Just when you thought you’d seen it all, another “interesting” crowdsourced project comes to light. I’m all for being prepared–I keep a roadside emergency kit in my car–but sometimes you can take it just a bit too far. That might be the case with the Peacekeeper Mini, a combination flashlight and pepper spray with bluetooth/GPS “crowd alert” technology.
Pepper spray certainly isn’t new in the personal defense industry, though I hadn’t heard of it being combined with a flashlight before now. The company’s previous product, the TigerLight, combined pepper spray with a flashlight, and it has glowing endorsements from several police agencies and even a few NBA stars. The Peacekeeper Mini combines a functional hand strap and an overall smaller footprint and the new bluetooth/GPS crowd alert, for a lower price than the original. If your pepper spray is ever used, it will automatically send out an alert (in conjunction with your smartphone) to specific contacts letting them know that the user is in danger and that they should call their loved one or call 911.
While it’s an interesting concept, it does raise a few questions. The campaign creator hasn’t specified exactly which smartphone OS platforms will be supported. The app will be free to campaign supporters only if the stretch goal of $150,000 is reached, otherwise it will be a required purchase in order to use the emergency alert feature of it. The other issue is the device’s legality in various jurisdictions; as with all personal defense weapons it is up to the user to check the prevailing laws in their area. The campaign page states that it cannot be shipped to Alaska, D.C., Massachusetts, or New York, though it can be purchased from registered gun dealers or sporting goods stores, depending on local restrictions.
The current Indiegogo campaign has already raised $33,000 toward a goal of $50,000, with fifteen days left. Perk levels for range from $40 for a single Peacekeeper Mini to $10,000 for a full distributor package with 450 of them emblazoned with a corporate logo on the wrist strap.
You can see the YouTube video accompanying the campaign here.
Peacekeeper Mini Images
