What is a good legal self defense item to carry in your car?

Question

Please exclude a bat, ax, gun , or knife. Some examples I have thought of is a fire extinguisher to spray in their face then hit, mace, or a loud air horn. Somethin g that wont get you murder charges or in trouble if pulled over but really deter the criminal.

Answer 1

Have you ever taken a can of WD-40 and held a lit lighter in front of the nozzle, then pushed it? The effect is guaranteed to drive off anybody.

Answer 2

I read something in the news awhile back about tasers killing.  Legal self defense?   No such thing.

Answer 3

A bat, ax or knife beyond a certain length are illegal.  A gun is legal in most (48) of the states.  

But if you do not want to use a gun,  you need something that will stop the attack as quickly as possible.   Mace in a car is a bad deal as it is just as likely to come back and hit you,  leaving you unable to drive off.  An air horn?  Waste of time and money.  

Consider getting a Taser.   They cost about as much as a gun but do not kill (usually) and you can keep the guy on the ground until the cops get there.    If "shooting" is a problem,  you can get a hand held stun gun that you simply push into the attacker and hit the button.    But in some states such as Hawaii SSR,  even a Taser is illegal.  

Answer 4

Well of course exclude a bat or ax, there's no way to get a good swing in a car.  Definitely get a gun.  Sorry, but any criminal scared away by a fire extinguisher wasn't much threat to begin with.  Tasers are fine for law enforcement (life would be great if you always had half a dozen people to deal with a criminal) but what if something stops it?  What happens if you're assailed by two people?  You cannot reload it quickly, are you going to carry 3 or 4 in the passenger seat?  

Answer 5

I got my friend one of those orange life-saver hammers that have a seat-belt knife cutter on them. It is designed to be used to break the window so you can get out if you are trapped after an accident. She had her purse on the seat and the passenger door unlocked. The bad guy jumped in at the stoplight and grabbed her purse. She whacked him in the temple with the hammer and called 911. The police came and took him away.  

Answer 6

You could look into something called a "Pal."  It's a small device on a keyring that emits a very loud and jarring wail when the pin is pulled.  I'm not sure about the legal status on Tasers, but they're also a good less than lethal option, and CERTAINLY effective.  

Answer 7

I have a permit from the San Jose, California Police Department to carry Mace.

Pepper Spray also works well and is less likely to cause injury.

The laws on this subject vary from State to State and even from County to County.

You need to check the laws in the Jurisdiction whare you live.