If possible, where can I buy pepper spray?

simakun · Post by **simakun** » Sun May 22, 2005 8:47 pm

Does anyone know where I can purchase a personal safety device such as pepper spray, mace or a personal alarm in Helsinki or even online? practically all the sites i've viewed are US-based and won't ship outside the US.

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tjawatts · Post by **tjawatts** » Sun May 22, 2005 9:19 pm

I dont think you can carry mace or pepper spray here, although I hear hairspray is a good substitute.

Discussed previously her

bb/viewtopic.php?t=7287&highlight=pepper

You should be able to find an alarm though I am sure, no idea where though.

T

oblomov · Post by **oblomov** » Sun May 22, 2005 9:21 pm

This link might be useful it is from ebay UK and they usually ship to Europe
http://search.ebay.co.uk/self-defence-s ... 40QQsojsZ1

BTW your post is little bit worrying, should we all be ordering something? Finland seems to be extremely safe to me

simakun · Post by **simakun** » Sun May 22, 2005 9:35 pm

hokay... so it seems that classical pepper spray isn't permitted in finland, but what about bear spray? http://www.udap.com/Bearspecifications.htm

what about personal alarms? where would i buy something like that here?

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Sun May 22, 2005 9:47 pm

Theres a few places that sell various alarm stuff, like here
http://www.securus.fi/html/turvahl.html

Mace/pepper whatever is illegal to possess here.

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Sun May 22, 2005 10:22 pm

Any item you carry as a personal safety device can be considered a weapon therefore illegal. You can buy pepper spray in Estonia, but in theory you need a licence to carry it in Finland. Your choice.

mrjimsfc · Post by **mrjimsfc** » Mon May 23, 2005 5:50 pm

penelope wrote:Any item you carry as a personal safety device can be considered a weapon therefore illegal. You can buy pepper spray in Estonia, but in theory you need a licence to carry it in Finland. Your choice.

In Finland one does NOT enjoy the rights of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." It is against the law for you to fight back against robbery, rape or even murder. DO NOT act like an American and fight against the defilement of your "non-rights". Just resolve yourself to the fact that you are just another sheep in a world full of wolves.

tjawatts · Post by **tjawatts** » Mon May 23, 2005 5:56 pm

Luckily I am much less likely to be attacked by a "wolf" in Finland than I would be in the US. So I feel perfectly safe and dont feel the need to carry any personal protection.

T

simakun · Post by **simakun** » Mon May 23, 2005 7:16 pm

the personal security devices are for my gf. she's going off on a big summer music festival with a whole bunch of friends, living in a tent on a big camping ground and i know there'll be thousands of others there with lots and lots of alcohol. it's the first time she's going to something like this and i'm a little anxious. some of her friends are the hard partying sorts and it's pretty easy to get carried away on such occasions. It's also the occasional wolf hiding among the multitudes that i'm concerned about.

Caroline · Post by **Caroline** » Mon May 23, 2005 8:17 pm

oblomov wrote: BTW your post is little bit worrying, should we all be ordering something? Finland seems to be extremely safe to me

Just last week I was approached by yet another drunk on an empty walking path here in Oulu. Actually the most dangerous thing is assuming that nothing bad can happen, and therefore being unprepared. I understand Simakun's concerns.

doctorforsh · Post by **doctorforsh** » Mon May 23, 2005 9:16 pm

a good thing to have is a extendable batton! i had one in uk(just incase)
its a metal stick that extends when you lash it out!,,,as long as no one sees it i cannot see the harm in carrying one!,,and the only person who will see it is the person who wont tell anyone about it eg mugger!!!

tjawatts · Post by **tjawatts** » Tue May 24, 2005 10:40 am

The baton like the pepper spray and stun gun is an offensive weapon with no other reason than to hit someone. You cannot carry it legally in Finland.

I would suggest defensive measures are better. Like having an alarm, always going around in groups or getting a taxi (especially in dodgy areas). If you really want an offensive weapon it has to be dual use so you can justify carrying it (hairspray, nail scissors etc).

Think of it this way.

If it was legal to carry such weapons, who are the people most likely to carry them? Yes you are much more likely to be attacked by an armed criminal.

Second, say a mugger just wants your wife/girlfriends handbag. She pulls an alarm, attracts attention and he is off. She pulls some pepper spray or whatever, but she aint fast enough, the mugger has the weapon and is now pretty pissed off that she was going to try and harm him....

I suppose it is a different outlook.

T

PeterF · Post by **PeterF** » Tue May 24, 2005 11:03 am

Maippi is a cross country runner she goes almost every day for about 10 kilometer training run, and in the summer the forest of central park are her favorite tracks..She has one of those gadgets which count how many steps she has run and compute the distance...not expensive from the Sports Shops..30€uro ish...
It has an alarm feature..

I hope/believe she never needs to use the feature.

I believe that this would be adequate for your GF who might be worried about "stray wolves" at her summer camp...
Check out this link...I saw several variations in Inter Sport.
http://www.fitnessoptions.co.uk/moreinfo.asp?ID=666

kp · Post by kp » Tue May 24, 2005 12:00 pm

As a female, just out of interest how much harm would hairspray do if sprayed in an attackers face?

Post by **neil** » Tue May 24, 2005 12:08 pm

kp wrote:As a female, just out of interest how much harm would hairspray do if sprayed in an attackers face?

Together with a hairbrush, you could potentially make someone look very bad.

Regarding pepper spray, taxi drivers carry it. Two guys I vaguely know got sprayed with it by a cab driver after he took them on a 10km taxi ride which should have taken 3km. There was a fuss and he unleashed it on them. They were unable to see for many hours.

The police got called to scene (they had to take home the two blind guys). Moreover, the police were fully aware of what happened regarding the taxi and use of the pepper spray. The cab driver was not charged with carrying an offensive weapon even though he over clearly reacted.

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