Mace WTFkery

I am all about self-defense and the right to do whatever you have to in order to keep yourself safe.

That being said, I really do have to question the wisdom of carrying a mace dispenser that looks like a revolver.

Okay – yes, it’s nice that it gives you an LED laser for aiming, though to be honest, I think in most situations where a woman pulls out her mace, she’s probably not thinking along such tactical lines.

I guess my main issue with carrying anything gun-shaped is that it probably has the potential to escalate an ugly situation into something much worse – particularly if there is a police officer involved. And having a pink gun isn’t necessarily going to be enough to get you out of the situation – there are plenty of real guns that are pink. Yes, a good cop should be able to assess a situation correctly before making assumptions – however, if it’s dark or the officer only catches a quick glimpse of what looks like firearm, he or she is within his rights to take offensive action, particularly if the officer can articulate that they deemed it a justifiable threat.  (And incidentally, macing a police officer does give him the right to shoot you.)

Not only that, but if you pull such a thing on someone who *is* carrying an actual firearm, the situation has now been escalated into something where you will probably lose.

I dunno. My own opinion is that if you’re going to carry a gun shaped weapon, you might as well carry an actual gun. You’re less likely to just whip it out as a casual threat, but if you do have to pull it, you’ve at least got the knowledge that there’s now an even playing ground.