William Burns
10% Oleoresin Capsicum in the face was the worst pain that I have ever felt. This fellow is hardly exaggerating. I would gladly be tazered twenty times rather than go through that again. I was scooping filthy puddle water off of the ground to wash my eyes out.

chairsforcheap
i thought for about 10 seconds that clawing my eyes out would be a better deal

RockBolt
'OC' spray is not 'pepper spray'. Mace™ band pepper sprays and the like are irritants, so it hurts. If your really enraged or high, it wont affect you much. Real OC spray is an inflammatory agent, the results of which will force you to clamp your eyes shut and leave you bent over involuntarily trying to cough your lungs out. The intense, screaming pain is just a side effect.

At least that is with this level stuff in my experience-

http://www.foxlabs.com/pepperspray.shtml

pineapplejuicer
to put it a little more eloquently, were that a real firearm that gentleman could have easily emptied that clip towards the voices he was hearing. im not saying pepper spray doesnt suck but i am saying run the fuck away is a better option.

BorrowedSolution
Well, what about pepper-spraying him, then not saying anything while you run around the corner and wait 30 seconds for him to get good and debilitated, then come back and kick him in the taint?

Camonk
oddeye your prejudice against pepper spray is weird.

oddeye
I was raped and killed by a negro. I tried to use pepper-spray but it only made him angry, which as you know causes negros to double in size. Now when I walk my 5 large war dogs I carry my briefcase which converts into an RPG-launcher, just to be sure.

Really though, if the situation warrents you pulling a weapon in self-defense you had better make 100% sure that you will still be alive afterwards. Pepper-spray is no more effective at PREVENTING and SURIVING attacks then carrying around a plank of wood, probably worse despite what fat men riding bicycles would have you believe.

pineapplejuicer
it's based in fact though, oddeye is right. specifically if firearms are involved; it could be a somewhat solid defense against an edged or blunt weapon attack by debilitating the aggressor and allowing you the chance to escape. if someone is already pointing a gun at you and you temporarily blind them, you haven't done anything to impair their ability to operate the gun. you've greatly impaired their ability to aim the gun but considering most robberies and violent assaults take place when both parties are within 10 feet of each other, he's got 7-9 chances to seriously wound or kill you.

hooray self defense and martial arts discussion. seems like there's been a lot of it lately.

Dicknuts
I've always wanted to carry a musket loaded with rubber super balls.

pastorofmuppets
I guess you have to take into consideration the fact that most people are terrible shots. Although if you are in spraying range of the attacker you've sort of solved that problem for him.

unknown rebel
Oh it's easy. If you spray them and they pull a gun, you shoot them.

Frankly this makes Tasers look like the best option for a non-violent takedown.

pastorofmuppets
The best option for a non-violent takedown is Pure Moods and a backrub.