SHOULD I BUY A GUN? Only you can make that decision. The question that you have to answer for yourself is whether you truly believe in your heart that your stalker intends to kill you. If the answer is yes, then you should consider all means of protecting yourself, and a gun may be one of them. If your stalker has threatened you with a deadly weapon and you know that they have a weapon in their possession, I think it is a good idea to have a gun handy. I have often heard someone say that if that no-good-so-and-so shows up drunk and threatening me one more time I'm going to shoot him and drag his body into my house. The police won't do anything if I'm protecting my home. NOT TRUE. I have seen signs that say, "TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT ON SIGHT." That sign might scare would-be trespassers away from your property, but don't enforce that sign unless you want to spend a very long time in prison. If you are thinking along this line of thought, then there are a few things you need to consider. The law doesn't justify killing a human being to protect property. Not your cash, not your car, not your pet, not even your house. The use of deadly force by a citizen or even a police officer is only justified in the protection of human life. Before a police officer uses deadly force he must be able to answer two questions:     1. Does the suspect have the means to kill?      2. Do the suspect's actions make you believe he is going to kill immediately if you don't stop him?     We could go around and around giving example after example and never cover them all because no two incidents are alike. It basically boils down to whether you could convince a jury that he was intent on killing you right now and had the means, such as a weapon, and you were in fear of immediate death. If you find yourself in such a position, then I hope you have a gun with you and you know how to use it. If you buy a gun, take it to a shooting range and shoot it occasionally. Familiarize yourself with it, handle it, load and unload it, turn the safety on and off a few times, practice taking the lock off so you will be able to do it under pressure. Clean it every time you shoot it. Take a class from a qualified instructor. The store you bought your gun at will have a list of instructors. WHY SHOULDN'T I BUY A GUN? The answer is in the question I asked a moment ago. Do you truly believe in your heart that your stalker intends to kill you? If the answer is no, then you should look to some other means of self defense. Could you kill another human being? This is a tough personal question and not as simple as it seems. I have talked to people who are gung-ho to get a gun, but after talking to them they tell me that they can't even squash a mosquito that is sucking their own blood out of them. If  you  scream and run from spiders and cockroaches,  then  in a  real  crisis  you  might be  unable to shoot your attacker, and will do no more than  provide the gun that your stalker kills you with. That is a tragedy that has happened many times. Do you have a safe place to keep a gun? Do you have curious or mischievous kids  that will stop at nothing until they get their hands on your gun? The news is full of kids who found their parents gun and killed themselves or another child. I remember when I was a kid I went into my parents room several times when they weren't home and got my dad's gun off the shelf in his closet and pointed it at things and pretended to shoot it. Since I never actually fired it and never got caught, my dad probably still thinks that's a safe place to keep a gun. We are often a little careless with our safety, whether it's wearing a seatbelt, running a red light,  going to work when we're a little sick and exposing others,  or  having lunch  in some greasy and unclean  diner. Having a gun is one area where you have to go overboard with the safety precautions. HOW ABOUT A STUN GUN? Stun guns are quite in the news today. There is controversy over whether cops should carry them. There is a model available to private citizens that can shoot it's wired prongs fifteen feet so you can stun somebody before they get to you. I have seen people stunned by the police and it is a beautiful thing! While someone is being stunned they are unable to fight or attack. During that time the cops can grab and handcuff the bad guy because the electrical current only affects the area between the probes, leaving the cop unshocked. It is a marvelous tool if you are trying to arrest someone. If you're using the stun gun as self defense, it has some drawbacks. First of all, could you really shoot somebody with it? Or do you think you would just use it to scare your stalker away? If you couldn't actually use it to hurt your stalker, then you are once again just providing him with a weapon to use against you. Secondly, if you miss with the probes, then you have to actually touch him with the stun gun to shock him. This way of using a stun gun causes pain but does not debilitate your attacker and if he is stronger than you he will take it away. Also, when you release the trigger the stunning stops and the attacker can come at you again, there are no lasting effects after being stunned, and it doesn't give you any time to run away. WHAT ELSE IS THERE? Let me tell you about my favorite, it's pepper-spray. In my career I have pepper-sprayed many combative suspects, many of whom were larger and stronger than me and who were hell-bent on fighting. All but one of those suspects turned into crying babies when they were sprayed. Pepper-spray has two effects on a person. It gets into there eyes and causes such pain that the suspect can't keep his eyes open. It also gets into their throat and nose causing them to cough violently and produce large amounts of mucus that makes it nearly impossible to breath through the nose. When someone can't see and can't breath, and can't stop coughing violently, they stop fighting and can easily be handcuffed. It was effective against men who were drunk or high on Meth, cocaine or other drugs. The only one who it didn't seem to affect was high on PCP and was hallucinating to the point that his brain was disconnected from his bodies senses. Pepper-spray is an excellent police tool. As a self-defense tool, it gives you the chance to run away and call the police while your attacker is blinded and choking. You never have to deal with a guilty conscience because in about 20-30 minutes the effects will gradually wear off and your attacker will suffer no permanent damage. One big benefit is that you can attach a small can of pepper-spray to your key ring or clip it to an outside pocket on your purse and you have instant access to it in an emergency. Seeing the little cans has become so commonplace now that nobody really gives it a second thought if they see you carrying one. I have a pepper-spray that looks like an ink pen and I wear it in the front pocket of my shirt and nobody even knows it is not a pen. It also comes in a container that looks like a lipstick tube so you can throw it in your purse or pocket and if your stalker sees it he wont think twice about it. They are not expensive and you can find them in all kinds of stores or online. I found an online company that had the lipstick pepper sprays at a good price and I put a link to it, then I found a second company with a better price so I changed my link to that one. Since that time I have found a third website with an even better price for the exact same product. Here is the link to the best price I have found so far. This company has a lot of other pepper spray containers, including the one that looks like a pen. Once your at the website enter "pepper spray" in their search box and you can see all their products.   It's easy to use. When you buy pepper-spray, take it outside, away from people, and spray it down wind a couple times so you can see the spray pattern. It comes out in a stream, kind of like Silly String, so you can spray somebody who is several feet away from you. Practice a couple times so you get the feel of grabbing it out and pointing it, your muscle memory will be helpful if you have to do it in a hurry. Always spray it at the face of your attacker since it affects the eyes, nose and throat. Pepper-spray is effective on dogs as well, so if you are afraid of dogs you can feel more comfortable out walking in your neighborhood. I will warn you that Pepper spray is an airborne aerosol and when you spray it some will stay in the air and may blow a little back on you. When I have sprayed suspects, I have sometimes gotten some in my eyes and throat. It is a little irritating but not enough to incapacitate me like it does to the guy who got a face full. Always wash your hands thoroughly after spraying. Many times I have used my spray in the field and been unable to wash my hands, while I was driving the suspect to jail I would unconsciously wipe my eye with my hand.......YOUCH! that burns. Check with your local police to see if there are places you cannot carry it. For example, in my city it is unlawful to possess pepper-spray on school grounds. Which ever self defense tool you choose, practice with it, keep it in a safe location that your kids can't get to, have it accessible, be prepared to use it. Even though I'm a little negative on the stun gun idea, you may find that it is what you would feel most comfortable with. This website has good prices on pepper spray, stun guns, and surveillance cameras. Once your at the website enter "stun gun" or "hidden camera"in their search box and you can see all their products.