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Old July 28, 2001, 05:12 AM   #1
eyeball
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pepper spray tolerance

i seen a movie where this guy sprayed pepper spray on this one military rambo-like character. the military man then took the spray from the guy and then sprayed himself in the mouth with it and said something corny like "yum" or something.

is there any specific way to build up tolerance for this stuff?
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Old July 28, 2001, 05:26 AM   #2
PreserveFreedom
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Aside from getting regular doses of it, some people just are more tolerant. The biggest misconception about pepperspray is that it is "mace".

One movie that matches the scene you are talking about is "Under Siege II" with Steven Seagal. Sarah Ryback, played by Katherine Heigl, sprays one of the mercanaries in the face and says, "Mace!" He grabe it from her, sprays it in his own mouth, and replies, "Pepper spray. For civillians. Just clears the sinuses." (Or something to that effect.)
 
Old July 28, 2001, 09:25 AM   #3
Coronach
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There are no sure things

I have seen pepper spray fail to faze a guy twice.

Time one was in police academy. One very large good ole boy in my class seemed completely unaffected by the stuff. He claimed his face was burning and he admitted to some pain, but he was still walking, talking and laughing afterwards.

The other time was when a mental case hopped in a squad car (the driver's seat!) and latched onto the steering wheel, and was shouting (apparently) passages from the Koran. He got hosed down most heavily. Didn't affect his behaviour one bit. By the time I got there he was handcuffed and shackled, reeking of capsicum and screaming "ALLAH AHKBAR!" at the top of his lungs, thrashing around.

Usually though it works MOST effectively.

Mike
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Old July 28, 2001, 10:16 AM   #4
C.R.Sam
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It does clear the sinuses.

Probably stop attack. Slim chance of bein fatal to attacker. Some chance of just pissing off the attacker.

Seems to have same variable effect on different dogs too.

Sam
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Old July 29, 2001, 02:48 PM   #5
Jody Hudson
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The biggest problem is that folks think 5-10% will do fine on dogs and humans when 20-40% is what was used on bears.

First off, the bears are not used to being attacked by humans; some dogs and humans are. Thus the surprise factor is missing.

Second, bears have a LOT of mucous membrane hanging out there; mouthes open, big watery eyes with exposed mucousy underlids, and BIG wet noses. Also bears in particular and dogs on occassion, are breathing a lot during an attack.

People have very little mucous membrane to hit. They are not usually breathing heavily during an attack, and they are more capable of overcoming something with some sort of thinking.

As to Mace... HAH. Thirty years ago, when I was a military cop, a friend of mine, a silly county cop, came up and sprayed me with a can of MACE which we'd been told to rely on. I quickly pulled mine out and used the entire can on him through the open window of his car. Ten minutes later, out in 30 degree weather, we were smoking cigarettes together and agreeing that we would NEVER spray someone with MACE unless we already had them cuffed and under the gun.. Later on, I got a dose of MACE on a hot, humid summer day and found it to be far more uncomfortable. However I was NOT messed up so much that I could not have done something terminal to someone if I had to.
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Old July 29, 2001, 04:34 PM   #6
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I have been a Bouncer the better part of 15 years and a couple a years after I started, a police officer friend gave me some pepper spray for use at work. I didnt want to use it unless I knew that it worked, so I had my father shoot me right between the eyes at close range. My glasses were off and my eyes were open. Big mistake. Obviously, the label on the canister was incorrect when it said "pepper spray", when actually it must have contained nitroglycerin, which seemed to explode all the flesh off my face. My eyes were flaming balls of mucous and all I could do is sit down rather quickly. Couldnt breathe, snot jetting from my nose, lips felt like they were being skinned off my face. All I could do is sit there and cry like a baby. Meanwhile, my father was in paroxyms of laughter, and was literally rolling on the floor because of my idiot decision. About 10 minutes later, after much agony, it was like a switch had been flipped and the pain just went away. Poof! like that, it was gone and I was fine. My father offered to try the experiment again but I declined. After that I used it for quite a few years with much success. I stopped using it when I blasted some 7 ft. ogre in my bar and the pepper spray got into the ventilation system. I had customers gagging and rubbing their eyes all night. I also went thru a very short phase where I used it on a couple bad guys in an un-approved manner. Like having other bouncers hold the ogre down and then I would shoot jets of OC into his sinuses. I did this twice and both times the bad guy went into convulsions and passed out. That was during my wild, bad days when I was hurting people on a regular basis and liking it. I dont do things like that anymore and it was a long time ago. Now I rely on verbal judo, ASP baton, stun gun, cell phone and .45 pistol.
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Old August 1, 2001, 11:22 AM   #7
IamNOTaNUT
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Most people should be able to carry on vital functinos after havinf gbeen hit with the pepper spray. The reason it is so effective against MOST people is that the pain and shortness of breath tend to make them panic, and they lose their ability to fight back.

If a person is able to keep their wits about them they can continue to fight effectively. They will still have trouble seeing through watery eyes, and will still feel thee pain, but they can carry on. I know this from multiple experiences.

Still, I don't like the stuff and don't like to get caught in the spray.
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Old August 1, 2001, 11:22 PM   #8
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Check this out. www.guardalaska.com. This is what they usually use in Alaska.
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Old August 1, 2001, 11:39 PM   #9
Spectre
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Some of us are unaffected by pain during conflict. Might be somewhat genetic...younger brother sprayed himself in the face when he was 12. On purpose. His eyes and nose ran, and he professed that it hurt.

2 years or so, ago, I needed to use my computer. My little dog had decided to camp out under my computer desk with her bone. She gave me "the Look". I politely explained that I did not want what she had, that I just needed to use the computer.

She refused to believe me. I explained again, in my most pleasant voice, that I really only needed to use the computer. She growled.

Please?

Growl.

I gave her the shortest burst I could, a barely discernible squirt.

She immediately explained that this was all a misunderstanding, that she hadn't meant to growl at me at all, and snuggled up next to my chair.

I sprayed myself for good measure. Nasty tasting stuff. I think the bad taste is from the inert ingredients, not the pepper.
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Old August 2, 2001, 01:30 AM   #10
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I'd been carrying a vial of the stuff for some time, thinking that it might be a reasonable option to producing my handgun in some isolated circumstance. My mother-in-law had been complaining about the neighbor's dog coming into her yard & harrassing her, so I "volunteered" to do some yard work for her. Sure enough, the little twirp showed up, barking & nipping at my heels (had to have weighed less than 12 pounds). I gave him a GOOD, long blast, right between the eyes. He stood back about 5 feet (which he would do anytime you looked right at him) for 10-15 seconds, then trotted back home in a seemingly happy gait. I really expected some kind of yelping, spinning, rolling display, before making a beeline outta there, but he showed no sign of irritation. He layed down in a comfortable position & watched me finish my work from the safety of his own yard. He was a little reluctant to come into the yard after that day though, and that's about all of the deterrant factor I'd ever place on the stuff.
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Old August 2, 2001, 06:38 AM   #11
Jody Hudson
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Especially those little squirt bottles of pepper spray, those about the size of a big thumb, will lose the sting in a year or so. These should replaced once a year, or instantly if they are squirted at all.

However, IMHO, the little ones are best if used at close range up the nostrils of a bad guy who has his pistol barrel in his mouth, so that you can remove the barrel from his mouth, leave and go about your business.

Or they are sometimes OK to convince young Cocker Spaniels to not eat from the cat's dish. Of Course the cat might get the job done first...

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