Everything You Wanted To Know About Pepper Spray

You made have heard about pepper spray, but wondered if it really works and if so, is it legal for the general public to use? If you are concerned about your own personal safety either at home or on the street and are curious if a spray might be right for you, here's everything you wanted to know about pepper spray to help you decide if you want to add it to your self-defense plan.

What exactly is pepper spray and how does it work?

Pepper spray is an organic material that is derived from the potent chile pepper. Peppers vary in potency, and their heat is measured by the amount of capsaicin contained in the individual varieties. Capsaisin is measured according to the Scoville scale: garden variety green or yellow bell peppers that are commonly used in salads rank at 0 units; their "bite" is negligible in other words. On the opposite end of the scale, the hottest of all the world's peppers measures an astounding 300,000 units.

All pepper sprays created for self-defense purposes come in aerosol form for quick and easy disbursement. In order to be effective in incapacitating an assailant, commercially produced pepper sprays maintain a capsaisin level of between 2 and 5 million units! Needless to say, used properly, pepper spray packs quite a punch and is extremely painful to a victim.

If you've ever eaten a jalapeno pepper then inadvertently rubbed your eye, you know that the juice from peppers does not mix well with sensitive eye tissue. Contact with mucous membranes results in near instantaneous tearing which will temporarily blind a victim. The effects of pepper spray may even be felt in the lungs with shortness of breath and burning being the main sensations. Once the assailant is hit with the spray, he will be incapacitated enough to allow the victim to make a getaway to safety. The effects of pepper spray are thankfully not permanent, but it takes up to 3 hours to recuperate fully from a face-on blast.

Is pepper spray a legal form of self-defense?

Pepper spray does not require a special permit nor are there any restrictions on who may carry it in most places. However, pepper spray is not allowed on airplanes and there are a handful of states that have special requirements concerning the material's formula (i.e. level of capsaisin contained therein) and that may require permission. If you live or work in Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, or Wisconsin, be sure to check out their individual regulations concerning use of the spray.