Portable Self-Defense: To Stun or To Spray?
Once you get started down the road of sensible home security, your eyes are usually opened fairly quickly to the need for auto alarms, bicycle locks and your own self-defense, too. Calmly and deliberately, you should do your homework and get yourself, your loved ones, your home and your property prepared for both crime and calamity. It will be the most important -due diligence" you ever do.
In those cases where you cannot carry a gun, even if you have one, you need alternatives. In the personal defense product niche, two types of popular self-defense devices dominate: stun guns and sprays. If you travel, you need to remember that neither of these items can be taken aboard an aircraft. Of course, your concealed weapon isn't flying any time soon, either!
Liquid defense systems
The police and the military, around the world, have long used tear gas for crowd control and close-quarter combat. According to the book, Tear Gas, With an Emphasis on Self Defense by Dan Field, consumers in the U.S. are able to buy three different kinds of -tear gas": chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile (CS), chloroacetophenone (CN, or -mace") and pepper spray.
The tear gases used by law enforcement and the military are CS and CN. The gas is delivered in -aerosol grenades" that force the liquid to become an airborne cloud of vapor. CN and CS are both classified as -irritants," as they create coughing and tearing by burning the mucous membranes of the lungs, nose and eyes. CS is more potent than CN, but CN causes longer-lasting distress.
The active ingredient in pepper spray is capsaicin, obtained from plants in the Capsicum genus (chili peppers). It is highly caustic and causes swift, serious inflammation in the eyes, mouth, throat and nose. Although it has a powerful effect and can disable even the most motivated attacker, you have to make a direct hit to the face for maximum effect. This makes it practical for -up close and personal" self-defense, as well as defense against dogs and other attacking animals.
Stun guns have grown in popularity as they have gotten smaller, cheaper and more powerful. A stun gun generates a charge that is high in voltage, but low in amperage. It cannot -electrocute" anyone. The stun gun charge, delivered by pressing the unit's twin electrodes against an attacker, will pass through clothing as well as skin because of its high voltage. The unit may have 60,000 or 100,000 volts, but its 3 milliamps won't damage the body.
The effectiveness of a stun gun depends on the specific model, its voltage, the attacker's size and the amount of clothing (and determination) he or she has. The length of the electrode contact is, of course, another important variable. Short jabs may produce a startling jolt, a two- or three-second contact should produce pronounced dizziness and spasms, while a longer application of the electrodes can render an attacker dazed and confused for up to five full minutes.
Fill in the blanks with spray or stun
Some people express a fear of using stun guns, complaining that they have to get too close to the assailant and risk losing control of the device. Most stun guns do have wrist straps, but they are not a sure and certain solution. On the other hand, stun gun proponents say, sprays are used at a distance of up to 15-20 feet and require a fair amount of accuracy to be effective.
Look at your self-defense needs with a "big picture"
approach. Consider your lifestyle, daily routine, driving habits, travel and
work schedule, and pinpoint where and when it is that you are not protected by
one or another of your home, auto or office security systems. Once you decide
which approach you prefer " to stun or to spray " there will be plenty of help,
right here in our growing reference library, for you to make the best choice.