Staten Island lawmaker proposes bill to make pepper spray accessible in N.Y.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New Yorkers could soon find it easier to buy pepper spray under a bill introduced by state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton.

Scarcella-Spanton, a Democrat who represents the North Shore of Staten Island and a part of South Brooklyn, has sponsored Senate Bill S4922A , which, if it becomes law, would lift current restrictions limiting sales at authorized firearms dealers and pharmacists. The measure also would permit shipping of self-defense sprays to addresses within the state.

“This is about, first and foremost, making sure people feel safer and feel they have some defense against someone who has nefarious intent,” the representative of New York’s 23rd District told The New York Post . “It’s just very, very common sense.”

The issue reportedly came to Scarcella-Sp