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• Reputation: 650 Q&A: 14 0 3 360 50 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 0 Bauhaus

  12 0 I was mugged about 20 years ago. I was on my way to a bus stop in West Seattle around 10 PM going to work. The guy asked me for $20 and I told him that I didn't have $20 (I did - but it was my last $20 and all the money I had in the world until my next payday). He didn't believe me and the encounter quickly escalated to a knife at my throat. He was very quick, very strong, and very high (I think). He took my gym bag from me in which I had - among other things - some books, a few clothes, and my wallet. He didn't bother unzipping the bag. He cut it open with his knife looking for my wallet (he never found it). Seconds later (but it seemed like hours), a police car came whipping around the corner and the guy dropped my bag and took off in a flash. I mean, he was like...gone. Long story short, I'd have given anything for a few seconds time to run away and get somewhere safe. I think pepper spray would have done that. I was pretty messed up after that for a while. Believe it or not, the victims counseling section of the Seattle Police Department was wonderful in helping me understand what I was going through. What I could expect to feel, etc. I didn't have a financial loss, but they even told me that I could get compensation if I needed it for whatever loss I'd had. My deep gratitude to them is forever. I bought some pepper spray a few days later, and in the ensuing years, I've had an encounter or two walking downtown late at night where someone has seen it in my hand and has veered off their trajectory. One guy even commented what a woos I was with my pepper spray, but that's all he did...comment. He didn't get any closer to me after he saw it. Is it a good idea? Well, ultimately that's your call. You have to be prepared to use it. After my attack, I was. For me, I feel a lot safer with it than without it, and I'm a guy. I can't imaging walking downtown late at night alone if you are a woman without something to ward off very potential harm. Pepper spray, used properly, can give you some time to run away. Bauhaus answered in Self-Defense 9 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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• Reputation: 30 Q&A: 0 0 0 30 0 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Expert: 1 topic Self-Defense Business Strategic Living - Joanne Factor is a business on Questionland Seattle Follow Following 0 Strategic Living - Joanne Factor

  9 0 Pepper spray can be a useful safety tool, provided you know how to use it, and are ready to use it. Fortunately it takes very little instruction and practice. For pepper spray to be effective, it needs to be in your hand, finger on the trigger and safety dis-engaged, BEFORE you are approached by a potential attacker. If you have any reason to raise it, you should be using it -- do not try to threaten someone with its use, just use it. If you do decide to carry pepper spray, buy two. Take one into your back yard or alley for target practice. Find an old Halloween mask for your target. Wear latex gloves -- pepper spray canisters do leak, even if you don't see anything on your hands. Spray in a zigzag pattern down the face, beginning at forehead level. Plan on buying a new canister each year, using the old one to refresh your target skills. Carrying pepper spray becomes less of a good idea if you are hesitant to use it, if you keep it "somewhere" in your bag (and figure you can dig it out at the last minute -- you won't), if you are not willing to do a minimum of practice, or if you let your attention to your surroundings lapse. And pepper spray is not a substitute for knowing basic self-defense. Strategic Living - Joanne Factor answered in Self-Defense 9 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  8 0 I was nearly mugged at the ATM at Washington Mutual on Broadway several years ago (before they became Chase) and a bottle of pepper spray saved my ass It's vital to have on you if you live in an urban setting and are out really late or up really early to go to the gym (as in my case) The Doctor answered in Self-Defense 9 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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• Reputation: 9 Q&A: 0 0 0 9 0 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Expert: 1 topic Self-Defense Business Seven Star Women's Kung Fu is a business on Questionland Seattle Follow Following 0

  5 0 If pepper spray makes you feel safer, there is certainly merit to carrying it. That said, the downside of pepper spray is that you don't want to rely on it if you are attacked. It is a tool, one of many tools available to you, to fight off would-be attackers. If you carry pepper spray, make sure you know how to use it and can do so quickly without fumbling around. It is our experience that having your hands free to fend off would-be attackers is the ideal situation if you are jumped. With hands free of objects you can strike primary targets on your attacker--eyes, throat, and knees (groin potentially). Then get yourself to a safe place or call for help and draw attention to the attack. It is all about being calm and having the presence of mind to not panic if attacked. Taking a self defense class will serve you better than carrying pepper spray. You will always have those skills but you may not always be carrying pepper spray around town. Seven Star Women's Kung Fu answered in Self-Defense 9 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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• Reputation: 2421 Q&A: 41 0 26 1858 797 4 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 5 freikja

  0 0 l would certainly defer to the experts here. After that, a story: A friend of mine in Atlanta got attacked at an ATM. Knowing the dangers (at that point in safety around ATMs), she always had a hand in her pocket/purse holding her pepper spray. He approached her, asked for her money, shoved her around for a second, and she sprayed him and distracted him long enough to kick him in the face. When he regained his sight long enough to lunge after her again, she used it as a weapon and shoved it into his eye before dropping it and kicking him in the balls and various other places until help came. l agree that you MUST have it ON HAND if you're going to use it (or think you have to). You won't have the reflexes no matter how fast you think you are if you're scared and disoriented, and l very much like the idea of having two on hand; this makes total sense to me for the reasons already mentioned by others. l will say my friend sustained a small gash in her hand due to using it as a forceful weapon - but l'm not against the idea of injury vs. powerlessness or potential death, so do what you will with that piece of info. As far as l'm concerned (and again, l defer to the experts here), if it functions as a weapon other than what its original intent already is, make use of it, even if you don't get to spray them in the first place. Much like a simple ring can make for a good weapon, so can a little bottle of Mace. freikja answered in Self-Defense 9 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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