Not your mother's Tupperware party

A generation or more ago, it could have been the virtues of plastic food containers or jewelry that Louise Sylvester was extolling to the people in her living room.

[Officers wife]

That's great for a very responsible person, but in the hands of a criminal it is very bad. Used on a police officer you could disable the officer and then take the officers gun leading to who knows what. I am sure that if an officer is put into a situation where someone pulls out a taser, the officer will resort to deadly force against the perpetrator. I hope anyone who buys a taser keeps it in a safe and secure place, much like a gun. I see bad things happening. The laws need to be more strict on the use of this weapon. BE CAREFULL!

[zappp]

so this is a good thing? untrained idiots likely to have it used against them or worse. and when do we start hearing of child or spouse abuse cases with tasers involved?

[tazed and confused]

don't taze me bro

[Concerned]

what the good guy does not understand is that whenever you bring a weapon to a fight, home invasion, ect you also create an opportunity for the bad guy. Weapon retention and having the training and ability to keep the bad guy from taking your weapon away from you and using it against you is very very important. So if you do not have proper AND continuous training on ALL aspects of the weapon you often give the bad guy an opportunity to use the weapon against you. I think that this is a bad home protection weapon. Also, USUALLY most bad guys will not break into your house if they know you are there (the incident in Cheshire is not the norm). They want to get in, take a few things and get out quickly and undetected. If they come in when they know you are there you are likely in some big trouble as they will probably bring a weapon and not fear using it. Ever hear of not bringing a knife to a gun fight.....well do not bring a taser to a fight where the bad guy probably has a gun or knife. So the theory of having a weapon is better than having no weapon at all only holds true for the person who received proper and continuous training. Cops are trained all the time on how and when to use their weapons and they are trained throughout their career (which is required by state law). And really bad guys practice all the time (in prison and on the street) on getting weapons away from people and winning a fight regardless of what it takes. The best home defense weapon is a nasty dog....most bad guys will stay away if you have a big nasty dog. As a cop,I am trained all the time with all aspects of all of my weapons by highly qualified instructors (not some guy who sits in my living room for 2 hours telling me how I can fight off multiple attackers who enter my house in the middle of the night with a taser). And I feel confident that I would be able to disarm most homeowners if I did not have any of my tools that I carry daily with me. Just something to think about before the salesman comes into your living room trying to sell you one of these.

[Florida Cop]

Officer's Wife is right. If I ever get a Taser pulled on me while working I will have no choice but to use deadly force. We all get shocked with the Taser during training and I can say that it is truely awful. I never want to feel that thing again. Like any weapon, the owner needs to be responsible and trained.

[Concerned]

just another thought.......our tasers shoot for 5 seconds and then they stop. this gives us 5 seconds to handcuff the person (which is plenty of time) or request compliance if the opportunity to handcuff the person does not present itself. After 5 seconds USUALLY most people do not want to get shot again. I believe the consumer (non-law enforcement) version only shoots one time and then the gun is useless. I have been shot with a taser and the pain is unbelievable. However during my yearly required training by a highly trained certified Taser instructor I have watched actual videos where after 5 seconds the suspect still wants to fight. And they will want to fight if they now know your gun will not fire again. Now you have shot this person once and your gun is now useless because the consumer version only shoots one shot. The bad guy is very likely very mad at you for shooting him......what do you do now???? I will tell you what you do.....take a good beating probably. And you think some hard core lifelong criminal is gonna flinch when you point your pink taser at him....what about when three of them come into your house. This is a total marketing scam which is done very well by the company....they are selling to fools every day.

[mclean]

These people live in a world defined by their fears. How sad.

[Tarheel]

I wonder if these are the arms dealers that sold to the college student arrested downtown in possession of one of these weapons?

[DonCC]

Concerned wrote:

just another thought.......our tasers shoot for 5 seconds and then they stop. this gives us 5 seconds to handcuff the person (which is plenty of time) or request compliance if the opportunity to handcuff the person does not present itself. After 5 seconds USUALLY most people do not want to get shot again. I believe the consumer (non-law enforcement) version only shoots one time and then the gun is useless. I have been shot with a taser and the pain is unbelievable. However during my yearly required training by a highly trained certified Taser instructor I have watched actual videos where after 5 seconds the suspect still wants to fight. And they will want to fight if they now know your gun will not fire again. Now you have shot this person once and your gun is now useless because the consumer version only shoots one shot. The bad guy is very likely very mad at you for shooting him......what do you do now???? I will tell you what you do.....take a good beating probably. And you think some hard core lifelong criminal is gonna flinch when you point your pink taser at him....what about when three of them come into your house. This is a total marketing scam which is done very well by the company....they are selling to fools every day.

You are absolutely correct in your observations and comments regarding using a taser in one's home for "self defense". The reaction time alone by someone untrained to act without hesitation in using a taser or other weapon (firearm) would probably prove disasterous to the average homeowner. Thanks for your posting.

[JJP]

It's not much different than owning a gun and not knowing when and how to use it properly.

I think this is a bad idea, ripe for misuse and abuse.

I agree with Concerned that a watch dog is a much better idea.

[Moira Molinaro]

If I ever have occasion to use this weapon, and I hope I never do. I will use I it responsibly, and certaintly would not hang around to find out how mad the CRIMINAL was afterward.
I read a study once that asked that asked convicted felons what they were most afraid of, and the majority answer was homeowners with a gun. It is nice to know that there is an alternative to leathal force if you our your loved ones are being attacked. It is not fear that prompted the purchase of this weapon. It is my responsibility as an adult to protect myself and my family. Remember, the criminals have weapons, shouldn't we?

[Mikko Makkela]

What a pair of fear mongers.

[Capitol_Punishme nt]

JJP wrote:

It's not much different than owning a gun and not knowing when and how to use it properly.
I think this is a bad idea, ripe for misuse and abuse.
I agree with Concerned that a watch dog is a much better idea.

It is a lot different than owning a gun. Always shoot first and aim for the head.

[Concerned]

Molinaro:
You will use it responsibly.....who trained you how to do this? The guy sitting in your living room or someone who is actually a trained certified Taser instructor.....big difference between the two. And you say that you will not hang around to see how the criminal is afterward???? This is assuming a few things: 1. That you actually hit him with it
2. That he does not take it from you and use it on you
3. And that you can run pretty fast after the 5 seconds is over and the gun is useless. My thinking is that if he did not take it from you and use it on you and you actually hit him that you would be so stressed out (being totally untrained) that you would suffer from tunnel vision and anxiety and have no idea how to get away. I think that you watch too many movies. In real life you would probably need a new pair of underwear and likely some medical attention after the bad guy turned his anger on you standing there with a useless taser.

[43mpco]

Get rid of the liberal Democrats in the State Goverment & your 2nd ammendment rights will be restored

[little man syndrome]

Capitol_Punishment wrote:

It is a lot different than owning a gun. Always shoot first and aim for the head.

it's the same frightened dorks that champion both.

[barry mcshaw]

hey those are my neighbors !
they are some really nice people =]

[Seriously]

Concerned wrote:

Molinaro:
You will use it responsibly.....who trained you how to do this? The guy sitting in your living room or someone who is actually a trained certified Taser instructor.....big difference between the two. And you say that you will not hang around to see how the criminal is afterward???? This is assuming a few things: 1. That you actually hit him with it
2. That he does not take it from you and use it on you
3. And that you can run pretty fast after the 5 seconds is over and the gun is useless. My thinking is that if he did not take it from you and use it on you and you actually hit him that you would be so stressed out (being totally untrained) that you would suffer from tunnel vision and anxiety and have no idea how to get away. I think that you watch too many movies. In real life you would probably need a new pair of underwear and likely some medical attention after the bad guy turned his anger on you standing there with a useless taser.

I have no desire to kill anyone, so the option to be able to stop them with a taser would be more appealing than using a gun. Maybe the law needs to change, to protect the victim by not give them tasers that only shoot once. It should shoot as many times as a gun would. I would rather be shot with a taser than shot with bullets. How many people do you think got training to use the gun they buy on the streets? I would say none of them. At least with the taser you have an excellent chance of walking away still breathing. With a gun your chance may not be that good! Not that I am rallying for the criminal to get away with their crimes I just feel they should be punished by the law not by the bullet!

[Alex]

barry mcshaw wrote:

hey those are my neighbors !
they are some really nice people =]

is the neighborhood bad enough to require weapons be kept at home?

[open minded]

I agree with Seriously. I would rather have a chance in getting away. My husband has gun permits and guns in the house. I would probably reach for the taser before the gun! Know one wants to kill anyone just want to protect themselves and their families. Remember what happened to the doctor's family.