You have no doubt seen or heard about self defense products like stun guns, pepper sprays, TASERs etc. You get a daily dose on television or the internet of how they are used or misused.

The fact is that military and law enforcement personnel have used them for years. Why? Because they work so well-it is that simple! They are also cost effective and easy to use.

Their transformation into civilian society is in large part due to the increase in crime over the years, improvements in the products, and widespread availability on the internet.

Crime is everywhere. Crime against persons and property has gotten to the point where individuals need to learn how to protect themselves and their families. The police just can\'t do it all.

Many people have a difficult time dealing with the moral issue of using a lethal weapon in the execution of a crime. So you have made a conscious decision to get a non-lethal self defense weapon to protect yourself, home and family. NOW WHAT?

Remember a self defense product is meant to give you time to get away from a dangerous situation. They are not meant to injure or maim-they just won\'t/can\'t do that.

The choices are enormous. There are several categories of products with often hundreds of choices in those categories. No less than your life may hang in the balance hinging on your decision.

However, you also need to be alert to your surroundings, stay out of dangerous places, and take appropriate action-in other words-use common sense!!

Here are the most popular Self Defense Products.

BATONS. Probably the baton you are most familiar with is the one policemen-military and civilian-carry. It is a rather intimidating wood baton used for controlling a person or crowds. We have improved on this to make some telescoping steel batons or even better electrified up to 800,000 volts.

PEPPER SPRAY. Pepper spray today uses Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) which comes from cayenne pepper. Defensive pepper sprays are measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU\'s) a common measure of a products\' \"hotness\". A jalapeno pepper has an SHU of 5000, a habanero pepper 300,000 and a typical pepper spray will be in the 2 million SHU range.

It causes the attacker to have shortness of breathe, have temporary blindness due to excessive tearing and the eyes actually shutting down, coughing and choking. It is very nasty stuff.

PERSONAL ALARMS. Personal alarms are very cost effective and work very well for most situations like assault, rape and robbery. Personal alarms are loud noise makers that will draw plenty of attention. Perpetrators don\'t like the attention they draw.

STUN GUNS. A stun gun is a handheld device that has a trigger (button) and two or more metal prongs at the end of the unit that when activated sends 80,000 to 1.2 million volts to the assailant causing disruption in the body\'s neurological impulses that control muscle movement overwhelming the neuromuscular system causing the victim to lose balance and become confused.

The energy stored in the stun gun is dumped into the attacker\'s muscles causing them to do a great deal of work rapidly. This makes the assailant unable to produce energy for his muscles and his body is unable to function properly. The assailant will be unable to move for about 3-10 minutes because his blood sugar is depleted. This allows the victim enough time to get away and get help.

TASERS. The advanced TASER is a powerful conducted energy weapon that is non lethal yet can incapacitate an assailant from 15 feet away.

TASERS use EMD (electro-muscular disruption) technology which sends an 18-26 watt electrical signal that completely overrides the central nervous system which controls muscle function. They are pulses of energy so powerful no one has ever been able to overcome their effect. The EMD effect physically debilitates a target regardless of pain tolerance or mental focus. A TASER can stop the most highly trained and aggressive of combatants.

The advanced TASER in police studies has a higher instant incapacitation rate than a 9mm hand gun. It shoots out two darts attached to 15 feet of wire. 50,000 volts travel over the insulated wires for an unbelievable near 100 % takedown record. The EMD power surge instantly disrupts the nervous system causing the assailant to fall to the ground in uncontrollable contractions and spasms.

Self defense products are a great way to defend your self but only if you know how to use them and practice using them.