Only-Pepper Spray

Right before I moved into my first college dorm, my dad gave me a small can of pepper spray. I laughed, thinking he was overly paranoid, but I found that I was very glad I had it over those four years. There were many times that I walked home alone late at night, whether it was from a late night studying at the library or from a friend’s house in a nearby neighborhood. Luckily, I never needed to use my pepper spray, but I clutched it in my fist many times, ready to fire if needed.

Some form of pepper spray is a must for any college student, and mace pepper foam is one of the most effective kinds. It combines 10% pepper and foam to form a powerful deterrent against an attack. A jet of mace pepper foam can spray 8 to 10 feet, stopping an attacker in his tracks before he can get close enough to harm you. The thick foam covers his eyes, making it difficult to see, and the pepper is ground into his eyes when he attempts to wipe it away. This debilitating foam gives you plenty of time to run away and call the police. In a life-or-death situation, mace pepper foam gives you the precious time that’s needed to escape.

On the radio this morning, school bullying was the topic of discussion. A mother was worried about how her daughter should deal with middle-school bullies, and one of the hosts joked that she should carry mace. The mother laughed and said no, and she was right – mace would be overkill for dealing with middle-school aged kids, but she might want to offer her daughter some mace if she’s worried about being physically attacked while walking home. Predators often see teenage girls as easy targets because most can’t fight off a large male attacker, but a mace baton could be the perfect defense.

A mace baton is a very narrow canister that fits easily into a closed-fisted hand, making it nearly invisible to possible attackers. Its size makes it easy to keep handy in case a dangerous situation arises. It also comes in different colors – black is best for concealing it at night, while bright blue or red makes the baton easy to locate quickly in a purse or backpack. A mace baton sprays up to 5 feet, and a four-gram unit contains three one-second bursts. While teens should learn to deal with petty bullying through words, they should also be equipped to deal with more dangerous predators if needed.