Here’s an article discussing self-defense strategies for students on college campuses. (h/t The Gun Wire)

The strategies discussed in the article, on the whole, are reasonable for the circumstance and situation. They discuss keeping yourself out of trouble or possible trouble situations in the first place. For example, parking close to a facility, and if when parking you know you’ll be returning after dark to ensure to park in a well-lit area. To carry your purse or backpack in front of you to act as a distraction to help you escape from an attacker (throw it at them). They also talk about planning ahead, such as studying the campus map to know proper walkways, and where the emergency/911 callboxes are located.

I also liked some campus-specific reminders, such as keeping your door locked when you’re inside. I recall from my college days how everyone was very trusting and left doors open or unlocked. This lead to a lot of undesired behavior, from things being stolen, to drunk students walking into wrong rooms, to female students receiving unwanted visitors.

Taking steps to keep yourself out of trouble in the first place, to think ahead, plan ahead, be proactive with your safety, this is all good stuff.

Even when the article talks about when an attack is imminent, they give some handy insights. Of course, it’s a brief news article so they really can’t go into details. But this is the time when things like SouthNarc’s “Managing Unknown Contacts” (MUC) or Insights Training Center’s “Street and Vehicle Tactics” would come in very handy.

And of course, the article ends talking about an actual attack.

* If an attacker grabs and tries to escort you to a car or secluded area, begin screaming for help and use a weapon of opportunity (pens, pencils, books, purses, etc.) to starting hitting the attacker in vital areas (Head , neck, throat, groin).

* Most attackers are looking for victims not willing to fight, so have the mindset that no matter what happens you will fight the attacker off using whatever tool you have (hands, feet, or weapons of opportunity). Make a quick assessment: do they want you, or what you have?

All colleges acknowledge such things can and do happen on their campus; if they didn’t, they wouldn’t have to even talk about these safety and self-defense measures. So they know people get attacked. Yet, most colleges refuse to allow students the means and mechanisms to better defend themselves. Pepper spray is good, but there are better tools available… so long as law-abiding citizens aren’t denied.

Someday….

But in the meantime, do what you can to stay safe and be prepared.