Pepper Spray question

For those of you who use, or have researched pepper spray, which delivery method do you prefer: ballistic stream, dense fog, other?

Disclaimer: All my information about pepper spray is second-hand, mostly from the web. In other words, I'm no subject area expert. Below are just some thoughts.

I looked into pepper spray sometime ago as a possible aid in an active shooter situation. At the end, I decided that it was totally inadequate for that. I made a post with a preliminary list of the varieties I looked into, including projectile balls and projectile gel (guess this falls under your "other" category):

http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=15442&Number=210039#Post210039

As for your question, I am inclined towards the projectile balls or gel. Range is better. Cross-breeze doesn't affect it as much. Leave less peppery residue in the air. There is also the additional impact on the target's face. The main problem is that you usually need a gas-powered device to shoot the pepper ball/gel. So size is a problem. The other problem is that aiming may be more difficult, especially at the outer reach of its range. Stream can be affected too much by the wind. The range is more limited. On the other hand, this is what the police carries, and maybe there is a good reason (other than a canister fits on their belt more easily than a gas pistol). Fog seems more suitable for police work, controlling crowds and such. Not sure how it can be used for self-defense.

Since then, I have handled the Kimber PepperBlaster II (http://www.pepperblaster.com/). It seems like a nifty idea, even though it has only two shots. You can read the website for specifics on range, composition, etc. But let me tell you, even though it's shaped sort of like a gun, with front and rear sights, hitting anything under stress would be a bit of a challenge. There isn't that much for the hand to grab on to (your ring finger and pinky may hang off), and the distance between the sights just isn't much.

The worst thing for me is that for almost any brand/variety of pepper spray, you will be able to find a Youtube video in which the test subject takes a while to be affected. Afterwards they all complain about how terrible it was, but they all could have shot/stabbed/hit you over the head with a bat if it were a real defensive situation. For other test subjects, the spray can work quite fast. So this inconsistency worries me. If you want to carry a pepper spray, you'd better get ready to fight hand-to-hand, possibly against an armed assailant before the effect of the spray kicks in.

The stronger brands (Fox Labs, Sabre, Vexor, etc.) may have the additional problem that they're so strong that approaching or being near the "receiver" of the spray may become difficult. A guy reports that after he used a pepper spray on an assailant, the police came. They refused to take the bad guy to the station. Why? They didn't want to be in the same car with him. They made the good citizen who just defended himself drive the perp to the station. He says that he was crying the whole way from the residue spray emanating from the perp's face. Of course, this is almost a luxury problem as far as I am concerned, if the spray succeeds in saving me.

Da Bing

Disclaimer: IMHO. Never applied to a real situation.


#1. That's the hint. Use the fog. It needs more training and practice but absolutely much more effective than anything else using the OC. Also make sure you got a real thing, the bear spray is a finest example of a substance out of doubt (It stops such a complete animal).



You can use the antidote if that happens (available in stores, expensive, perishable). Regarding the effectiveness, see the note #1 above.


Sounds like an urban legend, or he (she) might sue them for that (see disclaimer). IANAL, but most likely the victim and the perp were close enough to share a ride. By the way, the fog spray evaporates faster than the foam or splashes from balls.

What is the threat that you are researching?

Bears, Pit Bulls, burglary, unarmed human attack, riots, flash mobs, gun fights?

The answers are quite different.

I won't claim to be an expert of any kind. Do your research specific to the context in which you intend to use it.

The last time I made any pepper spray purchases the consensus of people I polled preferred stream. The people whose opinions I solicited were primarily law enforcement and/or combatives practitioners.

IIRC the primary strike against foam or gel was usually that in a close hand to hand confrontation it was too common for the person on the receiving end of the spray to simply wipe it off and then apply it to the person that had deployed the spray.

Yea, stream is what's generally preferred for personal use, as it has the lowest chance of getting back onto the user. It what you'll usually see on an officer's duty belt.

For riot control a fogger is preferred for the opposite reason....it gets everywhere, so you can spray a lot of people in one instance. The downside though, is that it will get the user too. With a fogger it's best to have some sort of protection (either a full face shield or, better yet, a gas mask)

Fog..i carry the big can on solo canoe trips more as a security blanket than anything else,with no one to look over your shoulder in camp or on the portage it's just feels better to have something to even the odds--a bit--
if i had to use one on a bear i would fog the ground in front of the big guy covering my nose and mouth with my arm.also close one eye just before you shoot so if you get any blow back you will still have one good eye.

When I did training with OC spray, that's what they recommended to us. If you can, close one eye while you're spraying. I was told it might help a little, but it's no guarantee, because the stuff also effects skin and mucus membranes.

When I had to get sprayed, they made us put a hand over one eye (so we would only get sprayed on one side of the face). Even then it sucked.

However, we also had one or two people that seemed to be almost completely unaffected by it. Apparently a small portion of the population has only a minimal reaction to it. Personally, It felt like my head was in an oven while someone was pouring sand into my eyes.

Lets just say for the sake of arguing, I defend myself from an attacker with pepper spray successfully. And then the police refuse to take this criminal to the police station under arrest unless I take him there, or to a hospital for treatment where he will be observed by LEO.

I am willing to bet that between the scene of where I defended myself and where the police have forced me to take someone to affect a citizen arrest....I'm bound to drive fast over a few potholes. I might find that his head hit my windshield hard enough, several times to break the glass, its a horrible thought but I can get my windshield replaced for free through my insurance. It is possible that the spray affect this attacker so strongly that he stopped breathing. It's possible, the officers were gagging just being near him. So I had to do CPR on him and in the process a few ribs were cracked. That's pretty common in CPR. I mean I wouldn't want the guy to die on me while I was affecting a citizens arrest on the way to the police station, right?

Of course, I would personally never think to do anything like that. That would be unheard of. How uncivilized.

Sounds like Quality Polis Training...

Just to clarify, when I write the quoted sentence I thought fog meant fogger, rather than fog cone. Fox Labs recommends fog cone for civilian use, because it requires less accuracy. I don't know whether this means the police use stream. The fogger just goes everywhere. You drop the canister somewhere, after putting on your mask, of course.

As for the story possibly being an urban legend, the poster who shared the story claimed it happened to him, whatever that may mean. Anyway, the point was simply that there might be a lot of tears, choking, gasping for air, etc., from you or from bystanders.

Da Bing

Oops sorry. For use against aggressive dogs when walking the neighborhood. My wife has had two "encounters" with two different dogs. She is used to dealing with our German Shepherds, so she managed to get away unharmed. She feels the need to carry something for defense. She is an excellent marks-woman, so I suspect that will translate to the spray.

That sounds like an urban legend. If the cops use pepper spray themselves, what do they do with the perps they've sprayed?

Otherwise, got a roof rack and some rope?

Actually, I've read somewhere that you can modify the effects with milk (I would go with whole milk), but I don't know if that is true.

But I've found that if I've eaten something that is too hot due to too much pepper, a spoonful of sugar with a little water in it instantly neutalizes the capsicum. So why wouldn't it work topically?

Would anyone care to do an experiment for the edification of the rest of us?

Sue

We used hose water and Johnson's Baby shampoo (fittingly it said, 'No More Tears' on the bottle) to get rid of the stuff. From what I'm told, that's what seems to work the best.

I'm not sure if OC spray uses some kind of oil base, but that's what it felt like. It's extremely difficult to remove completely. Next time I took a shower, after getting sprayed, it actually reactivated it enough to be quite unpleasant.

I have not used the spray ... but I would offer these thoughts.

If you look at comments from people who have worked as prison guards, they will tell you that pepper spray does not work on all individuals. Some violent felons are just super-aggressive, and will carry out their actions after being sprayed. Therefore, don't imagine you've got a one-stop defense with this stuff.

I happened to be watching a screening of the TV show "Fear Factor" this weekend. Haven't watched that show in quite a while. Anyway - they took four motivated contestants and placed them inside a room with dense CNS gas. Really dense thick gas - you couldn't even see the ceiling from an inside camera. The object was to see how long each individual could tolerate the atmosphere, before they had to bail out (go outside for fresh air). The shortest time was 1 min 30 secs, and the longest was about 1 min 47 secs. Therefore, take this as a guideline. If you spray somebody, you should expect that they will keep fighting you for at least 90 seconds. That's a long time in an attack - your assailant can do a lot of damage in that time. This could include knocking you down, forcibly seizing the pepper spray cannister from your hand, and spraying you directly in the face with the spray.

Finally, many policemen who have used pepper spray in real sitations report that they have received some secondary inhalation of the spray themselves. Their eyes also became teary. So you should figure that you will get some spray too.

In spite of these drawbacks, it's probably a helpful tool for some situations. I think it would be especially useful against vicious animals - but i would still count on getting some effects of the spray on my own face and lungs. But the advanatage of using it against animals is that you are generally spraying downwards towards the ground - which takes the spray away from the level of your own face.

Pete2

From what I can remember of the post, the policemen who came on the scene objected to the formulation of the spray the poster used when they recognized it. Apparently it was known to continue to irritate people in the vicinity of the spray subject afterwards. The policemen did not use the same spray. I'm not vouching for the veracity of this account. Again, my point was that there could be blow back one way or another. I guess a particularly dramatic account got us a little sidetracked.

We've been assuming that GarlyDog asked about using pepper spray against human assailants. But he wants to know about dogs. Whereas I can claim a bit of google knowledge about the former, about animals I am utterly ignorant. Handing over the stage...

Maybe someone could post to the mailmen forum? All joking aside, they must know something about this. For one, I noticed a mailman carrying a spray on his mail bag the other day.

Da Bing

I asked a similiar question a while back concerning large aggressive dogs and inadaquate containment.
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=225825&page=1
The consensus was a sturdy walking stick used as a thrusting weapon (try to jam it down killer's throat) or pepper spray. FWIW pepper gel has a much longer claimed range, 18 ft vs 8 ft, then the cone type sprayers. Just expect to dance around the doggie for a couple of seconds before it reaches full affect.

I like Fox brand in a stream. Its often windy here and stream seems the best for that. Wind can make any type a gamble though.

I work for a "urban" FD the cops I know like and use Punch II in a "burst stream" thats a stream thats dumps a lot at once like 4-5 shots per 2 oz can instead of 20 or so .

I've tested a few types, the foggers if any wind blow all over,same for cones and such. Ever spray paint in the wind ?

Some of that stuff will come out 2 feet and make a right hand turn...

The stuff is cheap,buy a few cans and test at least one to learn how far it shoots, how many "shots" you get,how hard you have to press. I had one can that had tabs you first broke while pressing then as you kept pressing you would reach the spray button. I cut the tabs to begin with, when I tested the can I stopped to look at it to see what the problem was as I was pressing hard and nothing was spraying....

It took great force to spray,NO THANKS. tossed 'em.

Fox cop top is nice.

The Mailmen use Halt. Its a very weak,pepper spray by todays standards. Many years ago,like the late '70's I carried it while biking. I used it twice on dogs and it worked fast and well both times. One of the guys on my crew worked for the cable co. before getting on the job,they also used Halt and he too had great luck with it.

So I would think that brand like Fox,Punch, Saber red would work even better.

If cops don't want to transport someone, they do not recruit a citizen, they call ems, and let the paramedics transport the maced, tased, vomiting, bleeding, hysterical, or contaminated person; EMS deposits this item in the nearest er. Sometimes ems treats/decontaminates/subdues the item on the way-note the firetruck following the ambulance. Firetrucks are dynamite little de-contaminators. The ER (in my experience) uses vast volumes of soap and water to wash off the ick, and eye irrigation with saline.

Sugar confuses the taste nerve impulses, I suspect, much like cold application can interfere with pain impulses in dealing with an athletic injury. Sugar is probably less effective topically.

Latest move has placed me in a neighborhood with a vast collection of free-roaming dogs. I chose to get an airhorn to discourage interaction-hate to mace the dogs, who are just being dogs-quite willing to mace the dumb owners. Saw airhorns in use at a dog-boarding facility to break up fights, and they seem to work well. No personal experience yet.

I wonder how pepper spray would affect a perp who was under the influence of PCP (angel dust)?

If a man on PCP with two broken femurs can walk (somewhat) into an ER, how would pepper spray affect him?

Sue

I may as well mention what I've been carrying ever since it came out; Sabre Red Crossfire.

It may not be available everywhere but IMO it's worth checking out. The last time I looked into pepper spray Sabre was the only manufacturer to offer a "crossfire" technology that can be deployed from sub-optimal positions. That may have changed since I last looked.


Standard disclaimer; no affiliation just a satisfied customer.

Not much. This specific point was addressed in some classes I've taken by a police officer who found out the hard way.

I have read somewhere that the police generally do not use the most potent formulations of pepper spray primarily because the less concentrated versions work adequately, and the higher the concentration, the more difficult and time consuming it is to handle the suspect without contaminating the officers. You have to sit out in the open a lot longer to let 10% OC dissipate than 5% or to do eye flushes, etc.

I assume that the situation may be different for more specialized uses, such as riot control or corrections, for instance.

However, I find it hard to believe that the police would force a civilian transport a suspect unless there was more to the story, such as they were friends or family members or something like that.

Spray; it works. Its a good solution, far from perfect. But in terms of non/ less lethal response? Yep. Get some. Get two, in fact. And check the wind.

I am a state trooper. My agency issues Sabre Red brand in a stream dispencer. I have used it on dogs a few times, as well as some wild critters(not skunks). It worked well. I have only had to use it once on a human(jail fight), it worked satsfactory. I received wind blown overspray during training(we have to test fire the unit regularily)as I was down wind when another officer test fired his unit. I could function initialy, but then had to sit down and face into the wind in order to decontaiminate. I have not received a full face shot as our original training did not require doing so. From the little I got as overspray I DO NOT want to experience the full effect, it hurts! I prefer the stream as it allows for better targeting and less chance for me to get hit. Our training teaches us that it is NOT effective on all people and it does take several seconds to reach full effect on those it does work on. We are tought to fight through the effects if we are ever exposed. If we use it, we then take the suspect into custody and handcuff to prevent any other action on the suspect's part. If you ever have to use it, be prepared to take follow up action(run away, etc.)as it does not instantaneously stop the pricipating event.

For larger crowd control we have a larger pistol grip stream dispencer avialable. For civil disturbances we have CS as an option.

If you have to use it in a self-defense situtation, well and good. Any other use could constitute an assault. Check the laws where you live as there are many different ones. My information is based on what applies in my home state.

Well, that's interesting! With my lack of experience, I assumed that it worked instantaneously.

Thanks!

Sue

I wish we had a 'posting icon' with tears... that would so fit this thread! Anyway, I spent about 10 years working in corrections and also did some time way back as a cop. When I started out (early '70s) the tear gas in-a-can was just starting to be available - Mace was the big name then. Pepper spray came after that. CN and CS as riot control was also used a lot but from grenades and not in spray cans.

Tear gas spray was something I never trusted - I got gassed by it more than once and every time I used it or was involved were somebody used it - the "target" didn't stop fighting right away it always took a couple of minutes to have a full impact. When it got used on a group - they would break up and move away but it sure never produced a 'full stop' to anything.

With that in my background I didn't trust pepper spray when it came out - with what I found to be good reason. I think it works “better” but is still not something you can count on. Several times in corrections settings I saw inmates just keep on fighting (even if fighting ‘blind’) after being hit several times with pepper spray. As a part of corrections training we all had to get sprayed in a classroom setting (we got told to spray the chest area and NOT to spray in the face as that could be excessive force) and try to keep moving and reacting to a situation. The instructors would spritz us across the face from lower left side jaw to right side forehead so we had the full impact. Working through It can be done, it just hurts a lot. We also did full on gas training where (again in a controlled class setting) used masks and set off several grenades – the military guys will remember too – then they have you take off your mask and expect you to shout out your name, rank, whatever to get you to breathe some of the stuff… and still sort of function. Cue the visit from the puke fairy! You do learn that you can continue to function even if at a reduced ability.

The bottom line was anyone who is willing to can and will fight through being pepper sprayed or even gassed. They won’t function as well as normal but they can and will be able to do serious harm and continue producing mayhem. As an aside, the firearms instruction also teaches that there is no such thing as an “instant” stop when shooting someone so I don’t expect any chemical agent to do it either. So, consider the use of pepper spray as a tool that can have different results when used and DO NOT count on it to fully achieve the desired result.

Paul -

Just to add another angle. Since a specific application wasn't mentioned by the OP, there's one scenario I have contemplated for using an OC fogger.

For a burglary/home invasion-type scenario where your plan is to shelter in place until the police arrive, if you have time, a fogger could be discharged in the area outside your safe room to discourage someone from coming that way. Or perhaps discharging it in the stairwell leading up to the second floor or some other confined chokepoint. Obviously, it's only a deterrant, but if they aren't too motivated to get to you, it could do the trick.

And from a legal standpoint, I would think that someone who endures an OC filled hallway to get at you bolsters a self-defense case. They are probably incapacitated to some degree by the time they get near you, too, especially if they're breathing in that fine OC aerosol.

It would suck to decon your living space afterward, but that's a small price to pay if it works.

I probably would not use OC in my house.

1) I may have to move. I can't do that nearly as well if the hallway is full of OC. I don't own a gas mask.

2) If I can't immediately find my wife and children and make sure they're safe, I'm going to move towards the intruder and be ready to neutralize any threat. OC spray isn't usually the best choice for this.

3) OC spray isn't as effective as firearms are in trained hands. In a home invasion, I'm not beholden to a police officer's continuum of force, I'm not trying to deter a low-grade threat, and I'm not in a non-permissive environment. There is no reason for me to not use the most effective tools at my disposal.

i rarely post here, but i know pepper spray, haha. whole adult life in the security field - corporate, industrial, retail and government.

the thing to remember about pepper spray is that it is not a fight-ender 100% of the time. many refer to it as an 'eye jab in a can' and it should be treated as such.

as with any defensive (or offensive weapons), the bad guy shouldn't know what's coming until you've employed it...you should be quick, as accurate as possible and deliberate in your actions. look up the term OODA loop and see the role pepper spray plays.

what do i prefer? i prefer a cone fog...not only does pepper spray inflame skin and mucous membranes, but part of the fun is how it attacks the respiratory system. if you can introduce a good quantity directly into their lungs, you don't have to worry about them 'fighting through it', as when you can't breathe, you can't fight.

my second vote would be for a good ol'fashioned stream...saturate the bums and let them wallow.

yes, there is a small population who are more tolerant to spray than others. these are mostly people who have been exposed before or are too hyped up on adrenaline to care....there is no such thing as immunity. if they are relatively unperturbed by the spray, use that can as a fist load and get your hammer-fist on. repeat as necessary.

speaking of fighting through it - don't be afraid of employing pepper spray because you might miss or get some on you...if you use it knowing that you could get affected, you'll be expecting a reaction...just deal with it and get through it. again, pepper spray wont kill you and if you have to, just hold your eyes open and keep fighting.



haha, lastly - the worst part about pepper spray is not being sprayed, per se, its that evening when you take a shower thinking that you've gotten all of the oc out of your hair...nope, it is reactivated and runs right down the front of you...FUN!

ps - there is NO 'antidote' for pepper spray...just fresh water and time.

pps - get rid of the pepper spray keychains. they are entirely way too hard to handle under stress...

I got a few cans with the stream delivery. They have nylon straps you can always have it in your hand. Target practice tomorrow.

I used to share your philosophy, but I have reconsidered. IMO, the only way a firearm is a deterrent is if it is immediately available day or night. If it is locked up, could you get it in time? I couldn't figure a way to turn on a light, find my glasses, open my gunsafe, and deploy a weapon in the 15 seconds it would take someone to break out my bedroom window and jump in.

Back then, my solution was to hide a pistol in my nightstand, or lean a shotgun behind the door.

But:

Am I going to remember to lock it up every time I leave for milk and eggs?...No

What if the intruder was in the house when I or my wife came home, and had found the gun?
What if the unexpected footsteps in the hall was not a burglar, but a family member? (Do your adult kids have access to a house key?)
If the intruder is already armed, he would have the jump on me. If not, I don't want to arm him.

My solution:

A light-sleeping house dog with a ferocious bark, a large can of Sabre OC Red and a tactical light in each nightstand, with a followup welcome with a weighted billy (all of which I am thoroughly trained to use).

If I accidently mace my practical-joker son who comes home on leave from the Air Force unexpectedly, or my daughter who comes home from college without calling, we get a do-over. With the gun, we don't.

Don't get me wrong, I am an NRA member, and Second Amendment supporter. I just can't figure out a safe way to protect my house from intrusion with my guns.

We have a silent, push-button pistol safe next to our bed, which either of us can open in the dark. I can get my glasses on and put a pistol in my hand in just a few seconds. My bedside pistol has a mounted weaponlight, although I use a separate flashlight (there's one in the pistol safe for each of us) for target identification.

My house layout is such that I have quite a bit more than fifteen seconds to arm myself before a home invader could be in my bedroom without rappelling off the roof -- not even close to a realistic threat. All this assumes that the dogs do not slow down any intruders.



This sounds very reasonable.



These are situations I do not currently face. Also, I train regularly on shoot/no-shoot targets and I always make positive identification before covering anything with the muzzle of a gun.



I'm thinking that a different safe might work better for you. You may also want to plan to have one parent armed with OC and a billy while the other gets glasses, light and gun. It's also entirely possible that your situation is best served with the defensive measures that you're using. It's clear to me that you've been very thoughtful about it.

[quote=chaosmagnetI'm thinking that a different safe might work better for you. You may also want to plan to have one parent armed with OC and a billy while the other gets glasses, light and gun. It's also entirely possible that your situation is best served with the defensive measures that you're using. It's clear to me that you've been very thoughtful about it. [/quote]

Thank you for the thoughtful analysis. I am going out to look at the current crop of pistol safes to see if I can find one that meets our needs. As for my current defensive plan, we call it the "Bit, Basted & Beat" plan.

Since I got my question answered, I will respond to some of the off topic posts that are interesting.

This is only for protection on walks at the moment. For home protection, I'm not really worried. I have four full grown German Shepherds which are all personally trained Schutzhunds.

The purpose of the four dogs is to buy me the precious time I need to get my secured gun. But I am reconsidering this in favor of Byrds, horse sense.

By the way - Train with the stuff. Holster, safety off, aim spray, move...and DO use a holster.

It does. That's why Fox Labs (makers of high quality pepper spray) sell "Sudecon" decontamination wipes. The wipes are: water, sugar, and baby shampoo.

I think the only way I'd use pepper spray is if I could identify an upcoming attack plenty in advance, know that my assailant was unarmed, could nail him in he face with the spray from a good 10-15 feet out, and then outrun him after spraying without him ever being able to touch me. Of course this unfolding of events would have ME being the assailant, not the bad guy. So it's hypothetical at best.

Other than that scenario, I'd prefer to have a gun every time.

Aside:
This thread gets me to wondering about the 4-5 expired bear spray cannisters I have kicking around. Some sort of repurposing as a "Plan B" perhaps? Thoughts about degradation of active ingredient over time (full propellant weight present)?

Would/Could there be a method of extracting the pepper/capsicum from the expired cans without getting dosed/dowsed or hurt,& then loading the material into a squirt bottle for let's say rodent deterrent or something?Kind of a big bummer to dispose of $25+ per can & Not actually had the use of it,not that encountering a Bear close/personable would be a pleasure that's for sure!

It would be interesting if you could do a side-by-side comparison of expired and 'fresh' cannister, using a variety of metrics. In other words, see what expired really means if anything.

Save all of your old cannisters. I wrapped each in a section of nylon stocking with each end tapped closed. I dip them in bacon grease. Each is them stored in a zip-lok bag for later use. The can is quite thin. Most animals will bite thru it. I place three or four around our camp. It picks up bears, skunks, raccoons and stray dogs.

Nothing works better for the neighbors dog in your trash can.

I like that idea,Alot!Maybe I'll think of something to keep the pilferer's out of my Blue trashcan,here in the city -

I'd take pepper spray over empty hands or a contact weapon, which makes it potentially useful in nonpermissive environments where I cannot carry a pistol.

IANAL but the general concept of self-defense does allow you to "strike" first if you think serious harm to you or someone else is imminent, so you aren't necessarily in the legal wrong. Especially if you then escape and report it promptly, there's little to indicate to the police or DA that you intended to assault the other guy, if the other person claims that.

Alas, real life is rarely so neat and tidy.

From a legal standpoint, the limited range of pepper spray or even a Taser can be an advantage. It demonstrates how close the other person was when you engaged them and it bolsters your legal claim of self-defense from imminent harm. Of course, tactically, distance is your friend, as NightHiker said, so it's a tricky trade off.

Anyone have any thoughts on the merits of pepper gel or foam?

Seems that foam has less reach, although hitting the eyes of a moving target may be easier. I hear the argument that the assailant could scoop the foam from their face and throw it back at you, but if you're not standing like a statue yourself, that may be an unlikely outcome.

Gel seems to have a lot of merit. Less blowback/crosscontamination for indoor use, more range than foam, and less chance for the guy to throw it back at you.

Granted, one huge component largely missing for either gel or foam is the potent respiratory effect that a cone or fogger, in particular, could inflict on someone if they breathed in the aerosolized droplets.