EVERYDAY CARRY SOLUTIONS FOR NONVIOLENT SITUATIONS

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY DANA BENNER

Even a small light is better than being completely in the dark or draining your cell phone battery during an emergency.

THE TRUTH IS THAT FAR MORE SITUATIONS, ALTHOUGH POTENTIALLY VIOLENT, DON’T REQUIRE THE USE OF DEADLY FORCE.

There are many articles being written about everyday carry (EDC), and most of them are pretty good.

The thing about EDC is that every person and every scenario is different. As with so much else we talk about, there is no such thing as “one size fits all.” Most EDC articles are written from the standpoint of the person preparing for being faced with a potentially lethal situation—a position for which the use of a firearm or a knife might mean the diff erence between life and death.

The truth is that far more situations, although potentially violent, don’t require the use of deadly force. There will be times and places where a firearm—or even a knife—is a “no-go.” Sometimes, the person might not feel comfortable with either one, making them (the person) more of a danger to themselves than to any potential danger.

This article deals with EDC items everyone should have, whether they carry a weapon or not. I call it “EDC Lite.”

WHO IS THIS FOR?

In this day and age, everyone is carrying a firearm or a knife, right? What if you find yourself or your child in a situation where you can’t carry either one, such as in a school, but you want them to be safe in case of an emergency?

This article is for you. If you do any traveling by air, you know that firearms and knives can’t be carried onboard a plane. What then? This article is for you. If you travel north of the border into Canada, even by car, you will find out that you can’t transport firearms and certain knives or even pepper spray across the border without a special permit (I know; I found out the hard way). If this is you, this article is for you.

SCENARIOS

More times than not, most emergencies will not require you to fight it out with a bad guy.

Most might just require some basic tools and the knowledge of how to use them. What follows are some examples of these scenarios. These are things that really happen.