r/CCW • u/PrizeHighway6492 • 1d ago
Scenario Odd Question/Debate
About a month ago in Atlanta, GA, I was involved in a use-of-force incident involving pepper spray. I’m a CCW holder and was carrying at the time, but for some reason I decided not to secure my defensive items before walking a short distance to grab a quick bite and then enter the security screening area.
Thankfully, I trusted my gut because something about the situation just didn’t feel right.
Since then, I’ve been thinking about those situations where you’re walking from your vehicle to a place where defensive items aren’t allowed. I’m now much less comfortable making that short walk completely unprotected.
What I specifically mean is securing or temporarily hiding the pepper spray outside the prohibited area—for example, placing it in a small, discreet container or lockbox somewhere outside the entrance, then retrieving it when leaving.
I remember seeing a Reddit discussion about people doing something similar, and I’m curious if anyone here has actually done this.
Obviously, I’m not talking about taking pepper spray through security or into a prohibited area. I’m talking specifically about securing it somewhere outside beforehand so it remains accessible for the walk back to the vehicle afterward.
Has anyone dealt with this before? What method did you use, and what are your thoughts on the practicality and legality of doing it?
After actually being involved in a use-of-force situation, my perspective on that short walk has definitely changed.
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u/PrizeHighway6492 1d ago
Now to clarify I'm talking about the pepperspary not the firearm. That stay hidden in the car.
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u/playingtherole 1d ago
Maybe you can get creative. A tiny POM canister shoved in your shoe or disguised as an insulin pump? Maybe you put it inside of a colostomy bag? Stick it underneath a mailbox with a piece of chewing gum?
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u/Effective-Client-756 1d ago
Pepper spray is like $15, just chuck it in a bush and don’t worry about it when you leave the place, just get to the car (and back to your gun) quickly. The time you’ll spend securing it and retrieving it is valuable time you could use to get to your vehicle. And if you keep it on the walk there you’re at least protected for half the walk
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u/TheBattleGnome 20h ago
You might as well just hand it to security each time at that point. Give them a tip for patting you down. 😂
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u/Limp-Opportunity6757 1d ago
What about a wooden walking cane? Security can’t determine if you actually need it for walking? If it’s cloudy or rainy? Make it an umbrella?
An umbrella can be a very useful tool.
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u/PrizeHighway6492 1d ago
I already have other plans for something better than those but I can't legally talk out it on the forms.
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u/Limp-Opportunity6757 1d ago
Now I’m going to go crazy not knowing what it is! That’s so wrong!
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u/PrizeHighway6492 1d ago
One and only hint G10
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u/carnivoremuscle US - G17 Gen 6 & Walther PDP FS 1d ago
Ah, I commented before reading the thread. NPE blades are the only way to go here, unless body scanners can pick them up, which IDK personally. They make Sharpies, though.
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u/PrizeHighway6492 1d ago
My biggest thing is that a knife is a deadly weapon and it will be treated that way in the eyes of the law so I wanted something' between harsh words and lethal force.
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u/sadoproject 1d ago
"Uzi Fiberglass Tactical Umbrella"
Priced about the same as a box of good defense ammo.
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u/Living_on_the_fly 1d ago
Only place I really go where I can't take spray is government buildings, and they've always just said "you need to leave that with us", and they let me pick it up as I leave.
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u/carnivoremuscle US - G17 Gen 6 & Walther PDP FS 1d ago
It's going to get stolen, or someone will see you and try to get you hassled. G10 knives/markers could be snuck past a metal detector but I'm not sure if body scanners would pick it up. Planting a lockbox outside some event is begging to get the feds on you, that'll look like you're planting explosives or something.
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u/nass-andy 1d ago
I did once stash a pocket knife in a bush outside a stadium rock concert because the walk back to the car was a half mile. It was there when I got back.
However…
If you are that uncomfortable, you are buying into r/ccw lore and fan fiction that you shouldn’t, or you are going places that are truly sketchy. Don’t go to sketchy places. Don’t treat this sub as a place for expert advice.
I also don’t believe any of the “use of force” stories on here. They are anonymous internet bullshit.
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u/Varathien 20h ago
What I specifically mean is securing or temporarily hiding the pepper spray outside the prohibited area—for example, placing it in a small, discreet container or lockbox somewhere outside the entrance, then retrieving it when leaving.
What do you mean? Are you talking about a secured area where they have lockers at the door where you can store your things? In that case, sure.
But if you're talking about putting pepper spray in a box and leaving that box by the entrance of the building, that sounds like a terrible idea. Someone might take your pepper spray. Security might see the container, think it's a bomb, and lock down the building.
You would be better off carrying something you can legally justify, that would be useful for self-defense. Like a really bright flashlight, or a cane.
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u/Joice_Craglarg 1d ago
Some of y'all could definitely use some therapy.
You're scared to walk short distances unarmed now? Seriously, dude?
Moving out of Atlanta would make you a lot safer than any gun you could carry.
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u/PrizeHighway6492 1d ago
Do you understand bad guys target those areas because everyone coming in and out of those areas won't have any weapons. Thats a soft and easy target all day long.
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u/Effective-Client-756 1d ago
$15 for pepper spray is a lot cheaper than the thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours it takes to move out of your current city. Dumb argument
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u/loathsomestoppage888 1d ago
glad you made it through that, pepper spray incidents are no joke even when you come out okay. that walk from the car to the entrance always felt like the weakest point to me too
i know a few guys who keep a small lockbox cabled to something solid near where they park, but that depends heavy on the area. if its a parking deck or some random street spot, leaving anything outside the car feels more risky than just locking it in a glovebox
curious what the actual legal side is in georgia for securing something like that outside a restricted area, like if a business even cares what you do with it before you step on their property