Abstract: A personal defense baton is disclosed which which may be utilized to direct a spray of a personal defense gas toward an assailant. The personal defense baton of this invention comprises an elongate tube member which includes at one end a compartment for receiving a defense spray container. The defense spray container has a valve for dispersal therethrough of a personal defense gas and a discharge nozzle which communicates with the valve so as to direct a spray of the personal defense gas from the container in a generally axial direction from the end of tube member in which the container is located when the valve is actuated. The baton also includes apparatus for manually actuating the valve without bringing the actuating hand near the discharge nozzle.