To half wish pepper spray was allowed in the UK?

[Thisnamechanger]

I live in North London. I love it but I'm so fed up of being constantly on edge when I have to get home alone at night. While walking the 5 mins from my bus stop at 11pm last night not one but two creeps managed to intimidate me, trying to get me to talk to them and blocking my path when there was no one else around. It seems to be constant in London. Every time you have to take a night bus alone there will almost always be some creep on the bus or the walk back who will try and talk to you and get in your personal space. DP showed me some paint spray things that are apparently legal. Rape alarms I feel like everyone would ignore in London because they're always going off. By the way I'm totally not suggesting I'd ever mace anyone just for trying to talk to me! It's just you can never tell which are harmless and which would actually hurt you. Anyone have and personal security devices that they recommend?

rainbowsandsmiles

Because it’s common place for people to carry here. No one will attack me because they assume that I am carrying. The same way as I assume that they are.

Everyone is equal

In this utopia where people aren't attacked because people assume you're packing and everyone is equal... remind me, what is your murder rate again? I'll wait.

In my state for the last year I can find data for it was 21. Compared with 537 for the UK. (2014)

Do you live in Mayberry? Because the US/UK difference is a factor of more than 4. And if you live somewhere so safe, why the gun?

No don’t live in Mayberry. I live in New Hampshire. I carry because I can, to protect against wildlife, and I end up carrying a lot of cash because of my business which kinda makes me a target.

Fair enough. You literally live in the only US state with a lower murder rate than the UK. The only one.

Not the only one, I found the data for 2016

www.statista.com/statistics/195331/number-of-murders-in-the-us-by-state/#0

It seems that California, Texas and Illinois are the worst dispite 2 of those having the strictest gun laws

I’m sorry you are harassed like this on a regular basis.
Do you have long hair? I always found I got less hassle when I tied my hair up into a less feminine style. It also means a potential attacker can’t grab you by the hair, which is bloody painful.

A friend of mine had a nasty incident and since then she bought herself a small atomiser bottle off amazon and filled it with something like chilli powder, maybe a dob if bleach and some water, which she keeps handy when she's anywhere she feels unsafe. Don't know if it's strictly legal but it makes her more comfortable. She has a large 'key' kept handy too.

Do you have long hair? I always found I got less hassle when I tied my hair up into a less feminine style. It also means a potential attacker can’t grab you by the hair, which is bloody painful.

Nope, I have a pixie cut and I have noticed random street harassment has happened less since but not gone away. When it was long and blond and I used to wear skirts in the summer that was the worst.

A police officer once told me to take a can of hairspray out with me as it stings like shit in the eyes

Then that police officer was encouraging you to break the law. If you carry ANYTHING intending to use it as a potential weapon it’s illegal. Hairspray, keys, homemade sprays, chilli powder, whatever

Obviously they have to prove your intent though which may be easier if you’ve made something especially for the task from a YouTube tutorial

"I'm kind of with you OP. British policy seems to be to ban any weapons that might be useful for self-defence because they would be equally useful for criminal violence. "

Yes, I certainly don't think we need concealed carry or any of that nonsense but pepper spray was always an odd one. So what if ne'er do wells use it inappropriately or offensively? I'd rather be pepper-sprayed than stabbed!

For what it's worth, I don't think it's entirely deliberate - it's actually swept up in Section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 of all places where they prohibit:

"any weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing".

Which is broadly worded to prohibit weaponised flamethrowers.

Nobody thought "let's ban pepper spray today", but equally it's never been considered necessary to fix the wording to allow people to carry something in their purse.

I did a women's self defence course a while back, learnt some great techniques which has given me more confidence if I'm walking alone. Is that something you could do?

I can't really. I have brittle bones disease so an very easily hurt