What would a person who doesn't know any martial arts or similar have with them to defend themselves in an emergency in the US (or if there are legal differences between states NY)? Is pepper spray common? I just googled but the exact legal details are confusing. Can everybody get it anywhere or are there restrictions?
Is there other stuff people might have? I have a keychain thing that makes a loud screeching nose if you pull a button (I think it's more for alerting others and possibly confusing the attacker long enough to run away) are those common in the US? Something else?