know where they
play.
Talk to your children about what to do should
an emergency arise and leave them with a list of phone numbers
to call should they become concerned when you are not at home.
The potential benefit and problem of a small town is that
everyone knows everyone’s schedule – including the
predictability of your children’s schedules. In addition,
small and rural towns tend to have a greater percentage of
hunters and that increases your child's need for gun safety
classes. The best protection you can give your children is
education. Provide them with knowledge regarding personal
safety, including inappropriate touching, chemical and drug
awareness, and who to contact should a potentially dangerous
situation arise.
Q. What should I do to prevent
a burglar from breaking into my car when I park on campus?
A. Crime Prevention Coordinator at Arizona State
University, Stewart F. Adams, recommends several techniques
to decrease auto crime. When possible, advise your student
to park on the perimeter of parking lots and garages. If you
park on the periphery of a parking structure, the thief is
more exposed to possible witnesses and less likely to attempt
a burglary. Adams also suggests purchasing The Club locking
device to deter a break-in. In addition, be sure to keep all
valuables out of sight, including CDs, backpacks, clothes,
etc. Keep garage door openers concealed and consider storing
them in your glove compartment. Lock your glove box and discourage
thieves from accessing your registration papers and using
your garage door opener to enter your home.
Q. My husband loves to hunt
on the weekends and leaves me home alone in the country. What
can I do to discourage potential burglars?
A. The first thing you can do is talk frankly
with your husband to be sure he’s not broadcasting his
weekend schedule. No one else needs to know you will be left
alone. Talk to the wives of the other men and ask them to
make the same request. Next, install outside lights. A brightly
lit home is not an attractive target because thieves don’t
want to be seen. Consider motion-sensor lights or alarms around
your house. Use automatic timers that turn-on inside and outside
lighting so you won’t risk returning home to a dark house
at night. Set a light on a timer in another part of your home
to stay on after you’ve gone to bed. A prowler will wonder
who is up and about. A radio on a timer can also create a
helpful diversion. Since animals and pets are prevalent in
the country, pay attention to their early warning signs. By
keeping your fences in good repair, pruning your bushes, securing
all access roads with gates or cables, and keeping your safety
rescue tools handy, you are better protecting yourself and
your property.
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