Sean sent in this story, which still has me shaking my head in disbelief...
B&E Suspect Struck with Ax During Break-In
Jamal Watson, 16, was struck in the face by an ax after he attempted to break-in to a home on Statesville Avenue on Monday night.I was unaware that Charlotte, NC had a significant dwarf population...
The homeowner said that he heard someone trying to kick in his door and ran to get something to protect himself and dialed 911. The suspects kicked the door and the homeowner swung the ax out the door and hit Jamal Watson in the face.
I've got a couple of observations about this story. First, the homeowner was fortunate that the dude breaking into his house wasn't armed or on narcotics of some sort. While an ax (and here I'm guessing that it was more of the wood-splitting variety than battleax) isn't a weapon *I* would want to get hit with, much less in the face, it's unlikely to stop a determined attacker. Second, the homeowner acted - he called 911 while grabbing something - anything - with which to protect himself. That's a winning mindset. That's a mindset that will survive.
And part of me hopes that his ax was, in fact, something like this...
That is all.
25 comments:
"Of course I use a battle axe for chopping wood, officer. It's double-bitted and got a longer blade so I don't have to sharpen it as often."
Good luck using that argument at Scout camp though.
Thanks for the link.
Strangely enough, the double bitted battle axe is a fantasy invention. Real battle axes looked a lot like regular axes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_axe
As Sean said, most actual battle axes looked remarkable the same as what you'd cut wood with. I'd say a good solid shot to the face with a woodsman's axe would stop someone just fine.
I bet that left a scar.
Gerry
Good thing I bought mine before they are banned. For the good of the criminals, I mean children!
THOTpolice
Haven't you ever chopped wood before?
"Get hit in the face," sounds so benign, like a tennis-ball...but an axe can get buried in bone and splinter it and open up huge gaping wounds... I'd' rather get hit by a Louisville Slugger than an axe.
I guess Jamal was looking for ice tea and Skittles.
MAJ Mike
Hey, maybe the Homeowner isn't allowed to have a Gun. There are some places, like "Gun Free Universities," where Off Campus Housing Rules Prohibit Firearms for Tenants that rent Apartments that the University owns. Actually helped a couple of my Younger Classmates who couldn't legally own a Pistol anyway with their Home Security. I always brought over a one Pound Ball Pean Hammer, though. I prefer them over Axes and Hatchets for Indoor Defense, because you don't have to worry about the Sharp end coming back at you in the heat of the moment. And they don't get caught up in narrow Doorways.
But for the 18 to 21 year old people out there who can Legally have Firearms in their Home, I always recommend a Pump Shotgun by the Bed.
But if you have Big Bucks, well, there's a lot of nice AR's out there that would work just fine, also.
Earl Swagger, call your office, please.
I would think an ax to the face would stop even a pretty determined attacker...talk about right/left brain separation
If we're going with antique weaponry, I'd rather have a mace or cutlass than an axe for home defense. If we're talking tools-as-weapons, then Les's ballpeen hammer makes sense(mace stand-in). So do large chef knives... because cutting a major artery ends fights pretty quick, the romans knew to go for necks and groins. And there's always ye olde baseball bat.
If you're concerned about being sued by the intruder or his family, taking a mace or a sword to him may get you painted as a bloodthirsty lunatic. But if you use a household item like a kitchen knife, hammer, saw, or baseball bat you're just some poor shmuck trying to defend himself with whatever was at hand.
The fact that the Louisville Slugger is in a rack by the bedroom door and has a light and bayonet on it might be overlooked.
If you get that axe into the attacker, it's going to be effective. Hitting them in the head? That's as likely a stopper as a shot.
Not guaranteed, of course, but neither is a .38 or a 9mm.
I don't remember hitting any attackers ;) I heartily support this post though, awesome one Jay.
What if the "axe" was more like this
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=axe+guitar&view=detail&id=D87A6F1C46FBF36F023B7F6816C643BC3F9B71B3&first=0&FORM=IDFRIR
Buy American!
Snow and Nealey Co, Bangor Maine.
Generations of North woods loggers swear by 'em. I am gonna recommend the Hudson Bay axe for general purpose home defense. Nice cross between a hatchet and a full size axe.
Depends on which 'side' of the ax you get hit with... EITHER side is gonna leave a mark!
I can just picture it:
"Can't a guy get an aspirin here?
I have a splitting headache!"
Oddly enough, there is a hand-forged replica of a Hungarian war axe hanging in my closet, and I'm only 30 minutes from Charlotte. I believe the original was intended for just such a blow...........
We're everywhere, Jay - lately, I keep getting told that someone or other has met my exact double. So I have no trouble believing that there's a Dwarf in NC.
Ross: wouldn't be surprised if most people had a double somewhere. I know Weer'd Beard is a dead ringer for a friend of mine... on a different continent.
I gotta go with the "ax to the head is definitely a stopper" idea.
Having done SCA combat I wouldn't want to take an ax to the head without a helmet and a fair amount of padding.
I'd think even a small camp ax could penetrate bone, with enough force behind it. A fire ax or two handed wood ax would be even worse.
Heeere's Johnny!
My main problem with axes as defensive weapons is that they're unwieldy, can get stuck in things, telegraph where the blow will come from, aren't that hard to block safely, and can easily be contested in a struggle.
If I had cause, I'd much more confidently and easily close with and disarm an axe-wielder than a knife, hammer, or even baseball bat wielder. Rush in close, with or without a dodge first as the situation requires, and it gets very difficult to use it. It has a long recovery time on a swing, and if both of you are holding the handle, it becomes a tug of war where strength, skill&training(martia arts), ruthlessness and ability to think under stress determines the outcome.
One of these will do the job too...
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/gransforsbruks-swedish-axes.aspx
In some of the descriptions of informal ax fights from the Norse sagas, I seem to recall that swinging for the thighs was common. A harder stroke to block? One hit was all it took.
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