| Controversy over the use of tasers by law | | | | carry easily in the palm of the hand or tucked |
| enforcement offers continues to brew with a | | | | carefully in a handbag. |
| number of highly publicized death-by-taser | | | | Most experts agree that when used correctly and |
| incidents reported in the last several months. | | | | carefully, tasers are a very effective method for |
| Included is the death of a Polish man in the | | | | subduing a would-be attacker. Women tend to be |
| Vancouver International Airport in October, 2007. | | | | more vulnerable targets for personal crimes than |
| Robert Dziekanski was in the process of | | | | men. It makes sense for manufacturers to target |
| immigrating to Canada from his native Poland. | | | | female consumers. Many women who do not feel |
| Dziekanski arrived in Canada speaking very little | | | | comfortable when carrying a gun for personal |
| English, and was forced to wait in customs for | | | | protection report feeling at ease with a taser |
| over 10 hours. Apparently, no interpreter was | | | | close at hand. There are other difficulties |
| available to help Dziekanski through this very | | | | associated with firearms as well. Guns are typically |
| confusing process. He became increasingly | | | | harder to access, more difficult to purchase and |
| agitated over his treatment and his inability to | | | | not necessarily carried legally on one's person. It's |
| communicate with airport officials. Police were | | | | not a stretch to see why tasers are gaining |
| eventually called to deal with the disgruntled | | | | popularity in the self-defense product market. |
| traveler. Officers spoke with Mr. Dziekanski (again | | | | Many experts say that comparing the use of |
| in English) for less than 30 seconds before | | | | tasers by law enforcement to using one for |
| subduing Mr. Dziekanski with a taser. | | | | self-defense is like comparing apples to oranges. |
| Tasers are lauded around North America as a | | | | While the weapon may be the same, the issues |
| more humane way to deal with threatening | | | | surrounding their use are completely different. |
| individuals than firearms. There have been, | | | | Police are being criticized of reaching tasers too |
| however, a number of fatalities from the use of | | | | quickly rather than mediating or using other less |
| these devices. Unfortunately, Dziekanski became | | | | violent tactics to subdue a criminal. A civilian facing |
| one of those statistics when the shock delivered | | | | the imminent threat of an attack doesn't have |
| by a taser stopped his heart and led to his death. | | | | the option of "talking things out" with an attacker. |
| This begs the question: should the general public | | | | In fact, many experts concede that tasers are a |
| have access to tasers for self-defense? | | | | highly effective means of protecting oneself from |
| Almost every state in the U.S. (approximately 43 | | | | an imminent attack. When used correctly, a taser |
| of 50) allows the sale and limited use of tasers | | | | delivers an electrical shock (50,000 volts in the |
| for self-defense. Even as the controversy | | | | case of the C2) that temporarily disables an |
| surrounding their use boiled, a new taser was | | | | attacker, allowing time to escape the situation. |
| introduced into the market in mid-2007. While | | | | While the controversy over the use of tasers by |
| tasers for personal use have been around for | | | | law enforcement won't end any time soon, tasers |
| over a decade, this most recent release was a | | | | are growing in popularity amongst the general |
| so-called "designer" version, marketed largely at | | | | public as the self-defense product of choice. More |
| women. The C2 Taser has been described as | | | | convenient than a gun, and more effective than |
| "eye-catching" and a little bit less "Dirty Harry" | | | | mace or pepper spray, tasers may emerge as |
| than the typical police-issue variety. It slightly | | | | the number one self-defense weapon in the next |
| resembles an electric razor and is small enough to | | | | decade. |