Pepper Sprays, Stun Guns: Great Personal Protection, But Are They Legal?

Great question!

First, congratulations for thinking about the question before you find yourself in a bad spot. Knowing your options in advance is a must if you hope to keep yourself safe.

You’re a peace-loving, business-minding, law-abiding citizen. You try to get along and avoid trouble as you go about your business. One day, as you’re doing your thing, trouble finds you and you’re suddenly faced with a choice. Do you follow the orders of your attacker and hope for the best, or do you fight back? Your attacker is bigger and seems very agitated. If you carry a firearm, you may think about using it in this situation. Of course, it may not be legal to carry a firearm in your area, so many law-abiding citizens won’t. You could also opt to use a non-lethal weapon, like a Stun Gun or Stun Baton to temporarily disable the slimeball. You may prefer to temporarily blind him and make him gasp for breath with a blast of red hot Pepper Spray, Pepper Gel or Mace. Most pepper sprays and stun guns are small and very discreet. Some Stun Guns and Pepper Sprays are designed to look like other common items you’d carry, including –

They’re great Personal Protection, designed to be at your fingertips, often on your keychain, if/when trouble arises. Use of non-lethal force can quickly take an attacker to the ground and remove his attention from you (as he focuses turns to his own pain). That gives you a chance to escape unharmed? But would it be legal?

It should be always be legal to defend yourself against an attacker, wherever you live. Why should you have to seek permission from anyone in order to defend yourself, your loved ones or your property from a person trying to do you (or them) harm? On the other hand, we all know that laws vary from state to state – city to city. While non-lethal personal protection like Mace, Pepper Spray and Stun Guns are legal in most places, there are some places that restrict or even prohibit their possession and use. The laws are different for Stun Guns (electric weapons) than for Pepper Spray and Mace. Can you purchase/use them where you live? Check here.