This guide is a foray into an area of pure personal interest to me—the world of makeshift weaponry. With most of the “weapons” in this book straddling the line between fantastical and practical, I really struggled with what to title this small collection/discussion of makeshift, (okay, maniacal) mostly urban weaponry. Other than in the movies, I sincerely doubt anyone would find the need to make or use any of these diabolical deliverers of misfortune. Nevertheless, it’s a crazy world we live in. Regardless, making them or using them isn’t the point. My reason for writing this guide is merely a gluttonous personal incursion into the world of makeshift weaponry from the oddest and least-likely of components. Survival is, after all, using what’s available to make what you need. And, if you have a bag of hard candy and need a prison-style shiv, then this is the guide you need.

The following pages detail 22 weapons of self-defense made from every day household items. The goal here is to concoct weaponry that could be made with minimal time and tools for the purpose of self-defense in the direst of circumstances. In some cases, the visual alarm of the weapons alone could quite possibly persuade an attacker to reconsider their course of unholy action.