Thanks for taking the time to comment. It might be good to note that believing in the 2nd amendment doesn't mean believing in the right of every American to own guns. The 2nd amendment was written to ensure that at least most Americans would own a gun so they could be called upon to instantly form a "militia" to protect the U.S. from foreign invasion. It was not written to ensure that most Americans could kill each other.

I didn't know about cast iron becoming brittle. And I ne er even thought about a flashlight being used as protection--this is a great idea, and I'm going to get a flashlight that is blindingly bright the next time I go into town.