Is Pepper Spray an effective way to fend off an attacker?

Question

If not - what is? I don't want to carry around a gun - maybe someday I would get one for my home but not right now.

I also carry a knife but don't think I could have the guts to stab someone.

BTW I'm 19

I just bought a large canister it says 17% on it

Haha speaking of the army I knew a guy who went through the training for that also and he was making fun of his sister's pepper spray and bragging that he was trained in the army .. so she sprayed him with it and he started crying and they had to call the paramedics LOL

Answer 1

First and foremost, evaluate what you need it for. Obviously you feel you need it for protection, but under what conditions? You see, mace comes in two distinctive delivery systems.

The first is a spray. This basically is a stream of liquid mace. It burns the skin and eyes on contact. The fumes from it also burn the eyes, nose, and lungs. No long term damage takes place, but the person effected will not be able to see and may think the can’t breath even though his screaming will prove he is getting more than enough oxygen. This type of delivery is most effective outside in calm to light winds. It is also very effective indoors.

The second delivery system is a fogger. While these are VERY effective when used against an assailant, I generally don’t recommend them. Reason being, they are very limited in their safe application areas. You see, with a fogger, you are putting out a very light weight powder fog much like flower. It will float on the air for a little while until it slowly settles to the ground or is blown away with a breeze. Their range it great! I used one that fired over 30 feet. I did it a 2nd time a few days later and realized a split second to late that I was shooting into the wind. Take my word for it, this stuff is nasty if you are on the receiving end of it. I did recommend a fogger for one lady who only needed it when she walked to her car inside a large, indoor, parking garage. Her environment allowed her to use it effectively.

It is ok to get the small ones that attach to a key chain as long as it is not the tiny one you see in some stores. What you are looking for is a canister at least as big around as a roll of nickels. Remember, the contents are under pressure and the larger the can, the more pressure, hence the more distance you can get from the spray. Make sure you can get to it quickly. My wife carries hers in her purse snapped just inside at the top. If you think you found the right product, buy one and test it. Yes, that means wasting one, but you need to know how well it will spray. If the assailant is 5 feet away and your can dribbles out only 1 or 2 feet, you’re in trouble.

If you ever have to use it, don’t pull it out until you are ready to shoot. Threatening someone with it can get you in big trouble legally at best and killed at worst. Make it a split second surprise.

Lastly, talk to your local police about any specific laws regarding the use of mace in your area. If they offer a class, TAKE IT!

Good luck.

Answer 2

Ok, I like OC better than a stun gun for several reasons. Firstly, there are several versions of OC, as others have mentioned. There is the stream spray, the "fog" spray, and the "foam" spray.

Make sure which type you buy. All can be effective, all have strengths/weaknesses. As mentioned, be aware of the wind if outside, or near ceiling fans. The Foam type is most resistant to wind.

Tactically, OC is usefull at a longer range than stun guns. You can be several feet away from an attacker, shouting "Get away!" and backing up (this means witnesses will remember you attempting to get away) as you spray your attacker.

Stun guns require you to touch your attacker (this means witnesses will remember you "striking" your attacker, perhaps blurring the line between good guy/bad guy).

Also, people tend to "test" their stun guns by discharging them. You only get one good, full power burst from a 9 volt battery, so if you've "tested" it, or showed it off, your stunner is not at full power.

Do remember, however, that about 10% of people show no significant effect when hit by OC. This does not include the people you miss.

Some manufacturers make "training" sprays, using the same unit, just with pressurized water shooting from it. Get this, and practice shooting a moving target. Get a friend to come at you wearing a face mask. Aim for eyes, nose, and mouth, in that order. Practice makes perfect! Practice spraying while backing away and shouting for help.

Answer 3

Pepper spray is very effective. It has a long range and it will fend off wild animals and people alike. Usually when someone gets sprayed they can't see for crap, which means you have time to get away. Carrying a gun or knife might not be the best idea unless you are secure enough with yourself to know you could harm someone if you had to. Many people carry weapons and then when it comes down to it they chicken out, do something stupid, and their own weapon gets used on them.

Answer 4

Short answer: yes

Long answer: it depends.... 'frinstance, is it a brand of OC (Oleo Capsicum) spray of decent quality? Often advertised in units of "%", it's more accurate to measure in Scoville Heat Units. Standard law enforcement issue OC is at least 2.5 million Scoville Units, preferably 5mSC or more.
Getting it in the bad guys eyes works... but it takes several seconds to make the eyes swell shut. If he (or she, I don't want to offend any Bad Guygals now) inhales, the irritation in mouth, throat, larynx, and lungs will shut the BGG faster.
BUT>>>> a determined attacker can still pursue and continue an attack. I've personally been sprayed in training and was able to continue pressing an attack. If I'd had a knife or contact weapon I could have done some damage before I was sufficiently disabled. I've also witnessed someone (another trainer) sprayed, 2 solid hits, who went on to empty his pistol into a target.
Fair-skinned, blue eyed folk react more strongly. The wind can and does blow spray back at the sprayer. And so on.

Short answer, yes.
Long answer, it depends. Best used as one more line of defense, but not the whole defense.

Answer 5

When I bought my pepper spray, I did a test discharge. The wind kicked up, so I walked away fro the discharge zone and I still ended up breathing in some of it and it burned and made me cough really bad. I can't imagine what a direct hit would do.
Another option may be a tazer gun. I hear those are becoming popular because they are more available and don't (supposedly) cause any perminate damage.

Answer 6

In some cases it is effective, how ever there are plenty of people out there that it will only mildly affect (used to stand in the gas chambers while training in the Army without my mask to prove a point). However, it is still better than having nothing, and just the suprise of getting something sprayed in your face is usually enough to give you an opening to get out of the situation.

Answer 7

If it comes down to your life, or the life of the attacker, do you really want to give up your life for this scumbag? Pepper spray is effective in may 20-25% of the time. I personally would NOT rely on it for defense purposes.

Answer 8

Pepper spray is quite effective...
I was outside testing my spray, to see if it actually sprayed... it just sorta drizzled down the tube, but even though it was an arm-lenght away from me, it still burned my entire face for about 30 minutes.

Answer 9

It can work on most people. But Pepper Spray will not work on everyone. I have seen it first hand with people that just looked at you and it had no effect.

I have even seen people hit with a stun gun and it have no effect.

But I carry one myself, it does good for most people, and works good on dogs also.

Answer 10

Pepper spray is not effective. For one thing you have to be in relatively close proximity to use it. Second - you may end up incapacitating yourself because if there is any sort of breeze it can easily blow back in your face.

I would suggest looking into a stun gun.