Quote Originally Posted by sbgixxer View Post
Whenever firearms aren't an option, I'm a big fan of OC spray (pepper spray). I've gone through some training with it where we had to, "feel" what it was like and it is NO fun. There's always the naysayer who brings up the 1 in 1 million case where a dude hopped up on PCP isn't fazed but since it attacks the mucous membranes it usually doesn't matter much how tough or numb a guy is. Aside from the intense discomfort, breathing becomes difficult as does the subject's ability to see. There's also the psychological issues of disorientation while all these unpleasant things are happening. I think it's a great option especially for females to level the playing field as the size of the perp no longer matters. Plus, you don't have as much of the mental issue of taking a person's life. I always told my 5' tall, prim and proper mom that if you feel you may need it, use it, it's not permanent. It's better than letting the unknown threat get close to you.
First, I agree that OC can be a good self-defense option. I don't agree that it's ineffective in 1 in 1M instances of use. In my experience carrying it every day for 10+ years (and sometimes actually using it 2 or 3 times in a shift) it's ineffective far more often than that, for a variety of reasons: intended target is on drugs or alcohol, environmental conditions, it misses intended target, etc... It's like shooting someone with a handgun....you can't count on it working like it does in the movies to immediately incapacitate a threat whether it be 2 or 4 legged. In my experience it was almost always ineffective against dogs.

Another issue with OC is it works just as well on the user as it does the "usee" and you really need to be prepared for that. That's a far bigger issue than it not being effective on the intended target in my opinion.

Using OC seems so simple but there are a LOT of things you need to know and be prepared for.

I'd also recommend using the foam type rather than the spray or liquid type...much less chance for cross contamination in my experience.