In Tulsa, Oklahoma, 25-year-old Lorna Hampton walked into a Subway restaurant and attempted to rob the store by threatening employees with a BB gun.
According to police, Hampton went behind the counter, while the employees ran to a back portion of the store. As the thief began to take money out of the register, an employee reemerged armed with a taser.
The employee fired the taser at Hampton, striking her and causing her to immediately fall to the ground. The employee left the prongs attached to the suspect just in case she tried to get up and waited for police to arrive.
Hampton was booked into the Tulsa County Jail. Police say Hampton’s vehicle was located across the street and her two children, ages two and five were inside.
To be clear, this employee made a judgment call to do what they thought was best to stop a robbery and they did a great job. But remember, a taser is not a firearm and should never be compared to a firearm. Tasers can easily fail and a real gun should be your number one self-defense weapon if it’s a viable option for your situation.
Another thing I often see, is that many people use the term taser and stun gun interchangeably. Now, Taser is a product brand that makes electronic shock devices that shoot probes.
These probes have small fishhook like ends that will break the skin of a person to attach to their target. Then the probes in the person deliver a shock that can cause the person to fall to the ground incapacitated.
Tasers are carried by law enforcement, but the exact model they carry is not available for civilian purchase. However, the company behind Taser products does make models for civilian ownership.
Stun guns, on the other hand, are electronic shock devices that require direct contact with the person to be effective. For instance, many people are familiar with stun gun flashlights, which are great self-defense tools, but require close-quarter contact with your attacker to stun them.
Recently, a U.S. District Court Struck Down New York’s ban on Tasers and stun guns ruling that is was a violation of New Yorkers 2nd Amendment rights. Prior to this ruling, civilian ownership of Taser devices was prohibited in DC, HI, MA, MI, NJ, NY, RI, & WI.
Currently, Taser devices are legal to sell and own in many states with little to no restrictions. However, I’m not a lawyer so before purchasing a Taser I recommend checking with your state and local laws for up to date information on any Taser or stun gun laws. For instance, some states do require a concealed weapon permit to carry a taser.
Considering that some folks may prefer to carry a Taser instead of a firearm I want to share with you the top Tasers I would look into. Now, as I mentioned before, Taser is the company that makes these devices that shoot probes.
All three devices I share with you are made by the same company, which also equips the majority of U.S. law enforcement with Taser devices.
Taser Bolt. The Bolt is a good starting point for anyone looking at getting a Taser. This Taser comes with one training cartridge and target for you to practice on, along with two live cartridges.
It has a lithium power magazine, which is not a rechargeable battery, but provides over 50 firings from the device. This Taser can be discharged up to 15 feet away from an attacker and it has a stun gun backup you can use if you’ve already fired your Taser.
In other words, if you fire the Taser and it is ineffective at stopping your attacker, you can use it like a stun gun and make direct contact with them.
Taser Pulse. The Pulse is another less-lethal defense tool that immobilizes attackers for 30 seconds if proper contact is made. The Pulse carries the same knockdown power used by law enforcement, but was built with civilian self-defense in mind.
The device weighs only half a pound, has a 15-foot shooting distance and a battery status indicator. The battery is non-rechargeable.
Taser X26C. The X26C was modeled after the police version X26. Utilizing the same technology as law enforcement models, the X26C has incredible take down power.
The X26C is software upgradable and uses a replaceable cartridge that fires probes up to 15 feet. In addition, the X26C probes provide enough energy to penetrate up to one inch of clothing per probe.
The non-rechargeable battery on the X26C has enough power for up to 150 firings at 10 seconds each. Plus, the X26C has sights for aiming, a soft body holster and laser/light combo for identifying your target.
The truth is, any of these Taser products would be a solid choice for self-defense, but only if a firearm is not an option. I would never choose one of these over a firearm since I want to be prepared to face a bad guy who might also have a gun.
