What's the general consensus here regarding tasers for self defense?
Tasers can do some amazing things. I've seen videos where a single shot takes down a martial arts instructor who states afterwords that the weapon was more incapacitating than shrapnel from a grenade.
For self defense, they seem like they might be a pretty darn good option.
Pros
NEARLY nonlethal. Taser claims 800,000 people have been zapped, and even the most vocal detractors of the taser are claiming that maybe 100-200 people have died with taser shocks as a contributing factor
Singe hit incapacitates. That is NOT the case with pistol rounds, unless you hit a very small target area. Taser claims that the taser has a higher effectiveness rate than handguns for stopping a target. I'll buy that : it's possible to fight on if you've been shot with a handgun in most places on your body, it's totally impossible if your muscles are paralyzed by a taser.
Tactics : if you are threatened, you can simply draw and fire with the taser. You have absolutely no need to wait to see if your attacker backs off like you would if you flash a firearm. Most taser models have a laser sight.
Taser makes a model that resembles an electric shaver. Because it doesn't resemble a gun, I think you're less likely to be shot by the police.
At the moment, in most states you can bring a taser anywhere and everywhere without repercussions. It isn't a firearm, it doesn't need a license, worst that can happen is you're asked to leave.
No risk of permanent injury in the event of an accidental discharge, no increased risk of suicide, no chance of killing an innocent person in the dark, no chance of someone taking the taser from you and killing you using it, little chance of your kids dying because they find your taser and play with it. In short, none of the downsides of firearms.
Cons :
One shot for the currently available civilian taser. This is a big problem if you're facing multiple attackers, or if you miss.
You cannot fire through cover such as walls and doors to hit your attacker. Then again, you also don't have to worry about backstops...
Limited range for the current civilian taser : 15 feet. On the other hand, if you fire in self defense from farther than 15 feet with a firearm, it's going to be harder to justify the shooting.
Poor intimidation factor. Thugs will know that the yellow plastic toy with laser sight you are pointing isn't as dangerous as a firearm.
It's theoretically possible to make conductive clothing that would make the wearer completely invulnerable to tasers. Much better protection that a bulletproof vest could ever be. At the moment though, such clothing is completely unavailable on the civilian market unless you want to wear tinfoil.
Right now, it seems to me that a taser would be a good intermediate choice for those who don't feel comfortable with a concealed handgun.
However, the new taser XREP shotgun rounds seems to me like it would allow for an ideal home defense load. You'd load a 12 gauge such that the first 3-4 shots are XREP rounds : plenty for taking on multiple home invaders. The last 3-4 shots or the reload would be conventional slug or buckshot rounds. Unfortunately, the XREP is not available to civilians yet.
The taser X3 would also solve many of the problems with the taser I mentioned above : you get 3 shots, and it has a "warning arc" mode that you can use to let thugs know what the weapon you are pointing at them will do.
Tasers can do some amazing things. I've seen videos where a single shot takes down a martial arts instructor who states afterwords that the weapon was more incapacitating than shrapnel from a grenade.
For self defense, they seem like they might be a pretty darn good option.
Pros
NEARLY nonlethal. Taser claims 800,000 people have been zapped, and even the most vocal detractors of the taser are claiming that maybe 100-200 people have died with taser shocks as a contributing factor
Singe hit incapacitates. That is NOT the case with pistol rounds, unless you hit a very small target area. Taser claims that the taser has a higher effectiveness rate than handguns for stopping a target. I'll buy that : it's possible to fight on if you've been shot with a handgun in most places on your body, it's totally impossible if your muscles are paralyzed by a taser.
Tactics : if you are threatened, you can simply draw and fire with the taser. You have absolutely no need to wait to see if your attacker backs off like you would if you flash a firearm. Most taser models have a laser sight.
Taser makes a model that resembles an electric shaver. Because it doesn't resemble a gun, I think you're less likely to be shot by the police.
At the moment, in most states you can bring a taser anywhere and everywhere without repercussions. It isn't a firearm, it doesn't need a license, worst that can happen is you're asked to leave.
No risk of permanent injury in the event of an accidental discharge, no increased risk of suicide, no chance of killing an innocent person in the dark, no chance of someone taking the taser from you and killing you using it, little chance of your kids dying because they find your taser and play with it. In short, none of the downsides of firearms.
Cons :
One shot for the currently available civilian taser. This is a big problem if you're facing multiple attackers, or if you miss.
You cannot fire through cover such as walls and doors to hit your attacker. Then again, you also don't have to worry about backstops...
Limited range for the current civilian taser : 15 feet. On the other hand, if you fire in self defense from farther than 15 feet with a firearm, it's going to be harder to justify the shooting.
Poor intimidation factor. Thugs will know that the yellow plastic toy with laser sight you are pointing isn't as dangerous as a firearm.
It's theoretically possible to make conductive clothing that would make the wearer completely invulnerable to tasers. Much better protection that a bulletproof vest could ever be. At the moment though, such clothing is completely unavailable on the civilian market unless you want to wear tinfoil.
Right now, it seems to me that a taser would be a good intermediate choice for those who don't feel comfortable with a concealed handgun.
However, the new taser XREP shotgun rounds seems to me like it would allow for an ideal home defense load. You'd load a 12 gauge such that the first 3-4 shots are XREP rounds : plenty for taking on multiple home invaders. The last 3-4 shots or the reload would be conventional slug or buckshot rounds. Unfortunately, the XREP is not available to civilians yet.
The taser X3 would also solve many of the problems with the taser I mentioned above : you get 3 shots, and it has a "warning arc" mode that you can use to let thugs know what the weapon you are pointing at them will do.
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