My understanding is that you can take pepper spray on the plane in the U.S. as long as it is checked-in with the luggage. Can anyone confirm this?
My second question is whether it is legal to have it in Thailand. Specifically, I don't want any grief in Thai customs nor do I want to get arrested for having it in the streets, jungles, surf, etc. Any insight on this would be appreciated.
2 days and counting....
dougstr
1
girllrig
i was told it's illegal but you can buy it here in camping shops and the like so i am not sure. certaily i would not take it on a plane.
2
itchybollockov
Pepper spray is illegal in Thailand, despite, as girllrig confirms, it is available in camping stores.
Thai laws relating to assult and weapons is close to that of the UK than that of the US. You do not have the right to carry a weapon, defensive or otherwise.
Then there is the advice of the personal safety training courses I've been on, we get these as pre-assigment training to nasty places.
All the courses I've been on advise against carrying a weapon.
The logic is simple, carrying a weapon induces a false sense of security - "I can go there because I have a weapon".
The best weapon is your instincts - if your instincts are telling you that you need a weapon to go somewhere, then don't go.
As for the specific crime of rape, yes it is prevelent in Thailand but it is almost entirely committed by someone who knows, who has gained the confidence of the vicitim.
3
kevincorr
"All the courses I've been on advise against carrying a weapon.
The logic is simple, carrying a weapon induces a false sense of security - "I can go there because I have a weapon".
This is a good point. The same thing happens here even with the Karate fad. A lot of people who think they are tough, but have no idea what dangerous is.
4
dougstr
That is exactly what I needed to know. If it isn't legal then that is one less thing to pack for the trip. Thanks for your help.
5
the_oracle
The carrying of any kind of weapon on the streets in Thailand is an offence, and if the boys in brown catch you, you'll have an awful lot of bhat to pay out (50,000+). And if you get caught going into a bar or disco, then god only knows what the Security will do to you before they hand you to the Police to finish of the scraps.
Having said that, all weapons are easily available in Thailand, many street stalls selling Knives of all kinds and shapes (the Batman one looks pretty cool), knuckle dusters, sharpened knuckle dusters, batons, etc, etc. Guns too can be bought in BKK pretty easily, even more so in Chang Mai, where Im told there are more bullets than people!!! But as I say, if you get caught...................well, leave that to the imagination.
6
kcrw
It is illegal to carry pepper spray on an airplane. It doesn't matter if its checked in or not, it's illegal to carry on/in any part of an aircraft.
8
dougstr
Thailand has been very peaceful. As long as you don't seek out danger, I don't see any need for pepper spray. However, I'll be going jungle soon. Having camped bear areas in Wyoming where pepper spray is highly recommended, I won't have that safety mechanism. But then again, nobody has seen a tiger in the area in a long time. I doubt that it would do much good against cobras.
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