Makers of tasers aiming to appeal to public

"The idea is to get the weapon in front of soccer moms." ... Steve Tuttle, Taser International

"The natural progression for this is it's going to be in department stores." ... Steve Tuttle, Taser International

"We want to make sure the good guys have this." ... Steve Tuttle, Taser International

August 4, 2008
Rick Armon, Akron Beacon Journal

TravelCenters of America offers everything imaginable that a highway traveler might need. Fuel. Hot showers. Satellite radio systems. Full-service restaurants. Truck repairs. And now . . . Tasers.

The national chain has teamed up with Taser International to sell the stun gun at its 163 truck stops, including sites in North Canton and Lodi.

It's the first time in years that the Taser has been sold in a retail setting other than a sporting goods or firearms store. The move is part of the company's strategy to market the weapon to a more mainstream audience and eliminate the perception that Tasers are reserved for law enforcement authorities only.

TravelCenters of America provides great exposure because travelers are often concerned about personal security, especially if they are on the road alone, Taser spokesman Steve Tuttle said.

About a year ago, the majority of sales were direct to customers, but the company has started selling them in sporting good stores and through firearms dealers. The idea is to get the weapon in front of soccer moms, Tuttle said. "The natural progression for this is it's going to be in department stores," he said.

TravelCenters workers at the North Canton and Lodi sites declined to comment. The
weapons weren't on display last week, but the workers said they were behind counters and available for purchase.

A corporate spokesman didn't return a phone call after asking first to listen to the questions posed by a reporter. The company, based in Westlake, operates under the names TA and Petro in 41 states and Canada.

A spokesman for the Ohio Trucking Association said the trade group had no opinion on the deal.

"I think that people who are on the road feel less secure than people who are in their home area," said Dale Lewison, professor of marketing at the University of Akron and director of the Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing. "From that standpoint, it would be a reasonable fit that a truck stop operation would do that."

How they work

Tasers, which provide incapacitating 50,000-volt electrical shocks, have been controversial because people, including several in the Akron area, have died after being shocked by authorities. Amnesty International has estimated that more than 291 people have died from Tasers in the U.S. since June 2001.

And critics have argued that the weapon should be banned.

Taser has been selling the weapon to the public since its inception, including through retailer Sharper Image at one point in the 1990s. But consumer sales never took off and the company focused on law enforcement instead, Tuttle said.

Now the company is attempting to move back into the mainstream market.

"Fear is a very powerful marketing appeal," Lewison said.

However, he questioned how well the Taser would sell at a department store. Instead, it likely would do well at Kmart or Wal-Mart, he said.

Since the C2 Taser was introduced in July 2007, 31,600 have been sold. Ohio is one of the top five states for Taser sales, Tuttle said. The C2 Taser being sold at TravelCenters, sporting goods stores and on the company Web site for $349.95 differs from the law enforcement version. That main difference involves range, which is limited to 15 feet for the consumer.

The range is shorter because the company wanted the weapon to be "defensive in nature," Tuttle said.

The Taser also won't work when taken out of the box. The customer first must obtain a special code by undergoing a criminal background check and providing personal information to the company, he said. Whenever it is used, it also sprays coded confetti that allows law enforcement to identify the weapon.

"We want to know who you are," Tuttle said. "We want to make sure the good guys have this."

Mixed feelings

Paul Hlynsky, president of the Akron lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he has mixed emotions about more people owning Tasers. "We respect the right of citizens to try to defend themselves," he said. "But our officers are very well trained on Tasers. Certainly it's a concern that people will get hurt and will hurt other people."

Truck stops (in Amerika) to offer personal taser weapons

It's official - they're nuts down there. It's already been widely reported that citizens in the United States can buy "personal" taser weapons at Tupperware-type parties. They're sold by the manufacturer in a stunning array of designer colours and patterns. They even come equipped with mp3 players.

And now, truck stops in the US will offer personal taser weapons for sale to Joe Public. Even as police grapple with what to with citizens who would turn these personal protection devices upon each other. The only way these weapons could ever be considered personal protection devices is when *everyone* owns one. And the winner will be he who can zap the fastest. (Former Jeopardy contestants will have a definite edge.) I'm sure this is what Taser International intended - a taser for every man, woman and child in the madhouse known as the US of A.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania police are investigating two cases where the victims were first Tasered by the suspect, then robbed.

Over in Manchester, New Hampshire, three teenagers have been charged in connection with a robbery in which another teenager said he was shot with a stun gun.

And down in Lubbock, Texas, investigators are working to identify the person that, on two different occasions, pulled a taser gun on his victim and tried to rape them.

Truck stops to offer personal taser weapons
July 16, 2008
By JON CHAVEZ, Ohio Blade

Very soon, truckers and motorists will be able to buy a jolter with their jolt of java at TravelCenters of America Inc. truck stops, 11 of which dot Ohio's roadways.

TravelCenters, based in Westlake, Ohio, said last week it had reached a deal with Taser International Inc. to begin selling Taser weapons at its truck stops starting this month.

A clerk at the TravelCenter truck stop in Stony Ridge, where I-280 connects to the Ohio Turnpike, said the gift shop there had not received any shipments of Taser stun weapons.

However, Steve Tuttle, a spokesman for Taser International, said the company began shipping the devices to TravelCenters the last week of June.

The pairing between Taser and a chain of truck stops is the first in which the defense technology company will sell its products in a retail setting other than sporting-goods stores or licensed firearms dealers.

"We were approached by them, but it fits with our vision of getting our products into more mainstream stores," Mr. Tuttle said.

"Anybody's that's traveling does have concerns about personal safety. For the trucker away from his family, he might want one or think that his wife could use that while he's gone, or his daughter at college could use one," Mr. Tuttle said. "So this was something that's a pretty good fit for us."

TravelCenters will sell the devices at its TA and Petro truck stops. Officials from TravelCenters did not return calls seeking comment.

Tasers shoot barbed probes that deliver an incapacitating electric current or can be used as contact stun devices. The C2 Taser model, designed for personal use, sells for about $300 without frills, or $350 for one with a laser sight that pinpoints where the barbs will go.

"They're nonlethal and they're really catching on," said Theresa Cleland, owner of Cleland's Outdoor World on Airport Highway.

"We only sell them with laser sights. That way, you know where it's going. Some come without lasers but I don't sell them because a miss with a Taser doesn't do you any good," she said.

Customers who buy Tasers at TravelCenters shouldn't expect to be able to use them immediately. Taser requires that buyers pass a $10 background check before giving them a code to activate the weapon.

"If it's misused, we have the ability to track that too," the company spokesman said. "It contains 20 to 30 pieces of tiny confetti that match back to that unit. If you use it, it's akin to leaving a business card that is tiny and discreet, but the police know what to look for."