When you’re in a dangerous situation, pepper spray could be the very thing that saves your life – for self defense. And the reason why is because of the primary ingredient Oleoresin Capsicum, a chemical that is extracted from hot peppers. When this chemical is sprayed into a person’s eyes, they will experience burning, pain, chocking, swelling of the eye’s and blindness… symptoms that will last at least 40 minutes to an hour. This gives you plenty of time to escape the situation.
However, in order to maximize the effects of pepper spray you must:
1) know the laws surrounding pepper spray use,
2) know which type you should buy and
3) learn how to properly apply the spray when you’re in a threatening situation. The sections below will address each of these concerns.
Pepper Spray and the Law
Since pepper spray is considered a non-lethal weapon, many jurisdictions allow men and women to freely carry it when they’re out in public. However, even then there are exceptions, especially if you’re using mass transportation or visiting a building with a lot of security, (such as a courthouse). If you try to carry pepper spray during these times, it will get confiscated. You may also encounter legal problems if the police believe you were trying to do something unscrupulous.
So, before buying pepper spray, research the laws of your local jurisdiction. Find out if it’s even legal to begin with. And if it is, do further research to determine the exact Scoville Heat Units (SHU) level that is permissible and the situations through which you can use the weapon.
Buying Pepper Spray
There are three considerations you should consider when buying pepper spray. They are as follows:
1. Style – Pepper sprays need to be somewhat large and tactile. Otherwise, you might have trouble finding them when you’re going through your purse.
2. Oil-Based – Oil-based pepper sprays are more potent because you don’t have to worry about the ingredients settling at the bottom of the container.
3. Size – Size doesn’t really determine a pepper spray’s effectiveness, since even the smallest amount will do the trick. However, you still need to look at it because in some jurisdictions it might be illegal to carry pepper spray in larger amounts.
Applying the Pepper Spray
In order to properly apply pepper spray, you need to follow each of the steps below:
1. Put the pepper spray in quick access area, (like your coat, shirt or pants pocket).
2. Place your hand onto the pepper spray AS SOON as you enter into a potentially dangerous situation, (like walking alone in a parking lot). Do this EVEN if things seem safe.
3. Keep your eyes and ears open. You want to try to notice an attacker’s advances before they get too close to you.
4. Flip off the safety switch. If someone starts approaching you, don’t second-guess the situation. Go on and flip off the safety switch. This won’t spray anything, but it will get your weapon ready IF you do have to fire.
5. Press the button while walking/running away from the assailant. This is important, because many people tend to spray while running at the assailant, something that is dangerous for two reasons. First, it’s possible that you could get some of the spray onto yourself, which could demobilize you. Secondly, it is possible that the assailant could attack you, especially if they have their own weapon.
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