Self-defense expert explains how using a knife and pepper spray is judged in court

A Lyft driver in Prince George’s County, Maryland, defended herself against a teenage carjacker by first deploying pepper spray supplied by her father and then brandishing a knife, causing the assailant to retreat and later be taken into custody. The incident sparked commentary from Massad Ayoob, president of the Second Amendment Foundation, who highlighted cultural perceptions that historically linked pistols with respectable defenders and knives with thugs.

Ayoob explained that when an attacker poses a reasonable deadly threat, the use of a deadly weapon such as a knife can be justified. He described “disparity of force” factors, including differences in size, strength, and age, that support a self-defense claim. Ayoob also cited Supreme Court rulings—Heller, Caetano, and Bruen—that interpret the Second Amendment to cover weapons beyond firearms, such as knives and pepper spray. He cautioned that any self-defensive act could still be examined by a grand jury.