Personal Protection - Pepper Spray Vs. Wasp Spray

For those of you afraid of protecting yourselves with firearms, or find them contrary to your thinking, there are other forms of self protection out there.

The most common is Pepper Spray.  The active ingredient in Pepper Spray is (oleoresin capsicum "OC").  This is literally derived from garden peppers.  The OC ingredient in the peppers is ground up and converted into a chemical form of ethanol and used in the spray.

Pepper spray affects the eyes, mucous membranes and causes severe breathing reactions, coughing, and runny nose.  The painful swelling can last for 45 minutes.  The lingering effects can last for hours.

However, be careful what you purchase!  The ingredients in some may say "5%" or "10%" pepper spray claims on a canister. Unfortunately, these percentages DO NOT correlate with efficacy because they only measure the percentage of OC relative to the other ingredients in the canister.

Labels can be misleading!  What the OC concentration does not measure is the concentration of the active ingredients (Capsaicin) in the OC formulation. OC concentration therefore, only represents the amount of OC (oily resin) in a canister and not its strength.

If you purchase Pepper Spray read the label!  The heat or strength of OC is measured by the quantity of an active ingredient called Capsaicin. Read to see the Capsaicin amount, because the higher the Capsaicin amount, the hotter the spray.  Therefore, an OC spray with 5.5% Capsaicin concentration can be 5 times hotter than one with the phrase "10% concentration."

SO DON'T BE FOOLED BY PERCENTAGES!  Many over-the-counter sprays may not be very effective.

Another product that has been recommended by self defense experts for many years is Wasp Spray!  The active components in wasp spray are pyrethrins, which is nasty stuff.  Pyrethrins penetrate the nervous system of wasps and kills them.

Pyrethrins are painful to the eyes and most wasp spray cans force out a spray accurate up to 20'!

They can be purchased anywhere and are legal everywhere!  Some companies prohibit the use of Pepper Sprays, so this is a good alternative.

You want to spray for the face of an attacker.  After you do, say something like, "That spray contains pyrethrins and if you don't get to the hospital inside of 1/2 hour you will be blind!"

The attacker won't be blind, of course, but the thought is enough to send him there.  And away from you!

But, you say, "There is a statement on the label of the can of wasp spray called 'The Misuse Statement' which says, 'It is a violation of federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.'  Can I get into trouble using this?"

J. Patrick Buckley is an attorney focusing on the use of firearms, self defense and the use of force for self protection.  He says, "Would someone get in trouble if they used wasp spray to avoid an attack? If a woman is gardening, and happens to have a can of wasp spray nearby when some bad guy tries to rape her, I'm certain that we could convince the police and the prosecutor that using wasp spray was an appropriate use of force to avoid the attack."  Mr. Buckley is also a National Rifle Association certified firearms and pepper spray instructor.

Then again, you can always meet me at the NRA range, the best range in town, and I will personally show you how to shoot a gnat off of an eyelid at 50 feet.

As a voting, Lifetime and Endowment Member of the NRA, I will be proud and happy to help you get to know your firearm.

Remember, for best gun control, use both hands.