Pepper Spray and Self Defense

Pepper spray as a self defense product is the oldest among other methods. The main active agent of the spray is Oleoresin Capsicum. It causes inflammation of eyes, nose, ears and skin when thrown on somebody’s face. The person fails to open his/ her eyes and suffers temporary blindness. For several minutes, the person struggles to open the eyes but is not successful due to heavy burning sensation. The effect subsides only after 20-25 minutes.

The best pepper sprays have an ideal standard of Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) rating. This rating indicates the hotness of pepper spray depending on its derivative. Chili pepper is the commonest source of OC. The hottest pepper sprays have 2-3 million SHU rating.

Pepper spray as a self defense product is very common worldwide. Many prefer to prepare the spray at home with the help of ground pepper. The spray is also popularly used by the individuals of law enforcement agencies like detectives, policemen, forest rangers, crime reporters and so on. Unlike other self defense products, it is legal in all the 50 states of USA.

Apart from pepper spray, stun guns and tear gases are also used in the states of US. However, these products are not as legal as pepper spray and in fact a few states have completely banned stun guns and tear gas. Although pepper spray is legal there are some restrictions regarding its composition.

Pepper spray is also used as a self defense tool against animals. Canada has a large sale of bear spray which is used by trekkers and hikers to fight wild bears. Dog sprays are also widely used in order to prevent dog bites. Agencies like postal and courier widely use the spray for defending individuals against animal attacks. Thus, pepper spray has the advantage of being used as animal repellent over other self defense products like stun gun, tear gas or mace.

According to the popular opinion, pepper spray is the simplest method of self defense. If you compare it with stun gun, it need not be touched in human body for an effect. The best thing about pepper spray is that it can be used to attack the enemy from a distance. Similarly, tear gas is better used to control a crowd rather than an individual.

Thus, pepper spray is an easy way to self defense. It is also an inexpensive product; the average price of a good pepper spray is not more than $ 11-12. Pepper spray comes in various shapes and sizes to cater to everybody’s requirement. It comes in canisters of various sizes measuring from ½ ounce to 2 ounce.

Pepper spray comes in the form of key chains, cigarette lighters, lipsticks, fountain pens and pagers. Special pepper spray comes for joggers that include weights. Self defense is becoming an industry and the companies are making creative products for the convenience of the consumers.

Due to growing crime rate in US, it’s advisable to keep something for self protection and pepper spray is an effective self defense product.