Abstract: A hand held device for personal defense provided with a piercing member mounted on the end of a handle. The piercing member is normally sheathed by a tubular protective sheathing housing reciprocable against spring bias from a finite position shielding the piercing member to a position wherein at least the tip of the piercing member projects beyond the tubular housing, such that by a straight stabbing action of the handle, the end of the tubular housing engaging the flesh of an assailant causes the tubular housing to retract such as to expose the end of the piercing member for causing wounds to be inflicted upon the assailant. The piercing member may be in the form of a straight prong permanently attached to the end of the handle, in the form of a double-prong barbed member, or a combination of both, the double-prong barbed member being resiliently and frictionally held in a bore on the end of the handle normally surrounded by the tubular protective sheathing housing.

Abstract: A hand-held device for personal protection. The device is provided with a hook at the end of a rod. When it is desired to strike at an attacker, the hook is thrust from within the housing of the device. The device can be provided with compression bias which requires a user to apply pressure to a knob to actuate the device or with a tension bias which permits the device to be actuated upon the release of a trigger-type arrangement.