The Use of Pepper Spray

posted on February 28, 2012
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
2012228143246-pepperblaster_m.jpg

In regard to my Unarmed Defense blog, questions were asked about my thoughts about pepper spray, and why I was not carrying any when visiting Las Vegas for SHOT Show.

My thoughts on pepper stray are simple: Any tool that can be utilized to keep body and soul safe should be considered and used if that is your best option. Up until recently, my wife carried a Kimber PepperBlaster in her purse. The reason she doesn’t still have it is because it had a use by date, which had expired, and I decided to kick it off in my in-law’s backyard in South Carolina over Thanksgiving.

The PepperBlaster sent both shots the promised 12 to 14 feet, which really is all I can say about it since no one would let me hit them with it, including myself. I cannot testify to its strength, but believe that it would stop the average attacker.

Now as to why I wasn’t carrying pepper spray in Vegas? That is a simple question. Taking pepper spray onto a plane requires the same hassles of traveling with a gun—must be in checked luggage and declared—or possibly more if it is pressurized. If I was going to go through that, I might have well have carried my Kimber.

I don’t carry pepper spray because I carry a gun. In most places that I can’t carry a gun, I can’t carry pepper spray. However, I would love to know, without taking a shot of it, what being hit with pepper spray is like. Can anyone describe that feeling?

Latest

Taurus 66 Combat GOTW F
Taurus 66 Combat GOTW F

Gun of the Week: Taurus 66 Combat Revolver

Taurus USA recently expanded its revolver line with the 66 Combat, a larger, all-steel revolver chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge. Watch our "Gun of the Week" video to see the 66 Combat in use on the range.

The Armed Citizen® March 6, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Armed Citizens Outperform the Police in Stopping Mass Murderers

A recent crime study indicates that armed citizens are better at stopping mass killers than the police.

Building A Legacy: One Hunter's Journey Toward a 338 ARC Bolt-Action

Hornady's 338 ARC cartridge was designed to pack plenty of subsonic power into an AR-sized platform. But how does it perform if you're looking to build something a bit more traditional?

Industry Manufacturers Pay $1.3 Billion Tax Bill

Last month, nearly $1.3 billion was delivered to state conservation and wildlife access programs as part of Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson excise taxes paid by manufacturers in the outdoor industry.

250 Years of the U.S. Army: Rifle Muskets, Trapdoors & Early Bolt-Actions

The U.S. Army would enter the 19th century equipped with a smoothbore flintlock musket that differed little from the designs of the past, and it would exit the century with a modern, bolt-action, repeating rifle that used smokeless powder ammunition.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.