Tell me, did he look something like this?



Because if so, I would highly reccomend moving.

Seriously, though, I keep a knife on me at all times just in case some situation like that was to escalate quickly. In the United States, particularly Rhode Island, the state I live in, you have to be 21 to get a concealed weapons permit, which I'm definitely getting for self-defense. Personally, if I feel my life's in danger, I'd want to get rid of the threat, so I wouldn't have a problem with shooting a dangerous person.

I've had my fair share of strangers engage in a conversation with me, or people that aren't particularly 'all there in the head', if you know what I mean. Especially on public transport, Australia's definitely the place to be if you want to be approached by a loony.

Getting on a bus in my town, Stenungsund is a hell of a gamble.
You might just bump into "Buss-Kenneth". Like Lynx said he isn't "all there in the head".
He likes to speak with youger girls and teens, sometimes even trade objects with them.
And there's no escape, if you get on the bus yourself, you often sit by the window, right?
Kenneth takes the seat next to you, so you can't move without making a scene.
He spends all of his awake time on the buss or at the cafщ callled "Eat", so the chance of running into him is pretty big.
Here's a picture

Run. Run fast. Very fast. And learn how to stick knives up your sleeves and the ability to deploy them at will.

Assassins Creed style! That's the way!

Why would you bring a knife when you can bring a gun

Here's a three step method to eliminate all threats from loonies.

1) Brandish weapon (preferably a gun for step 3)
2) Walk towards threat with weapon and start yelling at them with a plethora of cursing.
3) Shoot at something near the person to show you're serious.

They'll start running, or maybe not, since they may have just shit their pants.

Or you live in Europe. And don't shoot at "loonies". In that case, learn self-defense and beat the shit out of whoever is trying to eat you.

I would say, first of all, avoid walking alone. Walk on a street with many people. And if you ever do see a dangerous guy, I don't think you can just shoot or knife at him. If he isn't dangerous, if he is just an old guy wanting to be close to his community or something, you can get in serious trouble with the law. If you're sure he/she is dangerous, they'll most likely carry around a weapon with them, so you take out a gun, they will likely get out their, too.
I don't carry a gun or knife with me, though I know some Taekwondo and judo. If all was just a misunderstanding, you won't have the person badly injured and get suited. Probably just try to knock him unconcious. Though I don't know if it will be counted as "self-defense"...

Having a gun truly is the best defense you can get for yourself, even if you're a master of mixed martial arts. If only because it's a lot quicker and a lot easier to shoot somebody that it is to disable them by breaking their limbs or knocking them out. It's one thing to just aim at someone and shoot, but if you're up close and personal and you see someone in severe pain(or pretending to be in severe pain), it's really hard for most people to be merciless. Even if they know that no thug would show them mercy if the positions were reversed, most people lack the "emotional shield" to go through with it. Plus, you can learn how to shoot a handgun decently in less than 10 hours, and it would take you quite a bit longer to become a decent fighter.

Considering that petty criminals are generally a cowardly bunch and would rarely attack one-on-one, you are unlikely to be at favorable odds. At best you'll be fighting two assailants, which is sadly where any kind of grappling fails. It usually very effective in one-on-one combat, but that's pretty much it. Grappling with someone who has a knife is a really, really bad idea. Stand-up striking arts are the way to go if you expect to be attacked by multiple opponents. I've found that it takes one very good punch or one good kick to make someone reconsider their position.

About the whole loony thing, most of them are not a danger to anyone but themselves, especially old folk. I've met several, especially in parks. As long as they don't appear to be dangerous and you're not a naive type of person, you have nothing to fear. Trust only people you know and stay vigilant, and I doubt you'll get in trouble. If you find yourself attacked by more than one person, fight with the intent to kill them all. Strike where it hurts, arm yourself with whatever happens to be in your surroundings and strike and/or shoot to kill.


P.S: Apologies if there is anything really stupid in this post, I was interrupted a grand total of 8 times while typing it >_>

There's a "loony" in my town, usually just walking around muttering to himself with bottles of wine and Jфgermeister in a canvas bag. He occasionally boards the train and wanders around other places, but he's not dangerous he's just...not altogether there.