OC Pepper Spray Shooter/Launcher

[SMOKEYMOUNTAIN]

Has anyone had any experience with these? I was going to give pepperspray/oc spray keychains to my relatives for christmas presents when I ran into this:

http://www.amazon.com/Dragonfire-Pepper-Spray-Shooter-Launcher-/dp/B000YTAUMA/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1290570469&sr=8-20

Are these effective? Are they legal in CA? I like the idea of carrying this in my car's glove compartment or keeping it near the front door.

[renzoku]

...

Why would you need it to spray further than 10 feet or so? It's a defensive weapon, meant to be employed when an assailant is within assault range.

I'd think the stream would have to be pretty concentrated to hit their 20 foot mark (which I seriously doubt it can actually pull off) in which case you run the risk of outright missing your target. Better to get a traditional can with a cone dispersal.

There's also the consideration of what looks best to a jury. If you're packing a pistol grip OC sprayer that hits 20 feet? Well, it gives out a fairly aggressive vibe, not something you want to send out if you're on trial for assault and or battery. Traditional 10 foot can sends a better message.

If buying OC spray, make sure you get the good stuff. FOX is good, certain other sprays are also good, just make sure your can has a date on it and indicates it's got 2mil or more SHU's (Scoville Heat Units, the actual determining factor behind OC spray's effectiveness). As a civilian, you're good to go up to 2.5 oz. You'll probably only find 2 oz. or less cans.

[GrizzlyGuy]

In terms of being legal, it depends on the method that the device uses to propel the spray, and how many ounces of the spray it contains. From 12403.7:

(e) (1) No person shall purchase, possess, or use any tear gas
weapon that expels a projectile, or that expels the tear gas by any
method other than an aerosol spray, or that contains more than 2.5
ounces net weight of aerosol spray.

The Amazon description says:

The DragonFireOC does not spray the pepper (OC) solution -- it shoots the pepper spray so you don't have to.

That doesn't sound good in terms of how it propels the spray. But then later in the description it says:

A special, patent pending, cartridge filled with the pepper spray develops enormous pressure at the moment of shooting

That sounds better, as it is apparently not using a pyrotechnic charge to propel ("shoot") the spray as in the case of a PepperBlaster.

Bottom line: I can't tell for sure if that is legal or illegal. I'd lean toward legal by assuming that the pressurized cartridge is emitting an aerosol spray, and assuming that it contains 2.5 Oz or less of spray (the description doesn't seem to specify the quantity of spray).

[zfields]

Why mess around....

[SMOKEYMOUNTAIN]

In terms of being legal, it depends on the method that the device uses to propel the spray, and how many ounces of the spray it contains. From 12403.7:



The Amazon description says:



That doesn't sound good in terms of how it propels the spray. But then later in the description it says:



That sounds better, as it is apparently not using a pyrotechnic charge to propel ("shoot") the spray as in the case of a PepperBlaster.

Bottom line: I can't tell for sure if that is legal or illegal. I'd lean toward legal by assuming that the pressurized cartridge is emitting an aerosol spray, and assuming that it contains 2.5 Oz or less of spray (the description doesn't seem to specify the quantity of spray).

So is the Kimber pepper blaster illegal because it violates the first prong of the PC test of "tear gas that is projected" even if it satisfies the under 2.5 oz requirement?

[Cokebottle]

Why mess around....

Illegal for use against humans.
Same with those who suggest wasp spray and other noxious chemicals.

[Cokebottle]

...

Why would you need it to spray further than 10 feet or so? It's a defensive weapon, meant to be employed when an assailant is within assault range.

Have you ever been in a self defense situation?

It takes about 2 seconds for an attacker to close 20ft.
An attacker with a knife anywhere within 30ft is a perfectly justifiable lethal shooting.


Yes... being able to shoot OC 20ft or more is a very good thing.

[GrizzlyGuy]

So is the Kimber pepper blaster illegal because it violates the first prong of the PC test of "tear gas that is projected" even if it satisfies the under 2.5 oz requirement?

Yes, I think it uses a pyrotechnic charge to propel the tear gas. It would need to not do that AND have less than 2.5 Oz of tear gas to be legal.

ETA: FYI, bear spray containers can be larger than 2.5 Oz

[IDPA4U]

So is the Kimber pepper blaster illegal because it violates the first prong of the PC test of "tear gas that is projected" even if it satisfies the under 2.5 oz requirement?

The DOJ told me the pepper blaster is officially illegal to carry. I was bummed but in reality, it's probably not the best tool for the job anyway.

[SMOKEYMOUNTAIN]

so if i wanted to legally concealed carry spray, the best available tool would be the 2.5 oz or less fox mean green?

would the kimber pepper blaster be legal to keep near the front door of my place so my girlfriend could answer the door with it in her hand?

[renzoku]

Have you ever been in a self defense situation?

It takes about 2 seconds for an attacker to close 20ft.
An attacker with a knife anywhere within 30ft is a perfectly justifiable lethal shooting.

Yes... being able to shoot OC 20ft or more is a very good thing.

If they've got a knife, I'm going for my sidearm, not my OC spray. Then it doesn't matter how far the spray travels because it's the bullets doin the walking.

As far as the 20 ft range thing? Yeah, I ain't standing my ground. It may take them 2 seconds to cover 20 feet of flat landscape, it'll take them 4-6 or more to catch my *** when I'm running away around an behind anything that'll create an obstruction. 4-6 seconds should be plenty of time to draw my OC spray, turn, and fire and they're likely within 10 feet at that point.

Finally, most of the time, you're going to have SOME warning, whether raised voice or tense body language, that the subject is going to come at you. When they're closing to within 10 feet? Your spray should be in your hand by that point.


@ Smokey: The 2 oz can of Fox will work fine, for both of your intended uses. You definitely don't need a blaster to answer your door, Fox will work a-ok.

[Cokebottle]

so if i wanted to legally concealed carry spray, the best available tool would be the 2.5 oz or less fox mean green?

Or Cold Steel "Inferno". It's potent, and it's a sticky foam.

[renzoku]

2mil SHU's is a good number, the minimum I'd rely on for self defense, but the foam gives me pause, simply because I've not yet seen the dispersal profile. As far as it being sticky? Won't matter a whit, once you tag the guy with Fox (or any decent spray) they're in for 20-40 minutes of blind painful hell. The one place foam will be preferable is if you work in a hospital setting that mandates use of foam dispersal. Otherwise a good cone spray will let you drop a James Bond Smokescreen and GTFO.

[sandboxdoc1]

what's to stop you from printing your own label on the fox can to show 2.5oz when its really a 4.oz can

[MudCamper]

Has anyone had any experience with these? I was going to give pepperspray/oc spray keychains to my relatives for christmas presents when I ran into this:

http://www.amazon.com/Dragonfire-Pepper-Spray-Shooter-Launcher-/dp/B000YTAUMA/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1290570469&sr=8-20

Are these effective? Are they legal in CA? I like the idea of carrying this in my car's glove compartment or keeping it near the front door.

That Amazon link is just a re-branded Mace Pepper Gun. It uses a normal OC spray canister. So it is perfectly legal. I like the idea, but it's too wide. If they had made it use a smaller diameter canister (so it could be a back-pocket gun) it would have been good.