self-defense
In UK Law what items can you carry to defend your person?
<p>What items are legal under UK law to protect yourself?</p>

<p>Can you carry pepper spray?
A baseball bat?</p>

<p>If there are no police about how is one supposed to protect themselves from harm?</p>

<p>Section 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 prohibits the possession
in any public place of any article made or adapted for use to cause injury to the person, or intended by the person having it with him for such use. It is a defence to have lawful authority or reasonable excuse for possession. Generally speaking, carrying for the purpose of self defence is not a reasonable excuse (there was a case where the circumstances persuaded the court that the defendant feared an imminent attack).</p>

<p>Section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 makes it an offence to possess any weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing. That includes pepper spray. </p>

<p>A dye spray is not a firearm because it is not designed to discharge a noxious liquid and generally speaking it is not an offensive weapon because it is not designed to do harm, although it may become an offensive weapon if you possess or use it intending harm.</p>

<p>You may use any article to hand in self defence or defence of others so long as you only use reasonable force and you didn't plan for violence or deliberately go armed with the article.</p>

<p>If you went to the sports shop and purchased a cricket bat or you're going to or coming from playing cricket then you have a reasonable excuse to be carrying a cricket bat. Likewise if you need tools (knives, wrenches, screwdrivers, hammers) in the course of your work (chef, tradesman) or hobby (fishing, DIY) or religious or national costume (kirpan, sgian-dubh) then you have a reasonable excuse to be carrying those. It is not necessarily an offence to use such articles in self defence. </p>
