Non lethal weapon: JPX pepper gun with 50 mW laser attached

[AlphaTerminus]

Hi, found this forum on a Google search about using lasers as self defense a while ago. Most of the posts were negative on the subject.

I put together a contraption with a 50 mW laser (on a low setting) with a diffusing lens (20 cm at 5 meters) affixed to a JPX pepper gun. Any thoughts?

(I posted on a r/guns but they were like "No just shoot them with a glock!")

 

[supermario680]

problem with lasers is the concentrated beam. My GF though a laser would be good for the same thing as well until I demonstrated that you would need to hit the attacker with pinpoint accuracy to have any effect.

Where as a standard light spreads out to cover a large area. I had a $5 walmart light with a strobe function that was MUCH more effective...

I see you have the diffuser to spread to 20cm at 5 meters but even that would require some decent aim to be effective where as the flashlight covers a MUCH broader area making it easier to blind an attacker.

If you get a larger diffuser while maintaining enough power it might work good. Will work much better with a strobe function though. Much more disorientating.

 

[AlphaTerminus]

Yeah I would like to do a strobe function. I just got the Evo and can connect it to a smartphone and strobe it but I'm not sure I can program it to do the strobe as default without the phone attached. The flashlight strobes but I doubt that would be too noticable with the green laser.

 

[Operator]

How large is it though? From the pics it seems like it would be hard to conceal.

 

[AlphaTerminus]

No, just for home. I wouldn't shine the laser out in public in a defense situation. It's on a rail that I can detach if I need to conceal the pepper gun. It's kind of just a concept I thought I would through out there but it remains assembled in my house most of the time

 

[Operator]

Ok, that makes sense, I thought it was for personal defense when you were out and about...

 

[Lazerbeak]

Interesting idea

~ LB

 

[Marco Polo]

I have to agree with whoever advised just shooting them with the Glock. If someone has invaded your home or is otherwise trying to assault or kill you there is no time to waste; kill the attacker as quickly as possible and be done with it.

Another problem with using a laser is that if you do manage to blind the attacker they will probably sue you for the injury/medical bills and they will almost certainly win. Criminals have sued over injuries sustained inside the victim's house, making such claims that the house was "unsafe" and they have won these cases time and again. Courts DO NOT CARE if the attacker was wrong to tresspass or assault you in the first place, and they will uphold the criminal's rights over the "rights" of the victim each and every time. Dead assailants are unable to sue, and cannot testify if someone else sues on their behalf. Shoot the attacker and be done with it.

Also, using a laser as a weapon in an actual defense situation would draw undue attention to handheld lasers in general, if the incident happened to be reported in the media. That attention would almost certainly be negative, and it could even result in new laws and/or restrictions being passed. Legislators do not care about passing sensible laws, they only care about re-election and will seize upon any public sensation and/or fear to make that happen. The idiot public will believe anything they are told and will vote accordingly. Probably should have just shot the attacker and been done with it; guns have the Second Amendment on their side while lasers do not!

For those reasons, I think that pepper gun/laser combo is a terrible idea and should be dismantled at once. It can't reliably stop any attacker, it is likely to get you sued if you do use it, and it would garner unwanted media/government attention. I don't recommend building or using such a device at all.