Also be advised that pepper spray is not terribly effective against people or dogs. The effects are miserable but it generally forces a fight or flight response. Most reasonable people quit once sprayed, but if they were reasonable to begin with they wouldn’t have been sprayed…
^ Ah, but remember, this *also* applies directly to our other defensive tools. as well.
Neither the knife nor the handgun are the "manstoppers" that television and Hollywood make them out to be. Both require precise disruption of critical anatomy to disable action, and failing that, the mechanism of blood-loss is one that unfortunately often requires significant time to reach desired effect.
Similar considerations also goes for the stun-gun (pain compliance) and even the TASER.
You're absolutely right, though, in that a psychological stop is just as good as a physiologic stop any day, as long as the threat has done just that: stopped.
But when that individual or beast was unreasonable to begin with, well, that does say a lot.
The truth is that we need to understand the capabilities of any of the tools that we may choose to carry. In my humble opinion, it's nearly as great of a sin to misunderstand -and thus misuse- that tool, just as it is to simply carry it as an amulet in an effort to ward off evil.
Also very importantly for those who carry these items is that one should pay attention to the expiration date imprinted on the product, and replace the item accordingly.
It will slam your eyes shut but there is a long time when you are vulnerable to attack still. Also be aware that if you spray, you can expect to be affected as well. The stuff is directed by the wind and also bounces off walls, people, cars etc.
Food for thought.
Cheers Gofer
and
When I was eight, I had been eyeing the mace on the visor of the car for some time. When the alone time presented itself I finally pulled it from it's resting place and clicked it to armed. I knew enough to point it away from me but pushing down released a giant puff the immediately came back on me because I hadn't checked the wind situation. I could blame it on only being eight but I'm an idiot even to this day. But I can learn from my mistakes!!! No more pissing in the wind for me! Train, Train, Train.
It's worth noting that there are different.......
- formulations: CN, CS (commonly known as "tear gas"), and OC - the latter of which is what we typically refer to as "pepper spray," which is itself is rather confusingly marketed based on either their "strength," via "Scoville Heat Units" ("SHU," where it is typically recommended by experts to look for units billing at 1 million SHU or above [common range is between 500,000 to ~5 million]) or via "concentration" (typically listed as a straight percentage between 1 to 20%, with SMEs recommending purchasing those of > 5% concentration) or "Total Capsaicinoids" ("SHU x concentration," with SMEs recommending the rather commonly available 1.5%, but that anything > 0.5% is seen as acceptable). CN and CS are classified as irritants, and thus depend heavily on the target's reaction to pain, which is both subjective to the individual as well as can be decreased due to the presence of perception-altering substances; OC, on the other hand, is an inflammatory agent - and thus is both faster-acting as well as causes a physiologic reaction that leads to the vision/respiratory effects which typically causes the threat to temporarily disengage. Some OC units also include other irritants and/or a visible/UV marking dye to help authorities identify the sprayed individual.
- devices: Not just "keychain" versus "grenade" versus "spray can," but in even more detail, like the actual physical format and size of the device: i.e. "MK-3," "MK-6," "MK-9," etc. Also, there are differences in propellant type, such as with the Kimber PepperBlaster, which may make certain units more or less well-suited for certain tasks or even storage conditions. The Defense-Technology website has this great resource to help buyers visualize both physical size/configuration as well as dispersal pattern (below) - https://www.defense-technology.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/DT_OC_Aerosols_Sell_Sheet.pdf
- dispersal pattern: Fog, spray/mist, cone, or stream - and the latter can also be foam or gel, each of these have their own strengths and compromises where it comes to range versus coverage versus speed-to-effect versus the risk of "blowback" onto the defender who is employing the device. No one pattern is optimal for all scenarios. For example, the spray/mist allows for considerably more leeway in terms of aim and its aerosolized particles can induce a more rapid response in the targeted individual when compared against a stream of gel or foam. But compared against the stream, the spray/mist lacks significant range (typically cited as 3 to 4 yards for the former, versus just 2 to 3 yards for the latter), and also risks more significant blowback from wind. Inert training sprays are available for many of the most popular formats, and it's smart money to invest a few dollars in these devices in order to get a better understanding of the effective range and other usage characteristics of the dispersal pattern you've chosen (as well as so that you can see how the item may fit in your hand and/or must be indexed and accessed in-fight [i.e. dominant hand versus support-hand preference, etc.]).
As a personal example, I carry a stream MK-6 device, on my dominant side. I chose these characteristics based on what I perceive as my most likely use of this defensive tool. Another person may have the same requirements as me - or not.
And as with any defensive scenario, it's smart to bet on your primary plan or action *_not_* working out as you had envisioned. Have a backup plan - whether it be to beat-feet via the classic Nike defense or to go hands-on, or to escalate to lethal-force.
gundigest.com
