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With so many stories in the news these days about crimes targeting women, they're constantly reminded why it's so important to always keep their guard up.
"Before I come out to my car, I always have my keys in hand. I always park under lights and never too far," said Lorraine Alvarez.
But in many cases, whether you're out shopping or leaving the gym...
"Usually I come out in the daytime so I consider it relatively safe," said Sarah Liu.
A heightened sense of awareness may not be enough to thwart an attack.
"I always learned that if something happened, you always have your keys and you could always hit them with your keys," said Kirsten Cohoom.
A key? How about something a little more 21st century? Gadgets so cutting edge...
"If you got hit with it, you'd think you got shot by a gun," said Jim Pruett of Pruett Guns and Ammo.
"It" is called the Guardian Angel. Think of it as traditional pepper spray on steroids, a device that fires two powerful bursts of pepper spray.
"They travel at 90 miles an hour so they hit the bad guy in the chest pretty hard," said Pruett.
Introduced to consumers just two months ago, sales have been brisk.
"A large number of them are women and a large number of them are men buying them for their daughters who go to college and so forth," said Pruett.
Using our exclusive Crime Tracker we can show you why any kind of self-defense gadget might come in handy. Here are where the robberies were reported to Houston police in 2006:
- Road, street, or sidewalk -- 2,571 cases
- Apartment parking lot -- 2,097 cases
- Apartments -- 1,033 cases
- Strip center parking lots -- 275 cases
- Bus stops -- 194 cases
- Grocery store parking lots -- 178 cases
"This world is changing and it's evolving," said Celeste Delgado. "People do very, very sick things. You wouldn't want to be another victim in that situation."
Retailers believe that's why they're seeing more and more women arming themselves with things you wouldn't necessarily consider practical, like a fish flashlight.
"It has that incredible strobe. If you shine that in somebody's face for a couple of seconds, it's disorienting," said Pruett.
With the addition of this small device, it becomes a weapon.
"It's this little thing that fits on the end of a flashlight with these little sharp teeth," said Pruett.
There's also the Bear Claw neck knife.
Traditional pepper spray will cost you a few dollars. The Guardian Angel is about $40. The Bear Claw neck knife is right around the same price. The flash light will run you a couple of hundred dollars.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)
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