Red Pepper Spray a Hot Item Mired in Red Tape : Safety: Demand for newly legal self-defense tool is so strong that many shops are rushing to be licensed.

Janet Crandall wasn’t sure if red pepper spray was the firearms alternative she really wanted.

So on Friday, the Ventura woman watched a 10-minute video that explained how a short burst of the spray, derived from fiery cayenne pepper, can leave an attacker stunned or in great pain, usually allowing the intended victim time to escape.

The presentation convinced her. Crandall plunked down $19.95 for a canister plus $12 for state-mandated instruction. Although Friday was a slow day, a salesman at Uniforms Etc. said the Ventura outlet has been selling about 10 canisters of pepper spray each day since April 1, when it was licensed.

While Uniforms Etc. is one of two retail stores in west Ventura County licensed to sell the non-lethal spray since it became legal for civilian use on March 1, east county residents have been forced to drive elsewhere.

The owner of a large Simi Valley gun shop wants to sell pepper spray, but his application to the state has gotten bogged down in paperwork, he said. And several gun shop owners in west county cities say they, too, are waiting for their paperwork and inspections to be completed so they can begin selling.

“I know how bureaucracy works,” said Roy Craik, owner of C Crest Arms gun shop in Simi Valley. “We’ll just wait, and when it happens, it happens.”

For those that have it, however, pepper spray is a hot item.

Uniforms Etc. has already sold about 80 canisters of the stuff, while Shooter’s Paradise in Oxnard is holding twice-weekly instruction sessions in an attempt to keep up with demand for the spray. The store has sold about 60 canisters a week, a salesman said.

Many customers are women or people who have had violent confrontations in the past and want to protect themselves, said Ray Spinelli, a salesman at Uniforms Etc., which sells police uniforms as well as various types of tear gas.

“You can’t carry a gun with you and this is cheaper,” Spinelli said. “You may not necessarily want to kill someone, but you can deter them.”

Pepper spray, whose scientific name is Oleoresin capsicum , is a pepper extract in an oil base that sticks to the eyes, nose and mouth. It has a blinding and choking effect and overpowers most people with a burning sensation that makes breathing difficult.

Crandall, 42, decided to try pepper spray. She is already certified to carry Mace, another type of tear gas, but she heard that Mace is not always effective on drug-crazed assailants. Pepper spray, she was assured, will deter such attackers.

Crandall said she would not hesitate to use the four-inch canister, which can be clipped to a belt or tucked inside a purse.

“I would have no second thought about pushing that sprayer,” said Crandall, a claims adjuster for the state worker’s compensation system. She is more concerned about possible effects on animals, she said. If desperate, she might use the spray to defend her pet Labrador retriever from attacks by aggressive dogs.

Crandall said she had a hard time finding a place to buy pepper spray, although she had recently read about its new legal status. A Ventura gun shop employee directed her to Uniforms Etc.

Tony Montemorra, who owns a large Oxnard gun store, said he is losing money on potential pepper spray sales because the state has been dragging its feet in licensing his shop.

“People call every day to ask when we will have it in stock,” he said.

Montemorra contends that he has followed all state guidelines for licensing to sell the spray.

But a spokesman for the state Department of Justice said dealers who are not yet licensed probably did not begin the application process until just before legal sales began March 1.

“It’s like people who wait until this week to do their taxes,” said Michael Van Winkle, public information officer at the Department of Justice’s division of tear gas. “They didn’t get the stuff in on time for us to get the applications turned around that quickly.”

Van Winkle said the state has a backlog of about 20 applications and that most are completed within 10 days. He said many dealers did not realize that customers would begin asking for pepper spray the first day it become legal in California.

As March 1 approached, there was a period of frenzy and confusion among prospective retailers throughout the state, officials said. Many stores waited days for their shipments from the distributor.

Others waited for state workers to inspect their businesses and authorize them to sell the product. Now, about 200 sporting goods stores and gun shops are selling the spray, including the handful in Ventura County. About 30,000 canisters have been sold statewide in the first month, according to estimates by distributors.

Those who want to obtain pepper spray must watch a 30-minute training video or take a 30-question test, then demonstrate their ability to use the canisters. People who have taken a Mace class must only view a 10-minute video and pay a $12 state certification fee to carry the spray. All others must pay $17.

The spray costs $15 to $20.

Times staff writer Miles Corwin contributed to this story.