POLSON – A father in Polson created an easy self-defense tool to keep his children and wife safe.
Dave Duford said he created Fast Strike after his daughter Shay moved to Las Vegas and he was afraid for her safety. When Shay left for Las Vegas, Duford said, he suggested Shay carry a knife with her in case of an emergency.
However, carrying a knife around became awkward, and Duford starting looking for something more compact to keep Shay safe.
“Shay was heading to Vegas and I was very worried about her safety, and I know she doesn’t want to carry a gun,” Duford said. “A lot of fathers make that mistake and try and force their daughters and or wives to carry a gun and they have no interest in it.”
Since it’s a non-lethal weapon, Fast Strike does not come with the same legality issues that other weapons do. Duford said the United States and Canada currently classify Fast Strike as a whip, not a baton.
“It’s not going to do the damage batons can do and or knives can do,” Duford said. “It’s capable of breaking fingers and hands, it’s going to tear up some skin, but it shouldn’t ever kill anybody.”
The main purpose of Fast Strike is to hit your attacker hard enough so that you can get away safely.
Everything is handmade by the father and daughter in a small shed in Polson next to their house.
Shay said that after the first model came out in 2017, she noticed that some crucial adjustments needed to be made.
“This isn’t something a woman can carry every day,” Shay said. “We wear tighter clothing, it’s not feasible. We have to figure out how to get it more compact.”
Taking Shay’s advice, the daughter and father team worked hard to create the now 3-ounce device that can easily fit in a purse or in a pocket.
To date, over 20,000 units have been sold around the world.
