How to Use Pepper Spray

Pepper sprays are an effective, yet inexpensive way to defend yourself against anyone who dares to do you harm. OC (Oleoresin Capsicum) pepper spray is an inflammatory agent which, when sprayed on someone's face, causes IMMEDIATE closing of the eyes, burning of the eyes and skin, difficulty in breathing, and coughing spasms. The duration of its effects depends on the strength of the spray but the average full effect lasts around thirty to forty-five minutes, with diminished effects possibly lasting for hours! The active ingredient in OC pepper spray is "capsaicin," which is a chemical derived from plants in the Capsicum genus - mostly from chilies. Though very painful to the attacker, OC pepper spray ingredients are 100% natural and will typically leave no permanent damage, unless you count the attacker kicking himself in the rear for deciding to pick YOU as a victim!

For this example, we'll be assuming a keychain pepper spray container, 10% active pepper, which can be purchased for around 10 bucks from www.AtlantaPersonalSafety.com.

When and where is a personal attack most likely to happen to you? I have news for ya, folks. The answer is - ANYTIME and ANYWHERE! The recent and sad story of the abduction and killing of a woman in Florida - RIGHT OUT OF HER HOME - is an example. Several women at Lennox Mall here in Atlanta - in a VERY upscale and trendy area - were recently robbed in broad daylight of all their expensive jewelry. Yes, there were security cameras, but all they did was record the event. As I said - ANYTIME, ANYWHERE!

Use the old but true Boy Scout motto, BE PREPARED! First, always be aware of your surroundings for any potential dangers. You have to have already made up your mind that you WON'T hesitate to use pepper spray, especially if someone you don't know approaches you out of the blue and you feel you're health - or even life - may be in danger. In fact, you can't afford to hestitate. You must make up your mind - NOW - to act quickly and without hesitation! An attacker 20 feet away can reach you in just a couple of seconds. The pepper spray will have an effective range of about ten feet, leaving you with less than ONE SECOND to make up your mind that YOU are going to hurt this dude before HE hurts YOU! So - get it in your mind RIGHT NOW that you will be a person of decisive action at the appropriate time!

Okay, here is our situation. You're leaving the mall during the early afternoon, the sun is bright and there are people around. You're feeling pretty safe, right? But YOU always make note of your surroundings - you walked past a security guard in the mall; 2nd floor, near the food court; too far away to be of any significant use. There were several teenagers smoking and acting cool outside the door you walked through. Your car is only halfway to the end of the parking lot. With your pepper spray already in your hand, instead of your keys (start to make that a habit), you make your way to your car. You notice a middle aged guy in blue jeans walking in the opposite direction as you. He looks up and sees you, then looks around, seemingly looking for other people. Where before there were plenty of people, now they have all seem to have gone away - it's you and this stranger. When he sees no one else is around, he makes a slight change in direction coming directly toward you.

It's time to go into action! The stranger is now 10 - 15 feet away from you! Should you be prepared here to use the pepper spray? Absolutely! In the absence of any other information, you have every reason to believe this guy is coming after you; and you have every right to defend yourself in the face of a probable personal assault. Your timing now becomes an important factor. We already talked about awareness; now distance becomes a factor. DON'T pull the spray out until you're ready to use it! Showing the spray before you shoot tells the assailant what you're going to do and gives him the opportunity to prepare for and react to it. And what's worse, he may have his own weapon. Many bad guys carry weapons "just in case." So here's the two rules you'll want to remember:

1. Don't pull the spray out until you're ready to use it and
2. When you pull it out, USE IT!

The more swift and unexpected your actions, the more effective your defense will be!

There's much more to using pepper spray than raising it and spraying everything in a wild, uncontrolled manner. You have to wait until your assailant's in range to have a better chance of hitting him in the face. Again, that will be a range of about ten feet. When you're ready to shoot, try to get into a slight crouch with your weight evenly balanced on both feet, if you have the chance. Thrust your non-shooting hand out in front of you, and at the same time shout "STOP" as loud as you can. Shouting "STOP" creates a slight diversion while possibly bringing some attention to you from others. But more importantly, it focuses your energy. And raising your arm toward the assailant my focus his attention on that hand, rather than the one with the pepper spray. Next, bring the pepper spray up in front of your chin about 6 inches, using your outstretched arm as a kind of "gun sight;" in other words, use it for aiming. Spray over the top of your outstretched arm, aiming directly at the face of your potential attacker. As you shoot, back away from the attacker, giving you a little more cushion - and time - between you and him and drawing him further into your spray.

DON'T shut your eyes as you shoot; you may have to correct your aim. If so, do it calmly and quickly; don't panic and start spraying all over like a loose fire hose. Shoot the spray for 2 - 3 seconds (not a short "squirt" nor a long spray which may empty your container). After shooting, your would-be assailant will normally stop advancing toward you almost immediately, and within no more than a second or two. He'll be blinded and probably coughing in uncontrollable spasms. Once he's disabled, continue backing away (DON'T turn your back on him) and concentrate on getting away as quickly as possible. Call the police as quickly as possible. Go to where there are people - in this case the "cool" teens at the door you came out of - and yell in a FIRM voice, "Call the police NOW!" This will divert their FULL attention on YOU and probably have several people making the same call to 9-1-1, letting them know that it's an urgent call. Your pepper spray may have just saved your life!

Some points to note:

1. Practice, practice, practice. Get in front of a large mirror, hold out your hand and shout, "STOP" and "Call the police NOW" at the top of your lungs. Yeah, it's okay to practice looking mean if you want.
2. Instead of shooting and wasting your pepper spray for practice, use a spray bottle filled with water that squirts. Have your husband, boyfriend or some other person, play the part of the assailant and see if they can attack you without getting sprayed. If they can, practice it until you get it right. Remember, they know they're going to get squirted, and a real assailant doesn't. So if you can squirt your practice partner before they get to you, then you will probably be successful should you ever need to use pepper spray.
3. If you're ever assaulted and have a baby in a stroller, at the risk of getting closer to your assailant, step in front of the stroller. (In my mind the protection of the baby is the foremost objective.) As you spray in the above mentioned fashion, back up using smaller steps without lifting your feet. This should push the stroller backwards as you back up. Or once you've started spraying, bring down your other arm and push it backwards. Remember - in this crazy world with so many bad people, you're not sure if you OR your baby is the target. Oh - again - practice, practice, practice. You don't want to trip backwards over the stroller.
4. If you don't have time to use all these techniques mentioned here - JUST SHOOT! Can you get some spray in your own eyes? YES! But at least you'll stand a better than even chance of getting away!
5. Some pepper sprays are illegal in some parts of the country. Yep - the "powers that be" have taken away the rights of some citizens to protect themselves. If you're unsure, go to www.atlantapersonalsafety.com/pepperspraylaws.htm to see if you live in one of these areas. If you order something which is illegal in your area, you'll receive a very polite email from me letting you know I won't be sending you that product. The email will also contain the names and phone numbers of your Senator and Representative in the house in order to call them and ask THEM why you can't protect yourself from criminals.

Can you tell I feel very strongly about that?

If you would like additional information on the types of pepper sprays available to you, or would like to purchase some pepper spray, go to www.AtlantaPersonalSafety.com for a full line of pepper sprays which will meet any and all of your needs. Sign up for our free newsletter while you're there. We don't spam and will NEVER sell or share your email address. Feel free to send us an email with any questions you may have. Place your order. Do it now. You never know when you're going to need it. The power to help yourself is in YOUR hands. DON'T BE A VICTIM!

Steve Robinson
Personal Defense Product Specialist
Email: info@atlantapersonalsafety.com
www.AtlantaPersonalSafety.com