Comments on: Love Me, Love My Pepper Spray

By: dm

dm — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:41:21 +0000

I carry pepper spray as well, mostly because I’m very little and if someone did try something with me, it would be my only defense. I feel a lot safer going around with it and I lend it to my friends if they are going into a situation that might be dangerous.
My parents completely encourage me carrying it because it assures them of my safety as well.
There should be nothing wrong with carrying something that ensures safety…well as long as it’s not a baseball bat or something.

By: beyondviolet

beyondviolet — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:16:54 +0000

When I went off to college, my dad gave me a pocket knife with a curved, serrated blade and told me “plunge and twist.” I carried it in my hand any time I had to walk across campus alone after dark. I’d been sexually assaulted once, and vowed to take a mu’fu’r out before it ever happened again. I don’t remember when or why I stopped carrying it in my bag, but it’s been years now.

I think I’m going to go out and get some pepper spray now though.

By: Mireille

Mireille — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:08:51 +0000

After the sexual assault a year and a half ago, I got a pepper spray for my key chain and one I keep near my front door.

By: funnyface

funnyface — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:04:31 +0000

@K re: “Re: the firearm issue – I’m curious how people feel about them?”

I have complicated feelings about guns. On the one hand, I’m born, raised, and living in the South. I know a lot of avid hunters and people who just enjoy shooting guns. And yet, I’ve never shot one. I think, abstractly, it’s fine by me if people want to own guns, but I think there should be limits on what kind, how many, and who can have them. Statistically, people who own guns are more likely to be victims of guns, often their own, and that’s a major reason I would never have a gun in my house. Also, I believe in nonviolence, and as far as protecting myself and my family, I’d only be OK going so far as to immobilize an attacker, never killing someone. It would be against my religious beliefs to kill anyone, even in self defense.

RE: dogs as a source of “safety.” I totally feel safer having two large, barking dogs in my house. My husband often works nights, and just knowing that there are these two girls here protecting me, barking at things outside the house, sounding very intimidating makes me feel safer. Not to mention, I know they protect me when I’m out walking with them– my Bessie once snarled and scared away a dog that was trying to chase me and really had me scared.

By: romastrega

romastrega — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:12:55 +0000

I carry pepper spray. My BF carries a pocket knife and owns a gun. We live in L.A. but we would be the same way in any city.

By: Laughingrat

Laughingrat — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:56:32 +0000

Huh. By last count, if I hadn’t locked my apartment and dorm doors, I would have been raped at least three times, with attempted rape at least two other times (dude was ooooold, but he was still trying to get at me, the ol’ creep), not to mention possible other physical harm or some kind of theft/property damage that might have also occurred.

Now I realize that I was under a moral obligation to not protect myself by locking those doors, ’cause that fed into a culture of fear. Call me an amoral coward if you wish, but I just had to weigh my own personal safety against the obligation to pretend that everything in the US is peachy-dandy and that there is in fact no actual violent threat to women at this time.

Heck, I probably MADE those guys try to break in by locking the doors in the first place. They probably just sensed it, you know? Forbidden fruit and all that. I really should make a better effort to change society–if I would only refuse to protect myself in even the simplest and most passive of ways, violence against women would just…disappear.

By: CrabbyAlissa

CrabbyAlissa — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:22:50 +0000

@Kirvin- that makes total sense and you reminded me of something else I need to take care of. My large front windows are quite old and slide to the side to open and they have no locks. I don’t think my landlord is going to get me new windows, so I’ll have to get some wood or something to stick between the window and the wall to prevent it from being opened.

I can’t believe I’ve been living there for 3 years and this is just occurring to me now.

By: lijakaca

lijakaca — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:41:56 +0000

I sometimes hold my keys in my hand, and pepper spray actually sounds like a great idea. I’ve never been in immediate danger (knock on wood), but when I’m alone I’m always aware of my surroundings as well as planning ‘what-if’ scenarios.

I do lock my door when I’m in my apartment.

I wouldn’t carry a handgun, because I’m not convinced that they make situations more safe rather than just escalating them.

By: WestVillageGirl

WestVillageGirl — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:30:00 +0000

Sarah, I don’t carry pepper spray because I know that I would probably end up accidentally spraying myself (I don’t do well in crises). So, when I’m walking my dog, I put a spike collar on her to make her look more butch.

But seriously, I do feel safe with my dog, even though I live in a pretty sketchy neighborhood. I wonder what the statistics are for victims who were walking dogs?

By: Algae

Algae — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:13:33 +0000

I carry pepper spray and a pocket knife. My husband got me the pepper spray when I was finishing up my BFA in Cleveland. I’ve had a lot of shocked reactions to the knife (which is mostly practical, for an artist) than to the pepper spray– I guess it was expected in Cleveland, even by the men. Whenever we heard about another robbery, abduction, or rape in our area some of the girls who had cars would offer those who didn’t to go on a “pepper spray buying trip” with them.