Self protection:Throwing Pens

Since most country has very strict gun controls, it's not easy to carry guns during travels (especially on airplanes). So, how can you protect yourself without carrying anything illegal?

Most countries won't have problems with pocket knives but it will not be easy to carry on board (will probably have to be checked in). Which means, you have to select common items that can be carried on board without raising eyebrows.

One idea is to use pens as throwing weapon. I would think that pens and mechanical pencils with metal casings would be ideal since they are heavy (at least more so than plastic or wooden ones). Well, yesterday I went to Wal-Mart to find some cheap but heavy pens. I bought:

• Syntech Mechanical Pencil: Syntech Item #69302 (0.7mm Lead, No. 2 Lead, Comfort Grip, Refillable)
• Zebra F402 Ball Point Pen (Fine point black ink, durable stainless steel barrel, soft rubber grip, retractable, takes zebra's F-Refill) and comes with 2 in one package.
  

They feel good and throws OK. However, I need to practice with them to get good at "drawing" and aiming! One upgrade for the pencil is to find a 0.7 mm needle as an alternative "core"...

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