Pepper Spray Pistols

[OKronin]

Wife cannot get comfortable with pistol carry so I am looking at pepper spray guns to provide some protection. I have looked at the new Kimber pepper spray gun and found online the Mace pepper spray gun.

Would appreciate feed-back on how these 2 guns compare?

[sipowicz]

Why not a good 2 oz stream can?...if you miss with the gun, you are screwed....with the can you can hold down and keep spraying until he rubs the whites of his eyes...

[zercool]

Pepper spray has a place. In something gun-shaped is not it.

[sipowicz]

Good point....I was thinking that too....

[Bratastic007]

I will 2nd (3rd?) the opinion that pistol-shaped pepper sprayers are two bad ideas in one.

For much less money, you can buy your wife a simple can of pepper spray. Better yet, buy her two identical ones so that she can practice with one and become comfortable with its use. Maybe set up a jack-o-lantern for her to practice on?

Also, it's my opinion that making anything gun-shaped which is not a gun is a recipe for trouble.

[novalty]

How about the Kimber model with 2 spray nozzles? I wonder if anyone has had any experience with those. Every time I see them on the shelf I wonder how effective they are, plus the shape makes me wonder how fast they are to get ahold and aim.

[ASA335]

I was an OC (pepper spray) instructor for my department.

I tend to agree with those above that pistol shaped ones run additional issues (such as, it might be mistaken for a real gun), but I think some of the bigger issues are:

1. Legality. Though most states don't have many if any restrictions, many local jurisdictions do. Check state, county and city law.

2. Use of force issues still remain. Check use of force law and practices also. Some jurisdictions place OC higher on the use of force scale than others do.

3. Ignore 5% or 10% claims – they’re meaningless unless you know what the 5% or 10% is of. The Scoville Scale (reported in Scoville Heat Units – SHU) is what matters, and if it’s not indicated on the can or in the packaging pass on to another brand. I carry a 1,000,000 SHU OC canister on my duty belt. My ASP Defender OC is rated at 2,000,000 SHU. Many civilian cheapie OC sprays are rated at 500,000 SHU or even much less. For comparison, the hottest chile pods at your local mega-mart can run 300,000 or better SHU.

4. There is a difference between spray, stream and foam OC. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages. For example: Spray gives the best target coverage, but also is more easily blown around (or away) by mild winds. I carry stream on my duty belt, but my ASP Defender is spray.

5. Yes it’s a pain (pun intended), but it’s always good to know how the user will be affected by their own OC. The odds of getting at least some of their own OC back on them during a use are pretty good. This is the main reason we have our officers get sprayed by their own duty OC.

6. Practice proper technique. I can’t really get into it here, that’s part of the reason why we have a class for officers. Either find a cop willing to pass on their training technique, or find training elsewhere.

7. My recommendation is to use OC only as a measure to get away, not to subdue and hold for police. Spray, quickly leave to the nearest safe spot, and then call 911 to report.

Also, I like the ASP Defender and have bought them for my wife and daughters, and have recommended it to many. It is a combination key ring, kubotan and OC can. Your loved one can have their keys in their hand as they approach the car, house, office, etc… and have a striking tool and OC in their hand at the same time without making others nervous. Since it is a true spray type dispenser though, one does have to be aware of wind direction when they use it.

In Pursuit,

[HAWKEYE10]

Get her a can of wasp spray for around the house and maybe for the car. Don

[myanof]

I have the same situation with my wife. Her Mod 36 stays in the night stand or in her purse only when she travels. I didn't care for the Kimber because it only has two shots. I bought my wife a 2oz Fox Pepper Spray for her purse.

[Bratastic007]

Originally Posted by HAWKEYE10

Get her a can of wasp spray for around the house and maybe for the car. Don

That's not really great advice. Wasp spray can cause permanent nerve damage. If you're using it as a replacement for pepper spray, you'll wind up getting sued by the recipient, and possibly also in trouble with the law.

It may be legal to own, but that doesn't mean it's legal to weaponize it.

Edit to add: Maybe you were joking? I didn't notice the little smiley face at first...

[HAWKEYE10]

I wasn't kidding. I put a smiley at the start of all my post, because I am happy and I want every one to be happy. If some one broke in my house and I had wasp spray I would spray it at him or her. I would do what I had to do be it using wasp spray or a gun and worry about a law suit later. This is just my opinion. Don

[Bratastic007]

Gotcha. Yeah, if someone broke into my house, I would use whatever I had at hand to defend myself and my family. If I were in my basement, and a jar of lye was the only thing I had handy, the would-be robber would probably wind up with a face full of that nasty stuff. I'm sure it would be effective too.

But just because lye is effective doesn't mean I carry a jar of it around in my car or coat pocket as my self defense weapon.

[mike2010]

Wasp spray a self defense deterrent is an absolute MYTH! Police departments worldwide use pepper spray because the inflammatory effects of this agent work on those which cannot feel pain (very important). The inflammatory effects of pepper spray cause eyes to close involuntarily and produce a loss of breath sensation. Pepper spray has been proven effective on deterring and incapacitating aggressive, combative, intoxicated and drug induced individuals for over 20 years.
To date, no human testing has been conducted on WASP spray and it’s a violation of federal law to use in self defense. There are many home defense pepper spray options which will deploy up to 25 feet and unlike WASP sprays, these pepper sprays do not require the user to be as accurate because their spray pattern will cover an entire doorway. Pepper spray is a safe, proven option which is trusted and relied upon by police officers worldwide. Stick with pepper spray!

[Strato]

Originally Posted by Bratastic007

Gotcha. Yeah, if someone broke into my house, I would use whatever I had at hand to defend myself and my family. If I were in my basement, and a jar of lye was the only thing I had handy, the would-be robber would probably wind up with a face full of that nasty stuff. I'm sure it would be effective too.

But just because lye is effective doesn't mean I carry a jar of it around in my car or coat pocket as my self defense weapon.

Exactly. Whatever's at hand. A courtroom beats the morgue any day.

[Ramman911]

Police departments worldwide use pepper spray because the inflammatory effects of this agent work on those which cannot feel pain (very important)

I never thought of that's why they would use it. Good point, thanks