When a mugger attacks him with a switchblade, our man Archie squirts him with a can of tear gas. And then the mugger goes free on a technicality, while Archie faces up to seven years in prison.

There was a stink about this in the early seventies, when a woman getting off work at night was attacked by a rapist and sprayed him with a can of mace. The woman was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon after she called the police, while her attacker was never caught.

After weeks of front-page reports and piles of letters from an outraged public, the charges were dropped. Today, the US regulates the size and power of self-defense sprays, and MOST states allow people over 18 to carry self-defense spray without a license.

When a mugger attacks him with a switchblade, our man Archie squirts him with a can of tear gas. And then the mugger goes free on a technicality, while Archie faces up to seven years in prison.

There was a stink about this in the early seventies, when a woman getting off work at night was attacked by a rapist and sprayed him with a can of mace. The woman was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon after she called the police, while her attacker was never caught.

After weeks of front-page reports and piles of letters from an outraged public, the charges were dropped. Today, the US regulates the size and power of self-defense sprays, and MOST states allow people over 18 to carry self-defense spray without a license.


This was a rare occasion where Archie was the good guy in the episode. I wish they had Mike in this episode, but knowing the Meathead he would have sided with the mugger. Part of me thinks that's why the writers left him out of this show.