EZ OC for EDC: Practical Pepper Spray Class

A good pepper spray class and a good pepper spray product are essential components in your self-defense plan.

Summary

Most confrontations do not involve lethal force.  On the one hand, it’s reassuring to know that guns and knives are (statistically speaking) not likely to be brought against you in a street scuffle.  On the other hand, this means that guns and knives are off the table for you, too, as a defender in that context.  Where does that leave you?  Unless you are keen on rolling in the gravel with a hostile stranger, you will probably be glad for use of a less-than-lethal defensive tool.

Enter: pepper spray, or “OC.”

As OC expert Chuck Haggard* so eloquently puts it, pepper spray gives you “something between a harsh word and a gun.”  Despite its significant advantages for the civilian defender, few people carry pepper spray, and only a small fraction of them carry a good product or have the foggiest (…ok, faintest) idea what to expect when they press the trigger.  It doesn’t help that the marketplace is crowded with low-quality, unreliable, ineffective products, nor that there is a woeful shortage of instructors who are interested and invested adequately to present a worthy treatment of this important option.

We aim to fix all of this, at least for our neighbors here in southwest Idaho.  Within 3-4 hours, we will help you substantially round out your defensive plan, with skillful command of your pepper spray product, the knowledge to make solid, lawful decisions in its use, and the street-smarts that can help you avoid trouble in the first place.

Topics

This training is divided into two portions: a classroom session and practical exercises (preferably outdoors).

The classroom session will cover the following topics:

• What is “use of force” and why do I need a “less-than-lethal” option?
• What exactly is OC?
• How does it compare to other less-than-lethal tools?
• What are the physiological and psychological effects of pepper spray?
• Does it work on aggressive animals?
• Is it effective and reliable?
• How do I choose a good product?  (We carry this one every day, and we explain why in class.)
• What are the legalities of carrying or using pepper spray, both inside and outside of Idaho?
• What is “MUC”?
• What about bear spray?

Then, a series of practical exercises will help you to explore the following:

• Correct deployment
• Aiming strategies that produce good hits despite wind, distance, and other variables
• Awareness: avoiding the fight
• Verbal interaction with strangers
• “Pre-assault cues”—telltale body language and human behaviors that signal an imminent attack
• Role-playing: dynamic interpersonal encounters in which you will get to practice evaluating your situation as it takes shape and respond with good decisions

For the exercises, we use inert training units, which simulate every aspect of a real OC product except that they contain only harmless water.

Venue

To be determined, but in the area of Meridian/Boise, Idaho.  The classroom session will most likely be hosted near I-84 and Eagle Road, and after that we will adjourn to an outdoor range for the practical exercises.

What to bring

• Note-taking materials
• Closed-toed athletic shoes
• Hydration and snacks
• Eye protection adequate for a few squirts of water (prescription glasses, sunglasses, or shooting glasses will work just fine, and extras will be available for your use at no charge)

Class policies

• All adult MoD students must submit a photo of their current driver’s license or other state or federal ID prior to class. This is used for class security and for our own records.
• Each class session must reach an enrollment “tipping point” in order to proceed as planned.  Usually, for EZ OC for EDC, that means at least eight people must sign up, so be sure to invite your friends and neighbors!  In the event that the tipping point is not reached, we will contact you to discuss options.

*Chuck Haggard, of Agile Training and Consulting, in Topeka, Kansas, is almost certainly the foremost OC instructor and subject matter expert in the country.  We are blessed to have studied with him and thankful for the immense contributions his experience and insights lend to our own effort to provide credible instruction in the realm of less-than-lethals.