Why Non-lethal Self-defense Weapons Should Be Legal In Australia

Scared, afraid, anxious, vulnerable this is how women feel without any protection in public. Currently violence against women is at a really high rate. Violence against women can be in many forms, including, family and domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, violence in urban areas, and online violence and harassment. Non-lethal self defence weapons should be enforced in Australia for protection against offence. Firstly the fear of attack restricts women from doing everyday things, like going out alone at night, and going to public spaces where there are not many people. The police force in Australia is one of the best police forces in the world, but even then, the police can’t get to each assault as soon as they happen. We need to have some form of personal protection to be able to defend ourselves when the police can’t be there. Non-lethal self defence weapons are legal in many other countries and are highly effective all around the world. So why shouldn’t they be legal in Australia?

Women in Australia don’t feel comfortable going out at night alone. Having the constant fear that someone could attack or assault you at any time throughout the night is not healthy. A survey consisting of 600 girls ranging from the ages of 15-19 across Australia, found that 30% of those surveyed felt that, “girls should not be out alone at night in public places”. 23% of those surveyed said that girls should not travel alone on public transport, and 17% believe that girls who wear revealing clothing are partly responsible for unwanted attention or harassment. As a women I have the right to feel safe at night and on public transport, whilst alone. We shouldn’t feel imprisoned to stay at home and never go out. A comedian named Ms Dixon was raped, then murdered on a soccer pitch, as she was walking home after a gig in Melbourne. If she had a non-lethal weapon for self defence, she may have been able to protect herself, and could of survived. Sally Capp, Melbourne’s lord mayor, says she does not feel safe walking home at night. “As a women who walks around, cycles around and drives around and uses the city at all hours of the day I want to be able to feel safe. It’s going to be difficult to achieve that”. Having the reassurance of a defence weapon will be the best thing for women. Feeling protected and safe should paramount to all women in Australia.

Police in Australia are phenomenal, they do a great job of protecting our streets and neighbourhoods, though there is not nearly enough police in our community to attend to all assaults, attacks and violence as soon as they occur. Having a non-lethal self defence weapon such as pepper spray, mace, clubs and personal tasers, can be a great form of safe defence in times where there is limited access to police. The Prime Minister is protected by armed guards 24/7, at tax payers expense, but where do we fit it? In everyday society we cant afford to have security guards by our sides all the time. We are left to defend ourselves, and self defence is not a realistic option for most people. The majority of women cannot be expected to successfully defend themselves in comparison to getting assaulted by a man. We have become a nation of defenceless victims. Senator Leyonhjelm made a statement that “The police can’t be everywhere. They acknowledge that. The sensible ones, at least, say it takes us five, 10, 15 minutes even in the city to be there. By that stage you can have a lot of victims.” An opinion piece that titles [Forget ‘more police’, we want ‘self defence’] stated “Face it, police are always reactive and they’re not going to be there on time. That’s not a slight at them, that’s just the laws of physics, i.e. time and space.” The safety of ourselves and others should not be overlooked by the government. Non-lethal self defence weapons should been enforced, for the times where the police can’t be there. As the saying goes, when the seconds count, the police are minutes away.

Non-lethal self defence weapons are legal in many other countries. Pepper spray is legally accessible by citizens in other countries as it is less harmful and toxic then mace. Though tasers are restricted to police use only, and in America you need a permit to carry one. These self defence weapons have been reported back as highly effective. The efficiency of pepper spray is particularly talked about as it is rarely fatal, requires minimal training to use and can easily weaken someone when used against them. Victorian MP Jeffery Bourman says “We need to give everyone the option to defend themselves against a stronger probably more experienced attacker”. Pepper spray is one of the best options for self defence. It is small and easily accessible. Other countries who have legalised pepper spray have laws against who and who cannot use it. In some countries it is legal to be used and bought right off the streets. In comparison to other countries where they must have a permit, must be over the legal age, and be over 16. Each countries laws are different and vary from place to place. The one thing they all have in common is that they must be used for self defence purposes only. If pepper spray is legal in many other countries, why isn’t it legal in Australia? It is proven to work and is extremely efficient, so why are we in Australia so behind?