I have taken some classes in the use of canes for self defense. One does not have to be a ninja or young to make effective use of this legal everywhere tool. One of my firearms instructors brings a carbon fiber cane ( will break cinder blocks ) when he flies. Another always carries the same cane when he goes to the mall even though he also has a pistol. Both are decorated Viet Nam vets and retired law enforcement.

I read a research article a number of years ago about the decreased frequency of muggings for elderly who carry a cane. There is an area of contention as to whether a straight cane with out the traditional curved handle is superior to the curved handle models. I lean toward the curved models because they can be used to capture necks, arms ,legs, and who can forget the groin. However the straight cane does seem faster to deploy .

Here is a link to a relevant and interesting article :
Seniors self-defense with a little cane scrutiny

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I like Ike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL0Y-GhU2Io

Now that's a self-defense cane...

Sword cane even better unless you live in one of the socialist states.

It is illegal to conceal or open carry a sword cane or switchblade knife in Oklahoma.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYD_EsIwWEw

Stun Gun 950.000 Volts With Spike Electrodes With Ultra Bright LED Flashlight

Closed Lehgth 29" - Extends to 56" - Total Weight With Batteries 18 oz.

Includes 3 lithium CR123A batteries, wrist strap, extra end cap and removable reflective band

2 Year Warranty USA Patent Pening Design

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TLq0J-fQfk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pas2bP0Ing

I'll keep my cane for walking, and keeping me steady.
Also keeps me steady if I must shoot.

In the 1800s, Remington made cane guns.

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

One of the first police departments in the U.S. ( Boston P.D. ) issued 6 foot long blue canes to their officers. I've tried to find photos of one but haven't been able to. They are described as looking like the traditional shepherds crook.

I wonder if that is where the phrase " Hook em and book em " came from.

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I like Ike.

Most of the products above are illegal in my state. That said I need my cane, a light alloy adjustable thing, to walk & maintain balance. If I tried to use it to strike with I'd no doubt topple over.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

For more articles on the subject, Google/Bing "Cane Fu".

A cane can be a very effective weapon in the hands of someone with even limited training. In my opinion, the curved handle style is the better way to go. It adds another potential use to the cane - tripping device.

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Stay protected my friends.

I really like the idea of a cane or walking stick, especially when traveling to say Pittsburgh where my current CC permit is not valid. Came across these- oldeshillelagh.com made in Ireland. Custom fit, different styles, lead filled option, pricey but I still like them. As I age and get slower and less agile I would like to have one. Also my new son in law (Pittsburgh) has requested no firearms in his home. We went to a Penguins game and my comfort level was low in the parking garage. Zero help against someone with a gun, anything else, different story.

Stay safe, John

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Luke 23:34

Best of all, the Americans With Disabilities Act makes it illegal for Law enforcement to even ASK you why you have a cane!

Don't get me wrong, I am a fervent LEO supporter, but what I mean is....in a place that restricts the law abiding citizen from carrying a weapon for self defense (NYC, DC, NJ, MA, etc...) I still feel the need for any self defense tool that is legal.

I practice Japanese Sword Arts, and a cane is a natural extension of the tactics/moves/mindset that I am familiar with.

So, even though I am only 48 yrs old......A cane accompanies me to NYC and all the other Fascist states!

Anything can be used as an effective weapon, if you know & have had a little training with it. I once told my teenage sons if I had to I could disable or kill with a rolled up magazine. They laughed until we did a little mock demo. Yep, a solid hardwood cane is a good tool if you know what to do with it. So is a pocket knife, metal ball point pen, etc. My hair is now grey enough, maybe time to go looking for a good cane. :-)

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Kabar makes an aluminum cane in its TDI line of products. Very strong, knurled grips on the shaft.

PA had (haven't been back in quite a few years) a law that the various municipalities can't pass firearms laws (state pre-emption). Or, at least they have no legal force. Now, if you simply want to avoid being a test case, can't blame you. You might want to check with the PA State Police on this.

Used to be Philly that had such delusions of being above the law.

Didn't say anything about when about town now, did he? FWIW, I was the intended victim of an armed robbery in front of the Federal Courthouse some decades ago (1130 AM on a Tuesday).

Cold Steel has a carbon fiber cane ( not a blade ) which is well balanced and easy to handle. Worth a look.

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I like Ike.

Don't know about legal but as far as "cool" goes, check out what Smith357 made.http://smith-wessonforum.com/firearm...king-cane.html

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I have to use a cane to walk any distance, but can stand without it. Mine is aluminum with a padded offset horizontal handle. The traditional hook-curved handle hurts hell out of my arthritic hands. I have used the cane to clobber a large dog that was attacking my little rat terrier. A couple of very hard whacks on his head, gripping the cane just below the handle, stopped the attack so that I wasn't forced to shoot the animal.

I can see how it might come in handy against a human aggressor if needed, but I always carry a gun.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Makes a lot of sense. It would give you some non-lethal options in cases where drawing your gun might be overkill. And if nothing else, toss it at your assailant with your off-hand as you draw; he's almost guaranteed to miss even if he shoots first; the protective reflex is pretty much impossible to overcome if a large stick is suddenly flying at you.

If you carry a cane for self defense purposes, you best know the fundamentals of stick fighting. A cane by itself for the uninitiated or inexperienced is simply another tool that can be turned against the owner.

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I'm with the banned ...

I know a guy that carries a cane in .38 caliber.

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John

How about the oak canes. Will they hold up like the aluminum ones? Has anyone had to use an oak one in self defense?

This is Mark Shuey's site. I bought several of his canes when he first started out about 15 years ago. Superb quality at that time, although I have not handled any of his current production.

Cane Masters!, Walking Canes for mobility, self-defense, exercise and rehabilitation

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Benefactor Member, NRA

Helps to know how to use them.

Helps to have the strength, coordination and balance to wield one against an attacker.

Helps to have one that lends itself to the particular owner's ability to make use of it as a defensive tool.

I've long been a collector of various canes, sticks, staffs, walking sticks, etc.

They actually came in handy when I found myself needing one for support when I was going through a 6 month course of chemo, and then whenever a problem might flare up with my left hip & knee. (No damage to the hip or knee, aside from the usual accumulation of things that have occurred during what my doctor charitably called my "rough & tumble life".) She rather made it sound like some age-related arthritis, and some ilium remodeling at one spot, were something akin to a badge of honor of having been active.

I still like to collect them, and occasional take one out for a spin, especially if I'm doing something where I'm not going to be armed with a retirement CCW.

One of my early stout walking sticks actually prevented me from breaking an ankle while hiking underground in a cave (alone, of course, but it was when I was a younger, less cautious man ). That one only gets taken out when I'm going to be off the pavement, and outside town, as it has a pointed steel spike on the business end ... but it does usually reside close to one or another doorways in our home.

I rather expect that as I reach my 70's & 80's, I'll probably find them of more practical benefit.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

I would get a new son-in-law. Problem solved. Chances are 50% or higher that your daughter will eventually come to the same conclusion.

I have a cattle sorting stick that is a similar size & shape to a cane (made of really tough wood too). It has made more than a few believers out of unruly bovines

When/If I get older, I would gladly educate unruly wayward youths with it too

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On the Oak Savannah

My father was a farmer for 50 years and my grandfather before him. You may be surprised to find out about that "really tough wood". He had hired men that worked for him and one that he had gave me a surprise I'll never forget. I walked in to the shop for machinery maintenance and hanging from the ceiling was this 4' pink thing with I'd say a 25lb weight hanging from it. About maybe 3/4" to 1" in diameter and a turned up end at the bottom where the weight was wired on. I could not for the life of me imagine what it was. The hired man had just recently butchered a bull and explained that the "bull" part after it dried would be schellacked and used as a cane.

Keep in mind this was probably around 50 years ago so the dimensions may be off.


Stay safe, John

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Luke 23:34

I am the weapon. That other stuff is just tools.

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

I've pulled a line to that effect when encountering an occasional "No Weapons" sign, where I was known and knew the people at the entrance, saying I couldn't go past it.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

I have several canes. A friend gave me the first one right after I had a stroke in 2002. It was from a medical equipment store and is very plain wood but it is oak and the grain runs lengthwise so it's strong. It had the traditional c shaped, crooked handle. At some point, I sanded the inner tip of the crooked handle to a blunt point...not sharp enough to stab...just enough to produce a pressure point. I used it to exercise and eventually started practicing some of the sidehandle batton techniques I was taught.

I have others, including a nice sword cane another friend gave me. I consider it a curio and plaything. I still find my old one to be the best combination of weight and strength. The rounded point to creates a good amount of pain and numbness when used in a hook/trap...I tried it on myself...OUCH...I have carried it everywhere and only had one person think the mod was for defensive purposes. Most believed that it was to help when picking up objects on the ground...I view it the same way as I did my baton and seven D Cell flashlight when I worked the street. It's a level of force between hands and lethal force. It can be lethal, just as any striking weapon can.

I'd carry my blackthorn walking stick, and I'd have to lie to him. How'd your daughter get hooked up with someone like that, anyway? My daughters have their own guns. (Actually, one of them has one of mine that I've given up on getting back.)

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

Cane vs. attacking dog -- Cane-wise I probably have an advantage with my ex-golf club. Spring steel
just as it came from a golf course but for the putter head cut off. At 91 I walk about half mile every
day. Tiny dog half the size of a house cat came out yapping & trying to access my ankles. Busy with
him I spied a big dog, like an Alaskan husky over 100 pounds heading my way about 25 feet out.
About a foot from him taking piece out of my leg, I doubt if I could have practiced a better blow than
I delivered, on his neck & right shoulder. It changed his priorities & he fled the scene. Lady had come
out & corraled the little dog & was making apologies. I told her no damage done due my stick & glad it
was me instead of a little kid or old lady.

After the Jacobean revolt in the late 1600's, Irish Catholics (and some Protestant factions) were denied the ability/authority to carry weapons (The Irish National Movement was actually started by a group of Presbyterians as the United Men of Ireland). Anyway, after the Jacobean Rebellion, many Irish men had to flee under pain of death (The Wild Geese of Irish history). The remaining few developed the use of the shillelagh as a defensive weapon and there is quite an art to it.

Where is a sword cane legal? Vermont? They're illegal in Texas and we're not exactly a socialist state. I would have guessed that they were illegal everywhere.....

As a semi-routine thing, I usually take a cane to NYC. I keep one there all the time with family but I like to have them on the plane. This past trip, maybe the past two, I didn't bring one, but I will bring one next time.....just because. Because?

Because they have metal detectors everywhere - you can barely walk into any public building without passing through a metal detector and a knife will ring it and most of the knives folks like us carry are illegal in NYC, anyway.

A cane will accomplish an awful lot if you're game to use it, straight or hooked. Hooked canes, if you're trained in their use, are somewhat more effective in accomplishing disabling moves against an opponent. Straight canes, however, work wonderfully well and, while training helps, a solid blow of any kind from a solid walking stick does wonders in slowing down the opposition.

I have a collection of about 15 canes. My favorite happens to have an iron rod running through it and a carved hippopotamus for a head - the only problem is that it's uncomfortable to walk with because that carved head digs into your hand.

Among my various canes are a couple of shillelaghs. Before the British banned them the shillelagh was actually a cudgel - more like the swagger sticks you see in old movies than a walking stick. Clubs were banned so the Irish lengthened them into walking sticks - equally useful but not plain clubs. The British gave up on the subject after that. At least that's how I understand it.

One of my shillelaghs is an antique from Germany with an antler for a handle - now that sucker is a weapon!

If you're old enough to look like you need one, travel with one!!!

***GRJ***

This is a classic shillelagh:

Olde Shillelagh - Good Luck Charm

Any doubt as to what it's for?

No.

This, however, is what developed from that club:

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.co...Shillelagh.jpg

A cane comes in handy if you are old enough to have been trained in the use of the old LAPD riot baton.

If 3 from the ring don't do it, you need 6 from the holster.

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Eccentric old coot

A Club Brother got me one of these a couple years ago when I had back problems. Well worth the price & fits nicely in my truck rifle rack. Handling & balance are excellent.
BubbaStik.com

Hey, thanks for the link.

I recently saw the same sort of brass handle design on a walking stick at a store, but without the "Bubba" branding. It was $79, and the screw attachment seemed really close to the end of the wood. Not quite the same as in the Bubba.

How's the security of the brass knob handle attachment on yours? Solid & stout?

I might just have to add one to my collection, but I'd want to call them and order one with the "Bubba" branding. I may live in the CA Central Coast mountains, but the beach town of Santa Cruz is barely a handful of miles down the road, and I spend a lot of time visiting the pubs and breweries in that beach community. It's not exactly a "bubba" sort of town.

I don't need any more attention than I usually manage on my own ...

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

I HAVE A CUSTOM CANE BY MARK, AND SOME OF HIS TRAINING VIDEOS. TOP QUALITY PRODUCT, FROM AN EXPERT IN THE FIELD…..

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

Two years ago, I encountered health issues that left me with a neurological problem and I lost my sense of balance. No more motorcycles. I've carried for about 40 years, but recognized that the cane makes me look more vulnerable to street thugs than I am. Now, I use a cane that was made for use in moving cattle by dairy farmers. It's one inch diameter hardwood with a big crook handle. I've found that just staying alert, and holding this stick in the right way just might discourage bad guys. They don't want much hassle for the few bucks a nasty old man might have.

Go to Home Depot and get a piece of pipe, 1/2 or 3/4 inch works well, they will cut it to size for you. Paint it black. Put a rubber tip on one end, they sell those too, and cap the other end as you see fit. A T joint with two plugs for example...or just a regular cap...or a shiny brass coupler and plug.

That won't be coming apart.

I've seen those in past years. I wonder if the are legal with a CHL?

Cane guns are considered "Any Other Weapons (AOWs)" by the BATFE and are subject to registration and payment of a $5.00 Federal Transfer Tax upon approval, which is currently running 6-9 months if you live in a state that doesn't ban them. You can't take them across state lines without permission or into a state that bans them.

Sounds like a bad plan.

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

I have a cane I had to use before my second back surgery and fortunately don't need to use now. I'll keep it of course and next time I'm going to be in a no weapon zone plan on taking it for my personal protection.
I'm 62 and too old to fight anymore and will take any advantage I can. I do try and stay away from unsafe areas and no weapon zones though.

I have used "canes" for years when walking my small dogs. I live in the country and it keeps the large free running dogs at bay rather than shooting them. Mace is too wind sensitive. But one of my self made walking sticks/canes made of Eastern Hop Hornbeam (iron wood), both heavy and very strong, will do the trick.

I just scored a self defense cane similar to those at an antique mall for $10. Couldn't believe it when I saw it. The shaft has the grip grooves near the middle and bottom, a fairly open crook with a chiseled tip, and an angled edge running down its length (something I would not want to be hit with).

The pic doesn't show it well:









-- Rick

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--Rick

Law enforcement and security still use canes, most people though call them batons... and yes Smith and Wesson even makes them... I'd rather have one of these than a cane any day: http://www.firestoreonline.com/image.../SWBAT_MED.jpg

another one of many defensive items that are illegal to carry in my state.