But what about the general law-abiding public, surely we can do something when we are required to defend ourselves in some way? The answer is there isn’t a whole lot we can do and unfortunately the criminal element will rarely if ever adhere to the same rules as the rest of us, meaning we’re already at a disadvantage. This act prohibits any weapon of any description, designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other substance. Postcodes for Highlands and Islands of Scotland, N Ireland, Isle of Man & Isles of Scilly, Channel Islands and Isle of Wight are: FK17-99, G83, KW1-14, IV, HS, KA27-28, PA20-49, PA60-78, PH15-26, PH30-44, PH49-50, ZE, AB51

Basically, the law categorically states that any sort of pepper spray, which includes the sort used by law enforcement around the world, that projects an irritating gas or liquid, is, without a shadow of a doubt, illegal for any UK citizen to own or buy while on UK shores. In addition to factory produced sprays, there is sometimes confusion over items such as washing up bottles or water pistols filled with noxious liquids. In the stated cases of R v Upton and Formosa [1990] and R v Titus [1971], it was decided on appeal that items such as these were neither originally “designed” for discharging a noxious substance, nor, as they had in no way been modified, to be considered “altered” and therefore these did not fit the description given in Section 5(1)(b) of the Firearms Act 1968. They were therefore not to be considered firearms and instead a charge under the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 should have been considered. This product should only be used in an emergency: when you feel that your life could be threatened or that you may be a victim of a criminal assault. As it is 'eye-safe' and is not designed to cause damage or harm in any way, it is 100% legal in the UK.The law is very clear when it comes to pepper spray being used or held in UK, it’s laid out in Section 5(1) (b) of the firearms act of 1968: Since the abduction and murder of Sarah Everard, there have been calls for the legalisation of pepper spray in the United Kingdom for self-defence purposes and a petition on Change.org currently has 47,445 signatures. This acts as a brilliant Criminal Identifier as well because the red dye also contains an invisible Ultra Violet Tracer which only shows up under UV Light (which of course, the police have!) The European Union does not regulate pepper spray, leaving member countries free to regulate it themselves. Currently Italy, France, Czech Republic, Spain, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Romania, Serbia and Russia all allow for possession of pepper spray without a licence (in some cases limited to over 18s) and Switzerland, Germany, Finland and Portugal allow possession, but a licence must be obtained first. This variation in European law can cause confusion amongst both visitors from abroad to the UK and tourists from the UK visiting these countries in Europe, and it is all too easy for an unknowing traveller to bring a prohibited weapon into the country.

Figure 1: Farbgel Criminal Identifier Spray (reproduced with kind permission from www.farbgel.com), EveAid Personal Defence Spray (reproduced with kind permission from www.vestguard.co.uk) and a Prohibited Pepper Spray We supply an extensive range of belt accessories Spray Lanyard in our Belts, Pouches and Attachments. As these products look like conventional pepper sprays and are designed to discharge a jet of liquid under pressure (like a pepper spray), they may be confused for prohibited weapons by law enforcement personnel and, in the past, we have seen such items submitted for forensic testing. Forensic testing laboratories, which are UKAS accredited, will be able to determine that these items do not contain a noxious substance, however ‘testing’ may be conducted by the police themselves, who in most cases are not accredited or equipped to conduct these tests, and misidentification may occur.Section 5(1)(b) of the Firearms Act 1968 prohibits any weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid or gas. Because Farbgel spray does not contain any noxious substances and the can itself is not designed to discharge a noxious substance, it is not prohibited by the Firearms Act. I can wholeheartedly empathise with the lawmakers in the UK - they have a very hard task of protecting the public from harm - but that task is made doubly difficult when we consider that any self-defence tool can be just as easily used for offence. Farb-Gel Spray should only be used in an Emergency. MC Products UK Ltd accepts no liability or responsibility for improper use or possession of this product. Size: