Patent Publication Number: US-2017370674-A1

Title: Easy-to-carry, non-lethal self-defense weapon composed of slimy, slippery and irritating liquid encasing glass marbles in easy-to-rupture polybags that can be thrown to debilitate and trip-up an assailant

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Following mass murders by terrorists, the arguments rage over whether or not this country should be more restrictive of gun ownership, or whether it should allow people to more readily carry concealed guns to protect themselves when they gather in crowds. When guns are carried—even by normally levelheaded people—the chance for injury or death because of the accidental discharge of a weapon goes up. If individuals carrying guns for defense get into arguments, especially if one or both have been drinking, the chances of deadly gunfire becomes a constant risk factor for those gathering in crowded places. 
     When a terrorist(s) begins shooting unsuspecting individuals in crowds, the predominant first reaction of those people is to try to get away from the shooter, or if they can&#39;t, to . . . duck down. All who do the latter are sitting ducks, likely to be shot one after another. Because of mass fear, most in the crowd never consider that even though unarmed, people who fight instead of fleeing or ducking down greatly increase the chance that others will see the advantage of fighting, as well, and overpower the shooter(s). The present invention is a bag of glass marbles surrounded by a concentrated detergent, that is slimy, slippery and irritating. If an individual has the forethought to carry that innocuous-seeming weapon is his pocket, or her purse, they will already be predisposed to fighting if a terrorist attacks. If even two or three people in a crowd are of a mind to fight, and the shooter is forced to pause in order to resist, others will recognize the opportunity to fight, and hopefully survive. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A polybag of marbles fits comfortably in the hand and has the heft needed to not just be thrown, but to hit an attacker with enough force to cause them pain. A well-thrown bag can strike an attacker up to fifty feet away. After delivering its blow, the intentionally thin polybag will rupture and splash irritating, pepper-laced detergent all over the attacker. Both the detergent and the many marbles will fall on the floor near the attacker&#39;s feet, and make standing up, or easily moving to another place difficult. When the attacker falls down, because he or she has stepped on that slime or those marbles, he can more easily be subdued by the, now, motivated to fight, crowd. 
     Instead of a single thrown bag of marbles, suppose that 10% of the people there were given bags of marbles. No attacker could continue being aggressive if they are being pummeled by dozens of marble bags and eye-burning slime. The number of fatalities will go way down, and much of the thinking population will be planning what to do if . . . the worst happens when they are around. Terrorists will never again get to kill people who just lay there and wait to die. People will fight; and many more will survive. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH 
         FIGURE 1  shows a bought-off-the-shelf polybag containing approximately six dozen glass marbles with slimy and irritating detergent filling the voids. In the same photo, a bigger and thicker-wall outer polybag helps to protect against leaks or ruptures in the inner bag, as when the weapon is carried in the pockets or hand bag. The marble bag can easily be slipped out of the outer bag before throwing such either at the attacker, or at his or her feet. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     “Bean bags”, mostly fired from guns, have been used as non-lethal weapons for many years, and are now part of the public domain. The present glass marble bags function much bean bags, but have the additional feature of being massive enough to be thrown, and closely-packed enough to rupture the polybag upon impact. When that happens, not just the marbles, but the irritating determent slime, with red pepper mixed in, fly out and down to make it next to impossible for the attacker to stand up. Because the detergent is viscous, if the attacker tries to brush it off, it will just spread and cause more irritation of the eyes, nose, mouth and skin. 
     As with bean bags, slippery slimes have been used, intermittently, for years, to non-violently subdue people. Such means are also part of the public domain, and most require a special pump or compressed air cylinder to deliver the slime, whereas the present invention delivers all of its defenses by being thrown. The advantages of the present invention are summarized in the claims.