tasers

When a 15-year-old boy was shocked -- to death -- by a Taser stun gun in Michigan in 2009, Amnesty International called for rigorous testing of the weapon, which delivers an initial 50,000-volt shock.

"There have to be ways of restraining an unarmed teenager other than using electro-shock weapons," the organization said in a statement. "Taser guns are not the safe weapons they are portrayed to be. A full investigation into their safety needs to be carried out before more people suffer the consequences of their misuse."

Now, two research papers are weighing in on … Read more

The Taser sounds like the perfect law enforcement tool. Simple, effective and generally safe, it allows officers to subdue a suspect using electricity rather than resorting to blunt or deadly force.

But a recent study found that some officers may be too quick to use the popular stun guns when conventional procedures would suffice. As CBS News' David Martin reports for "60 Minutes," there's growing concern that Tasers may be inflicting unnecessary pain and, in rare cases, lead to death.

LAS VEGAS--Taser International is a CES regular. This year, the company's staff was at the trade show in force, demonstrating its new technology and offering to fry anyone crazy enough to volunteer. The highlight of its new range is a shotgun with self-contained bullets of electrical agony.

As ludicrous as Tasers are, we can't help but be drawn to the bright yellow guns and incredible electrical power. Most incredible is the Taser X12 shotgun, which can fire a projectile up to 82 feet--most Tasers can only be used from about 16 feet away--and doesn't have wires attached … Read more

This week on Crave, Donald and Jasmine attempt to make due in the absence of Eric Franklin, who should be awakening from his NyQuil-induced haze any moment now. The big news of the day is Apple's latest gadgets, which include an iMac attack and the undeniably unique Apple Magic Trackpad. Of course, no Crave podcast would be complete without talk of robots and food...specifically one that makes food (sort of). Also, Japan develops some freaky-smart billboards, the military gets some super-spectacular smart earplugs, and the police find a new non-fatal weapon. Finally, we soothe your eyes with some lovely 3D street art--no funky glasses required.

Taser International, the company that makes Taser guns to help law enforcement subdue unruly suspects, now has a product aimed at children. At CES, the company announced the Protector Family Safety Program--a series of products designed to help parents monitor and control what their kids are doing with their phones.

Lets parents listen in Protector goes further than most parental control products in that it doesn't just provide a summary of activity--such as the incoming and outgoing numbers of people the kids call or text--but allows parents to listen to actual calls and read text messages.

Depending on … Read more

Taser International has developed software that allows parents to monitor and control what their children can do with their cell phones. The service, called Protector Family Safety Platform, lets parents monitor their child's incoming and outgoing phone calls, texts and media. Parents can block calls or messages, listen in, and even record calls.

Taser International Vice President Steve Tuttle tells Larry Magid how the system works.

DUBLIN, Calif.--Don't tase me, bro. Really.

CNET News took a trip to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office Regional Training Center on Friday to have a look at some of the newest equipment from Taser, which was among the companies showing off weaponry at the UrbanShield 2009 training event. The electric-shock gadgets are controversial and have drummed up some bad press over the years for causing the occasional serious injury or even fatality. But the company has maintained its insistence that they are significantly safer than the alternative (i.e. guns).

We didn't get to tase anybody. … Read more

School bus technology could improve Humvee safety.

BAE Systems has developed a way for crews of up-armored Humvees to quickly remove the ballistic windshield and exit the vehicle during an emergency.

Troops have long complained of being unable to exit tactical vehicles after land mine blasts or during accidents involving water and ditches. The problem is so serious that the 10th Mountain Division invented its own door-ripping tool called the "Rat Claw."

Similar to what's seen in many civilian buses, the BAE VEE Window allows a ballistic windshield to be removed in less than 5 seconds, according … Read more

This Hello Kitty Taser Gun was brought to my attention by Hello Kitty Hell, a blog with the tagline, "One Man's Life With Cute Overload." This poor man's online existence has been reduced to his hatred of a tiny cartoon cat, and who could blame him? The existence of this Hello Kitty taser gun makes me want to open it up and point it at my head.

You have to question the intentions of these designers...is the gun supposed to make little girls less fearful about attacking their in-store competition? Maybe it's meant to … Read more