Hey Bruce, I was often “volunteered” by my NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) buddy to demonstrate proper mask usage in our CS gas chamber for new recruits. I built up such a tolerance that I often walked in without a mask and tried to convince the other newbies to take their masks off because it was no big deal. It was always good laughs.
I’ve also been on the receiving end of pepper balls and pepper spray as well as bear spray and learned that while I certainly hated it, I was still able to function and fight. (soldiers are always getting into fights…what can I say).
So, with that in mind, if your wife was defending herself from someone who may also have a higher threshold or even on drugs, I would certainly be worried that the BYRNA may not completely incapacitate the threat. So from my point of view, I wouldn’t want to rely on something that might only “possibly” work to keep me alive or safe. Just something to think about.