Pepper Spray. College Campus. 18 Years Old

[Robhic]

OK, from my reading of the statutes it looks like it should be OK. But I'd like some of the more enlightened of you to please chime in.

My eldest grandson is 18 and starting college locally. He has some courses at night. I thought an OC spray to keep IN THE CAR and not on his person might be a good idea. It looks like from what I read that a knife or other device can be on school grounds but not carried. I don't see that as a problem for the boy if he knows it is illegal. He could keep it in the console or glove compartment.

Do you concur that this should be alright for him to do? I haven't mentioned it and if it is not, then I'll just have an extra can of Fox OC spray for my own use! Thanks!

 

[madwabbit]

tell him to keep a can of wasp spray in his car. works just as well, possibly better. if anyone asks, hes got allergies.

edit: by "better" i mean range/accuracy/size of can btw

 

[#1bambam]

tell him to keep a can of wasp spray in his car. works just as well, if not better. if anyone asks, hes got allergies.

And some cans have a 30 ft range that you can aim accurately.

 

[doc ace]

I bought a tactical rape whistle I carried on a 550 cord lanyard when about on UL Lafayette campus. Worked great.

 

[pulpsmack]

I am relating my personal interpretation/experience and NOT advice of any kind.

When I went to LSU and LSU+, I carried a Romanian AK in my truck. My vehicle is an extension of my home and is thus protected. My reasoning was that in case of any VT like occurrence, I would not be able to carry and in the "lottery-like" chance that 1. it happened, 2. I escaped, 3. I felt the need to return for my classmates into harm's way (of perp AND LEOs now) that I damned sure better return with a longarm than a CCW.

Point being, that in most situations involving on-campus crime, ANYTHING in the car will be close to useless, but since concealability is no longer an issue, I would at least carry something worthwhile. If I was 18 on campus with public safety concerns, I would have a Mossberg 500 or Romanian AK in a locked auto trunk.

I will also add that Wasp spray (a very effective tool and recommended to a friend by an LEO) could be construed as a deadly weapon as an instrumentality capable of causing grievous bodily harm, so while it may fly under the radar without a self-defense circumstance attached, it could conceivably be as serious as using a tomahawk, baseball bat, combat knife, etc. if it ended up being used in an altercation.

 

[AustinBR]

OK, from my reading of the statutes it looks like it should be OK. But I'd like some of the more enlightened of you to please chime in.

My eldest grandson is 18 and starting college locally. He has some courses at night. I thought an OC spray to keep IN THE CAR and not on his person might be a good idea. It looks like from what I read that a knife or other device can be on school grounds but not carried. I don't see that as a problem for the boy if he knows it is illegal. He could keep it in the console or glove compartment.

Do you concur that this should be alright for him to do? I haven't mentioned it and if it is not, then I'll just have an extra can of Fox OC spray for my own use! Thanks!

There is no problem with carrying a knife or pepper spray on a college campus in Louisiana. I have heard that LSU PD actually recommends that girls carry pepper spray with them while on campus and while running, though I could not find any relevant information on this via Google. If he is just keeping the spray in the car, it will not help him while he is walking to his car or around campus, though.

Fun story. A good friend of mine got assaulted by two guys while walking to the parking lot his car was in. They tried to hit him in the head with a baseball bat after they took his wallet and his phone. They missed and hit his ear. Had he had pepper spray on him, he would have been able to spray the two guys and get to his car which was not far away. He now carries a can that I bought him every single day. Since that day, I have also carried pepper spray and a decent sized SOG knife to school. I asked LSU PD (via email) what the policy on having a knife on campus was and they said there was no law against it, though I should not "brandish" it. I have used it to open things in the union and I even saw an LSU PD guy look at me opening a lunch thing with it, I made eye-contact, he looked away and never said anything.

Moral of the story. A knife and pepper spray are both great tools to keep on one's person if CCing is not an option. I highly recommend both for college students.

Edit:
Also, if he is competent with a gun and feels comfortable with one in his car, I don't think it a bad idea either. Many would argue that it could get broken into and stolen, but I think that risk is worthwhile as you will have a gun to protect yourself if need by while driving. On that note, I do know a guy who had a cinderblock thrown through his window after leaving campus and 6 or so guys almost killed him as the beat him to a pulp. A gun might have helped him...but that's a different story.

 

[edman87k5]

Dont know the exact rules now, but when my wife was at LSU, they said pepper spray was not allowed, but under breath said it was not enforced. She went for several years and always had pepper spray with her. We were willing to deal with the consequences if there were any.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

While I'm sure Wasp Spray will burn eyes I don't think you will get much if any effect on the airway. I'd pass and buy a Spitfire Key Fob.

 

[Robhic]

I think the wasp spray is a good idea but I think I also remember seeing somewhere (Mas Ayoob?) saying there was no definitive background on it legally and that it might even carry more serious consequences in a SD situation from a legal standpoint. I think I'll give the boy the Fox labs 2oz streamer with a stern warning that it is NOT a toy for he or any of his friends (ala Kansas shooting out of boredom...) and carries legal implications.

Any firearm is out of the question. First he's not competent nor would his mom allow it. Plus I don't know he's mature enough -- he just turned 18. I appreciate all the input and info. If I put the fear of God in him to prevent foolish behavior and let him think on the seriousness of what he has in his possesion, I think it'll be OK. I just wanted to make sure he didn't cut short his college career for a violation of law with the OC spray! Thanks again.

 

[dirty dan]

I've had wasp spray rain back down on me before. It doesn't do a damn thing but taste and smell bad.
IMO it would be a sin to send someone out with a false sense of security thinking that they can defend themselves with wasp spray.

 

[AustinBR]

While I'm sure Wasp Spray will burn eyes I don't think you will get much if any effect on the airway. I'd pass and buy a Spitfire Key Fob.

OK, I Googled and couldn't find anything. What are you referring to?

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

http://spitfire.us/

 

[kibb]

I don't know about wasp spray in the eyes, but I know carb cleaner burns like fire in the eyes. That would probably be more legit than wasp spray and it throws a decent stream also b