Wisconsin Corrections Officers Now Permitted to Carry Pepper Spray

You might think that virtually all state correctional officers have ready access to pepper spray to help control unruly inmates who congregate with other inmates during mealtimes. And you would be wrong. At least in Wisconsin, where it seems supplying vulnerable corrections officers with hot pepper spray canisters is a new thought to state officials. Wisconsin corrections officers are not allowed to carry guns. But now following a new ruling, pepper spray will be permitted for use. 

According to the December 21, 2013 edition of the online Milwaukee-Wisconsin Sentinel, the ruling comes on the heels of a report that listed 351 assault or attempted assault incidences from mid-2012 to mid-2013. Corrections officers will be supplied with 3 ounce canisters of pepper spray and supervisors who have interactions with inmates will be outfitted with TASERS, according to Corrections Secretary Ed Wall.  

A pilot program was conducted at the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility and the Green Bay Correctional Institution. The program was successful so now pepper spray is being rolled out in all minimum, medium and maximum security facilities.

Wisconsin is one of just a few states that limit access of pepper spray to citizens who desire this form of non-lethal self-defense. The formulation, size, packaging and labeling must meet certain specifications. TASERS and stun guns are also subject to many restrictions under Wisconsin law.

Leeking Pepper Spray Fells Junior College Students

We had to go all the way to Pune India to get this wild news report. It seems 13 students at the D Y Patil Junior College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Pimpri, India had to be hospitalized due to inhaling fumes from a leaking pepper spray canister from one of the girls. The article mentions that it's rather common for girls to carry pepper spray as self defense against robbers and rapists. It doesn't say explicitly whether the leaking spray was in a handbag or outside of it.

The article further states,

...that the girls who inhaled the spray started coughing even as they suffered irritation in eyes. Some developed sore throats. Their teacher alerted the college authorities and they were rushed to the hospital for treatment around 12.30 pm.

One of the admitted girls in the hospital said, "A girl who sits two rows ahead of me had bought a pepper spray bottle on Friday. It got sprayed accidentally affecting all of us who sat near her."


Twelve of the girls were examined and were soon discharged. The hospital kept one girl under observation for any further adverse effects as she has diabetes.


This should dissuade any persons who underestimates the power of pepper spray as a defensive weapon.

Gene
StunGunSupply.com

Women Resort to Stun Guns in Beirut

Some women in Beirut are carrying stun guns and pepper spray to help protect themselves in this often dangerous city. So says an online article in the Lebanon Daily Star, "ZAP: Women resort to pepper spray, stun guns to face attackers."

Read more:
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

It's interesting to note that women in Beirut report the same advantages as women in the US. They feel safer carrying self protection just in case they would need it. For a video review of the stun gun in the article photo, view here

Pepper Spray To The Rescue

It may help you to carry pepper spray in your card and purse. It surely helped this person in Richardson, Texas repel an attacker. It's a good thing she was carrying pepper spray in her purse. She also had the presence of mind to put a canister of pepper spray in her pocket when she got out of the car to help a man who signaled her to stop.

“Richardson police said the woman was driving her vehicle on the 3500 block of Park Vista Road when she was waved down by what appeared to be a man jogging.  Police said the man asked for her assistance with helping his injured dog in the woods.

She got out of her vehicle and that was when police said the man pushed her down and attempted to get her into a wooded area just off the road.  The man showed a box cutter knife during the attack, according to police.

The spokesman for the police department said the woman fought off the attacker and used pepper spray on the man to get away.  She went and told someone who called police, but the man had already fled the scene.”
The rest of the story can be read at KDAF-TV, Dallas-Ft. Worth website…http://tinyurl.com/83uolox

Pepper Spray In The News

Pepper spray has been in the news quite a bit lately. First it was the pepper spraying of Occupy Wall Street protesters seemingly by just one trigger happy officer. Then it was an early bird Black Friday sale at Wal-Mart gone amuck as a shopper starting spraying other shoppers with pepper spray. Authorities called it “competitive shopping.” About 20 customers were affected.

And just recently in Seattle, police resorted to pepper spraying some over-exuberant shoppers who were fighting while waiting in a long line in the early morning hours. It was Retro Air Jordan frenzy.

I’m saddened by these reports because this is how many citizens get their impression of pepper spray. It happened with TASERs too, (“Don’t Taze me bro”).  But our orientation at Stun Gun Supply has always been providing citizens these self defense weapons as just that, as self defense in case of a personal attack on themselves or their home or property. We feel it helps even the power balance. Yes, firearms are effective too but we realize that they are not for everyone. We offer non-lethal means of temporarily disabling those who wish to do harm to you or your property. We know for sure that a loud snapping in the air from a stun gun may chase away a would be criminal without a fight.

The fact that police routinely carry pepper spray, stun guns and Tasers is proof positive that these self defense weapons work. They are effective. We feel everyone should have one or more of these self defense weapons in their home and car. It’s vital to carry one of these deterrents when you are out and about in any type of potentially dangerous situation. As the saying goes, it’s better to be safe then sorry.

A Little Known Self Defense Product That Could Save Your Life

What if I told you that there is self defense product readily available that would immediately repel any would-be criminal intend upon harming you or your home valuables?  This little known device is not a stun gun or TASER. It’s not one of the cute little pepper spray canisters. Give up? It’s called the Mace Pepper Gun or more accurately, the Mace Dragon Fire Pepper Gun.

Mace Pepper Gun-Black

A typical pepper spray, while effective within its eight or so foot range, is no match for the Pepper Gun. When fired, this weapon shoots a high velocity stream of red hot pepper spray up to 25 feet. That’s longer than a consumer TASER gun! Here’s the best part. A TASER gun similar to a police model will set you back about almost $1000. The Mace Pepper Gun is only $74.99 at Stun Gun supply.

The Mace Pepper Gun holds a 28gram cartridge of OC pepper. You can get up to seven effective firings on a cartridge. The range is up to 20 feet, longer than even a consumer TASER. Those small pepper sprays you’ve seen are basically throw-aways when the canister is empty; they cannot be re-filled. The cartridges in a pepper gun are replaceable. The gun never becomes obsolete. You simply purchase cartridges as needed. You can also buy water filled cartridges when you just want to practice. If that weren’t enough, the Mace pepper gun features a trigger activated LED light to help light a dark area.

The effect of pepper spray is almost impossible to overcome although its effects are temporary. Your assailant will shut and rub his eyes. A bad guy who can’t see is suddenly not so dangerous. The hot pepper will cause your assailant to gasp and wheeze. Most important, it will give you the opportunity to call police. So we recommend you keep the Mace pepper gun always handy. You never know when you’ll need it.

Supercharged MACE® Pepper Gun

What if I told you there is a self defense product available that is effective up to 25 feet away from your assailant, is highly accurate in aim and will never become obsolete?

The Mace Pepper Gun is such a product. It holds a canister of OC pepper spray that is replaceable when it becomes depleted. Also available is a water (H2O) filled canister for aiming practice. When you order the gun, you will receive one OC canister and one H2O canister. Available for purchase at any time are one of each or two H2O canisters or two OC pepper spray canisters.

The included batteries power the LED aim light. When you lightly pull the trigger the LED light is activated so you can fine tune your aim. This is especially important in an actual encounter where you don't want to squeeze the trigger and miss the target.

You can order the MACE Pepper Gun at Stun Gun Supply. Choose from four colors--blue/black, sky blue, silver or pink.

Self Defense Do's and Dont's

Do as much as you can to avoid a confrontation - "anticipation and avoidance" are the key words. If you get caught up in a situation, try to talk to an aggressor without provoking them. Practice relaxation, as appearing fearful or stressed can actually provoke an attack. Remember that body language is important in aggressive situations, so maintain a comfortable distance between you and the aggressor.

Use a gas or electronic attack alarm, as these give out a short piercing sound and will temporarily disorientate an attacker, giving you enough time to escape. Carry it somewhere where you can get to it quickly - don't leave it buried at the bottom of your bag. If you don't have an alarm, just make a noise yourself by screaming as loud as you can, or shouting "call the police" - if you're loud enough this can be just as effective as a personal alarm. If you have an alarm, use it and shout as well.

Steady yourself if danger threatens. Panic can disable you, so again it’s useful to learn how to keep control in a difficult situation. And if you must fight back, adopt what police term the "bash and dash" approach. Primary targets are the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, throat, groin, knees or shins; choose whichever is easiest to get to.

If held from behind don't struggle forward, you'll only exhaust yourself. Instead throw yourself backwards to surprise your attacker or stomp on the lower leg or foot.

You have the right to defend yourself with reasonable force and this includes using items you have with you such as an umbrella, bag, briefcase or keys. However, don't carry or use anything that the law would regard as an offensive weapon. Once you've achieved your primary aim of stunning or surprising your attacker, get away as fast as you can. If you manage to overcome them don't attack again, you could be putting yourself in more danger or you could end up being charged with assault.

These are just the very basics of self-defense, but to learn more about it and get some exercise at the same time, find a local self-defense class and encourage your family along to join you. Just remember "anticipation and avoidance" are the best forms of defense.

The Pepper Shot PS-6 Self Defense Kit gives you three pepper spray forms for car, home and person. We recommend it to anyone interested in their own self defense. Pepper spray works!

Greers Ferry AK to Purchase Tasers for Police

The Heber Springs Sun Times in Arkansas reported that the police chief asked city council to provide Taser for its three full-time police officers and one reserve officer. Police Chief Ray Dearmon said it's a small price to pay for an officer's safety.

"The Taser is used as a last-ditch effort," Dearmon said. "I'd rather shoot you with a Taser than I would a gun."

Dearmon told the council that all officers would require certification to carry and use the Tasers. He also said that he would require each officer to be Tased before they can carry the weapon.

"If an officer is unsure of what exactly that piece of equipment will do, he won't use it properly," Dearmon said.

The chief told the council that there have been at least three times in recent memory when a Taser could have kept local officers from drawing their guns and shooting. He also said a Taser would have been handy during a recent situation in which a strung-out driver refused to exit his car.

"The guy was sprayed twice with pepper spray, and it had no effect on him," Dearmon said. "It took four officers to pull him out of the vehicle."

This is the latest in a nationwide move to equip police officers with the non-lethal device.

News Article Notes Rising Non-Lethal Weapons Purchases

A recent news story in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel documents the rising sales of stun guns and pepper spray. News writers Brian Haas and Maria Chercoles quote several sources as saying the popularity of these "less-lethal" defensive weapons is on the rise. The chief reason, they assert, is that citizens want self defense products against crime but are uncomfortable with lethal weapons where they may have to kill someone.

"They want something in the middle. A big part of our society is that way," said Jeff Dillard, president of National Law Enforcement Distributors in Davie. "There's not a day that goes by when we don't have four or five customers come in here discussing this."

After noting that both electric stun guns and pepper spray are legal in Florida, they then list the pros and cons of both.

Pepper Spray:

Pepper spray is inexpensive and comes in several forms including the popular "disguised" models that look like pens, lipstick or pagers. Dillard likes pepper spray because it incapacitates an attacker for up to an hour left untreated. Drawbacks include possible blow-back during high winds. Also, there have been reported cases of some individuals fighting through the pain and discomfort. This makes a case for buying the strongest available such as Wildfire 18% pepper spray.

Stun Guns:

Robert J. Leitner, chief operating officer of Tactical Products Group in Delray Beach prefers stun guns. "You only need a second or two to touch the assailant and it also has a powerful deterrent," Leitner said. "In our experience, criminals fear them more than pepper sprays." Limiations here are the on-person contact that is required. Plus the effects don't last as long as pepper spray.
But often a display of the arcing electrodes is enough to thwart an attack. Stun guns are also inexpensive with models starting at about $20. Cell phone stun guns are perhaps the most popular "disguised" models.

Tasers:

The newest "less-lethal" device, Tasers shoot two electrified wires with barbs on the end. They lodge on the perpetrators clothing or skin and fire automatically for 30 seconds. Shooting range is about 15 feet. Taser International spokesman Steve Tuttle says it has none of the disadvantages of stun guns or pepper spray. "I don't want to get one foot away from them and try to apply something to them directly," Tuttle said. "Place it on the ground, let it do the work for you and get to safety."

The authors end their article by warning that these weapons are not toys and must be used safely. If you purchase one, you should treat it as a firearm: realize that it is a weapon and make sure to keep it far from the reach of children. Dillard also warned against storing pepper spray inside a car. The Florida sun can weaken the seal and cause leakage.