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by mindcrime 3901 days ago
Good point. A taser could also be a viable non-lethal alternative. Although personally, if I thought I was a target for ISIS, being "non lethal" would be the last concern on my mind. But mace or a taser may be more practical than a gun for other reasons anyway, depending on the circumstances.

Another thought, as obvious as it may seem, is to suggest simply trying to not be alone as much as possible. "There's safety in numbers" as they say. Maybe try to arrange to be in a (known friendly) crowd as much as possible.
1 comments
eimai134 3901 days ago
I don't know if this is justified, but if I'd gotten death threats I'd be more worried about snipers than someone coming at me at close range. Your safety in numbers advice would be very good in that case too. The issue I have with Tasers is that they're as expensive as a gun and you only get one shot. I was thinking of non-lethal options because I don't know if the person can carry a gun if they aren't a citizen or if there are strict laws where he lives. If the person can afford it, I'd suggest looking into a lightweight bullet-proof vest as well.
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phaus 3901 days ago
It isn't justified. Excluding nation-state assassinations and a couple of serial killers/mass murderers, people in this country generally aren't killed via sniper rifle. The majority of gun-related murders involve small caliber handguns like .22s, .38s, and 9mms.

>I'd suggest looking into a lightweight bullet-proof vest as well.

If you are worried about a sniper attack, lightweight bullet proof vests aren't going to help you. They don't stop high-powered rifle rounds. The only thing that stops high-powered rifle rounds would be the kind of body-armor the military uses, with ceramic plates. I don't think OP wants to spend the rest of his life wearing a 35lb vest. Fortunately, lightweight vests will stop small caliber handguns.

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mindcrime 3901 days ago
I was thinking more about the "close range" stuff since the OP's post mentioned kidnapping, which suggests "up close and personal" confrontation. But you have a point: if somebody just wants you dead, at any cost, it's hard to protect against a sniper, at least if they know your whereabouts.

If you want to get really paranoid, you can imagine a vector where somebody attacks by, say, intercepting your pizza delivery and adding poison to it or something. :-(

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