Maybe if you met some of the people who use pepper spray around the world, you’d be convinced of how effective it is and change your mind about whether you should carry one. First of all, let me tell you that it is the most popular self defense item out there. It has been around for thousands of years ever since Chinese warriors hurled bags of hot spices at their enemies.
Today it uses a concentration of 10% or more of oleoresin capsicum (OC), a derivative of one of the world’s hottest peppers. A short spray to the OC’s face will disable an attacker for 30 minutes or more. The FBI in the 1980s authorized the use of OC spray by its agents, making it a relatively new self-defense product. It is widely used for female self-defense.
The latest users of female self-defense are the Ugandan Ministry of Defense, which buys pepper spray for use by young women in their country to fight rapists. According to a recent study, desecration and rape were among the top crimes in Uganda. Unfortunately many are not reported.
The Minister of State for Youth and Children said that with a pepper spray women can easily repel an attacker. Rape is much more than a crime of assault in many countries. It is used as a political and powerful weapon.
In the United States, defensive sprays are legal in all states, but some states have restrictions on the concentration of OCs. It is illegal even for police officers to carry it in some countries.
Every law enforcement officer in this country carries one. Army and National Guard troops across the country carry pepper spray and military police officers carry pepper spray for crowd control and apprehension of criminals.
The USPS issues defensive sprays for postal workers as the primary defense against dog bites and attacks.
Outdoorsmen such as campers, hikers, hunters, and fishermen should never go into the backcountry without bear pepper spray, which is the most effective defense against a bear attack.
Professional women such as teachers, nurses and real estate agents are subjected to violence by a 9 to 1 margin over men. In this day and age, women are much more mobile and move around more. This sense of freedom is not lost on the perverts and muggers who continue to hunt them down. Some hospitals encourage their employees to carry women’s pepper sprays for female self-defense.
Homeowners and apartment bucks should have pepper spray somewhere in their home to protect them in the event of a home invasion.
There really aren’t too many people, when you really think about it, who wouldn’t improve their chances of surviving a female self-defense attack with pepper spray. Why don’t you wear one?
