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SamNavy · July 22, 2012, 08:50 AM

Your petitie wife attempting to deploy pepper spray in a typical "mugging" scenario is asking to fail.

We can debate scenarios all day long, but when the "bad guy jumps out from behind a bush" at a woman jogger, he's not there for her money. He's there for rape/kidnapping/murder. He's going to be quick and brutal and there will be no opportunity for her to deploy her pepper spray before she's dragged back into the bushes or a waiting vehicle, or rendered unconscious. Even if she manages to get a spray off in extremely close quarters while fighting for her life, it's unlikely it'll be an incapacitating face-shot no matter how powerful the spray is... and she's likely to only get one shot.

You would be served better by having her learn Krav Maga or some other fighting art. Also, you should both go for a run together a few times, exploring different routes and talking about possible ambush points. Discuss safe locations at different points along her routes and ways to improve situational awareness.

Does she listen to music when she runs? If so, make her stop... nothing is more debilitating to situtational awareness than removing the ability to hear your surroundings.

Don't let her run in the dark.
Don't let her run through any wooded or "off street" area... stick to the roads and sidewalks that have houses on them.
Ensure she has several different running routes and not to do the exact same path every day.

And finally, she should carry a firearm. Assuming you've done all of the above, she should be able to find trouble before it finds her and escape. But should the scene turn bad and she's realized she's about to be confronted with no way out, a little Baretta Tomcat or Taurus Model25 may turn the tide.

Does she usually CCW? Maybe that's the first step?

July 22, 2012, 08:50 AM	#9
SamNavy Senior Member Join Date: August 28, 2011 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 433	Your petitie wife attempting to deploy pepper spray in a typical "mugging" scenario is asking to fail. We can debate scenarios all day long, but when the "bad guy jumps out from behind a bush" at a woman jogger, he's not there for her money. He's there for rape/kidnapping/murder. He's going to be quick and brutal and there will be no opportunity for her to deploy her pepper spray before she's dragged back into the bushes or a waiting vehicle, or rendered unconscious. Even if she manages to get a spray off in extremely close quarters while fighting for her life, it's unlikely it'll be an incapacitating face-shot no matter how powerful the spray is... and she's likely to only get one shot. You would be served better by having her learn Krav Maga or some other fighting art. Also, you should both go for a run together a few times, exploring different routes and talking about possible ambush points. Discuss safe locations at different points along her routes and ways to improve situational awareness. Does she listen to music when she runs? If so, make her stop... nothing is more debilitating to situtational awareness than removing the ability to hear your surroundings. Don't let her run in the dark. Don't let her run through any wooded or "off street" area... stick to the roads and sidewalks that have houses on them. Ensure she has several different running routes and not to do the exact same path every day. And finally, she should carry a firearm. Assuming you've done all of the above, she should be able to find trouble before it finds her and escape. But should the scene turn bad and she's realized she's about to be confronted with no way out, a little Baretta Tomcat or Taurus Model25 may turn the tide. Does she usually CCW? Maybe that's the first step? Last edited by SamNavy; July 22, 2012 at 08:56 AM.