pepper spray

Fox News commentator Megyn Kelly appeared on Bill O’Reilly’s show Monday night and seemed to downplay the impact of pepper spray while commenting on the UC Davis protests. She said of the substance, “it’s like a derivative of real pepper. It’s a food product essentially.”

Now, a petition is calling for Kelly to test her theory by ingesting pepper spray on television. More than 11,000 people have signed the pledge.

It’s a road other newscasters have trod before. Rick Sanchez and Erich “Mancow” Muller both took it upon themselves to demonstrate the effects of the police crowd control. Sanchez allowed himself to be Tasered, while Mancow opted to be waterboarded.

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The active ingredient in pepper spray is capsaicin, which is a chemical derived from the fruit of plants in the Capsicum genus, including chilis.