Hello /k/. I am currently living out of my modified car on a month-long posting for my job. It's an old SUV that I modified to put a bed in the back, which flips up to reveal a sink and running water from a 5 gallon tank. A solar panel on the roof provides power to a small battery bank and there's a diesel heater that keeps me warm, and I cook meals using a 12V rice cooker and freeze dried rations. I shower at the planet fitness.
Two weeks in, everything has gone well so far, but there's something that bothers me. The area is pretty low-crime and since my car is old and a manual transmission, I haven't really worried about anyone breaking in. But I should be prepared. I have a hunting knife in a sheath next to the bed and if I hear a window break, I'm going to lie very still and then stab the intruder in the face when he tries to get in. The sleeping compartment at the back of the vehicle is separated from the two front seats by a curtain, and all of the other windows are covered when I'm in my sleeping bag. I have a shotgun at home but figured it would be too cumbersome and I don't want to put holes in my car. What is the most viable way to defend myself in such a confined space on the off chance that someone breaks in? Also, Is fatally stabbing someone who breaks into your car not knowing you're sleeping inside acceptable from a legal standpoint?
>living in a car for work
Any gun in a caliber large enough that one shot will reliably kill you on the first try.
>Paying $700+ rent when you can sleep in your camper car
Ngmi
I don't want anything that would irreparably damage my car or rupture my eardrums when fired in an enclosed space. I considered pepper spray but was worried about residue being splashed back on me. Also considered strapping my knife to a short stick to make a small spear.
>this post
Refer here
Would you be willing to buy a suppressor? That's a significantly greater investment but resolves your concern. My bedside gun is suppressed. I've fired a few rounds without hearing protection to confirm it's safe for the ears.
.40 S&W is naturally subsonic out of a 4" barrel so if you buy a cheap police trade-in Glock 22 and swap the stock barrel for a threaded barrel you could suppress it.
Get a stream pepper spray instead of a fogger, that will reduce splashback.
Making a spear is retarded.
>rent
You are not the brightest crayon in the shed anon.
You should move to Serbia or anywhere in the balkans, retards have pretty good life there, considering everyone is basically retarded.
Language is a pain in the ass to learn tho, but they speak broken English well.
Say what you will about living in a car but it's cheaper than finding an AirBnB or finding a sublet on short notice. This is an oddly specific stick you have up your ass about this. Did some car hobo fuck your wife? I'm just asking a question, don't sperg out.
I would be willing to make the investment but I'd prefer not to put holes in my rig. I know it's a shitty SUV from the early 2000s but it has sentimental value. Obviously it's the most definitive option but is there anything besides pepper spray that would instantly incapacitate an invader within spitting distance?
If you were valuable to your company they would put you in a hotel. They would rent you a car. You aren't valuable. Hope you find a real job soon. Let this thread die retard
You are very asshurt for absolutely no reason and keep bumping my thread while asking me to kill it. Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you didn't fly off the handle at internet strangers while pissing away your limited time on earth? Anyway it's not technically "work" per se, since I'm actually paying them. I'm in medical school and have to go to different hospitals on my fourth year elective rotations. I have student loans to pay off and thus far, I've saved upwards of 6-7k. I can spend on a hotel room when I become a real doctor, until then I have zero qualms about any temporary discomfort if it saves me money. Plus, the spontaneity of being on the road is kind of fun tbh.
Thank you for actual helpful responses to my inquiry. All things considered I'd rather kill than die, but I'd really really prefer not to stab or shoot anyone if it can be avoided at all. I'm absolutely not going to kill someone over smashing my window, stealing a bag and running off. But if they try to steal the car itself or break into the compartment where I sleep it's a different matter. Based on what I'm hearing, pepper spray plus a suppressed .22 handgun sound like reasonable options.
>cheaper
Yes being homeless is cheaper.
>is there anything besides pepper spray that would instantly incapacitate an invader within spitting distance
A taser? They're effective maybe 50% of the time. You're being a retard if you're unwilling to buy even pepper spray.
Well that pic was a fucking rabbit hole.
It's a 22 RETARD go back to redit FUCK YOU. You live in a shit car eating fast food and you are worried about hearing damage from a hypothetical situation. FUCK YOU
>i dont want to irreparably damage my car when defending myself from potentially armed intruders.
shouldnt you focus on surviving and sweating the small stuff later? pretty fucking retarded to come to the "weapons" board and not just get the most practical weapon recommended to you.
My wife and I did the vanlife thing in our 4x4 for a year as our honeymoon. Not quite the same situation as you since we were driving from Alaska to Argentina rather than staying in one place.
We had an M&P 9, some pepper spray and a Bowie knife as our self defense options. tbh the gun spent most of the tripped tucked away where it wouldn't be found if the car got searched at a border crossing but I'm glad I never had to use the knife or the spray, don't have too much faith in my ability to fight off a gang of Honduran kidnappers when half-asleep, naked and wrapped in blankets.
>Also, Is fatally stabbing someone who breaks into your car not knowing you're sleeping inside acceptable from a legal standpoint?
Depends on your jurisdiction dipshit but no, in many places it is not legal and even if it then there's still a fair chance of being dragged through the courts.
Normally I'd say better to be judged by 12 than carried by six but that only applies if you're actually in danger. Most people breaking into your car are probably assuming it's empty - they're still criminal scum and they still deserve a bullet from a moral standpoint but they're probably not a threat. Just shouting incoherently would probably be enough to make them fuck off, shouting incoherently while holding a knife even more so and shouting loudly while pointing a gun in their face most of all.
>Also considered strapping my knife to a short stick to make a small spear.
Are you fucking retarded?
The recent random YouTube law video I watched said if they break a window lethal force is authorized because the force required to break a car window is equivalent to a deadly act if the same impact hit your skull. He concluded it's not great and 100% because you don't have enough case law/ legal theory to back you up but at least it gives you a reasonable deadly response timing
>The recent random YouTube law video I watched said if they break a window lethal force is authorized because the force required to break a car window is equivalent to a deadly act if the same impact hit your skull.
Man, I don't know how to respond to that level of bullshit. Whether the amount of force required to break a window is the same as the amount of force required to crack your skull is completely irrelevant - he's not directing that force at your skull, he's directing it at your property, that completely changes the situation. Might as well shoot someone for spraypainting dicks on your shed because "that amount of paint would be equivalent to a deadly act if he sprayed it down your throat".
In any case, laws change from state to state. Anyone who says "X is legal" is spouting bullshit unless they specify the jurisdiction.
How did you get past the Darien gap?
Container ship. There's plenty of shipping between Panama and Colombia, cost us about $1500.
We included a couple of concealed compartments when we did the conversion, it wouldn't have been easy to find unless you were literally tearing the car apart. Maybe if they brought out gun-sniffing dogs but that seemed unlikely.
We also stashed it alongside some emergency money that I would have been happy to offer up as an on-the-spot "fine" if necessary.
You smuggled a firearm through multiple non permissive countries? In your shoes I'm not sure if I would've been willing to risk the buttfucking that would result from being caught
Yes this
A suppressed 22 with even a single box of Federal Punch could do it. Well worth the time/money. Almost everyone could benefit from a 22 can.
For your particular situation, say sleeping in the vehicle I'd still have a weapon mounted light, but be aware that using that in your car will not only highlight yourself but also splash back off the windows and cut your vision.
Have you got one of those 30 dollar walmart 2-3 person tents? At least you'll have some sleeping options, depending on where you are parked. Or to stash some stuff (well-hidden of course). Watch Steve Wallis vids on stealth camping, they're fun and informative. Good luck OP.
What about that kel tec 22lr mp7 knock off cuz it will be small and easy to conceal but pack like 30 rds? I've never held one or shot one so I'm an expert.
Buy a pistol, put a light on it, and load it with Federal HST hollowpoints. Other anons will push for specific pistol brands, but any reasonably popular brand should be fine (except SIG). Glock, M&P, Walther, H&K, CZ, etc. You can buy used police trade-in Glocks cheap. 9mm is the cheapest decent caliber so you can train with it most, .40 S&W is fine if you can find an old police one cheap.
For a non-lethal option look for pepper spray IN ADDITION TO a pistol. I carry POM OC spray. Don't bother with OC/mace combos, just stick to pure OC. Sabre Red is another good brand. You will be under way less legal scrutiny if you pepper spray someone than if you shoot him.
M&Ps are proving to be the most reliable strikershit pistols. HKs have high build quality and hammer fire options with have smoother triggers that strike more reliably. FNs are the only strikershits that are fully ambidextrous and that's something that honestly every manufacturer should be doing by now. Most newer HK models are fully ambi with the paddle releases.
Glocks are the most common and have a huge aftermarket but at this point I wouldn't get one. So many failures are being recorded on police bodycam videos to objectively say it's an absolute piece of shit and I'm not sure how it's been hidden for so long. You'll need the large aftermarket anyway because they need to be upgraded right out of the box, whereas other cheaper and better handguns don't need to be upgraded at all. Just go with an M&P if you're drawn to Glocks, they have the second highest variations, aftermarket, and holster options.
Beretta & CZ (or it's many clone options) if you want a metal frame.
>pepper spray
>in an enclosed space
Solid plan.
>Already halfway through the 1 month period
>Already have a knife for CQC
>Don't want a gun
>Asking a legal question with no mention of location
If someone's breaking into your car then they're going to have snatched your shit before you're awake enough to think to grab your knife.
I think this thread is really just you wanting to talk about living in a car.
i read the thread before posting this
if you're worried about hearing damage, just get a .22 with subsonic hollow points. keltec P17 is like $200. if you want a nonlethal option, get a pepper ball gun and load it with both 5% OC and steel core rubber balls. understand that in a vehicle, any pepper based defensive solution is going to nuke you too, but it also makes your vehicle literally impossible to rob because you're going to be blinded by OC before you can take anything. another good solution is lighting, if you can put small motion activated lights on your vehicle it might serve to scare away any wannabe thieves.
You dont need much, just strength, the will, and a Glock™. Take some advice from this guy, while he was living in a van he defended his son, wife, and future child when he had an AK shoved in his face.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=87YvFfZ45J1Qz_Jk&v=wvI-00hGtrA
> I have a hunting knife in a sheath next to the bed and if I hear a window break, I'm going to lie very still and then stab the intruder in the face when he tries to get in.
Based and Rambo pilled
>have a shotgun at home but figured it would be too cumbersome and I don't want to put holes in my car. What is the most viable way to defend myself in such a confined space on the off chance that someone breaks in?
I'de go with a .45 acp handgun loaded with hollowpoints. This is because .45 acp has less penetration than 9mm.
>Also, Is fatally stabbing someone who breaks into your car not knowing you're sleeping inside acceptable from a legal standpoint?
That's going to depend on the laws of your state. Generally speaking if your state is conservative and the criminal is armed lethal force is justified. But in all 50 states if the cops show up, and the dead criminal has a knife in his hand, the jury will probably side with you ;).