Taser or mace?

[C-grunt]

Ive recently found out that my mother in law has a stalker. Police have been called. She wont carry a gun of any sort so i recomended she get some mace or a taser. I know very little about these weapons so could anyone give me advice on best type, and overall effectiveness of these weapons. Thanks

 

[scbair]

Pepper spray, hands down! The Taser is at its best as a "compliance" tool for law enforcement use against extremely unruly subjects who actually pose no grave threat at the moment (drug-addled, emotionally unstable, etc.). The minute that subject grabs a deadly weapon and is in a position to use it, the Taser goes by the board and it's sidearm or shotgun time!

Pepper spray is not the equal of a service pistol, but it offers both distance (at least beyond arm's length) and repeat "fire" capability. I'm no great fan, but I do believe its incapacitation potential is also greater than that of the Taser. OC and running shoes used in combination may have merit!

OK, I'll admit to only very limited actual experience with the electronic gizmos, so please feel free to jump in, folks.

 

[Soap]

Get her some spray and a good folder like a Spyderco. Give her some basic training on how to deploy and use each item. And most importantly, train her on conditions of awareness. A stalker does just that, stalks...so any "situation" will most likely be a surprise attack.

 

[Coronach]

1. Lessons in situational awareness.

2. Evaluation of her willingness to use a weapon.

3. Evaluation of her potential skill with a weapon.

4. Decide what to get, with her.

5. Train.

6. Follow up.

Before you decide what to do, you have to figure out where you are. Most people go through their entire life in condition white, and only move to orange when they should probably be in red. This is often followed by an express trip to black. The absolute best thing that you can do is get her clued-in on her surroundings, potential threats and potential counters. If you do that successfully, chances are the whole rest of the "solution" will not even be needed.

Tasers and mace are good ideas, but is she willing to use it, willing to practice with it, and willing to carry it in a way that she can access it? Most of the time people use it like a security blanket. "Well, I sure was scared, but now I have my *insert weapon here*, which I carry in the bottom of my purse/leave in the car/leave at home/usually carry but forgot it today/have no idea where it is ATM, so Now I'm Safe (tm).

Generally, I'd go with a mace over a taser, for the following reasons:

1. Easier to use.
2. Easier to carry.
3. Repeat shots for most cans.
4. Cheaper.
5. Less legal hassles (will vary by area).

Tasers get the nod for being instantly effective, which is something mace is NOT, but require more skill and dedication to use effectively.

But, address the software problem first, before you address the hardware problem.

Mike

 

[Coronach]

Oh, and she should carry a charged cell phone, 24/7. If worse comes to worst, have her get a used one on Ebay and no coverage plan. As long as it charges up, she can call 911. Knowledge of her location should be covered in the whole situational awareness chat.

We all (correctly) deride 911 as 'dial and die', but it's better than nothing, and can be very useful once the immediate crisis is averted. If nothing else, she can hose down the perp, get a safe distance away, and summon the police to come scoop up the guy screaming and snotting in the alley.

Mike

 

[c_yeager]

Mace is the better of the two, but honestly i woudlnt expect too much from it. The police DO NOT use mace or tasers defensively. They use them to force compliance from resistive subjects. A determined attacker is unlikely to be slowed down even by a good dose of spray. However, an obnoxious person, or undetermined attacker (happens quite a bit actually) could be thwarted by the spray. Neither of these are even in the same ballpark as the deterrent or stopping value of a firearm, heck they arent even in the same sport.

 

[armoredman]

OK, can I say one thing? It's not MACE. Mace is a trademarked name from Smith and Wesson Corp from the 1960s. The original Mace formula is far less effective than oloresin caspicum, commonly known as OC or pepper spray. The reason I say this is that if you go to a police supply shop, and ask for Mace, they will know you don't know what you are talking about, and will sell you the garbage....ask for Fox labs or Bodyguard 10% OC....
OC is far more useful than Taser, and last a lot longer. OC can remain effective for 45 minutes or longer after application, while Taser can be shaken off after a minute or so.

 

[Sunray]

Tell your mom-in-law to carry a small can of hairspray. Mace and tasers aren't legal everywhere. Hairspray is and it contains lacquer. It's cheap, requires no permits of any kind and if applied to face ends a confrontation instantly and isn't lethal. Any aerosol will do.
Curiosity says you have to tell us why your mom-in-law is being stalked though. Can't imagine how any of us can help, but you never know.

 

[Taser laws in Ct.]

I would use pepper spray it is easy to use than a taser

 

[1911JMB]

Either is effective. Just the same, pepper spray can jam as it did to me when I was getting charged by a dog, and I assume a tazer can malfunction. It seems to me, a good option might be to carry both and practice deploying them. Another good option would be an expanding baton, the use of which is very easy to figure out. I personaly would do all I could to get her to carry a pistol. Especially if this stalker is armed.