less than lethal weapons?

Expandable batons are rather nice and legal in most area's. Fits in the pocket nicely doesn't require a whole hell of a lot of training and you can pick up a decent one for relatively cheap. Stun gun's not a bad idea either. I'd stay away from pepper spray's though. Most of the time both people catch some of it and some can just shake it off. Not really reliable or safe for you. Really as Zergrinch said though there's not really a truly non lethal weapon. just less lethal

Why do you expect to be needing one anyway?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Shin

Idiot. Carrying a knife makes you more likely to be a victim of a stabbing. The majority of stab victims don't realise they've been in a knife fight until after it happens. Kinves are terrible defensive weapons and only really useful for stabbing someone before they know they're having a fight, unless you're some kind of trained fighter in which case you wouldn't need a knife to fight off some street thug. Also, if you swing a knife at someone and kill them, the fact that you're carrying a knife suggests premeditation, making you far more likely to go down for murder (In this country at least, I'm sure the US has some kind of "Constitutional right" to carry machetes in public just in case someone tries to nick your iPod). How many times have you actually had to brandish a knife to get out of a beating? Seriously, I'm interested to know because I might have it all wrong and you live in one of those parts of America where everyone apparently has to take an AK-47 to bed with them to stop looters and rapists having their way with a person's property and kin.

Carrying weapons in public is just stupid, no matter how you look at it. If someone's got close enough to you to stop you and mug you, they'll be close enough to stop you whipping out your pepper spray or tazer and if you're not carrying one they can't then use it on you for a laugh after they've done your wallet.

Knives are pretty kosher here as long as you have you know like a normal pocket knife of the sort that would be appropriate for cutting boxes and such. If' you're carrying something clearly designed for combat only or something really exotic then you can expect some negative attention thrown your way. Still bad defense weapon either way. The laws are incredibly varied from state to state though so what fly's in one may get you jail time in another. Knifing someone is viewed very negatively even more so than shooting them as it's viewed as a criminals weapon in most places.

I must say you seem pretty damn down on pretty much any kind of weaponry. Even for a filthy brit.

There's nowhere I can't reach.