Thank you for that Reb. While I may joke about marking exhibitionists with paintball guns, IMO the thought of carrying anthything more than a whistle and common sense on the Camino makes me more than cringe...besides being completely unnecessary.
[And I know, I know...it is an opinion that not everyone shares, so I'll likely get shot at...but my impression is that those people who have most experience on the Camino (and not only good ones, I might add) are those who are the most adamant about how pepper spray is total overkill and unnecessary...and that was my own experience on 2 caminos. Company, common sense, and a good BS detector are far better and more appropriate defenses!
[And edit...no, sorry falcon, I am a woman and do not think it would be useful...but not getting into that situation in the first place (by walking together with others if necessary) would be.]
This has been said many times in many ways over the last month, but it bears repeating: Please everyone, let's not get too wrapped up in our natural fears and reactions about what does sometimes happen on the Camino. What we frequently think and write about becomes the default setting of the heart. We can cultivate mind states of habitual suspicion and fear, or commonsense alertness.
You choose.