I realize that very few of you here at MVAP read the New York Slimes on a regular basis, so you are unlikely to know who Nick Kristof is. Welp, he’s a ‘journalist’ at the NYT and he recently wrote a column about guns in the home. I am not going to bother with that article, as it is filled with the usual anti-gun halftruths and outright lies. What I am going to write about is this tweet from Nick:
We’re caught in a spiral in which perceptions of rising crime lead more people to buy firearms for protection, which leads to more gun violence, which leads to more gun purchases. We have to confront the mistaken belief that a gun reduces the risk of suffering violence.
We could even encourage worried homeowners to buy bear spray for protection. I backpack, and it’s well known that bear spray is more effective against a charging grizzly than a handgun. Probably also more effective against a home invader. Think of it as harm reduction.
Yah, Nothing in the second tweet is accurate. Let’s break it down.
Here in NY, self defense pepper spray is legal, with a lot of restrictions: a concentration of no higher than .7% capsaicinoids by weight, a limited volume of product in the container, several labelling restrictions, and they are only available at licenced firearms dealers and pharmacies. NY requires the buyer fill out a form prior to purchase and only allows 2 containers per transaction/day.
Bear spray is also legal in NY, HOWEVER, it is regulated differently. Most NY legal bear sprays are around 4% oleoresin capsaicin by weight, and are considered a pesticide. That puts the regulation of bear sprays into the hands of the DEC.
So, that begs the question, are bear sprays legal for use against human targets? And that answer is a resounding NO. As a pesticide, use against a human constitutes a class C felony here in NY.
The laws in your locality may vary, so check your local listings before you go bear-spraying someone.
Before we go any further, we have to look at the major way bear spray differs from self defense pepper spray. The commonly available self defense pepper sprays shoot a tight stream. The user aims the stream at their target’s eyes and nose. Bear spray, and to a lesser extent dog spray, are more like a fog than a defined stream. You point the container in the general direction of the bear and let ‘er rip.
Next up Nick claims that bear spray is more effective than a hand gun in stopping a charging bear. If that was anywhere near being true, then 99% of Alaskan fishing guides wouldn’t be carrying Glock 20s (mid sized 10mm) or 3-4″ revolvers chambered in .454 Casull or .44 mag. for protection from Grizzly and Brown bears.
I suppose location may have some effect on what would be more effective. Here in NY, there are Black bears, and they typically run away from humans, but if they are actively stalking you it is for one reason only: to eat you. Better to have a permanent solution to that problem. Dunno about y’all, but I tend to react badly to being stalked for food. . .
Now, Nick is also claiming bear spray would likely be effective against a home invader. I mean, 4% OC would likely incapacitate a home invader. But given how bear spray actually works, it would likely incapacitate the homeowner as well. The spray would quickly fill the room, and voila! everyone in the building is now sucking on OC. Just think back to basic training and the Gas chamber, and you’ll have a decent idea of what spraying a bear deterrent spray indoors is like.
In other words, you shouldn’t be taking self-defense advice from a NYT columnist.
And as a reminder: