I need some ideas on how I can protect my wife.

[Quigley284]

I am a handicap husband. I suffer from Huntington's disease. I'm looking for any and all ideas on how she can protect herself.

[wv109323]

Home surviellece or burgular alarm.
A handgun such as S&W EZ that a woman can use.
Outside lighting and no shrubbery where an intruder can find
A dog in the home
Neighborhood watch
Secure doors and doorlocks.

[brewer12345]

A 50 plus pound dog, good outdoor lighting, secure doors and windows. A shotgun would probably help as well.

Alternatively, move to a low crime area?

[rancher1913]

firstly I mean no ill will or malice, with that being said could the Huntingtons be causing this concern and she really is in no danger at all.

we might need a bit more to go on, are you guys being threatened, is she a witness to something.

[Ranger 7]

Get your wife a firearm she can handle, will practice with to become FULLY proficient and confident.
Also, get an English Mastiff puppy. (Exceptionally protective, loving, cuddly, intelligent and only a lunatic would want to go oppose one)
My wife and I have had one or more Mastiffs living (in the house) with us for 27 years.
Of course, we also are both armed and go to the range regularly and are quite proficient(we can put the rounds exactly where we aim)
You have every reason to be fearful. Today crime is everywhere, even in rich areas with their own cops.

[country gent]

The big thing is to get her awareness up, pay attention to what's going on around and where shes passing thru. Being aware can diffuse a lot of situations before they start. A cell phone always charged and handy ( not buried in a purse). Some self defenses classes to help her with simple protection defense and of the need calls for it firearms weapons training. In a bind a magazine, High heeled shoe keys umbrella cane even a purse can be a formidable weapon. This goes back to awareness and seeing whats around you and where you are.

[JBinMN]

Keep in mind that pepper sprays are easily available, easy to use & inexpensive.

Every 2 years or so I get my missus & my DIL one each to carry. They are about $10 a piece.

[Tripplebeards]

A barking dog and a lot of motion yard lights will deter just about anyone.

[WheelgunConvert]

Wasp spray is excellent for knocking down pests. Cheap enough to keep a can by each door and more. Just in case you don’t want to get stung. Many are effective at greater than 15’ to keep the swarm at bay.

[Tom W.]

When I first met Lori I bought her some pepper spray to put on her keychain. I later bought her a Glock 17, and she was scary accurate with it, but as always works on base she cannot have it in the car. However, when we go anywhere besides the base I'm always carrying a small pistol.......

Teach your wife to shoot and get a big dog that folks will notice........along with the aforementioned motion activated lights and perhaps an outside camera or two......

[psweigle]

If you are in therapy please explain your concerns to your therapist. Also, as sad as it sounds, I would REMOVE all firearms from the home. If she has a carry permit, MAKE her keep her firearm ON her at all times, out of your reach. You sir, have a hard road ahead of you, but hers is much harder. My thoughts and prayers go out to you.

[sigep1764]

When I was single, I had denied myself a dog as a companion for a few years. When she who must be obeyed did not want to move in for another year, I got myself the dog I wanted, an English Bulldog. Sugar was taught from the beginning to walk on the left side down the sidewalk, to bark at what moves outside the window, and to heel on command. When the lady moved in, they spent two days alone with each other as I was at the lake. Sugar will circle around SWMBO if there is anyone walking by. I have no doubt that 90% of all people will walk around Sugar before doing anything untoward. Next up was to give said SWMBO an easy to conceal and easy to handle handgun in exchange for reading her favorite series of books. She learned to use it and now carries it without a second thought and the bulldog is attached to us both.

[Drew P]

Funny forum to ask this question as the firearm thing will come up over and over but I’d argue that unless the desire to CCW comes from HER heart then it’s not a good idea to try and push on her or even suggest. Carrying a firearm is a huge deal that most people, including me, are just not cut out for. Having an awareness level is good for sure, but having a hyper awareness can be a curse I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
So I agree, for the home I think lighting, alarms, dogs, pepper sprays, fog horns, automatic sprinklers, flashbangs, smoke screens, booby traps, shark tanks, and werewolves are a better deterrents.

[LawrenceA]

Used to work with a bunch of South Africans.
I was told get small dogs and big dogs. The big dogs provide the protection. The little dogs wake up the big dogs.
:-)
All mastiffs are protective. In the battle of Agincourt some bodies/injured could not be recovered for days as the mastiffs would not let anyone near their masters.
I cannot speak for that part of the world but ONLY get a gun if your wife is prepared use it.
I believe many a gun goes to the aggressor as the aggressed will not use it.

You cannot go past auto lighting and an alarm system.
Your place does not need to be impenetrable. Just more trouble than next door.


And, subject to availability, I would add zombies and mind controlled piranha to Drew's mix.

[Wayne Smith]

A couple of facts: Huntington's Corea is caused by a part of the brain that controls upper body movement dying. It has no effect on cognitive abilities, judgment, or emotional control, other than the frustration inability causes. It is a slow progression and there are a couple of therapies that show promise and should be investigated. It is genetic and inheritable.

Any such evaluation should start with a reality based assessment of risk. This should be based on where you live, profession and habits (out late at night for any reason, for example) that address risk. This should never be based on fear. Fear needs to be specifically identified, real risk assessed, and then behavior chosen on the basis of the real risk, not the fear. Once you have accomplished a risk assessment you can then begin to identify the appropriate responses to those real risks.

[Sig556r]

I agree with prevention steps already stated above & a firearm if she's comfortable with it.
An added deterrent if your car has an audible alarm, keep the remote on her at all times so she can trigger the panic button when in danger & will attract attention within the neighborhood.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I believe situational awareness is the first step. My wife carries firearms for rattlers and is competent with most firearms. Getting her to SEE and LISTEN is the more difficult task. We live in a safe environment so it is easy to relax too much. Teaching people to pay attention to their surroundings is the most difficult part of safety. A dog does help, bigger dogs are better,(we have a Chesapeake) but any dog can be an alarm. A firearm she will shoot and use, even a .22, is better than a cannon that she won't shoot 'FOR FUN'. If you make shooting a chore, you will lose.

[Quigley284]

This is Quigley's wife. I sincerely cannot believe the thoughtfulness of all of the responses that we read, and thank each and every one of you for sharing ideas and your concerns. We live in a relatively safe neighborhood, but I travel for work into large cities with soft targets that have "crowding" situations like the Garlic Festival where a recent mass shooting occurred. Our increased sense of urgency about self-defense strategies has mostly been inflamed by the seemingly random events, especially the El Paso Walmart shooting. However, my husband has always instilled a sense of awareness and caution in me bout my surroundings and we have had conversations in the past about CCW and training for me. His disability is progressing and we know that he is less able to be part of our defense strategies should anything happen in our home. We are going to consider everything suggested. Our Labrador Retriever is over 12 years old, and has a hard time waking up from his many naps. Our next dog will be chosen based on your comments. (I particularly like the idea of a small yapping dog and a big Mastiff!) This Forum clearly has a lot of good people with generous hearts! Thank you, again.

[Drew P]

Small dogs live 2-3 times longer too, so if you get a good one you can count on it for a lot longer! Having said that, most dogs are useless dummies so I’d hate to rely on one for any real work.

So, I’m order to really create a plan, we need to know what specifically it is that you’re trying to mitigate. He didn’t mention the scenarios. If it’s home based protection, or out in the wild? What is the profile of the attacker? What are their motivations? For instance, if you’re worried about an active shooter at a baseball game then a dog will not be helpful at all.

Side note addition to LawrenceA list- listening to my podcast by Adam corolla he has been promoting his idea of trained crows as deterrent for active shooters. He pitched the idea in a semi joking way, but the more he talks about it the more it actually makes sense. The birds are very smart and could be trained to recognize a person with a gun, and also the sound and smells of shots fired. They get rewarded with peanuts for dive bombing the persons. Now, maybe this would work against law enforcement but you have to admit it’s an interesting idea! We have been using dogs for centuries as protection animals, so it’s not a crazy idea to employ other kinds of animals. Cats would be great except they can’t be bothered. Birds have huge advantages in speed, flight, surprise, and vision. Death from above!

[megasupermagnum]

Unfortunately it seems the only way out of a random act of violence, like a mass shooting, is to see it coming and get out of there. A concealed carry permit is the best way to survive when there is no other way out.

[Don1357]

If you want to improve your safety you need to start with a healthy dose of perspective, or else you risk wasting all your time, money, and emotional energy in what amounts to a comfort blanket.

Take for instance Mass shootings. Horrific, they have killed what; 273 people this year? If that's what makes you afraid you really don't want to look at the death tool of the common flu estimated to have killed upwards of 50,000 Americans this past season. You and your husband are allowing your brains to blow one miniscule risk out of proportion which, if you are not careful, will take resources from more important risks.

Please realize that you two are brewing a storm out of a teacup but even then, a whole lot of good can come from this: take a sensible look at what you can do better. Low hanging fruit; do you have fire extinguishers on the house and cars? You would be amazed how many homes would have been saved if somebody spent $50 bucks on one. Only 10% of burglaries are planned, most are smash and grabs. You'll be amazed at how effective a light with a motion sensor is, then security cameras, then home alarms. Are you covered there? Are you practicing enough with the guns that are in the house?

If you go out of your house with situational awareness and common sense you would be armed better than most of the population, including those with CCW. This is a skill that you nurture over the years and can learn and practice while spending money on real solutions to more pressing threats.



This is Quigley's wife. I sincerely cannot believe the thoughtfulness of all of the responses that we read, and thank each and every one of you for sharing ideas and your concerns. We live in a relatively safe neighborhood, but I travel for work into large cities with soft targets that have "crowding" situations like the Garlic Festival where a recent mass shooting occurred. Our increased sense of urgency about self-defense strategies has mostly been inflamed by the seemingly random events, especially the El Paso Walmart shooting. However, my husband has always instilled a sense of awareness and caution in me bout my surroundings and we have had conversations in the past about CCW and training for me. His disability is progressing and we know that he is less able to be part of our defense strategies should anything happen in our home. We are going to consider everything suggested. Our Labrador Retriever is over 12 years old, and has a hard time waking up from his many naps. Our next dog will be chosen based on your comments. (I particularly like the idea of a small yapping dog and a big Mastiff!) This Forum clearly has a lot of good people with generous hearts! Thank you, again.

[Quigley284]

Thanks again for helping an old man to not feel quite so useless. Best forum in the land.

[tankgunner59]

Quigley, first of all I am truly sorry you have to deal with Huntington's Corea. My grandpa and two uncles were afflicted with it, and I know what you're going through. I lift you and your family up in prayer tonight. Second, IMHO it all depends on what Mrs. Quigley is comfortable with. But I too would suggest what has been said above up to the point of her comfort level. As often as I think of this thread I will lift you up in prayer. May God greatly bless you and your family.

[TNsailorman]

My wife has a 2 shot derringer made by Kimberly that shoots pepper spray. She carries it in her pocketbook everywhere we go. There is also one in the dash of the car right in front of her. Very small little pistols, about $32.00+ each. Midway did have them. James

[lightman]

The other posters have pretty well covered things. My opinion, start training yourself to notice things. I call it "situational awareness". You don't have to be afraid, but be aware. You are venerable when you are entering or exiting your home or auto. Harden up your home with a dog, monitored alarm system, dead bolt locks, longer screws in your door hinges, ect. Maybe a peep hole in any solid doors or one of those doorbell cameras. Eliminate any possible hiding places around your home, if possible. If you decide to go the concealed carry route shop carefully for your pistol. Handle or shoot as many as possible. Many indoor ranges have pistols for rent and many offer training. As a part of your situational awareness, try to notice any possible safe places that you may visit with the thought of taking cover in the event of a mass shooting. Also observe any dangerous places around where you shop or visit. Places like dark areas of the parking lot, dark areas on the sidewalks, dark doorways, ect. If possible, plan your shopping for day light hours. Look around and think of things in your home that would make a possible improvised weapon. Sharp kitchen tools, spray cans, heavy decor items, ect. A face full of something like Pam might delay an intruder long enough for you to reach a better weapon!

[TMenezes]

As a pro carry law enforcement officer, I really appreciate the common sense oriented approach of dogs, lights, camera's, and only carrying if your willing to practice enough to know your capabilities / weapons capabilities.

Guns are a good tool, but they are only as capable as the tool carrying it. So while I encourage responsible people to carry, I also encourage just about every other suggestion you guys have mentioned.

Other than the crows, still not sure about that one....:popcorn:

[Drew P]

As a pro carry law enforcement officer, I really appreciate the common sense oriented approach of dogs, lights, camera's, and only carrying if your willing to practice enough to know your capabilities / weapons capabilities.

Guns are a good tool, but they are only as capable as the tool carrying it. So while I encourage responsible people to carry, I also encourage just about every other suggestion you guys have mentioned.

Other than the crows, still not sure about that one....:popcorn:
Give it some thought, it’s growing on me! Imagine 2 or even 4 crows attacking you, you’re not doing anything but getting away from them! And they work for peanuts!

[Andy]

Very glad to see both you and your wife thinking proactively on this and both of you participating in the thread. I am of the mindset that although other options/safeguards are smart to have in addition, when push comes to shove nothing offers as much protection/safety as a quality firearm/ammo that you are 100% confident in and familiar with.

The main thing I would say in addition to that is to educate yourself on the options and get a gun that you feel comfortable with all aspects of. Meaning something that perhaps you research options on together but that your wife is ultimately the one who handles, test fires, decides on and purchases. The most common thing I see with 1st time handgun buyers at my shop (myself and my wife included we got ours) is that we all tend to start with a bit larger handgun than we end up wishing we had for carry. Soon after realizing that, the people who actually carry all the time end up buying a second, smaller pistol and the others usually don't carry as much as they planned to (fading off with time to a point of rarely carrying). The second most common thing I see in this situation is for the husband, with good intentions, to push the wife to get a certain pistol and then it doesn't end up being something that really works for her and she either never carries it or needs a 2nd gun soon after as a result.

Some of the common hard-to-go-wrong-with options to give you something to look at would be: Ruger LCP II 380 is a light, highly concealable option (even pocket carry) for $300. S&W 638 is a great stainless carry revolver for usually under $450. Ruger EC9 no frills 9mm for $200-250. S&W 9mm M&P shield, glock 43, Sig p365. If nothing else will fit the wardrobe the north american 22LR mini is a high quality derringer you can wear in a jogging outfit and conceal.

And of course for the house you can't go wrong with a name brand pump shotgun, best value out there at the moment is probably the mossberg maverick 88 18.5" which you should find around $200 or so.

[GhostHawk]

I totally agree with Andy about a pump shotgun for in home. 20 ga is fine, keep it as short, light and easy to swing as possible.

It is also very easy to put one of todays modern flashlights mounted below the barrel so she can turn the light on, be sure of her target.

Personally I am a fan of stun guns. I have bought them for myself, my wife, friends both male and female.

I keep mine at the door so it is instantly available if needed. They tend not to be expensive unless you want to spend the cash.

I have gotten several from BudK that are rechargeable via a 110v ac plug in. Once or twice a year just top off the charge.

What I like about it, when I have tested it in the prescience of friends and I pushed the button. They all jumped back.
That ZAP hits ya where you live. You come any closer after that, well you know your going to ride the lighting.

I like the fact that it is less than lethal, and incapacititating. Gives me time to leave, or fort up.

I think I paid 14$ for most of mine, bit more for my wifes friend, but it had pepper spray included.

Worth every penny to sleep well at night.


Pistols are all very well, but they will wobble in the hands of most women. Giving the offender the wrong message.

Where a shotgun has this HUGE bore facing them. And if they have any smarts at all, they know shotguns at close range leave "bloody rat holes" where they hit. Yes even 20 ga's.

Birdshot 6's or 7.5's work fine for inside the house ranges. Are not as likely to leave the area and hurt someone else.

00 buckshot can penetrate 6 layers of sheet rock and still kill. Fine for outdoors. Just remember, if they are running they are no longer a threat, and you have zero justification to shoot.

Me I prefer not to take the chance of one of my projectiles killing my wife in another bedroom or a neighbor.
But it is your life, your choice.