You might get yourself into a sticky predickament.I don’t see why not. I bet it would be an extremely effective tool. Just make sure to use verbal commands, as with all self defense situations. I think what’s generally accepted in the situation of using a weed whacker would be something like “don’t get any closer or I’ll whack you off!” Or “if you’re trying to steal from my house I’ll have to whack you off first”. Something along those lines. You don’t want to open yourself up to a lawsuit.