10+ Weapons You Didn’t Know You Have At Home

Before further major social unrest occurs, you can rest assured that firearms and anything else that is perceived as a “deadly weapon” will be confiscated.

While some people feel that there is a political split on this matter, the fact remains it is the job of government to remain in control. As such, it may not matter so much who gets elected, but rather what the people do in terms of peaceful and responsible usage of weapons and items that can be used as weapons.

Either way, when a major social collapse occurs, you will need weapons to defend yourself, your family, and your stockpile. It would be to your advantage to keep some common household items on-hand that don’t look like weapons, yet can be used in that capacity if the need arises. You will also need to practice using these items as weapons so that you know what to expect and what to do should the need arise.

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If you look back into time and history there are many good weapons that your ancestors used to defend themselves and their families. By today’s standards these old “tools” wouldn’t be thought of as weapons. While there is likely to be an awareness that these items can be used as weapons, eliminating them or preventing them from being owned will be very difficult because of their other, non-weapon oriented uses.

Walking Sticks and Canes

Walking sticks and canes are some of the oldest self defense weapons known to man. They date back thousands of years, but, by today’s standards, are little more than walking aids.

Here are some tips for choosing canes and walking sticks that would be good for use as weapons:

• A walking stick or better known as the staff or quarterstaff are deadly weapons in hands of someone who truly knows how to use them. An individual can defend themselves from 5 – 6 attackers and survive. This fighting system dates back thousands of years and has many offensive and defensive movements that can disarm or kill attackers if necessary. You can also learn bo or quarterstaff fighting in many martial arts dojos.
• Try to find walking sticks and canes made from Blackthorn Wood. For example, Irish walking sticks, or shillelaghs, made from this wood have been passed down for generations and are known worldwide for their strength and durability.
• Most canes made from hardwoods that get harder over time are also useful. The average cane is 36” from the tip to the handle. In the hands of an experienced cane fighter, it can be used to defeat and disarm multiple attackers.

Household Tools

No matter whether the tool in question is used for farming, gardening, wood cutting, or to repair things around the house, there is a good chance they can be used as weapons in a time of need. Historically speaking, there was never an effective way to stop this practice. In fact, it was often used by the rulers to their own advantage. As a case in point, during Medieval times and earlier, peasant farmers were called into service to fight and defend the ruler’s lands with their farming tools. Even though it was illegal for people to privately own swords and other long bladed edged weapons, the farmers were very effective.

Here are some tools you may have around the house that you can, and should learn how to use as weapons:

• Gardening tools – Pitch forks, hoes, two handed sickles, and shovels are all excellent defensive weapons when sharpened. All of these tools have a weighted front end that can be swung or can be used to stab an individual. These tools will give the defender a longer reach that would keep an attacker away at a greater distance. Be wary of fiberglass handles, as they are not as durable as wood and will either break or bend at the wrong moment. Many manufacturers say fiberglass is better than wood, however many people have found just the opposite even for routine gardening purposes. You will be better served by buying a wood handled gardening tool and then refitting it with a good quality hardwood handle rather than take a risk with fiberglass. You can also support the wood with clamps and wraps to reduce the risk of splitting.
• Hand garden tools – Hand shovels, hoes, rakes, and sickles all make excellent in close fighting weapons. Make sure the cutting areas and working areas are sharp to make more effective weapons.
• Firewood related tools – Axes, hatchets, saws, sledge hammers, and wedges are all needed for the homeowner to cut firewood. In the olden days these tools were excellent weapons of war.  They could be used as offensive or defensive weapons depending on the circumstances.
• Wooden gardening stakes – Are needed to keep crops off the ground and reduce the risk of rotting. As a weapon, these stakes can be sharpened and used as the basis for dead falls or tiger pit traps. If these traps are well constructed, they can kill or injure anyone that falls into them.
• Chains and ropes – As weapons, a 6′ length of chain can be swung over you head to keep other people away or swung at them to hit them. Rope can be used to set up snare traps.

Home Made Tools

In a time of social unrest, even a small household tool kit could be declared contraband and taken. This means all of your hammers, screw drivers, pliers, vise grips, wire cutters, work knives, and socket sets would be gone. To replace them, it is likely you will have to make new ones. Chances are, your focus will be on knives because they are the easiest to make out of the widest range of materials.

Here are some options for making homemade knives and hand tools:

Knives

• Homemade knives can be made of metal by either forging them or cutting them out of metal. Next, the knives must be heat treated to harden the blades and ensure they will hold a sharp edge. Finally, you will need to put a handle on the knife for a better grip.
• A piece of hardwood can be carved into a knife shape with a sharply pointed tip.

• Stone knives can be made from obsidian by knapping the raw stone into a knife blade, and then adding a handle (usually wood or bone). Unlike metal knives that can be drilled through in order to secure the handle, stone knives require a different approach. The handle material must be split downward from the top so the blade fits snugly into it. Next, you will need to wrap the blade into the handle with cord or leather strips.
• Plexiglass or heavy duty plate glass can be used to make knife blades. The blades can be cut out with a glass cutter or you can use broken pieces of glass that have a suitable shape. The handle for these knives can be as simple as wrapping the lower portion of the glass blade or by attaching a handle to the bottom.
• Synthetic materials like the modern polymers can be molded into completed knife designs in a short amount of time. These nonmetallic knives are very hard to detect and very easy to hide. Do not be fooled by their light weight and innocuous apperance. They are every bit as durable and deadly as metal blades, if not more so.

Hand tools

• Most metal hand tools such as chisels and punches can be forged and heat treated using relatively simple forges and materials.
• If the tools are a combination of metal and wood like screwdrivers, you will follow a process similar to making a knife. First, you will need to fashion the metal part, and then choose a handle material. Depending on the tool, you may need to drill into the handle in order to secure the metal part to it. In order to make the tool more durable, always wrap the handle and metal parts so that they are more secure.

Children’s Toys

Some of the best non-firearm weapons are children’s toys. Surprisingly, a number of modern toys were once deadly weapons. With a little bit of training and practice, children and adults can use these “toys” for self defense or offensive weapons.

• Slingshots and Slings – The traditional “Y” stick slingshot is very easy to make as a toy or as a weapon. The “Y” handle can be made from a stick with a handle portion of about 3” in diameter. Each of the uprights of the slingshot should be about 2” in diameter. Next, use some tire inter-tube strips or surgical tubing to connect the uprights and add some heavy leather or a nylon pouch to hold the projectile. You can use rocks, scrap metal, lead balls, or ball bearings. A few minor modifications will also enable you to fire arrows with the sling shot. To use a slingshot, hold the handle in your non-dominate hand. Put the ammo in the pouch and pull it back to arms length while holding the pouch with your thumb and first finger of your dominant hand.  Pull the pouch back until it reaches your cheek. Always remember to place the target in the middle of the fork and let go of the pouch when ready. Do not move the hand holding the wooden part of the slingshot when firing. If you do, your aiming will be moved at the last moment and you could miss the target. With slingshots, the more you practice with them the better you will get with it.
• Slings – Basic rope slings have a long history that dates back thousands of years. For an in depth report on how to build one, use it, and what it can do, please read my DIY report “How to Build the Perfect Sling”[1] at Survivopedia June 6, 2014.
• Dart board darts – The game of darts is an excellent way to develop eye-hand coordination, and also make good weapons that are very easy to conceal. As small as these darts are, with their 3” tips, they can injure or kill someone depending on where they strike the victim. Try different weight darts to see how much force you can throw them with and their impact on the target.
• Yard darts  – These are essentially bigger versions of dart board darts. They are bigger, heavier, and have a much bigger metal tip. These darts are thrown by using a handle behind the tail fins. To use yard darts as a weapon, hold onto the throwing handle and throw the dart overhanded with a good amount of strength. When the darts are thrown in this manner they can kill or critically injure someone.

• Horseshoes – Horseshoes are another old time sporting game. The object is to throw your horseshoes at a metal stake and have the horseshoes hit the stake and ring it for maximum points.  As a weapon, horseshoes can be thrown at a person at close distance and can kill or critically injure someone. You can choose horseshoes made specifically for gaming, which weigh between 2 and 3 pounds, or shoes actually made for horses. In the latter case, you may find shoes that weigh up to 5 pounds.
• Croquet – This is a yard game that uses a wooden mallet to hit a wooden ball through wooden or metal loops. The mallet could be used as a blunt force weapon to hit an individual in the head or other lethal body targets. The wooden or metal loops can be used as a make shift push dagger. A wooden ball in a nylon stocking when spun at high velocity can be used as a blunt force weapon. It can kill or do critical bodily damage when it hits someone.
• Blowguns – The blowgun is an old hunting and protection weapon of primitive people in the jungles of Central and South America. Originally, these blowguns were made from bamboo. Today they are made from plastic or PVC pipes and are about 3-7 feet long with a 1/2” diameter. Blowgun darts can be made from needles, small wire finishing nails or other sharp objects. You will also need to make a small tail out of a sticky note paper (or other lightweight material) cone cut to the interior diameter of the blowguns. To finish the darts, tape or glue the tail onto the point. Loading and firing a blowgun is simple. Just insert the dart in the back of the tube with the tail cone even with the back end of the tube. Breath in and then blow hard to launch the dart.
• Baseball bats – A child’s aluminum or wooden baseball bat can be an excellent weapon. Like the bats and clubs of olden times, hard blows to the target can be lethal.

• Boomerangs – The boomerang is a hand thrown toy that is designed to fly away in a circle and return to the thrower. In the hands of an experienced hunter, it can easily kill small game. If it missed the animal it will return to the thrower. When aimed at a human, it can inflict serious injury, especially if it hits the head or other sensitive areas with sufficient force.
• Tomahawks, Spears, and War Clubs – Toy versions of these weapons aren’t especially difficult to turn into the real thing. For the tomahawks and the spears, simply put real metal heads on them. For war clubs, replace the plastic stones with real ones.
• If you look at children’s toys with an eye towards weaponizing them, you will go a long way towards figuring out the kinds of disguises that can be used to make every day objects look innocuous even though they are lethal weapons. While anti-gunners find it impossible to grasp this concept, anything can be turned into a lethal weapon that wipes out dozens of people in massive tragedies. It only takes a mind capable of seeing the potential and the will to do harm. In a similar fashion, if you are determined to defend yourself despite restrictive laws, you will also find a way to achieve your goal.

Bows and Crossbows

In a time of social unrest, the possession of compound bows and crossbows would most likely be banned.

Nevertheless, they still make excellent offensive and defensive weapons. When choosing bows, try to stay away from new technology, materials, and engineering when you make new ones. An English wooden longbow with wooden arrows and stone or metal arrow heads is just as lethal as a bow made of more modern materials. It is also very easy to disguise as an old, weak display bow and arrow set with an old bow string that can’t even pull the bow back.

When building the crossbow make the bow, the stock, and arrows out of wood. The only metal to be used on this crossbow would be the trigger system and the stirrup used to pull the bowstring back. Make the crossbow string out of string not steel cable. The less it looks like it will work, the better chance it will remain undetected. The best way to hide these bows is in plain sight as a wall display with old medieval helmets, shields, cheap looking broken reproduction swords, and daggers that are dull and can be easily bent by hand.

South American Bolas

The bolas was originally used for hunting or stopping and catching running individuals. It is made of three wooden or stone balls (weighing about 8oz. Each). Each ball is attached to a long slender rope about 3′ long. The three ropes are tied to each other to make a “Y” shape.

To use the bolas, hold the ball on one of the ropes and swing it around over your head 2-3 times with your master hand until it picks up sufficient speed. To launch it at the target, point with your master hand. The target could be the feet of animals or a person. As the bolas is released the balls spin on their way to the target. When it hits the target, the bolas entangle the feet, causing the target to fall to the ground.

Blackpowder Single Shot Pistols, Rifles, Shotguns, and Double Barrel Shotguns

At this time, muzzle loading blackpowder weapons are not required to be register when bought. It is very hard to determine when they were made or who bought them. If these weapons look like they are non-functional or non-operational it is also possible to hide them in plain sight and within easy reach if you need them.

They could be hanging on a wall, over a fireplace, or kept in an old dusty closet. A little surface rust on these weapons would help with the illusion, but remember to keep the locks oiled and ready to be loaded to shoot if necessary.

The best ignition system in a time of social unrest would be flint not percussion caps. A good flintlock shooter should know how to make hammer flints from raw materials. A percussion cap weapon does have a better ignition to ignite the blackpowder, but they are very hard to make at home or outside of a manufacturing plant.

To fire these weapons you will need blackpowder, blackpowder substitute, or know how to make your own blackpowder. To shoot the pistols and the rifles, you will need a supply of lead bullets and with ball patching materials. For the shotguns lead shot, you can use small pieces of lead, other metal pieces, or small pieces of gravel or glass. You will also need wadding material (usually cloth rags) to keep the blackpowder and the projectiles tightly in the shotgun barrels. All of the shooting supplies for these blackpowder weapons need to be stored outside and away from any reproduction or antique guns that you are keeping in a place where they might be seen or found.

Once ammunition and black powder are found in connection with these guns, it will be easy enough for anyone to figure out if they are functional.

Knives

If a systematic search was conducted on your home today, it would most likely result in the seizure of almost all of your knives as well as firearms.

• This includes all combat and fighting knives, throwing knives, bayonets, boot knives, daggers, tactical knives, assisted opening pocket knives, butterfly knives, neck knives, and switchblades.
• All heavy duty bushcraft knives, machetes, hunting and skinning knives, and survival knives would also be seized.
• Large heavy duty cooking knives such as cleavers, boning, chiefs, or carving knives would be considered contraband and illegal.
• Specialty knives like X-Acto, scalpels, straight razors, and even a divers knife could also be seized.

If you are lucky. The searchers may let you keep a small paring, cooking knife, or small folding pocketknife, as they do in many parts of the world.

That being said, if they somehow decide you are some kind of extra danger, they will not leave you with anything that even remotely resembles something that can be used to attack or kill someone.

Tactical Knives

At this time, there is some controversy over what can be called a tactical knife and what cannot.

Many feel this definition should be reserved for knives with one or more military features or can be used in extreme situations. This includes blade and handle characteristics that make them more useful as combat or fighting weapons. Even though tactical knives are more often than not utility knives, the term is often interchanged with “fighting knife” even if it is not entirely or well suited for that purpose.

To some, using these terms interchangeably is as absurd as referring to an AK or an AR platform gun as an “assault rifle”. As a case in point, folding knives are rarely, if ever designed primarily for use as fighting knives or combat knives. That doesn’t stop militaries from issuing folding “utility” knives that were not intended to be used as weapons, but which had tactical features that appealed to military personnel as well as civilians.

Regardless of what you prefer to call them, there are both folding and fixed blade models available. Fixed blade knives are made from one piece of metal and tend to be stronger than folding models. Folding knives can be easily broken no matter what the manufacturer claims, however they are much easier to conceal. When choosing a tactical knife, look for one with a good quality blade and a sharp point that is durable enough to dig with if necessary. It should also feel comfortable in your hand and have a durable handle.

Stun Gun or Tasers

Both of these items use a high voltage discharge to disorientate and cause temporary loss of muscle control. Sometimes neither of these devices will work on an individual because of mental, drug, or resistance to electrical shock.

Stun Guns

• Are designed as close in self defense weapons. To use it, pull the trigger and touch the attacker with the metal prongs.
• The voltage varies from 1 million to 35 million volts depending on the model.
• Stun guns are cheaper than Tasers, do not require dart packs, and are rechargeable.
• Anyone can buy one. No Felony background check required at this time.

Tasers

• Are designed to shoot two metal darts to a maximum of 15′. In order to discharge a 50,000  electrical volt shock for 30 seconds, both darts must hit the target. The shock will penetrate 2” of clothing.
• They can also be used for direct stunning if you miss the target, have a misfire, or the attacker gets to close.
• Tasers are shaped like a handgun and can be aimed like one or aimed by a red dot laser.
• Tasers cost much more than than stun guns.
• Tasers cannot be purchased by felons.

Skin and Eye Irritants

These are man made or natural substances that can irritate skin or the eyes.

• Wasp/Hornets/ Yellow Spray/Scorpion/ Sprays[2] – There is considerable controversy over whether these sprays are dangerous to humans even when used properly. Since many are nerve damaging agents that were developed for use on humans during war times, it is best to use these items as a weapon only when needed. If you are heavily sprayed in the face or skin with this spray, you will need to go to a hospital for treatment. Aside from eye irritation and skin burns, the chemicals may also be absorbed by the skin. If you swallow some of the spray, it can cause  stomach irritation, nausea, cramps, and vomiting. These sprays can also cause nervous system problems such as fatigue, dizziness, headaches, and lack of coordination. Inhaling these chemicals can cause nasal and respiration irritation, nausea, and nervous system disorders.

Pepper Spray

This is a non-lethal weapon that can be used to disorient an attacker. It will cause severe irritation to the eyes and cause them to tear up and burn. Pepper spay can also burn exposed skin or cause significant irritation. If your attacker inhales pepper spray, they will more than likely cough or sneeze.

Never conclude that the attack is over just because the other person is temporarily disabled. Once they recover, they will resume the attack unless you are able to use that time to escape.

Bleach and water in a spray bottle

Sometimes bleach and water are mixed together in a spray bottle as a protection device. The bleach to water ratio will determine if this mixture will be a mild irritate or a mixture that can blind or cause serious respiratory problems. If this mixture is sprayed on you, seek medical attention at once. If this is not possible, flush the skin and eyes with plenty of clean water.

Homemade flamethrower

These simple homemade defensive weapons are very dangerous and should only be used as a weapon of last resort. This flamethrower is made from aerosol cans and can critically burn or kill the attacker or the user. It can also set unwanted fires to buildings or outside dry grassy or wooded areas.

• The range temperatures produced by this flamethrower are determined by what flammable substance was in the aerosol can and how much of it there is left in the can.
• To use the flamethrower, push down the release valve button on the aerosol can, and use a match or lighter to set the aerosol spray on fire. To stop the flamethrower, remove the heat source from the aerosol spray, count to three, and release the valve button.

Tactical Pens

In order to be considered legal, tactical pens must have some other function other than being used as a weapon. For example, they must be usable as a pen, include a flashlight, or have a glass breaker on them. While Smith and Wesson among others, makes an excellent line of these pens, most people that have any degree of military training can tell you that it is not necessary to have a special “pen” in order to inflict serious injury or death on another person.

Credit card knives

These are relatively new knives made out of credit cards. They are easy to conceal and look just like a regular credit or debit card when stored in your wallet. When needed, just pull the 2mm thick knife out of the credit card. If traveling through a bad part of town, keep the knife in a pocket instead of the wallet for faster deployment. You can also make a primitive credit card knife by simply sharpening the edges of a credit card you already own. These knives will cut, however they should only be used as a last ditch effort because they are not very strong.

You will have the element of surprise in some cases because the average attacker/robber would not expect to be slashed by an old credit card.

Belt weapons

Weapons hidden or concealed in your belt can be deadly and also easily overlooked even by trained professionals.

Here are some items you may be able to buy or make on your own:

• Belt buckle knives that have a knife attached to the buckle when the belt is worn. The knife is hidden in a concealed sheath in the belt. When wearing the belt, it is locked closed whether or not the knife is in it’s sheath or not. When the knife is needed, just lift the buckle up and pull it off the belt.
• Safety razor blades hidden in the belt or buckle. Razor blades can be hidden in the buckle end of the belt where the belt material is looped around the buckle. If the belt buckle is large enough, you can also tape the razor blades to the back of the buckle.
• Garrote hidden inside of a belt. If the belt is made of two pieces of leather sewn together, it is possible to hide a garrote in this space. When needed, reach down to it and pull it out.
• Mini-revolver release attached to a belt buckle. A few years back, special belt buckles were made to hold a mini-revolver. When the mini-revolver was not needed, it was locked into the buckle. If the mini-revolver was needed all you did was push the release lever to retrieve the revolver.
• A belt on its own is also a very good hand held weapon. If you hold the buckle end, it makes a good whip to beat off attackers. If the belt has a large belt buckle, you can spin it over your head or in front of you to keep attackers at bay. You can also swing out or flip out the buckle and hit attackers. Injuries from belts can leave the target person with minor to serious injuries.

Mag Light Flashlights

The Mag light flashlight was originally made as a heavy duty “D” cell aluminum flashlight. They are not classified as weapons in most states, however they are heavy enough when loaded with batteries to do some damage.

In a time of need these flashlights can be used as a last ditch weapon/baton for the defense of you and your family.

Expandable Batons

Most people don’t realize just how useful expandable batons are as defensive weapons. Even though police forces and military use them less and are replacing them with tasers, there is nothing quite like a baton. They have excellent striking power, rarely break down, do not misfire, and can take down or disable an attack with ease. Just one or two well placed hits in the right place on an individual’s body can take the fight out of most people. Like all non-lethal weapons, when used incorrectly, it can kill or cause critical injuries.

If you are going to carry an expandable baton, get training on how to use it correctly.

When getting a baton, spend a little money to get a well built one that will not break or jam when in used. A good length for the average person carrying a baton is between 16 and 18 inches long when deployed. Longer batons can be harder to conceal and deploy in tight places.

Self Defense Key Chains

A self-defense key chain is a key chain that has a hidden weapon in it or on it. This key chain is used when you have no other weapons available. Choosing the item to go on the key chain must be something that works for you. For example, a small pocket knife with an assisted opening blade or a micro fixed blade sheath knife can be attached to a key chain. Either of these knife styles need to be of a good quality and have a razor sharp tango blade. These little knives can cause severe bleeding or kill, depending on where you get cut.

Here are some other items you may want to install on your key chain:

• Monkey Fist made out of paracord – This type of monkey fist is designed to keep an attacker at over an arm’s length distance. Most of these monkey fists are built around a 1 inch steel ball barbering and wrapped with a heavy test weight paracord. This key chain could be described as a modern blackjack and can inflict some serious injuries when hitting a person.
• Aluminum Kubaton – This little key chain defensive weapon is about 5 inches long, about 1/2” in diameter, and made of aluminum. It is designed for blunt force strikes and is similar to ordinary punches, hammer blows, or for pressure-point hits. The way it’s used depends on how you hold it. If the Kubaton is used correctly, there is very little chance killing your attackers.
• Brutus the Bull Dog – This heavy ABS plastic dogs head is designed to be worn on your power hand. It is designed to reinforce the hand and features protruding ear spikes that take the force of a punch and concentrate it into a small area. To hold the Bull Dog, put two fingers through the eye holes so the ears are pointed away from you, then grip it tightly.
• Personal Alarms – These can take the place of whistles and act much like panic buttons. The loud siren sound can drive off assailants; or it may just make things worse. One thing is for certain, if no one comes to your aid, you will still have to take care of the matter on your own.

In a time when all firearms are illegal or banned, people will still find a way to carry and deploy both lethal and non-lethal weapons. These weapons may or may not be effective in stopping criminally minded individuals. If the criminal is armed with a handgun or some other superior weapon, you may only have a 50-50 chance of surviving the encounter. If you have the element of surprise your percentages will go up.

Looking to common tools and weapons used by the pioneers and your ancestors may reveal some possible weapons that can be used in any time you happen to need them. Learning where to look for these tools, how to make them, and how to use them as weapons will always be in your favor.

Resources

[1] https://www.survivopedia.com/diy-sling/
[2] http://www.rsu34.org/Safety/safety/msds/Black%20Flag%20Wasp%20Hornet%20%26%20Bee.pdf