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Just to clarify, I had no pepper spray on me at the time. Nor did I have have a tazer. People who are CCW never really do . . .
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That is your choice. I do though, and know others who also do so. There are plenty of situations where lethal force is not warranted yet force is called for. That is where something like OC comes in. If all you have is a gun one could argue your only choice may be an escalation to lethal force. Depending on the jurisdiction that could be a problem.
My biker did not back down immediately. There was plenty of shouting and threatening, enough that I was hoping someone else would be calling 911 but this was 92 and cell phones were not common then. Not once though was I assertive with him. A 5'4" college student does not behave assertively with some deranged 6'+ biker if he wants to de-escalate the situation. If it had escalated I would have used force as appropriate. I had both OC and a gun although I would not have used OC in this instance. Being inside the car with an open window there was plenty of opportunity for the OC to affect me and inhibit my ability to escape harm. Likewise the traffic situation made driving away impossible.