Miscellany: Buying Pepper Spray in Massachusetts

As a lifelong Floridian, I am sometimes taken aback by the strange weapon restrictions that other parts of the country live under. When my friends and I traveled to Massachusetts, for instance, I knew that carrying a gun was out of the question, but I also learned that even pepper spray is hard to come by.  

You see, under Massachusetts law, you need a permit to buy pepper spray if you're under 18, and only an FFL can sell it.  The practical upshot is that unlike Palm Beach County, where pepper spray is available at retailers like Walmart and Target, I had to travel a solid half hour out of Boston to buy it.  Thankfully, the folks at J&J Arms had a whole rack full of POM canisters, so I was all set: