I agree and John makes an important point. Before worrying about the legal aftermath of using some less-lethal (it may sound PC but it really is a more accurate description than "non-lethal") weapon, using it is not the end of the situation. A Taser only incapacitates for a set number of seconds and chemical sprays don't prevent an intruder from shooting blindly, stabbing, or grabbing someone.

I think it's out of print now, but I regularly re-read Sanford Strong's Strong on Defense to refresh my memory. I'm not someone with military, law enforcement, or extensive martial arts or street fighting experience, so I agree with his philosophy that the first, best strategy is to just get away and put distance between you and some threat as quickly as possible. When you're surprised by someone wanting to do something to you (i.e. rob, rape, torture, kidnap, etc.), you have the most control and the most ability to influence the outcome in those initial seconds, particularly if you're unarmed. (Of course, the same principal applies if you're armed, too)

So, if you're going to use a Taser or chemical spray, I think it's just as critical to think about how to either get everyone into a "safe room" or just get out of the house, perhaps using your family fire safety evacuation routes. Physically restraining or beating the crap out of the guy after spraying or tasering is another option, but I wouldn't recommend it. Just stay away.

Actually, in reality, deploying a less-lethal could be something done while trying to escape, too. The sequence doesn't have to be wait, spray, and then run. You just don't have the combination of range and immediate stopping power of a firearm to give you that luxury of waiting around. Try to bail first and if the bad guy tries to stop you, you zap or spray him to keep him occupied. Even if you have to run by the guy in your small apartment to get away. If possible, I wouldn't just hunker down in the bedroom with a less-lethal waiting for some intruder to find you in the bedroom (unless it really is a hardened "safe room") but just bail at the first chance, like out the bedroom window.

Well, everyone's situation is different so you need to think about what is best for your arrangement. For example, if it's not easy to escape from your bedroom (maybe it's too high or my physical condition doesn't allow it) and say you have a big can of bear spray, you could give the hallway a good dose of bear spray, close the bedroom door, and hope that this lingering cloud of stinging gas discourages anyone from coming that way. Hopefully that buys you time for the police to arrive. That's another potential use of a chemical spray that I have thought about.

Anyway, these are not necessarily ideas that will just magically come to mind in the heat of the moment. You should really think about them and mentally rehearse them before they're needed so that under stress, hopefully they do come to mind when needed.

And for anyone that hasn't read Strong on Defense and is wondering, Strong does realize that you can't always get away first. In which case, he tells you that you need mentally prepare yourself right now to do whatever it takes to fight and get away. Someone may choose a less-lethal option because they don't want to kill anyone, especially their own children, but Strong says that they need to face up to the reality that it may come down to you or him at some point. You could miss with your one Taser shot and he's on you, or you could hit someone with pepper spray but they're close enough to still grab onto you.

Be prepared to be shot or stabbed, and to bleed and be in pain. Be prepared to gouge out an eye or do a Mike Tyson (in trouble with the law again yesterday!) and bite off an ear. Some people react to a threat with rage and action, but many of us just shut down and that makes us a sitting duck. Which is why we need to mentally rehearse before something happens to be ready to react and act, in case we're one of the types that naturally wants to shut down in response to danger or pain.