Dr. John Lott has a new piece at the Washington Times.
If you listen to conservative radio and podcast hosts such as Megyn Kelly, Dave Rubin, Ben Shapiro, Dana Loesch, Sean Hannity, and others, you’ve likely repeatedly heard many advertisements promoting less-lethal alternatives to firearms from Byrna.
“If you carry a gun, the problem with it is if you take somebody’s life and you’re wrong,” Glenn Beck, who had a 52-week advertising campaign during 2024 with Byrna, warned his listeners. Beck promotes Byrna pepper and tear gas projectiles, saying, “If you don’t know anything about [pepper gas], it is quite effective…. It burns, and it gets inside of your lungs, making you feel like you just can’t breathe.” Beck’s comments are echoed by many other hosts.
But Byrna’s claims ignore key realities. The company’s ads assume that using a gun always results in death, but that isn’t remotely accurate. In 95% of defensive gun uses, simply displaying a firearm stops an attack without firing a shot. Only a tiny fraction of one percent of defensive gun uses result in a fatality or wounding. The vast majority of defensive gun uses are a less-than-lethal alternative.
While Byrna notes that law enforcement officers are adopting their weapons, police also carry firearms for a reason— pepper gas and Tasers frequently do not get the job done. A National Institute of Justice study found that pepper gas works only 20% of the time when used by arresting officers. But few civilians will carry both a Byrna weapon and a real firearm, and Byrna’s advertising never advises people to carry both one of their weapons and a traditional gun.
Encouraging people to rely on Byrna pepper or tear gas projectiles creates a false sense of security. An individual’s pain tolerance, drug use, or mental state can affect how they respond to these irritants. For instance, the Virginia Commonwealth University Police department has reported that intoxicated individuals or those with a high pain threshold may not be affected at all. People who have previously been exposed to pepper spray can develop some tolerance.
Environmental factors can also limit the potency of these weapons. Wind and rain may disperse pepper and tear gas. In indoor situations, using pepper and tear gas may affect defenders as much as their attackers.
Police have used Tasers and other non-lethal weapons for decades. But just like pepper spray and tear gas, they don’t always work. The Police Executive Research Forum finds that, nationwide, Tasers are ineffective about 40% of the time. Everything from the clothing that people wear to whether they are wearing rubber soled shoes will effect their success. Nor are Tasers always non-lethal. An investigation by Reuters identified over 1,000 cases in the United States of individuals dying following use of a Taser, often in combination with other forms of force.
In a podcast where Byrna CEO Bryan Ganz and Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer Luan Pham interviewedme, they acknowledged the limitations of pepper or tear gas, and they personally primarily rely on “kinetic” projectiles. Byrna also sells solid, hard-shell projectiles that have a painful impact. But these instruments may not stop a determined or intoxicated criminal. These kinetic projectiles also lose effectiveness if the criminal wears heavy apparel such as a winter coat or leather jacket. Due to differences in velocity, weight, and aerodynamics, weather (wind and rain) also affects the accuracy and speed of the shots, potentially reducing effectiveness, much more so than is true for faster moving bullets.
Relying on a Byrna weapon instead of a firearm could leave someone dangerously unprepared when an attacker isn’t deterred.
But Byrna’s products do offer undeniable benefits for some people. They are an alternative for those who struggle to obtain a concealed handgun permit or face strict carry restrictions in states like New York, New Jersey, and California. Some people simply feel uncomfortable carrying a firearm, making Byrna’s products a practical option, and having a weapon that looks like a gun may still obtain the benefits obtained from brandishing a firearm. They offer some protection for felons who cannot legally own guns but still have real safety concerns. Additionally, Byrna’s products can help deter aggressive animals, especially since brandishing a gun is ineffective in those situations. Unlike firearms, Byrna offers a non-lethal, intermediate defense tool that can prevent attacks without deadly force.
While less lethal than in those cases where a gun needs to be fired, these projectiles can still cause serious injury or even death. Byrna itself warns that its weapons “can cause serious injury or death” when striking sensitive areas such as the head, neck, or upper torso.
Self-defense requires certainty, not wishful thinking. While non-lethal tools have their place, they should supplement rather than replace firearms. But few are being advised to carry both a Byrna weapon and a gun.
John R. Lott, Jr., “A nonlethal firearm alternative?” Washington Times, April 2, 2025.
