Pepper spray has gotten a bad rap in recent years, largely because of the basic misunderstanding of what pepper spray does and how it should be employed. For years, pepper spray has been issued to law enforcement and for years there has been mixed reaction from the officers. Some love it, some hate it, almost all prefer the Taser to it. How pepper spray works: “The active ingredient in pepper spray is oleoresin capsicum (OC), a natural oil found in many types of hot peppers, including cayenne peppers and other chili peppers. OC contains a compound called capsaicin, which is what's responsible for the spicy sensation when you eat a hot pepper. It's odorless, colorless, and even flavorless, but just one milligram (about 0.00003 ounces) of pure capsaicin is enough to cause blisters to form on your skin. Because capsaicin is the same component that makes peppers seem hot, its potency is measured in Scoville heat units (SHU) -- a heat scale used to rate the heat level of peppers. The overall heat level is based on the amount of capsaicin present. Typical pepper spray is rated between about 500,000 and 5,000,000 SHU. By comparison, a jalapeño pepper is only around 8,000 SHU, and a habanero is close to 350,000 SHU.” http://bit.ly/8NKiuP When sprayed in the face, pepper spray causes an immediate irritation of the mucus membranes (eyes, nose and throat). This makes if difficult if not impossible to open one's eyes and there is usually a significant amount of discharge from the mouth and nose (snot and drool). Someone sprayed with pepper spray can still fight back and therein lies the issue most police have with it. Civilian vs. Law Enforcement use of pepper spray: In a Law Enforcement role, pepper spray works great for dispersing large groups of people and dispatching wild animals. When it come to the normal daily routine of detaining and arresting low-lives, pepper spray fails miserably. About the only thing it does is keep the suspect from running too far. Then the officer has to put his or her hands on a suspect covered in pepper spray usually getting exposed to its effects themselves. Imagine putting a freshly pepper sprayed criminal in the back seat of your car on a hot day...YUCK! Pepper spray sounds terrible, why would I want it? Civilians are not law enforcement; they are not arresting and handcuffing people. In a civilian self defense situation, the best option is to get out of the area ASAP. Pepper spray provides you with just that opportunity. As stated before, a person who is sprayed can still fight back, but they can’t see very well and can’t run very far. These are all excellent conditions to extricate yourself from a bad situation and not have to use deadly force. Pepper spray can also be carried most places that guns can’t. The optimal use of pepper spray is to temporarily disable your attacker and flee; you do not need to try and hold him for the police. In addition, pepper spray is very effective against animals, and spraying a mean dog in the park requires much less paperwork than shooting it. ;-) Pepper spray will never replace a firearm, but it can be an excellent supplement to your self defense arsenal and give you an option other than deadly force. Look for Part 2: How to carry and employ pepper spray effectively. Carrying Concealed As A Woman More and more women are getting their permits to carry, and women face some unique challenges to carrying a pistol concealed. The two main challenges that women face in carrying concealed are:
1. How to Carry In general, women have wider hips than waists and this makes carrying concealed uncomfortable at best. When considering how to carry, there are two main categories of carry: “On Body” and “Off Body.” On body carry usually refers to carry using a belt holster, ankle holster, or some specialized holster attached to the body. Off body carry usually refers to carrying in a purse, bag or fanny pack. Carrying On Body: When carrying on body the two main types of holsters are Outside the Waist Band (OWB) and Inside the Waistband (IWB). OWB is usually the most comfortable way to carry on body, however it is the hardest to conceal. IWB is much easier to conceal, however, especially for women, this method is the most uncomfortable. Here are a few pictures of both types of On Body Carry Within the realm of concealed carry instructors, the most derided way for women to carry is off body. There are two reasons for this...one, they are not women and do not understand how hard it is for women to “dress around a gun.” Two, they have never had to live with a woman who has to carry a gun on a daily basis. Don’t get me wrong, off body carry is much less desirable than on body carry...however we need to accept the reality that a 5’2” tall woman who weighs 120lbs can not conceal a defensive firearm that is not sub-caliber (below 9mm) on her body without serious compromises in clothing choices. In short, we need to be open to off body carry as opposed to not carrying at all. Precautions for off body carry (in a purse):
2. What to carry Women have many choices when it comes to a firearm for self defense. As a general rule I recommend that no one carry a pistol/ammo combo that does not meet the FBI standard of 12" of penetration in ballistic gel. For more info on this keep an eye on the blog. With rare exception, to meet this standard the minimum caliber needed is 9mm/.38 special. The trade off in pistols for concealed carry is that the smaller and more powerful the weapon, the higher the recoil. That means that you need to find a comfortable medium of size and power. What pistol is right for you? Semi-Auto or Revolver When a woman walks into almost any gun store, the man behind the counter will recommend her a 5 shot revolver. Why? Because of the myth that most women can't effectively rack the slide on a semi-auto and that revolvers are inherently more reliable. Revolvers are fine weapons for self defense and anyone who is comfortable with them should have no qualms about using one. You just need to know the benefits and drawbacks of both revolvers and semi-autos.
As you can see, they both have distinct advantages and disadvantages. The most common "knock" against semi-autos is that the slide can be difficult to rack. I contend that if you can pull 12lbs with one finger, you can rack a slide with one hand. The choice needs to be based on what you shoot better and what you are more likely to carry at all times. Look for upcoming posts that cover each topic more in depth. Here are some resources for women who carry: A woman who reviews holsters, firearms and gear for ladies http://www.faliaphotography.com/ http://www.youtube.com/faliaphotography Coronado Leather, the best concealed carry purses I have seen http://coronadoleather.com/ More Great Purses http://www.designerconcealedcarry.com/ Women's Holsters http://www.fist-inc.com/holsters/lady/Default.htm This is a huge step forward for the residents of Maryland! U.S. District Court Judge Benson Everett Legg noted, “In addition to self-defense, the (Second Amendment) right was also understood to allow for militia membership and hunting. To secure these rights, the Second Amendment‘s protections must extend beyond the home: neither hunting nor militia training is a household activity, and ‘self-defense has to take place wherever [a] person happens to be’.” “Equally important in Judge Legg’s ruling,” he added, “is that concealed carry statutes that are so discretionary in nature as to be arbitrary do not pass constitutional muster.” http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewStory/story_ID/26531/d/03062012 "The governor rejected the measure, saying Minnesota citizens facing threats already have the legal authority to defend themselves and their families. He also cited strong opposition by organizations representing police officers, chiefs of police and county sheriffs." http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/141525753.html
This is just another example of how out of touch Governor Dayton is... His basic misunderstanding of the issues seems |