Potential Advantages of Pepperball Guns for DV Victims: Home/Travel Self Defense
Break in Scenario: Are Non-Lethal Weapons Better for your Circumstances?
“The pepper ball gun has been demonstrated to be effective from distances of up to 150 feet, providing you with additional range and time to make a critical decision.”
They offer an advantage “even when there is no line of sight.” (such as at night)
Are they effective?
Yes, they are common among: law enforcement and military personnel
Another plus: “Pepper ball guns require little training to use.”
You’re sound asleep, along with your friend (or children), whose sleeping on the couch downstairs.
But, You’ve made a mistake, despite reading my blog, one of your mistakes allows your abuser to find you.
It’s been a year that you thought you were finally safe.
And this night, they come to your house, armed with a gun/knife, intent to kill you.
Screams
You wake up to screams, they are attacking your friend (jealous), in the pitch black (the stalkers eyes are adjusted tbough, but you still can’t see).
The screams indicate your friend is fighting for their life.
Fight or Flight Adrenal Response
You,
Your arms, hands and body shaky with adrenaline,
run for your pepperball gun,
Grab it and run towards the screams.
Where are they?
Up on top of the stairs, you can’t see, but only hear the screams, from one of the rooms…
so you fire 4 shots..one into each room and on on the ceiling.
-the 12 ft cloud (from one ball of pepper spray or tear gas), is now 48 square ft…(of gas that causes the body’s breathing, sight and movement, to break down.)
“Unlike possessing a firearm or handgun, you do not need a license, permit, or background check to obtain a pepper ball gun.”
-www.PreparetoAct.com
That gas is Covering your entire downstairs…including where they both are.
The aftermath?
The screaming stops, Both are coughing, wheezing, and crying, from the gas in the air..
You turn on the light..and see your stalker trying to grab at their knife..and you quickly grab a lamp, and knock them a few times with it.
They are down, while your friend (suffering), is still alive.
You call the police..and run out of the house, waiting for the police.
Now, imagine you had a gun and…
-Can’t see where your shooting
-Maybe are not coherent enought to remeber your friend is down there..
— and you panic, shooting into the darkness, oy realizing later, you hit the wrong person.
“A pepper ball gun (mace gun) can be threatening to an assailant like a conventional gun,
without the danger and lethality of a regular firearm.
It looks like a regular firearm, with the same point-and-shoot convenience, but is non-lethal.
Scenarios where Non Lethal Options may be more Suitable
- You have frequent parties
- Sleepovers with your children’s friends children (boyscouts/girl scouts events),
- You rent out a room
Or,
- You just dint know how you feel about owning a gun (which requires ALOT of training)
- Your country or states gun laws are restrictive or you are uncertain about legislation changing it
Note:
I’m not telling you what to do, or that guns are good or bad.
Also, I’m assuming…the assailant will be strongly impacted by the cloud of chemicals
(If they are drunk or on certain drugs, the cloud will have less of an effect)
→Do your own research, make your own choice:
-check out videos on YouTube,
-ask police what they think
-research, ask, look at reddit and other forums online
(I created the scenario in my head, especially the part about the effect the cloud would have on the attacker)
This is just one scenario…
There are many.
To argue against my abive scenario:
One event I know of, the family was only safe because the burglers realized they were “outgunned”,
and a pepper ball gun, may not have worked as well as the weapons they had and almost had to use.
The Options Principle
However, going along with the Options Principle (the ability to have multiple email, phone number, or safe location options), I believe the same applies to self defense.
The Challenge with the Current Discussions
The debates on so many issues, is:
-A vs B
-This vs that
No shades of grey..
No potential scenarios
Limited to no use of researching contradictory situations and challenges victims have faced
The Reality is Complex, Multi-Factored and Can Change too
As we victims know;
DV, sexual assault and stalking, can be complex, and one solution for one stalking victims, may not help another stalking victims.
A pepper ball gun (with pepper or tear gas filled), is another option.
Another option that is Rarely discussed..
So, you may not even know its an option.
Some stats:
“they are designed to create a 12-foot cloud with an irritant designed to affect the eyes, nose and throat of the people who are hit by the cloud.
The company, PepperBall, says the effects wear off within 15 minutes.”
(DaytonDailyNews)
More Considerations/Options
The strength of the pepper and powder ranges with different projectiles:
“PEPPERBALL LIVE-MAXX™
-Our most potent and powerful projectile, PepperBall® LIVE-MAXX™ is formulated with MAXSAICIN™, a new proprietary process that produces powder with more airborne PAVA.
-PepperBall LIVE-MAXX has 50% more bio-availability than our standard PAVA powders.” (Pepperball.com)
Or the
“PEPPERBALL LIVE-X™
A powerful concentration of 5% PAVA pepper powder.
One round of PepperBall® LIVE-X™ contains the equivalent PAVA irritant organic agent in 2.5 classic PepperBall LIVE™ rounds. Excellent for direct impact, area saturation and crowd control.
Preventing Home Breakins
https://medium.com/@TheTacticalVictim/stop-them-from-breaking-into-your-home-apartment-or-hotel-a7de0798c0f4
Articles:
1st:
https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/what-are-pepper-balls-used-police-disperse-students/2uiSBgUySxwuXgOJ5VjkOJ/
2nd:
https://pepperball.com/projectiles/live-maxx/#:~:text=LIVE%2DMAXX%E2%84%A2-,PepperBall%20LIVE%2DMAXX%E2%84%A2,than%20our%20standard%20PAVA%20powders.
