I carry it aboard and in my car. I also carry it when hiking or even when walking in suburban or rural areas, but my main concern is territorial loose dogs.(nl)From what I've read it's more effective than tear gas against "even a crazy person" and if things take a turn for the worse and an attacker is able to use it against me, it is non-lethal.

Another factor to consider is that you can threaten an attacker with pepper spray, and it escalates the situation up a notch but your threat to the attacker is still non-lethal. If you pull a gun and the attacker is armed you might be shot first if you hesitate to use it.