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Can a solo female traveler carry a knife or pepper spray to be able defend of herself when she is on the road or when hitchhiking, or it is illegal?

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I really doubt that being female is relevant to the answer. – Nate Eldredge Mar 1 at 1:41
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I don't deny it, but your question is whether it is legal. I'll be shocked if there is a Schengen country where carrying such weapons is legal for one gender but illegal for the other. – Nate Eldredge Mar 1 at 1:46
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gender is irrelevant as no country afaik (and certainly none in the Schengen area, Iran or Afghanistan my have such) has different laws for men and women. – jwenting Mar 1 at 10:45
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@hippietrail Thanks for edit! +1 – Persian Cat Mar 1 at 12:05
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@user37324 wasn't thinking exclusively about laws relevant to this question :) but good to know. And as to rape: the incidence of rape is quite low in most all Schengen countries. Sweden is a sad exception, and even there it's limited to certain cities (mostly Stockholm). – jwenting Mar 2 at 6:25
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3 Answers

up vote 8 down vote accepted

This totally depends on the country, each country has different rules. Wikipedia has a page dedicated to Knife legislation. Check the countries you will visit before brining your knife with you.

Same thing goes for pepper spray, it is different from one country to another, again Wikipedia has a page dedicated to pepper spray.

Stun guns are a bad choice as they are illegal in most European countries.

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Thanks for the link! – Persian Cat Mar 1 at 1:37
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and check current information for each country, not just wikipedia. Laws and regulations change quickly, and may even be different from one city to the next or different at night as compared to daytime. – jwenting Mar 1 at 10:35
@jwenting Good idea for an answer, please post an answer with links to all official authorities in the European countries. That indeed will be a great answer. – HaLaBi Mar 2 at 7:17
up vote 1 down vote

I answer about usage in France, not about legal aspects as I am not a lawyer.

Though urban life decreases the need for pocket knives, many people in rural areas still carry Opinel or Laguiole knives.

It is common also to bring a pocket knife when enjoying a picnic with baguette, charcuterie and camembert (yes it is cliché, but yes it still belongs to french way of life).

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Irrelevant but interesting! :)) – Persian Cat Mar 1 at 11:16
up vote 6 down vote

As @Halabi already mentioned, the answer differs from country to country. I was expecting that the answer be that both are not allowed. Apparently even pepper spray is allowed in some EU countries.

Personally I would say both are really drastic measures to protect yourself and unnecessary. In general you would not need those to protect yourself.

In Europe self-defence is approached with proportionality. If some one would attack you without a knife or pepperspray and you would use either a knife or pepperspray to defend yourself, it could be that you end up being treated as the offender.

Those area's where you might be at risk, knife or pepperspray wouldn't help either. It is better to find out where the no-go area's are.

If you need to use a knife for any thing else then to protect your self, then it is allowed to carry a knife. If you are for example a scuba diver, you are allowed to cary double bladed knifes, BUT packed together with your diving gear in the back of your car.

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Thanks! nice advices! I think it is better to forget hitchhiking! I like to travel safe not like a mindless traveler. I am adventurous and brave but not stupid! :) – Persian Cat Mar 1 at 19:30

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