Is pepper spray legal in California?

Woman shooting Pepper Spray at assailant

It is legal to own, purchase, carry, and use pepper spray in Califonia for self-defense purposes only.

Is pepper spray legal in California? Are you looking to purchase pepper spray but unsure if you can legally carry it or what type of restrictions are present?

Lets start out by saying that “pepper spray” is legal in all 50 US States.

Some states though, do place some restrictions on the type of pepper spray, its strength, canister size, and form factor of which you can legally carry.

Some states also restrict how you can purchase pepper spray – making it so that you can only buy from a registered firearms dealer or pharmacy.

So let’s take a look at the current laws on the books in California as of 2021.

California Penal Code Section 12403.7 grants residents of California the right to carry pepper spray with the following main restrictions:

  • (a)”No person convicted of a felony or any crime involving an assault under the laws of the United States, the State of California, or any other state, government, or country, or convicted of misuse of tear gas under subdivision (g), shall purchase, possess, or use tear gas or any tear gas weapon.”
  • (d) “No minor shall purchase, possess, or use tear gas or any tear gas weapon.”
  • (e) (1) “No person shall purchase, possess, or use any tear gas weapon that expels a projectile, or that expels the tear gas by any method other than an aerosol spray, or that contains more than 2.5 ounces net weight of aerosol spray.”

The full verbiage of the legislation can be seen here: California Penal Code Section 12403.7.

Simplified laws for Pepper Spray in CA:

  • Must not be convicted of a felony
  • Must not be a minor
  • Canister size must be less than 2.5 ounces

The following pepper sprays are some of our best-sellers that meet the guidelines outlined and are legal to carry in California.

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