Where to get Mace in Chicago
 

I didn't know where to put this, so it's here.

My girlfriend takes the train to and from college and has been attracting many creeps on it lately, so she asked if I knew where you could buy mace. Since I have no idea, maybe some of you Chicagoans do. I'm in the Northwest suburbs.

I would strongly reccommend NOT using mace (if it's even legal in chicago< i don't know if it is) Pepper spray might be legal and a lot of bike shops tend to sell it -BUT as somoene who lived in a pretty seedy area of new york, and walked home from the train every night thru that area... If you are going to carry that stuff, you better be prepared to use it correctly and be very aware that it can be used against you as well - Use pepper spray or mace with a wind blowing - and it blows back at you.

she's better off figuring out why she's attracting creeps and changing her behavior... or her route...

Her behavior is fine. She's just the opposite of ugly, which seems to attract guys - both creepy and normal.

And she can't change her route. Especially not with the CTA closing stops seemingly every other month.

Avoid MACE. Too often it ends up getting into the face of the person deploying it. It won't stop someone who's cracked out, either.

Get her a self defense keychain bauble like a kubotan. Teach her how and where to strike and grab (nose, throat, solar plex, groin, etc).

Discrete, lightweight, useful.

Not a weapon to most.

I'd highly recommend getting her into martial arts. Good for the body, good for the brain.

My girlfriend got hers at FRYS electronics