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While every ethnic group has its own form of organized crime, and nobody can claim the moral high ground when it comes to ethics the Italian Mafia or Cosa Nostra enjoys a level of fame and prestige other groups have yet to achieve.  Some claim the organization has roots dating back centuries, but what is known is the Mafia of today ties back to 19^th century Sicily, and has followed Italian immigrants around the globe.  There have been a number of different Italian and other nationalities that have been called Mafia, but there are differences, and things aren’t nearly as honorable and romantic as film portray.

With a military structure and a brutal code of honor the organization has grow into a ruthless underground criminal empire.  They’ve been pronounced dead many times, but these gangsters and killers are still among us, and won’t be going away despite law enforcement or criminal rivals.  Discussing the morality of these warriors is a debate for another time, but what is known is that their close combat methods work, because they’re simple, brutal, and efficient.

In studying the Mafia you quickly realize though the organization has kept up with the times, but their arsenal has largely remained the same, and it isn’t out of tradition alone.  A baseball bat can shatter bones and can kill someone out right if you hit them in the head.  The ice pick is also readily available and cheap, it’s easy to conceal, and will punch through the skin as easily as a knife.  A garrote can simply be a piece of rope or piano wire in which case if used correctly it can take a sentry's head off with little effort.  Brass knuckles make a rough pounding even more hellish, and a sledge hammer can take out a door, and in the right hands crush someone’s skeleton.  Never mind weapons like firearms, lead pipes, and the crossbow which was used by infamous Mafia hit man the Iceman.

Now before you go out and engage in any anti-social behavior keep in mind these are weapons used people who consider themselves soldiers, but are seen as criminals in the eyes of the law, and their victims.  Still though many of these weapons are useful in a self defense situation, and having them won’t violate the law.  Over the years many tools became weapons out of necessity, and when you need to save yourself and the lives of your family they’re good to have around.

If you’re attacked in a parking lot you can use your hand to hand combat training you learned in the earlier modules and drive back the attacker, so you can go for your bat in your car and make them sorry if they come after you again.  You may only ever play softball with it, but with your training it can save your life.  With an ice pick from your kitchen you can enhance your close combat techniques when you deal with a home invader.  Now brass knuckles are illegal in several places, but they’re also advertized as paper weights, so if you have one in your home office it might just be there when you really need it.