Pepper Spray Laws
52 articles
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Alabama Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Alabama lets adults buy and carry pepper spray and a stun gun with no permit; using pepper spray as a weapon during a crime is a separate felony.
Alaska Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Alaska calls pepper spray and stun guns a defensive weapon; Alaska requires no permit for adults to buy, carry, or conceal either device.
Arizona Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Arizona has no pepper spray statute and requires no permit for a stun gun; using one against police is a felony, but self-defense claims stay available.
Arkansas Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Arkansas caps self-defense pepper spray at 300 ml (10.1 oz) and bars stun gun purchase by anyone 18 or under; a deadly weapon is barred from public buildings.
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California Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
California caps self-defense pepper spray at 2.5 ounces; both devices share a 16-with-consent age floor and are barred from schools and public buildings.
Colorado Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Colorado has no statute for aerosol pepper spray, but bans gas-gun projectiles. A stun gun is legal; unlawful use in a crime or felon possession is a felony.
Connecticut Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Connecticut requires a firearm permit and age 21+ to carry a stun gun; pepper spray is not a named item in either weapons statute, but misuse can still be a crime.
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DC Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
DC allows a self-defense spray only in the formula its code defines, and a stun gun for anyone 18 or older under its own rules, with place limits and real penalties.
Delaware Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Delaware treats both as a 'dangerous instrument,' but either becomes a 'deadly weapon' the moment it is used to cause or threaten serious injury.
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Florida Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Florida allows a 2 oz. self-defense spray and a nonlethal stun gun without a license, but minors, dealers, felons, and school property face real limits.
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Georgia Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Georgia has no pepper spray statute, and O.C.G.A. 16-11-173 preempts local rules. Stun guns count as 'firearms' for enhanced sentences and school zones.
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Hawaii Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
No Hawaii state pepper spray law, but Honolulu regulates it by ordinance. Stun guns need a licensed, background-checked sale and a 21+ age floor.
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Idaho Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Idaho excludes tasers, stun guns, pepper spray, and mace from 'deadly weapon' chapter-wide, except on school property, where a federal definition applies.
Illinois Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Illinois allows pepper spray at 18+ but penalizes misuse near schools; stun guns need a FOID card and face a carry ban the Supreme Court partly struck down.
Indiana Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Indiana has no dedicated pepper spray statute, but stun guns, electronic stun weapons, and tasers are separately defined and separately regulated. See the rules.
Iowa Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Iowa has no pepper spray statute, but its 'dangerous weapon' definition names stun guns directly, triggering permit, minor, and campus-carry rules.
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Kansas Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Kansas has no possession ban, but carrying pepper spray with unlawful intent is a crime, and its school code defines and restricts stun guns for pupils.
Kentucky Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Kentucky's 'deadly weapon' definition is a closed list that excludes pepper spray and stun guns, but offensive use can still be a felony assault. See why.
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Louisiana Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Louisiana's 'dangerous weapon' definition covers any gas, liquid, or substance used to cause harm, reaching pepper spray and stun guns by use, not by name.
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Maine Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Maine exempts pepper spray by name from its concealed-weapon statute, but a stun gun is not listed among the same exceptions. See how each device is treated.
Maryland Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Maryland names pepper mace only in its open-carry-with-intent offense, not concealed carry, and gates stun guns by an age-and-clean-record rule. See both.
Massachusetts Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Massachusetts treats a stun gun as a firearm since 2024, requiring a license to carry. Pepper spray needs no permit for adults 18 and up.
Michigan Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Michigan bans an ordinary stun gun outright, even for CPL holders; only a tracking-enabled device qualifies. Pepper spray needs no permit but is formula-capped.
Minnesota Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Minnesota regulates pepper spray and stun guns in one statute, with different age floors and felony triggers for each device. See the full rules.
Mississippi Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Mississippi names a stun gun only in its license law; concealed carry may hit Section 97-37-1's 'deadly weapon' ban, and needs a license only when concealed.
Missouri Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Missouri names neither device in Chapter 571, but using one to commit a felony can be armed criminal action under RSMo 571.015. Read the rules.
Montana Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Montana preempts most local weapon rules, but on the statute's broad wording a city may still bar carrying pepper spray or a stun gun into a public building.
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Nebraska Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Nebraska names neither device directly, but its concealed-carry law sets a 21 age floor and can reach both if a court finds one a weapon. Full rules here.
Nevada Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Nevada's 2-fluid-ounce cap governs CS tear gas devices, not OC pepper spray on an untested reading; stun guns need no permit unless carried concealed.
New Hampshire Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
New Hampshire's felon and under-18 sale bans (RSA 159:21, 159:22) name only the electronic defense weapon. RSA 159:19 bars either device from courthouses.
New Jersey Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
New Jersey allows 0.75 oz pepper spray for adults with a clean record; its stun-gun ban is unenforced for adults but still applies to anyone under 18.
New Mexico Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
New Mexico names neither device in its Criminal Code. NMSA 30-7-2 reaches only concealed carrying, and whether either device is a deadly weapon goes to a jury.
New York Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
New York caps pepper spray at 0.75 oz under 10 NYCRR 54.3. Penal Law 265.01 bans stun guns, but a 2019 order bars State Police enforcement; NYC bans them too.
North Carolina Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
North Carolina caps self-defense tear gas at 150 cc. Stun guns are named in G.S. 14-269, with a statutory defense plus Capitol, courthouse, and parade restrictions.
North Dakota Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
North Dakota excludes pepper spray and most stun guns from 'dangerous weapon,' but a projectile-and-voltage device, and the criminal code, can still reach both.
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Ohio Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Ohio names neither device, but concealed carry has an affirmative self-defense statutory defense. Open carry is unrestricted for both.
Oklahoma Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Oklahoma has no possession ban for either device. Its one named-device statute punishes discharge against an officer or EMT, not ordinary self-defense.
Oregon Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Oregon regulates pepper spray and stun guns by use and location, not possession. Concealed carry and self-defense use turn on unresolved statutory clauses.
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Pennsylvania Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Pennsylvania pepper spray is legal for self-defense, but using it on an officer is a felony. Stun guns are legal under 18 Pa.C.S. 908.1 if labeled with instructions.
Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws by State (2026)
Compare pepper spray and stun gun laws in all 50 states and DC: age limits, size caps, permits, restricted places, and penalties.
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Rhode Island Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Rhode Island pepper spray is authorized for adults, but spraying an officer is a felony. Its stun gun ban is enjoined for adults; the under-18 sale ban stands.
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South Carolina Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
South Carolina bans pepper spray by default, exempting self-defense under a 50cc cap. A stun gun has no possession statute; concealed carry has none either.
South Dakota Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
South Dakota has no possession ban for either device. A 2025 campus-protection law and 2024 officer-disarming felony both come with real conditions.
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Tennessee Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Tennessee has no statute banning or licensing pepper spray or stun guns for civilian use. See what the weapons code, schools, and preemption law actually say.
Texas Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Texas excludes small personal pepper spray from its weapons ban by definition; its prohibited-weapons statute never names a stun gun. See the felony line.
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Utah Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Utah has no pepper spray or stun gun statute. Both devices turn on a six-factor 'dangerous weapon' test. See what that test means for schools and permits.
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Vermont Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Vermont's weapons chapter never names pepper spray or stun guns; a few sections reach them only through dangerous-or-deadly-weapon language. See schools and courthouses.
Virginia Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Virginia bans malicious tear gas release, not possession, and stun weapons are absent from the concealed-weapons list. See the school, airport, and felon rules.
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Washington Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Washington sets an 18 (or 14 with consent) age floor for pepper spray and preempts local bans. Stun guns face restrictions at schools and other sensitive places.
West Virginia Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
West Virginia excludes pepper spray from its deadly weapon definition only when used solely for self-defense; its list names no stun gun. See what that means.
Wisconsin Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Wisconsin caps pepper spray by chemical formula, not size; a stun gun is a felony outside a license or your own home, business, or land.
Wyoming Pepper Spray and Stun Gun Laws (2026)
Wyoming names neither device in its weapons code; a 'deadly weapon' test drives felony assault and jail rules, and a separate preemption statute is broad too.