Does anyyone know if a taser (or tazer, not sure on the spelling) would be effective for home defense? My neighbor who is SGIBWGIIT (slowly gettin' it but won't get it in time)is looking to buy one of these so he can disable an intruder but not kill him. Northern tool used to sell them for about 60-70 bucks but not anymore. It's one of those things the cops use that gives you a 50,000 volt shock.

-- The Only One (I'mset@home.house), February 26, 1999

Answers

A 12 gauge shotgun is much more effective. It offers no voltage, but its shock value is peerless.

-- Vic (Roadrunner@compliant.com), February 26, 1999.

You're talking about a stun gun. You have to touch the assailant with this device to put him down. There are two other idea's for non lethal weaponry. A low cost laser pointer from Shopko $9. Fits on a keychain. Als as mentioned before, a water gun pistol filled with water and tabasco sauce or some clorox. This will stop them dead in their tracks. If and when they get mad and come back, let them have it with a real gun! Good luck!

-- Jack Smith (Smitty@aol.com), February 26, 1999.

Stunguns and tazers (the only real difference being that a "tazer" usually has some means to fire projectiles at the target trailing wires back to the box) are very effective on a person provided that:

1 - You're close enough to use one (within reach for a stungun, usually up to 15 feet or so for a tazer), which may or may not be advisable given the circumstances, and

2 - The target isn't wearing heavy, thick clothing that might have the dielectric strength to block the voltage from flowing through it and into him/her. Windbreakers, jeans, amd most normal attire won't stop the pop but a really heavy jacket (or even certain lighter ones, like leather) would.

I built my own stungun; this is how I have this info. Mine packs quite a bit more punch than the normal stungun (1.2 joules on its high setting, where the average stungun does about .3-ish joules) but you still have to be in their face to use it.

A stungun would be best in situations where you'd expect to be crowded or attacked in really confined spaces. One in a bracket near the front door could be useful if you get rushed and can grab it quickly, for example.

For longer reach with lower fatality rates you'd be better off with a pellet gun or similar, which hurt like a M_ F_ but won't (usually) kill. Preferably a good semiauto type. (My target plinking gun is a Crossman American Classic ten-pump pistol that's accurate to within 3/4" at 75 yards and makes 560 fps velocity with a pellet. You could bury a pellet into someone from a good ways away with it!)

Hope that helps a bit... If not, well, at least I tried! :-)

OddOne

-- OddOne (mocklamer@geocities.com), February 26, 1999.

you're presuming your intruder will be unarmed, and that there will be only one at a time. If you live in an urban or suburban area, and you are planning to deal with problems related to civil unrest, then you are most likely making fatal mis-assumptions.

Arlin Adams

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), February 26, 1999.

which also brings up the question I never see answered:

how many of you folks who advocate stunguns, and silly things like laser pointers have any plans for what to do if you *do* manage to capture someone alive? Do you have prisoner handling training? Waht are your plans for when the rest of your prisoner's friends (the rest of the gang, as it were) show up looking for him? What are the legal ramifications of what you plan to do - especially once the civil disturbance is over and your prisoner has access to the courts system?

somehow I've never seen those questions discussed...

Arlin

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), February 26, 1999.

stun 'em & hang 'em

buzzards pick bodies clean

friends don't bother......don't want to have buzzard on them

warning to others

victim (opps -- perp) don't complain, either

-- ugh (clint@rawhide.com), February 26, 1999.

Take no prisoners. Take care of them from the get go. More than likely they will be back and not alone. Always assume someone is armed and would take you down without blinking an eye. They may have a gun, a laser pointer, a stun gun, or pepper spray in their possession too. A line of defense should be a part of your preparation. If something were to happen to you, would others in your household be able to carry on without you?

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), February 26, 1999.

Non Lethal power projection devices have their place. Tasers have a range of 21 feet, the darts usually have a nominal lenght of .75" or so. They work very well on lightly clad persons. With that said, here in the high desert in winter, most people out and about have winter grade clothing on. There is usually a good 2" of dead air space between their bodies and the outside air.

The senario which bothers me the most about using shock devices is the person you want to shock being bundled up to the point where you cannot get a good mechanical connection for your device to do it's job.Can anyone see a underpass dweller clad in a Pea coat that's a size too large and has a sweater and a couple of hooded sweat shirts on under it. Lower torso has 3 pair of sweat pants. Get the idea? It ends up being the modern day equivalent of medieval quilted armor.If you can't get to the skin you can't motivate them.If your device can penetrate the armor you get the prize. But to accomplish that act you must be in physical contact with the target for the most part.

I for one do not like that level of intimacy. If I must use a non lethal device to control a situation I would tend to use a spray device using capiscum or the oil based tear gas. I would also be VERY aware of the shifting winds of change, literally.

For myself I've decided depending on my threat level meter, if I see things as very-un-good, I fully intend to shoot anyone who comes within my seven yard comfort zone.I've thought about this long and hard with much reservation. And I've decided my life and that of my family is paramount. Sorry Charlie, you didn't make the cut.

-- nine (nine_fingers@hotmail.com), February 26, 1999.

The Republicans forgot the old saying: "When you strike at the king, make sure you kill him."

They wussed out re Klinton, and will pay the price. Generalize this.

-- a (A@AisA.com), February 26, 1999.

As I've said before -- if an urban or rural situation progesses to that point, the bunker scene is toast no matter how far away the 7-11 is.

With vanishingly rare exceptions, there will always be more of "them" than there is of your lot. And the more bodies you hang on the wire, the more convinced your visitors will be that something really worthwhile is behind it. Plus their irritation will mount. Sooner or later they will remember fire arrows.

Go to the Internet. Search on Maginot Line and/or Siefgried Line. Apply what you find.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), February 26, 1999.

Always hide the evidence.

-- mystery (mystery@tv.com), February 26, 1999.

Tom -

and as I pointed out the last time you overgeneralized like that:

1. defense requires some level of mobility, but that does not mean that all hardened positions are inevitably doomed unless overwhelming force is brought to bear on them - thus there are many instances in which your examples are NOT valid.

2. proper disposition of the dead is both a requirement both for hygene and morale, to say nothing of the potential intelligence value of the material the late unlamented may have in their posession.

Arlin

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), February 26, 1999.

What evidence?

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), February 26, 1999.

The bullet ridden dead body!

-- mystery (mystery@tv.com), February 27, 1999.

What bullet ridden dead body?

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), February 27, 1999.

What bullet ridden dead body???

Why, the...

oh okay, I get it.

-- Wolfgang (nobody@here.com), February 27, 1999.