Should girls carry pepper spray?

[IronFist]

I saw this girl had some on her keychain at a party. Girls think that it will help repel attackers, but there's also a chance that a) it will just píss the attacker off more or b) be used against her.

What do you think? I would say don't even bust out the pepper spray unless you're 110% sure you can make it work, like if he's 15ft away from you or something.

I'm sure some of the people here will have some good info about this so that's why I asked.

IronFist

[Kristoffer]

No I DON'T think women should be alowed to carry pepper spray. I don't know about were u live but I know some mean *****es that would use it on innocent men just for FUN!! :eek: That, and if u alowe it to them.. Soon evryone will have pepper spray. Boys and girls. Then it would be used in criminal acts like robbery or in gang fights. Do we need that? No.

Personal sirens or alarms work better I think. Or martial arts? I dunno.

[HuangKaiVun]

Even better than pepper spray or sirens:


cell phone.

[Sharky]

A cellphone is NOT better than pepperspray. What you gonna do, hit them in the eyes with it? A mobile phone and pepper spary are two totally different things. Most girls have mobile phones anyway. They aren't gonna save you when the sh.it hits the fan.

If it were up to me, all girls should be allowed to carry a fu.cking glock, to blow the sh.it out of any bloke who wants to **** with them.

[guohuen]

I'm with Sharky on this one.

[Black Jack]

OC Spray rocks!

Why on Earth would someone not want a girl to carry pepper spray????? Everyone should carry, not just women.

I think its a great tool and my chick carries it, not only that but I also bought her mom and sister a keychain set, I used to carry one around but it busted in a desk drawer and my ass has been to lazy to go buy some more, though I will soon.

Sirens and whistles blow rat chunks. Whats a cell-phone good for? To call the cops after you have been raped?

Sharky had the best answer IMHO:D

[Cody]

No, for reasons stated above by some who would agree.
One misgiving was that it might be used for other purposes. This might not be so amusing if the victim had asthma or a serious allergic reaction.
As far as another kind of alarm goes. Well, car alarms are all but ignored now. If you innundate people with enough crisis buttons, they turn off their ears for the sake of sanity. If it can happen with ambulances, it can happen with this too.

Cody

[LEGEND]

My main gripe with chicks with pepper spray is that they sometime leave it in their purse and pull out their key after they get into the car. The rapist isn't going to wait for her to dig through her purse doods.

[Black Jack]

So you want to ban pepper spray on the off chance that some teenager may mace her friend who has a breathing problem????

What about the people who will actually need it, what are they supposed to do, fight off the attacker with they kung fu skillz.:rolleyes:

No one here is saying OC Spray is the answer to everything, but used in the proper manner, it is a GREAT tool.

[JusticeZero]

Er.. If they want to carry OC spray, what right do you have to say they can't?? That smacks of micromanaging other people's lives to me and it's what's made our country less great than it could have been by now.
If someone wants to carry pepper spray, let them.
Mind you, I also think that if someone wants to carry an antitank missile, they should be able to..

[Sharky]

It's illegal here. Cops carry it (no guns).

Still, i'm getting some for my close (girl) friends and for my sister. Maybe some for me too even.

[IronFist]

anyway, at this party, this drunk guy wanted to "smell" it so he took it and sprayed it around in the kitchen for 3-4 seconds. Within 15 seconds the entire group of people had run ouside coughing.

That stuff sucks, and I would hate to take a direct hit in the face with it.

That being said, I could barely breathe when it was sprayed in the room next to me. This one chick threw up. How the crap could you take a shot in the face and keep on raping a chick? Dámn, must be some crazy adreneline rush...

Or can you develop a tolerance to it?

IronFist

[guohuen]

It's good stuff. Buy more than one can so that you can practice and learn the effective range. It needs to be somewhere accessable and you have to be prepared to use it. (sound familiar?) Spray and run, it wears off in a few minutes. Remember, Ted Bundy's last two victims sprayed him but stayed in their dorm rather than running for help. Big mistake!:(

[IronFist]

Holy ****e, i just thought of something. How much pepper spray is in one container? I hope this kid didn't use up like 80% of her's and then she needs it and it's out.

IronFist

[Julien]

wouldn't one of those telescopal nightsticks be a better choice?

the cops in ontario carry them and if they find u with one, u can just say it's a walking stick maybe

i think they are made of a metal or maybe fibre glass but it would still give u the advantage

that is, unless u get it taken away from u by your attacker heh

[Merryprankster]

Dude, it would be VERY hard to describe an asp baton as a walking stick.

GREAT toy though.

[Julien]

meh, it's just a stick...

the one the cop had was about 3 ft so i guess it is a bit short for a walking stick

but it is still basically a stick so coming up with an alternative use as an excuse to have it should be easy enough

u might get charged if u say 'self defense' though

[Leonidas]

I'm a big fan of tasers. They can drop a 300 pound cokehead like you wouldn't believe and how are you gonna build an immunity to 50,000+ volts. Now thats what i call conflict resolution :D

[beautifulvaley]

I think pepper spray sucks. I got sprayed with bear spray once [not by a broad] and all it did was make me eyes water a bit. them broads should just learn how to eye gouge and rip off ears.

[Julien]

i am pretty sure tasers are illegal in very many places

i live in canada so they would most likely be illegal here

meh, if i ever go live in a large city, i'm carrying a telescopal nightstick

they are easy and fast to make larger - just a strong flick of the wrist - and they are better than fighting without a weapon...

probably wanna take some stick-fighting classes first though :P

[guohuen]

"bear" or dog spray is not the same thing as pepper spray. BTW, pepper spray is not very effective against dogs.

[HuangKaiVun]

Recently in my town, a would-be kidnapper tried to block a woman from driving away with his car.

She got frightened and took out her cell phone to call cops. Once he saw that, he took off.


Most true crime prevention occurs long before pepper spray or mace even becomes a factor.

Better to head off trouble long before it heads YOU off.

That's the way the women I know who've gotten by stuff like this operate in REAL LIFE as opposed to testosterone fantasies on this forum.

[sanchezero]

pepper spray is good stuff; much better than mace/CS based military stuff.

in the army you have to huff CS gas on a regular basis and it pretty much sucks ass, but its not nearly as painful as pepper spray.

i'm all for anyone carrying pepper spray. you can't accidentaly kill bystanders and you don't have to worry about a huge legal hassle just for defending yourself.

IMO the best kind is the aerosolized stuff that sprays in a cone or the foam sh!t. the little squirt gun spray is lame.

anyone that uses it should probably take a sniff 'cause when you hose somebody down with it, you're likely to suck some in as well. get an idea of what its like ahead of time.

[rogue]

A weapon is only good if it can be brought to bare quickly enough, that's why I like something like umbrellas, they're legal in all 50 states, cops don't hassle you for carrying one, and I can bring it on a plane. If you have OC spray it better be in your hand. You better know a few moves to keep the attacker at bay until you can trigger it.

I agree with HuangKaiVun about cell phones. Communications are a good part of a self defense system.

"Most true crime prevention occurs long before pepper spray or mace even becomes a factor."

Very true.

[Black Jack]

Demi Barbito has a good article on OC Spray at his website, you can see the link in the street self defense forum of KFO.

I thought this post was about pepper spray in a tactical fashion, not about how a cell phone replaces the need for pepper spray, something which I just don't buy into, if a attacker REALLY wants to attack a women, a cell phone won't mean squat.

Cell phones are good tools for communication, both hopefully preventative and to clean up the aftermath, everyone should have one, but when the crap hits the fan, you better have something of more merit to dish out right then, instead of just calling the cops and closing your eyes.

Like Rogue said, tools are only as good as your ability to deploy them, which with every encounter that could be different, I say its better to have, then to have not and need it.

A good motto by Hock is to cheat first, cheat last and cheat always, unarmed skills IMHO are a last resort, for both men and women.

[Sharky]

what BJ (sorry) said

[Crazy Bugger]

Pepper spray is great. It is totally legal here in N.Y. (the telescoping batons are not, if you use one against an attacker you will be charged with armed assault). It comes in different concentrations, from the make their eyes water to make them wish they had never been born. The higher concentrations will actually dilate the blood vessels in the eyes so much that it becomes physically impossible to see. The even higher concentrations are for bears, and yes it will drive them away also.
Yes, it is important to have in your hand BEFORE anything goes down.
Yes, a cell phone is nice for calling the police, so that your blinded and rolling on the ground in pain and crying his eyes out attacker goes to jail. Or calling your friends to come beat on this jerk while he is helpless....Just kidding.
It is a tool, nothing more. Kung Fu can also be seen as a tool, not evil in itself but definitely not good in the wrong hands.
I carry pepper spray so that nobody gets really hurt. It can change a testosterone match into a crying match in no time.

[IronFist]

So, how long does one container last? 3 seconds? 5 seconds? 10 seconds? 30 seconds?

IronFist

[wufupaul]

I think pepper spray can be a good self defense tool, but, like others have already pointed out, you really should train with it. Set up some training, as others have mentioned. Have people randomly jump out at you and see if you can tag them with it. Have someone tackle you and see if you can pull it out and use it. Try it in the rain, try it in windy weather. Use a very small water gun instead of the spray, if the person doesn't want to be sprayed with the mace, hehe. I've been sprayed with it several times, twice willingly, to see the effects, and twice non-willingly. I used to carry around the stream-style of pepper spray, and I had a friend spray it in my eyes from about 10 feet away, just to see what it did. It hurt alot, but it didn't incapacitate me completely. I could still see a little, but I wouldn't have been able to attack as hard as I normally would. Another friend of mine had the mist type of spray, the kind that just kinda lingers around in the air. I had her spray that in my direction from about 5 feet away, and I walked into it. It didn't bother my eyes near as much as the stream spray, but I definitely choked on it more that with the spray. I was gagging for a while after that one, but, again..it didn't completely diminish my ability to attack. I also was at a protest one time and was sprayed by some skinheads(Did I mention how much I dislike skinheads, racist or anti-racist?), but it wasn't too bad. I think they may have had the tear gas instead. Some of the other people were crying and nauseated from it, but I was allright besides a little bit of eye irritation. I was also sprayed with it at a show one time. It was a punk show, a riot broke out(Skinheads started this one..gggrrr), about 100 people or so just brawling and fighting. I was on the outside trying to grab people as they got near me and separate them, and someone sprayed some spray in my general direction. It made my eyes tear up a bunch, but I was allright after about 15 minutes of tearing it out. What's my point in telling these stories? It's not gonna completely disable some attackers. Like guohuen pointed out with the Ted Bundy mention, spray and run, that's your best chance, don't wait around to see what it does. If you carry spray and haven't felt it's effects, I suggest you take a cannister of it, have plenty of water nearby, and have someone spray you right in the face to see what happens. It'll hurt, but, you'll be prepared in case some of it comes your way.

[wufupaul]

http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/pepperspray.html

[Lust]

What if you close your eyes or turn away will it effect you?
Also what if the person is wearing glasses or contacts it will be useless right?

[Merryprankster]

No, it won't be useless.

If you're wearing contacts or glasses, it will be worse.

Cap Oil is, well, an oil, and it gets on everything. Contacts are bad--just traps the crap in your eyes.

[Sharky]

I think the people doubting the power and strength of pepper spray have never seen the effects of GOOD pepper spray. ;)

[Black Jack]

OC Spray is way beyond mace, its a inflamatory, makes the eyes seal shut.

Good stuff.

[wu_de36]

There are a lot of myths about pepper spray.

- One of them is that it effects all people in the same way.

Some people will have a severe reaction of the pepper spray. However, this doesn't necessarily mean they will in incapacitated. It just means they will swell up a lot afterwards. There is a myth out there that spraying someone in the face will cause the attacker to fall to the ground begging for Jesus to come and take away the pain while they scratch out their eyes looking for relief. This is not the case.

In most police academies, it is required that the recruit is sprayed in the face, and then has to draw their weapon and fire at a target. Some even make them do this, and go back to a designated location and call for help.

I have seen demonstrations where a person wearing a FIST suit (like red man or other contact suits) sprays a person in the face and the person has to continue fighting for 10 seconds. Chances are, they can do it.



- The second is that all pepper sprays are the same.

Most sprays are junk, are watered down, or shoot a poor stream which looks like a 90 year old man taking a wizz. Spend $15-20 and buy Fox Labs of Punch II spray.


- To the people above who don't think women (or men??!) should carry OC, and suggest personal alarms, cell phones, etc.... you should be hanging your head in shame if you really consider yourselves "martial artists."

Here's a better test. Your wife/mother/sister is attacked by a rapist. Her options are
1. sit back and enjoy it.
2. blow on a whistle
3. dial 911, wait on hold, and try to give a good description of the attacker while being sodomized.
4. pepper spray/knife/shoot the SOB and survive the encounter.

This whole "they might take the weapon away" BS is just BS and represents a pitiful mentality.

Spray them in the face until you're out of spray.
Kick them low and hard.
Smash the now empty canister against their temple.
Leave.

[wu_de36]

Originally posted by Lust
What if you close your eyes or turn away will it effect you?
Also what if the person is wearing glasses or contacts it will be useless right?

Lust,

this highly depends on the person. OC is nasty stuff, and while closing your eyes will certainly help, the OC will get caught in mucus membranes, and you'll still inhale a lot of it.

This is why I suggest fogger sprays over streams, as it gets all over the face and clothing. It is pungent, sticky, orange and nasty.

It'll probably keep you away from a good hot and sour soup for a few days as well.

[Sharky]

more chance of it blowing onto you tho

[Black Jack]

I would think that fog would be really good for a condensed crowd of multiple attackers where cone is more shoot two targets at a time, while stream needs direct mouth and eye hits.

[wu_de36]

blowback sucks, but if you've trained with it and are prepared for it, shouldn't be bad.

if you've never shot it until TSHTF, then you will be in for a slightly unpleasant surprise.

[Kristoffer]

I still don't think it should be allowed to women. Girls I know/know of would give it to their brothers (who in many cases are thugs and criminals). They would just use it for criminal acts. I wouldn't wanna get hit by that **** just coz someones brother or boyfriend got hold of it.

Don't get me wrong, I would want that my gf could have someting that she could defend herself with but I just don't think the whole 'pepper spray to evryone' would really work here.


Oh and wu_de36
"you should be hanging
your head in shame if you really consider yourselves "martial artists."

I do consider myself a martial artist. Who the **** are u to say I should hang my head in shame??
Who's a better martial artist? The coward who has to carry weapons to feel safe, or the normal guy who just relies on common sense and street smarts?
------



On topic again -
Exactly how long can u 'spray' the 'spray'..? :confused: :rolleyes: :D I mean how long does it work?

[Black Jack]

Kristoffer, man you crack me up.

I agree with Wu De 36, you seem to be living in some sort of a fantasy land when it comes to self defense, in fact you are IMHO anti-self defense, my first clue in this is that you want to ban a self protection device based on a most absurd ideal, that some sister will give her punk brother her OC Spray, by this logic you will be disarming women who may really need this device, women who may be raped, beaten or killed.

But in your words these women are cowards because they want to carry a weapon to feel safe, not to help in protecting themselves in a dire situation, but as sheer cowards as they can not use their hands to defend themselves, for some reason you can not put two and two together with the fact that people who carry self protection tools can also be street smart and have common sense, IMHO they are often more attuned to the fact that the world is not full of nice people, daisy's and tellatubies.

Unless I am caught naked in the shower, I will NEVER fight somebody unarmed, punching it out is for people who watch to many action movies and who don't get the big picture, shoot the guy, grab a chair, use my belt, ashtray, my knifes, sticks, rocks, a table, OC Spray, whatever I can grab to bash the attackers head in or stab him intell he can no longer hurt me or my loved ones.

That IS martial arts, or what I define as a martial artist, the object is to survive, be that to avoid the situation in the first place, to de-esclate it once it starts, to just control the situation and leave, or to being pre-emptive and just lash out with everything you have in your arsenal.

If using weapons is for cowards, then only using your hand to hand skillz is for idiots.

[rogue]

Doh! I just noticed the spray I have has expired over a year ago.

Let's face facts, there isn't a magic bullet for self defense. OC spray is great if you can use it, same with a gun or knife, a cell phone is great if you can call for help(preventative). Should girls carry pepper spray? Yes, it gives a person a possible edge, but even hair spray, or any other improvised weapon used properly will give a slight edge too. What matters is quick recognition that you're in trouble, and then quick appropriate action. Fumbling for top of the line OC spray lost in a purse may not be appropriate action.

[Kristoffer]

Glad i can crack a smile here and there :D
(what kind of lame discussion would this be if everyone agrees?)

Anyway,
BJ- I never said that I thought it was wrong that women would carry some sort of defence weapon. I just stated that legilize it, and it WILL be used by criminals. If it is legal to carry it, then it will probebly be used AGAINST women by the rapist or murderer or punk or whatever. Only difference now is that he has this very effective weapon to use.
My coward argument was against Wu- but I guess it wasn't relevant to this thread since it's about women. I never wrote that I thought women were cowards if the wanted to carry weapons.

"Unless I am caught naked in the shower, I will NEVER fight somebody
unarmed, punching it out is for people who watch to many action movies
and who don't get the big picture, shoot the guy, grab a chair, use my
belt, ashtray, my knifes, sticks, rocks, a table, OC Spray, whatever I can
grab to bash the attackers head in or stab him intell he can no longer hurt
me or my loved ones.

That IS martial arts, or what I define as a martial artist, the object is to
survive, be that to avoid the situation in the first place, to de-esclate it
once it starts, to just control the situation and leave, or to being
pre-emptive and just lash out with everything you have in your arsenal."


This is exactly how I think. This is also how I train martial arts and beleive me, I know what works. I don't exactly live in the nicest of neighborhoods ( altough I would like too when I move out). BJ I think u have to re-read my post coz I think u missed someting.

"Don't get me wrong, I would want that my gf could have someting that she
could defend herself with but I just don't think the whole 'pepper spray to
evryone' would really work here."

That actually sums up everything I have to say. I'm not a fool. I would want my gf to carry pepper spray. Why? Coz I love her and it would make her feel safe. BUT. I still don't think it should be legalized coz were I live it would just be used to make criminals more effective. And it would.

[Black Jack]

Kristoffer,

I didn't mean to come on to harsh, I see where your trying to go to, but here is something I believe a person should think about on the matter.

Making OC Spray legal is not going to give a criminal any better advantage point to having this weapon, there CRIMINALS, they will use whatever they deem needed to get the their goal line, this goal line could be rape, it could be robbery, it could be torture, it could be murder, the point being that they don't follow rules, this line of thinking goes along with the gun arguement, if the criminal wants OC Spray to use in a robbery, he will get it, if he wants a gun he will get it, if he wants a knife he will get it, the only one who gets bent over a rail by this is the citizen who does not have access to self protection devices, it gives the criminal a safety zone, they know you won't be carrying a gun or using OC Spray or having a knife, because the government does not allow their citizens to defend themselves with weapons, which is VERY anti-self defense, so the criminal has a serious edge, to pardon the pun.

I don't know WHY a country would be so close minded that they would ban a less than lethal weapon but I guess it happens, people still get raped, murdered, and robbed but that does not affect that status quo.

On a practical level, OC spray or a makeshift verison like Rogue stated, hairspray, is a distance weapon, a projecticle, IMHO that is the best bet, to not be in touching distance of the criminal to nail him from a distance.

But in the end, its all about being able to deploy, when you can not deploy, thats where the hand to hand skills come into play.

[Kristoffer]

Agree..

On the flip side-- In one hand I would be releifed if it was legalized because I would want my gf or mom to be able to handle a dangerous situation. But On the other hand I would be more nervous walking these streets knowing that basicly everyone could carry this kind of weapon. (even I)

I asked a question earlier; How long can u spray before it runs dry? Is there any way of knowing when it is almost empty?

[BrentCarey]

I have a few comments.

1) Pepper spray is a fairly effective weapon in diminishing an attacker's capacity to attack. It will not stop a determined attacker, but it will reduce his/her ability to see and breath, and will be a significant distraction.

2) No handheld weapon is very useful if it is not held in the hand. It is not news that the weapon must be in the hand before the attack or it will not likely be of any use.

3) I used to work on a counter-drug task force where we put our lives in danger on a daily basis. In some kinds of situations we went in unarmed. We insisted that we needed some kind of protection for these types of operations and demanded vests. Instead, we got firearms. Unfortunately, mine wasn't big enough to cover all of my vital organs.

My point here is that people often mistakenly consider a weapon as an instrument of self-defense. Weapons are offensive instruments. (Yes, of course they can often be also used for defense, but you get the point.)

Rule #1 of self-defense is to be where the attack is not. Effectively, pepper spray gives you an extra margin of error provided you have it in hand at the time of the error. What I mean is that if you were unsuccessful at keeping yourself out of trouble, pepper spray can give you the extra edge you need to get yourself back out of trouble. It of course won't slay an attacker.

Throughout my training (military, law enforcement, Kung Fu) I've been sprayed, zapped, gassed, etc by pretty much every non-lethal weapon used. Pepper spray takes a pretty direct hit to do more than just aggravate the eyes, nose, and throat.

Peace,

- B. A. Carey

[wu_de36]

Originally posted by Kristoffer
Oh and wu_de36
"you should be hanging
your head in shame if you really consider yourselves "martial artists."

I do consider myself a martial artist. Who the **** are u to say I should hang my head in shame??
Who's a better martial artist? The coward who has to carry weapons to feel safe, or the normal guy who just relies on common sense and street smarts?


I can't tell if your head is stuck in the clouds or in your arse.

Common sense and street smarts are a good thing, and I don't think you will find anyone here who will dispute you on that fact. Most of the time, using your head will keep you out of trouble. And perhaps things are a little different in your country, but here in the US, there are times when normal law-abiding folks who make an effort to stay away from trouble have trouble pay them a visit.

All the common sense and street smarts in the world won't do squat against a fellow set upon killing or raping you. That's when you do what you are trained to do.

Carrying weapons is not a cowardly thing to do. It is a ****ed smart thing to do, IMO. Banning weapons is a ludicrous solution, as it will only prevent those people who fear breaking the law from carrying those weapons. If someone is intent on raping and killing, do you think they will be deterred because their weapon of choice is illegal?

My girlfriend carries pepper spray, good stuff. I would say she could get about 5 seconds of spray out of her canister. That is enough for her to use it as metsubishi and then disable her attacker. She has lots of martial training, but she won't get past the fact that she's under 60kg.

Maybe you don't want to carry a weapon because you're too much of a badass martial arts master to need them, but don't prevent smaller people, the elderly, and the handicapped from using "cowardly" ways to defend themselves.

And don't stop realists like myself from doing it either. I carry pepper spray, a yawara, and a knife. I don't want to use any of them. But I will if pressed, and I will end it as quickly as possible. You may be heroic and allow your chi to protect you.

[Dark Knight]

"It's illegal here. Cops carry it (no guns). "

Do you guys have any means to defend yourself in the UK?

[wu_de36]

And last time I checked, OC is perfectly legal in most of my country, and I haven't heard of any bands of crooks using pepper spray to disable their attackers.

I'd personally rather be pepper-sprayed than jacked with a screwdriver in the kidney.

If you ban guns, a killer will use a knife.
Ban knives (sorry chefs!) a killer will use a baton, nunchaku, pipe, etc.

Ban these, they will grab a stick or a rock and bash your head open.

Most knife attacks are done with either kitchen knives or nasty shivs such as screwdrivers. Don't believe me, you can acccess the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports. Yet, congress bans switchblades and balisongs. I'm sure the number of people knifed with a $150 Benchmade balisong are pretty low.

They run on fear. People are always afraid that when given access to such violent and efficient ways of killing, that the streets will be a river of blood.

In my state (Ohio) there is a large rush to legalize concealed handguns. The opponents use the same ol' "Ohio will turn into Dodge City" arguement.

A judge in Hamilton county suspended the law banning concealed firearms, and it lasted two weeks before the Supreme Court re-instated it temporarily. You know, for our safety.

Too bad there wasn't an actual problem.

Do you guys follow me, or am I talking to a bunch of hoplophobe ostriches with their heads perpetually stuck in the sand?

I realize a lot of you folks are from Europe, where the concept of weapons is a little foreign, but I'm asking you to be open minded.

I have been around guns and knives for 25 years, and never had the urge to use them against someone. I am not the lone voice of reason in a sea of psychopaths. Most people are the same way. "A man should believe in the right to bear arms, though he hopes never to use them."

We get awfully touchy when people start talking about what we should be trusted with, and what we "need" to own. Maybe you guys will never understand this.

Basic Premise:
- People have, and always will, kill. It is a hard indisputable fact.

- Laws banning acts, items, etc. are seldom strong deterrants. A person who wants to use a prostitute, buy drugs, speed, or murder will do so without thinking of the punitive ramifications.

- Rather than making it more difficult for the law-abiding citizen to have the means to defend themselves, why not encourage ownership of weapons?

[fa_jing]

Just wanted to share a personal anecdote with your guys - I know a woman who used pepper spray against an attacker (who she knew), don't know what type whe used, but it didn't do anything to the guy, at least as far as she could tell. She got away anyway, but it goes to show you, as others have mentioned, pepper spray can fail to accomplish the goal, especially against a determined assailant, as was the case in this instance.

-FJ

[wu_de36]

When discussing pepper spray, I make sure to get rid of any misconceptions about it being the "magic bullet" of self-defense tools. Too many people I know think that it will drop everyone.

Reactions differ greatly between individuals. I am not a fan of the stuff, and would prefer not to be sprayed with it.

Used more as a blinding technique and a set-up for a more incapacitating attack, I think it considerably more effective.

By itself, YMWillV.

[Kristoffer]

Maybe if u read my posts you will understand what I'm saying?
The fact that I dont carry weapons (not often anyway) has nothing to do with my superior martial art skills and high chi level and high iq (compared to u anyway).. This simply has to do with the fact that it is ILEGAL to carry any weapons where I live. I abide the law. That makes me "macho"?

[Kristoffer]

"I realize a lot of you folks are from Europe, where the concept of weapons
is a little foreign, but I'm asking you to be open minded."


I beleive your facts Wu_de. I do.
I'm sorry to pop your above statement but Sweden is a country with alot of ilegal hand guns. I fact, if u look at percentage of population/ guns you'll see that Sweden is one of the worst country in this sense. So to say that this concept of weapons is 'foreign' to us is naive, and wrong.
My country has alot of violence. MC gangs, organized crime syndicate's, Yugoslavian Mafia, Albanian mafia, several gangs, new-nazi punks, organized Nazi's, anarchy-kids who have traditions of trashing a city every year... I could go on alot to prove my point.

Not necesary, I have already stated my beleifs and my thoughts. They remain the same. So my beleives makes me a bad martial artist? That is a childish way of arguing.

[Kristoffer]

gotta go eat.. good nite

[wu_de36]

Originally posted by Kristoffer
[BMy country has alot of violence. MC gangs, organized crime syndicate's, Yugoslavian Mafia, Albanian mafia, several gangs, new-nazi punks, organized Nazi's, anarchy-kids who have traditions of trashing a city every year... I could go on alot to prove my point.
[/B]

Yet,

from what I can gather from your comments, it is illegal in Sweden for a common person to even own pepper spray.

so exactly how do the laws help?

[Kristoffer]

I guess it limits the criminal usage of pepper spray and leaves criminals with alot of guns insted :D

[WhtLotus]

I don't think pepper spray is that great of a thing. A lot of my friends carry it, and they think that that is all they would need to defend themselves. I think the main thing that women (all people, actually) should do for self defense is to remain aware of their surroundings and stay out of "danger areas." And, if for some reason you still attacked, a person should have some basic self-defense skills... like I was told, go right for the eyes. Dig your fingers in there, because the going for the eyes is more crippling than what most girls think (nads). People are protective of their eyes, and if they can't see you, they can't chase you... if you just knee them in the nads, they can still come after you. In fact, they may be just be more ****ed.

My two cents.