Do you carry pepper spray as part of your defensive toolkit? I am a big fan of pepper spray for non-lethal threats, but it’s not a perfect solution as this officer shows. This sad video is an important reminder at Active Self Protection​ of the limitations of all the tools we carry, especially our pepper spray.

If you value what we do at ASP, would you consider becoming an ASP Patron Member to support the work it takes to make the narrated videos like these armed robbers getting their just desserts? https://get-asp.com/patron gives the details.

Corporal McKay’s Officer Down memorial page, magazine article showing the long relationship these two had, and more is available on our website: https://get-asp.com/kc69

What does this officer teach us about how and when to use pepper spray to defend ourselves?

1. In a deadly force encounter, decisions of life and death will be made in the blink of an eye. On the range and in class we have time to consider and to think and to reset and to make multiple attempts, but when the balloon goes up in real life you’ve got fractions of seconds to decide what the best course of action is to protect yourself. The way to be better at decision making in the heat of the moment is training, specifically scenario training and force-on-force training that is designed to work on decision-making skills under stress. It’s offered all over the country, so get training! Corporal McKay was expecting his pepper spray to subdue the suspect, but it changed SO fast and he had little time to react. This is the reality of life and death exchanges.

Want to learn more? There are 7 additional lessons, 3 class starters for instructors, and links to more information about this pepper spray failure on our website: https://get-asp.com/kc69

Attitude. Skills. Plan.

(music in the intro and outro courtesy of Bensound at http://www.bensound.com)

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