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Originally Posted by willravel
Yes, I do mean pepper or OC spray (welcome to the OC). 8 cans? Can the average person take 8 cans? The average person isn't going to be attacked more than a few times before they take adequate measures to avoid the attack (changing the route home, parking closer to the building, moving to a safer neighborhood, etc.). Lets say you have to use your can 5 times on 5 different assailants. Now let's apply the odds to this. How many people, in your experience, are not effected by pepper spray? 1/5? 1/50? 1/500? 1/5000? The average perso would probably be effected, at least for enoguht time for the asailed to run, hide or get some kind of help.
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As I said before, my point is not that OC is useless ... My point is that it's not "proven." If you've ever used OC spray (and I have ... I don't like it) you'll discover that there are many things that make it an inconvenient method.
First of all, you need to practice to know where to direct the spray (it's not as easy as you might think). Just take a cardboard target and spray it for the first time ... you'll probably be surprised to know that the point of impact is not where you thought it would be. And a living person is not a stationary piece of cardboard ... an assailant is a moving target who is aware that a can is being pointed at him.
You see, one of the most essential elements of a defensive tool whether it be OC, taser or a gun is that the user be able to operate it effectively under stress - this means that simplicity and practice are paramount.
OC also has a shelf life for the propellant. I did have the experience grabbing a full cannister that was only a couple of months off only to have it squirt an anemic 2 feet. Luckily I was practicing with it ... not defending myself. I would never rely 100% on OC for personal defense.
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Originally Posted by willravel
I suspect that a elather jacket or such probably would have an effect of sheilding, somewhat, but what about jeans? Very few people wear anything much thincker than denim on their legs. Most criminals, honestly, are men. Shoot wheere it matters.
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My arguments come from real world encounters. I'm not sure where yours are coming from. The crooks you see on COPS or Wildest Police Chases are not professional thieves nor are they representative of your typical predatory sociopath - the people captured on TV are only stupid thugs.
I never tasered anyone in the crotch (If it were effective I believe it would be taught as a method ... I'm not kidding) - but a taser works by conducting through
skeletal muscle tissue. That's why it's ideal to hit the abs, arms or thigh. The genitalia are not skeletal muscle - perhaps the effecacy is attenuated.
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Originally Posted by willravel
As for being approached by an officer, let them approach. Pilice officers have a responsibility to make sure that people aren't brandishing weapons that are illegal. Once the officer sees a permit (I'm not sure what is necessary to carry one in public, you'd have to tell me), I'm sure everything would be fine. They might follow you for a bit, but that's a good thying if you are afraid of being assaulted.
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That's not the situation I'm thinking about. If you use it appropriately in self defense be prepared to be proned-out and cuffed before they check on you. That's all. Until you're checked out (doesn't matter that they immediately discover it's a taser) you will be handled like a person brandishing for the purposes of doing harm or threatening until they get the full story.
FYI - My personal "non lethal" self defense tool is a Surefire flashlight. These are not like your Maglights but are small intense sources of light that can blind someone even in broad daylight. The one I have is as small as a magic marker but will push 60 lumens.
It is activated with a thumbpress when you hold it in your fist. Reflexively pulling your arm up defensively points the lamp in the direction of a threat.
The jagged bezel is for striking someone if you have to.
At night time you can illuminate a whole alley or an empty parking lot as well.
Mechanically it's simpler to use that both OC and the taser and it's more portable than either. I don't fear bullshit lawsuits for "blinding" someone with OC or causing bogus neurological trauma through the taser. If I'm in a street encounter my objective is to get the hell out of there and I can blind someone easily with 1 second of a bright blinding light and get away.