WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

Hi guys, just wondering if anyone knows the legality or where to buy decent pepper spray in perth?

I work in the lockup at the courts in perth and i want to carry something when i go home (from the court to my car) as i was recently approached buy a guy who had been locked up with us that day, then got bail and bumped into me on my way home, it really gave a me a fright and i thought i was in for it.

Some of us carry OC spray but it obviously stays in the complex when we go home, and the stuff you can buy from the army surplus stores etc is very questionalble as it has no SHU % on it or a used by date for that matter, so you dont know what your getting with over the counter sprays making them unreliable, anyhoo any help would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers John

G'day John,

If you have a look in the Weapons Act you'll find that pepper spray is a controlled weapon. In short- you can have it but if you use it you'll need a dam good reason for doing so. I am not a lawyer or anything so this is just my interpretation of the legislation and if anyone else knows better feel free to correct me! the Act mentions things about having reasonable grounds of suspecting that you will need to use it for self defence. Be aware though that you cannot come to someone else's aid with pepper spray as you would not be using it for self defence.

So if you still wish to get some there is a shop called the Kitbag in Midvale WA that sells a decent one (can't remember the name of the actual spray) but it is made here is WA.

Hope this is helpful!

Cheers
Matt

Go for it. I would rather risk arguing with a judge over a couple of hundred dollar fine (if it even got that far) than compromising my personal safety. Your job sounds like you meet a lot of scum bags, and I am sure it wouldn't take much to convince the cops, judge if you had to use it.

Thanks for the link holden, unfortunately they sell the same spray as everywhere else and because its not rated i.e 10% and no used by date you could never really rely on the stuff. I just dont get how it can be legal to purchase but you cant find real OC spray anywhere, that i know of anyway. I guess this is a good thing tho?

And woobla1 i agree id rather carry it than get a lasting injury ( an ass kicking is one thing ) cos if you fall the wrong way etc you might suffer for life. But my point is the pepper spray on the market in perth just isnt up to scratch and id like to purchase something i can trust.

With the whole legality side of things you could be a woman with a retsraining order out on some guy, he happens to walk past her and she sprays him, he stumbles back and is hit by a car causing some kind of paralysis or whatever, but if that guy has the $$$ for a good defence lawyer, she will probably go down too.. maybe he just walked past her by accident in the city and she panicked etc?

My point is with a good enough defence lawyer anythings possible in our system.

But back to my original point if anyone knows where to get good spray from i.e with % please let me know as id rather take the chance and carry it.


cheers guys

maybe you could source where Police get there spray from i'm guessing they must get it from a Local supplier and theres a chance they may do different grades But if you spray someone and they have an allegic reaction or suffer asthma and injure or they die you could be held responsible for the assault

Dont they provide secure parking for you in the courts?

Just park closer to work and walk with someone else to your car, remember that whatever you have can be used on you just as well.

search.again wrote:maybe you could source where Police get there spray from i'm guessing they must get it from a Local supplier and theres a chance they may do different grades But if you spray someone and they have an allegic reaction or suffer asthma and injure or they die you could be held responsible for the assault

If your allergic to OC spray, why the hell would you assualt someone who carries some? its a "non-leathel" mesure for self defence. if you break the law and end up second best, you only have yourself to blame.

nra555 wrote:

search.again wrote:maybe you could source where Police get there spray from i'm guessing they must get it from a Local supplier and theres a chance they may do different grades But if you spray someone and they have an allegic reaction or suffer asthma and injure or they die you could be held responsible for the assault

If your allergic to OC spray, why the hell would you assualt someone who carries some? its a "non-leathel" mesure for self defence. if you break the law and end up second best, you only have yourself to blame.

While I agree with you there, you have to think as well the Taser® is considered non lethal (or is it less-than lethal) however under the right conditions you can easily kill someone with it. EDIT: More detail, in the case of the Joondalup father who got taser®'d he had a heart attack on the spot. But the worst may be if you Taser® someone and they fall and injure them self.

Similarly with OC spray, if you hit someone with it and they go and rub their eyes constantly they can get serious long term damage to their eyes.