So you’re sending your son or daughter off to college, but should you send them equipped with a college student self defense kit? Say again? Self defense? That’s not the first things that comes to mind when most people think about heading off to college. Rather, this is an exciting time of meeting new people, starting a new career, expanding ones horizons, and maybe getting into some really decent partying — but crime? Well, statistic show that college campus actually are safer on average than off-campus venues, but all kinds of crimes, from petty theft, to horrible crimes like rape, murder and muggings happen on college campuses every day. Some are worse than others. Many college campuses are getting an especially bad reputation for rape, and its often a well-deserved charge. The dark lanes of a college campus, where there tend to be high numbers of young attractive women, are sometimes targeted by attackers. But there is also a lot of student-on-student sexual assault, often in the form of date rape. Now take into account that most college and university campuses prohibit the possession of firearms on the school grounds. So you can’t carry a loaded pistol. What can you equip yourself with to foil possible attacks against you? A college student self defense kit may cover at least most of the bases, and provides some peace of mind. Here, for example, is what is included in such kits: * Tasers or stun guns * Pepper spray * Personal door alarms * Hidden safes for dorm rooms * Spy cameras * Pen knives Many college student self defense kits contain all or some of the above, assembled in one neat package for you to buy all at once. Tasers or electronic stun devices for college students can be configured to look exactly like cell phones. Thus, even if a particular campus forbids the possession of a taser, one disguised as a cell phone is a perfect way to bypass such a regulation. A cell phone stun gun has the advantage of letting the user carry it along in hand while they are walking in a potentially dangerous area. That might be some outdoor campus location at night, or in the isolated hallway of a dorm room or classroom where a predator may be lurking. It looks natural to be carrying a cell phone in one’s hand, but it is an at-the-ready defensive device that could save a life, prevent a rape, mugging or worse. Pepper spray is another handy nonlethal defensive weapon, and in many college kits, they are shaped to look like lipstick tubes. Again, a perfect way to discretely carry a defensive device without attracting undue attention. One of the most common crimes on college campuses does not involve violence. Rather, its theft. Dorm rooms are extremely easy pray to a skilled or experienced thief. Today, many college students have big ticket items in their dorm rooms — flat screen TVs, DVDs, laptops, cash, credit cards, jewelry — all tasty items for the hungry thief. And a thief could be anyone, even ones own roommate. Thus, it only makes sense to take some normal precautions. That means installing some kind of door alarm that will alert you to when someone enters your room without your permission. High tech devices can both sound an alarm, or alert the student via cell phone when security has been breeched. For smaller valuables, a hidden safe is a terrific way to protect valuables. Many college student self defense kits offer hidden book safes. They look like an ordinary book, but inside is a space to lock up small items of high value. Even if a thief finds it, they’ll have a hard time breaking into it. Door alarms are important for another reason. Imagine if an intruder attempts to gain access to your college dorm room while you are sleeping at night. For female students, this can be especially frightening. A door alarm can save the day. A sounding alarm can scare off an intruder, while also giving the resident a chance to grab a taser or pepper spray. The best college student self defense kits not only provide key items like the ones we described above, but also offer instruction and training. Thus, some kits come complete with training videos and manuals, and also describe strategies for how to act and react in situations of danger. There are other items we have not talked about — such as telescopic steel batons, safety lights, even infidelity detectors — and maybe you don’t need everything. But having the basics, such as a taser or pepper spray, and a simple alarm on the door, is just good basic common sense. Equipping a student with a college self defense kit should not mean that one is adopting an attitude of fear and paranoia. Rather, its a frank and stark recognition that crime happens, even on the most serene of college campuses. There is nothing wrong, and everything right,with being prepared.
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