Magazine Baton

In 30 Seconds, You Can Build a Highly Effective Weapon

When I travel, there are several EDC (everyday carry) items that I bring with me. However, there is one in particular that I never forget. I always make sure and have my tactical pen and a flashlight, but just as important is a small roll of duct tape. Sure, you can use duct tape for a variety of things such as a com­pression patch for lacerations that happen to you or other passengers during extreme turbulence or even a terrorist attack.

But, when I was training the Air Marshals, I showed them how duct tape can be used to make a highly effective weapon. In short, you can use duct tape and two in-flight magazines to quickly create a 16-20" baton that is extremely durable. In order to do this, first open up one of the magazines. Insert the second magazine about three inches into it. Then roll both magazines together into a long tube and twist them tightly. Then wrap the duct tape around the magazines twice at the joint and twice at both ends.

When using this magazine baton to def end yourself, there are some extra considerations with using a longer weapon in tight quarters like an airplane. Ideally, the main two angles you'll use are two diagonal downward strikes, creating an "X". Direct "stabs" might be useful, but with a softer blunt object, such as the one we're using, they may not be the most effective strike.

Because time is of the essence in an emergency situation, the ability to construct and then use such a weap­on is a skill within itself. Therefore, what I do with my students is time them when constructing a maga­zine baton. My goal is to have them make it in less than 30 seconds and then employ the weapon with a series of offensive attacks.

To do this, find several magazines and a roll of duct tape and time yourself. Most people will take one to two minutes the first couple times, but then narrow it down to under a minute. Remember, the goal is 30 seconds and then you'll want to stand up and do 25-50 reps of the "X" pattern. You won't need this many strikes, but the reps after constructing this weapon under a small time limit will drill these two important striking patterns into your muscle memory. I realize there are many close quarter weapons, however, this is a trick to convert everyday items into a longer-range weapon that could save your life.