Serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis. © James Conner.
Actually, you should skedaddle if you can; get the hell out of Dodge, and at warp speed. If you can’t skedaddle, hide. And be quiet. If the guy with the gun can’t see or hear you, he won’t know where to shoot.
Your last resort, experts agree, is fighting back with whatever weapon is available.
But if you’re forced to fight, and you have both a pistol and a can of pepper spray, which is the more effective weapon? In the recent shooting in Las Vegas, a man with a sidearm who tried to intervene was shot dead. But earlier in Seattle, a man used pepper spray to disable the shooter, who was captured alive.
In close quarters, I think I’d prefer a can of pepper spray or a yellowjacket bomb. The latter is nasty stuff and can shoot 25 feet straight up. Squirt the shooter in his eyes, then run like the devil while he can’t see.
In theory, squirting the shooter should work. In practice, a rush of adrenalin might make your aim a bit shaky. I offer these thoughts as speculation. If you need to resort to this tactic, I offer no warranty, but I do wish you good luck.