home

Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use

Look what's coming to a neighbor near you:

The maker of the Taser stun gun used by police and the military is planning to market a civilian model amid concerns about deaths and injuries from the device, the Chicago Tribune reported Sunday. The Tribune said that Taser International, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., plans a $1,000 model for civilians, which is about $200 less than the police version of the device.

And, in the "you just can't make this stuff up" department:

To kick off the campaign, a Minnesota firearms dealer plans to allow himself to be zapped with the device, which will be fired by a police officer, the newspaper said.

The announcement comes after Chicago decided to stop equipping its officers with stun guns following the death of one man and injury to a teenager last week.

So, they're not safe enough for cops to use, but they are fine for homeowners? I wonder if insurance companies will be concerned enough about increased liability risks to either draw up exclusions to homeowner coverage or raise premiums. Before you buy one, perhaps you ought to call your insurance company and find out if your umbrella policy covers damages you inflict on a neighbor, their pet, your daughter's boyfriend, or even an intruder.

< White Supremacists Begin Billboard Campaign | 5,000 Neo-Nazis March in Dresden >
  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


  • Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 03:48:09 AM EST
    I'll stick with my Glock, thank you.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 04:23:07 AM EST
    Please point it at yourself and not at others.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 06:09:04 AM EST
    Alan - Come in my house without an invitation and I'll point my Kimber at you. Go into Wile's house and get the same effect from an effect euro-weenie gun (:-). If I thought that women would be more likely to use Tasers on their attackers than guns then I'd be lining up to buy them for every brutalized woman who needed one. -C

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 06:19:24 AM EST
    How long before we read about a prosecutor or attorney general using a home taser on one of their children as a disciplinary measure?

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#5)
    by kdog on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 06:37:04 AM EST
    Taser Int'l, profiting off of suffering and pain. Anything for a buck, eh fellas? I bet the board of directors would taser their own mothers if they knew the stock would go up a point.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#6)
    by Kitt on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 07:23:55 AM EST
    I wonder how long before James Dobson endorses this as a means to deal with those "strong-willed" children.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#7)
    by pigwiggle on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 08:27:55 AM EST
    “Before you buy one, perhaps you ought to call your insurance company and find out if your umbrella policy covers damages you inflict on a neighbor, their pet, your daughter's boyfriend, or even an intruder.” I never thought to consult my homeowners insurance about if and how I should defend my home. Best do it now; it would be a bit awkward to make the call while my wife is being raped or we are hiding in the bedroom closet. Sometimes I feel like I am living in Bizarro World . For those folks intent on coming in my home late at night and unannounced I don’t think I’ll be using anything less lethal or more humane than my handgun.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#8)
    by kdog on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 09:57:08 AM EST
    I strongly urge all those who use firearms to defend their home to continue to do so. And for others like myself who prefer Louisville Sluggers to continue to do so. Don't give these Taser SOB's a dime. They sell a medieval product that only brings pain and suffering, and has no other use than pain and suffering. My Louisville is good for softball, and your firearme are good for killing dinner, hence both have other purposes besides defense. The Taser is just sick in my opinion, and totally unecessary for "personal" use. Unless you yourself are a sick SOB.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 10:01:12 AM EST
    kdog - Don't bring a toothpick to a gunfight dude. Didn't you learn anything from Laura Croft movies? I would personally much rather be shot with a taser on "nad crawl into stomach" setting than hit in the head with a baseball bat, thank you. -C

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#10)
    by cp on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 10:42:16 AM EST
    hey, forget this weenie taser, i want a 20mm gatling gun at my front door! with the taser, you have to get up close, no need for that with my gatling gun! i think you may have just given liability insurance companies an idea of how to decrease payouts. i suspect most gun owners don't bother telling their insurors that they own guns. i wonder what the history on this is?

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 10:52:17 AM EST
    Tough call- stick with a pistol where the ramifications are more clear? This does pose an interesting question in the pros/cons debate for self defense! Again, the problem here is more in line with awareness about what these devices can do versus how they are being portrayed.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#12)
    by pigwiggle on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 12:06:12 PM EST
    “i think you may have just given liability insurance companies an idea of how to decrease payouts. i suspect most gun owners don't bother telling their insurors that they own guns. i wonder what the history on this is?” Insurance companies are only concerned with their potential liability. They know, for instance, that your dog is far more liable to result in a claim than my .357 , and so they ask. Incidentally, an excellent gun I would recommend to all, including ladies looking for something to carry in, and even shoot from, their purse.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 12:18:12 PM EST
    pigwiggle at February 14, 2005 01:06 PM the 357 is nice, if you want to kill someone for self defense and safety, the 380, excellent carry gun, gets the job done, especially manageable for females.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#14)
    by Patrick on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 02:14:58 PM EST
    Handguns are very poor for self defense. They lack power in almost all cases. Get a 12ga shotgun for home defense. As far as handguns go, the .357 is one of the best one shot stoppers out there to this day. But now with the 454 casul, .50 cal desert eagles, and the new FN 5.7 which will supposidly punch through 28 layers of kevlar and a trauma plate at 50 yrds, some handguns are more than powerful, but these models are expensive. Also revolvers are the most reliable...no need to tap, rack, ready for a misfire, just pull the trigger again.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#15)
    by Johnny on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 02:14:58 PM EST
    Those high powered guns are idiotic in a home defense scenario-you want a bullet to travel through a wall and kill a sleeping child? Get with it. Buy a youth model 20 gage shotgun, load it up with some low powered clay pigeon rounds, and welcome to a "less lethal" method of hurting intruders. A .357 will probably go through an intruder, into or through a wall, and perhaps more than one. A "glock" while less potent than a real handgun, will still have unintended consequences. BUT If it makes people feel like John Wayne to wave a high powered pistol around under the illusion of "home safety", then I guess thats what it takes...

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 02:16:14 PM EST
    The Taser is just sick in my opinion Seriously beg to differ. I'm on a volunteer fire department/ambulance crew and a lot of the people we deal with are belligerant people endangering themselves or others due to chemical additives. The RCMP in my part of the world have had to use the taser a few times. They treat it very seriously and don't use it casually, and the times they have used it, it has potentially saved lives. In a recent incident, a drunk was going on a rampage in a home with children inside and barricaded the door so they couldn't get in. One officer broke a window and zapped him (actually had to do it six times before the guy went down) and they were able to take him into custody. I personally was in an emergency room with a mean drunk who took a swing at me while myself and a nurse were trying to get him fixed up (someone had beaten the crap out of him and left him to wander home barefoot in the snow, the usual punishment around these parts for reneging on a minor drug or booze deal). The fact that an RCMP officer showed up and had the taser out kept the situation from escalating. Now, I'm against using it casually and shudder at the idea of it being in the home, but the fact that it's available for use by professionals is something I'm very happy with.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#17)
    by pigwiggle on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 03:46:02 PM EST
    “A .357 will probably go through an intruder, into or through a wall, and perhaps more than one.” Depends on the slug, barrel and load. The 2.5” barrel on the sp101 results in a lower velocity; along with a quick spreading hollow point it is suited for home defense. A long gun is unwieldy in small rooms and hallways and is likely to have the barrel diverted at close contact. But you use what you’ve got and my .357 was an especially generous gift from my father. It’s most obvious downside is it is only a five shot revolver. “the 357 is nice, if you want to kill someone” That is the only time I’ll be shooting at anyone.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 07:16:16 PM EST
    Keith: Come on Canada's cops using Tasers? Say it ain't so! Your post will be responsible for several people canceling plans to escape to Canada. The Canadian gov't(s) supporting an evil corporation that profits on pain and suffering no less!

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#19)
    by Richard Aubrey on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 07:19:10 PM EST
    To complain about tasers for home defense: Has somebody been smoking that bad stuff again? This is, as is the use of tasers by police, a way to control a situation which, previously had only been manageable by gun or nightstick. One would think the improvement would be welcome, since hardly anybody dies of being tasered, or gets concussions, or gets a broken nose. You guys with your guns. I've had a Fairbairn-Sykes handy for decades. Far more useful and flexible in its application. At one end...same as a gun. At the other...well, I have more choices.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#20)
    by kdog on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 07:38:21 PM EST
    In a perfect world, maybe having a taser would be better than having a gun or a bat. But look at how police are using them in sometimes questionable circumstances. In the hands of the public, we will be seeing the mailman get tasered, the jehovah's witness (as tempted as we may be..lol), the neighbors dropping off cookies...you get my drift. Before you fire off a round, you think twice (I hope!). And before I cock my bat, I think three times before somebodies skull gets busted open. But with the Taser, which is known to be approx. 99% non-lethal, a lot of people won't think twice. Not a pleasant scenario to have ten taser owners on the block, IMHO. PS...That's why I don't like guns. I think if you want to kill someone, you should have to do it up close and personal...bat, blade, or barehands. A gun is to easy, kind of a cope-out.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#21)
    by Johnny on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 08:18:51 PM EST
    Ahhh pigwiggle, but 99% of the population has not had the training and or eperience to accurately shoot a short barrel pistol under duress. Which could lead to rapid firing of the gun resulting in not 1, not 2, but 5 (or 6)bullets all going whereever the intruder (or a teenager coming home from prom) isn't. I'll stick with a small gage shotgun. Actually, one of those pistols that shoot 20 gage shells would work pretty good. I know what you mean about a gift from dad-my dad gave me one of his pistols, an old Navy Dragoon (I know little about the history of guns, but this is a replica). The old school shoot it once and put it down until you get off the floor kind of pistol. I guess I never did comment on the tazer thing. What is the range on these things? A couple feet? What happens if a crazed drug addled psycho who is immune to pain breaks in and wants to steal my cocoa puffs? Will the consumer model be able to zap him 20 or 30 times?

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 11:03:12 PM EST
    The .22 revolver is the only thing kept with ammo in my house. It doesn't have a lot of stopping power, but I don't miss much.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Feb 15, 2005 at 12:59:06 PM EST
    “the 357 is nice, if you want to kill someone” That is the only time I’ll be shooting at anyone.
    extremism at its best, all or nothing. containment, threat reduction, incapacitate, all non-lehtal alternatives. but of course, you don't... oh hell, you already know that you don't.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#24)
    by pigwiggle on Tue Feb 15, 2005 at 01:43:34 PM EST
    “extremism at its best, all or nothing. containment, threat reduction, incapacitate, all non-lehtal alternatives.” No; my father, a police officer, has always instructed me never to pull a gun unless I was going to use it, and never to use it unless I had to kill. A gun is a tool of last resort, only to be used to kill. It is extremely unrealistic to think that a gun will defuse or restore civility to a situation. Likewise it is unrealistic to expect to disable, wound, or otherwise ‘contain’ someone in a high stress situation. So, if you can otherwise right a situation without lethal force, keep your gun in your pants.

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#25)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Feb 15, 2005 at 11:22:06 PM EST
    I respectfully disagree, pigwiggle- You don't pull a gun unless you are PREPARED to use it. Slight difference in wording, same gist, ENTIRELY new meaning!

    Re: Taser Int'l To Market Stun Gun for Home Use (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Feb 22, 2005 at 07:43:08 PM EST
    guys and there guns! the taser provides a non-lethal method of defending oneself when someone is breaking into your home. if a parent is going to abuse their child or dog or whatever a taser isn't going to make that much of a difference. they're still going to abuse them. and what's the problem with police using taser guns? would you rather be imobilized or shot and killed? that's what i thought