Self defense reform

Rejected 11 signatures

What the petition asks

Change UK self-defence laws to allow law-abiding adults to legally carry pepper spray for personal protection. Introduce appropriate safeguards with strict penalties for misuse, while giving people a non-lethal means of defending themselves against violent attacks.

The UK allows reasonable and proportionate self-defence, yet law-abiding citizens cannot legally carry pepper spray for personal protection. We believe Parliament should review this law in light of concerns about violent crime and knife attacks.

Pepper spray is a non-lethal self-defence tool used legally in many countries. We believe adults should be able to carry it for personal protection, subject to appropriate safeguards, age restrictions and penalties for misuse.

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

You may wish to sign this petition which calls for the same action:

Change the law to allow public to carry and use pepper spray for self-defence
Change the law to allow public to carry and use pepper spray for self-defence

Timeline

13 Jun 2026	Petition opened for signatures
8 Jul 2026	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 11

Status Rejected

Rejected 8 Jul 2026

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