<p>Emerson in Boston prohibits ANY offensive weapon and pepper spray is forbidden. In Boston you need an FID (firearm permit) for pepper spray but I heard this was changing so that women can better protect themselves. Don’t know the status of that. I gave personal alarms to both my son and his girlfriend who are in Boston right now. ( & told them they don’t work if you don’t carry them, what they do is up to them) There are some very nice very small pepper spray items for sale on Amazon but they won’t deliver to MASS. Lot’s of do’s and don’ts unfortunately putting the responsibility on the victim. In that article it mentions an area that maybe should be patrolled better … more lights? more undercover? etc</p>