Another death from the non-lethal Taser

[BillyVance 35]

This is a bit off the discussion, but is every bit worth the read... true story... I didn't get the name of the guy but he lives down in the Florida Keys...

This is so damn good I couldn’t stop laughing for 10 minutes when I read it…


Blue Skies
Billy

Sent: Monday, August 16, 2004 4:44 PM

Subject: Tazer - a la Jackass...





My friends are fond of saying that my last words on this earth will be something akin to, "hey y'all, hold my beer and watch this!" Well, I have outdone myself once again. No doubt you will see this true story chronicled in a Lifetime movie in the near future. Here goes.

Last weekend I spied something at Larry's Pistol and Pawn that tickled my fancy. (Note: Keep in mind that my "fancy" is easily tickled for a guy. I had gone into the Star Market to pick up some milk yesterday and I bought a super ball in the checkout line--50 cents. What a bargain! It tickled my fancy--still does. That thing bounces soooooo high, and it has provided me with hours of entertainment. It just doesn't get any better than that, now does it? I'm so easily distracted. That dang super ball is so much fun.

So what were we talking about? Oh yeah, I bought something really cool at Larry's Pistol and Pawn last Saturday. The occasion was my 50th birthday and I was looking for a little something extra cool. What I came across was a 100,000 volt, pocket/purse sized Tazer gun with a clip.

For those of you who are not familiar with this product, it is a less-than-lethal stun gun with two metal prongs designed to incapacitate an assailant with a shock of high voltage, low amperage electricity while you flee to safety. The effects are supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, but allowing you adequate time to retreat to safety. You simply jab the prongs into your 250 lb. tattooed assailant, push the button, and it will render him a slobbering, goggle eyed, muscle twitching, whimpering, pencil neck geek. If you've never seen one of these things in action, then you're truly missing out--way too cool!

Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was so disappointed. Upon reading the directions (we don't need no stinkin' directions), I found, much to my chagrin, that this particular model would not create an arc between the prongs. How disappointing! I do love fire for effect. I learned that if I pushed the button, however, and pressed it against a metal surface that I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs that I was so looking forward to. I did so. Awesome!!! Sparks, a blue arc of electricity, and a loud pop!!! Yipeeeeee . . . I'm easily amused.:)~

Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two AAA batteries, etc., etc. There I sat in my recliner, my dog Molly looking on intently (trusting little soul), reading the directions (that would be me, not Molly), and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh and blood target. I must admit I thought about zapping Molly for a fraction of a second and thought better of it. She is such a sweet doggy, after all. But, if I was going to use this thing to protect myself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong? Was I wrong to think that? Seemed reasonable to me at the time So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, Tazer in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. All the while I'm looking at this little device (measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference, pretty cute really, and loaded with two itsy, bitsy AAA batteries) thinking to myself, "no bloody way!" Bloody way--trust me, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best. Those of you who know me well have got a pretty good idea of what followed. I'm sitting there alone, Molly looking on with her head cocked to one side as to say, "don't do it daddy," reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny lil' ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad (sound, rational thinking under the circumstances, wouldn't you agree?). I decided to give myself a one-second burst just for the hell of it. (Note: You know, a bad decision is like hindsight--always 20/20. It is so obvious that it was a bad decision after the fact, even though it seemed so right at the time. Don't ya hate that?) I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and Holy F**king Shit! DAMN!!!

I'm pretty sure that Jesse Ventura ran in through the front door, picked me up out of that recliner, then body slammed me on the carpet over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, soaking wet, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position. Molly was standing over me making whimpering sounds I had never heard before, licking my face, undoubtedly thinking to herself, "do it again daddy, do it again!" (Note: If you ever feel compelled to mug yourself with a Tazer, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one-second burst when you zap yourself. You're not going to let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor. Then, if you're lucky, you won't dislodge one of the prongs 1/4" deep in your thigh like yours truly.)

SON-OF-A-BITCH that hurt!!!! A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at this point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. How did they get there??? My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, as my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. +/- an ounce or two, I'm pretty sure. By the way, has anyone seen my testicles? I think they ran away. I'm offering a reward .

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Jimbo 0]

Quote

Last weekend I spied something at Larry's Pistol and Pawn that tickled my fancy. (Note: Keep in mind that my "fancy" is easily tickled for a guy. I had gone into the Star Market to pick up some milk yesterday and I bought a super ball in the checkout line--50 cents. What a bargain! It tickled my fancy--still does. That thing bounces soooooo high, and it has provided me with hours of entertainment. It just doesn't get any better than that, now does it? I'm so easily distracted. That dang super ball is so much fun.

So what were we talking about? Oh yeah, I bought something really cool at Larry's Pistol and Pawn last Saturday. The occasion was my 50th birthday and I was looking for a little something extra cool. What I came across was a 100,000 volt, pocket/purse sized Tazer gun with a clip.

While living in Manhattan I suggested to a friend that we run down to the local 'spy' shop and each get one of these wannabe-tazers. We guessed that neither of us would make it from the store to the subway without zapping the other and finally decided against it. I still think it could be a fun toy, handy in bars with long lines.

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[peacefuljeffrey 0]

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While living in Manhattan I suggested to a friend that we run down to the local 'spy' shop and each get one of these wannabe-tazers. We guessed that neither of us would make it from the store to the subway without zapping the other and finally decided against it. I still think it could be a fun toy, handy in bars with long lines.

Well, since you're not allowed to bring your gun in...

(Kev, I know, I know -- you CAN in PA!)

-

-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

[Ron 10]

And another

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2004/8/27/53302.html

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A taser-related death occurred Thursday night in Polk County where deputies said an intoxicated man was wandering around the intersection of Highway 92 and Old Dixie Highway.

The sheriff's office said it sent a deputy to investigate the mayhem.

Deputies said the man was apparently under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

After he failed twice to respond to the officer's demands, the deputy used a taser and the man later died.

There have been a number of cases where suspects have died after taser use but medical examiners almost always rule there was a different cause of death, like drugs or an underlying health problem.

The sheriff's office is waiting to release the man's name pending notification of next of kin.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[lawrocket 3]

Well, the original case I spoke of linked the death to acute cocaine intoxication...

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[ericmillionaire 0]

know this is an old post but I thought I'd share my story.
Yesterday at school I got shot with a taser. Everyone in my class was offered the chance to do it and being the naive people that we were we all said yes. It fuckin sucked. Every muscle in my body ached for a few hours afterwards and I think one of the prongs broke off in my back though cause its pretty swollen still. Three weeks ago we all got sprayed with O.C. In my opinion the O.C. was much better than the taser The O.C. hurt like hell- the taser caused very little pain but I would rather be sprayed with the O.C. again because the taser gave me a weird feeling that creeped me out. Just the feeling of those prongs going into me and the 50,000 volts shooting through my body was enough to convince me to never resist a police officer.
Good times though.

Gun Powder Eric

[Channman 2]

Maybe you can volunteer to be shot by a bean bag using a shot gun, Non lethal, but be sure they don't shoot you in the eye.

As they say its all fun and games until someone gets their eye put out.

[kelpdiver 2]

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Maybe you can volunteer to be shot by a bean bag using a shot gun, Non lethal, but be sure they don't shoot you in the eye.

Or the side of the head.

[SkyDekker 1,465]

Its fun isn't it

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