The late Tom Bradley, Mayor of Los Angeles and its former police chief, for whom the terminal at LAX is named, once was interviewed on Los Angeles TV about the subject of self-defense. I lived there at the time and I remember two things:

1. At home, have a shotgun versus a pistol or handgun. A shotgun blast is very loud and may scare the bad guy on its own. Also, the pellet dispersal is pretty wide and you may actually hit the bad guy with a few pellets.

2. For self defense, roll your fingers into your palm and hit the bad guy with your open palm right in the nose. Why? Several reasons, said Mayor Bradley. First, don't go after his crotch. Most guys are aware of this vulnerability and cover up quickly. The open fist to the nose will hit its target almost all the time. Most guys dodge a blow side-to-side. They can't do it quickly enough to escape an open fist targeting the nose. Finally, a blow to the nose is very debilitating, even if you don't break his nose. You are simply buying time to escape.

Some pretty wise advice from an American icon...