How would you guys react when some of your guy/girl friends tease you about carrying pepper spray?. I have had some of my guy friends say to me "Hey, the pepper spray is for girls only. You shouldn't be carrying that. Fight like a man". I would like to know your comment. thanks.

I carry pepper spray when on duty (as a force option), and sometimes off duty (especially when going somewhere with crowds). I would wonder when was the last time one of your friends had to "fight like a man"? My experience has taught me that pepper spray can be a good equalizer when the other person is bigger, stronger, younger, faster, crazy, and/or armed with a simple weapon (like a beer bottle, etc.). Usually just the appearance of the can takes the fight right out of them. Hand-to-hand combat is not usually my first choice. There is too much potential for both parties to become injured.

My guess is that the "friends" telling you this have rarely if ever been in a real fight, and if they were it was mild or they were on the winning side. I have a hard time with this sort of peer pressure. Hide the can if you don't feel comfortable getting ribbed a little.

This is all about appearance and bravado, and who cares if it makes you feel safe? The guys who say this sort of thing are often the ones who need it most... mouthing off at a bar, flipping the bird in traffic, trying to show off and act tough.

A lot of the LEOs I know carry pepper spray, do you think they are girly? I'm fairly skilled in martial arts, but I would carry the stuff if it meant avoiding a fight. In this day and age, it's not uncommon for a fist fight to turn into a deadly brawl involving knives, guns, broken bottles etc. I could defend myself fairly well, but what if it's a few guys who are trying to jump me? That can of spray could even the odds. Same thing if I'm trying to protect my family... staying and fighting is almost always the wrong choice. If a fight is imminent, that could buy you some time, saving your life, a broken face, a ruptured eye socket, knife in the ribs, and any number of other things.

Tell your "friend" to mind his/her own business, or just find better friends.

First: Isn't this a post for 'around the campfire'?

Second: What is the opinion from you guys about tasers?

REI has the grizzly size on sale this week. In case you have really big pockets..

TRO

While Tasers are a good tool they are just that a tool. I have seen them fail, on the same suspect (person) that pepper spray failed on. My partners (I saw the in car video as I was off duty) had to resort to good old fashioned brute force to remove the suspect from his car (DWI), once out he was secured and taken to jail. The subject was searing a Carhart coat and insulated coveralls. He was hit with two different cartridges and shocked through four (2 with each cargridge) series of the Taser's shocks without any effect. The Taser had been fully charged at the start of the officer's shift. four probes had to be removed from the suspect's clothing. This was before Taser redesigned their probes lengthening them.

Other problems with a Taser is it is only effective on one person at a time, unlike a firearm, or pepper spray. Second is the cost. For the price you could buy a very good handgun, ammo, pepper spray, and holsters for them. Third Tasers shoot two probes that both have to stick into the target (person) or it will have no effect.

Also in some areas it is illegal to carry either a Taser or a pistol legally, or they require the same permit.

On the plus side, the Taser is non-lethal, and can be used, and dropped to allow escape while it cycles through it's shock.

The choice is yours, but on duty I carry OC (pepper spray), a pistol, and a flashlight (impact weapon). My department is not issued or allowed Tasers. The unit involved was a neighboring department that arrived to backup my partner.

Good luck and Stay Safe

A plus side of the taser is that it can't hurt the one that is using it (unless the user is really.....), unlike pepperspray, wich can be blown back (by wind) into the users face.

For example, in the UK where the police don't carry firearms, a taser would be a good alternative (together with OC and baton).
Because it's not-lethal (in most cases) and looks like a gun, wich disencourages the criminal to use force against the police.

I (16) don't carry any weapons. But I believe that in The Netherlands (where I live) tasers are illegal. I don't know if pepperspray is illegal.

I can tell you from experience that getting sprayed with oc is not a pleasant experience. I was a summer cop years ago and we were sprayed directly in the face for training purposes. I was on my hands and knees for at least 45 min. with my face in a bucket of soap and water to wash it off. It's like bobbing for french fries still in the fryer! <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />I personally try hard not to get into fights in the first place. Survival is about getting rescued or to self rescue. I would consider that using oc to delay someone who wants to cause me bodily harm would be a valid survival tactic. I have no experience with Tasers.

teargas and pepperspray are both illegal in holland.

Jim,

Here is a man that could also use the "Hillbilly" option: maybe a Glock 23. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I carry a SureFire C2 & Punch II (always), a Kel-Tec .380 (almost always), and a Glock 27 with a +1 magazine (very frequently). God bless America for the CCW! <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Tell those "sissy boy" friends of yours they don't know what the hell they are talking about! I'm sure if you were together and attacked you would see them in an entirely different light. A man with a weapon has courage an unarmed man has no recourse but to beg for his life.