SELF-DEFENSE WEAPONS: Cowardly? Overkill? Illegal? Or just plain SMART?!?

Well it is smart to have a pepper spray , it cannot do a big harm to attacker but it can disable him for a few minutes so that will buy you some time to escape. Stun Gun can kill a person with a weak hearth , and baton can break bones so i wouldn't recommend you that because attacker might take it from you if he have a little luck so you will get beaten up by it xD