Tasers: Whys and Wherefores

Tasers have always been something of a mystery to me.  A bit of surprise, I know, but it’s true.

So just what are tasers anyway?  Well, first off it’s an acronym.  It stands for Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle.  Unless you’re a science fiction geek and like old school sci fi, you won’t really get the reference.  Thomas Swift (or Tom, as he went by) was the main character in a young adult novel series.  As you can imagine, young Mr. Swift was the quite the science prodigy and could invent anything and everything that could be made.  Kind of like McGuyver, only with more money and without the hair.

Tasers were developed has a less-than-lethal method to taking down the bad guys, since doing everybody a favor and saving some tax dollars on the trial by shooting the bad guys has gone out of style.  It’s a heavily favored tool of law enforcement to curb some of those nasty riots that can happen after sports games, or Mardi Gras (when gets a little too wild, but this is Mardi Gras we’re talking about).

What’s the advantage of using tasers?  For one, nobody’s immune.  Forget what you may have seen in the movies.  If you get hit by one of these suckers, you’re not staying on your feet.  Period.  I don’t care if you’re bigger than Arnold, you’re going down.  The second edge a taser gives is range.  You don’t have to sneak right up the poor fool and stab him with a stun gun or try spraying him in the face with a can of pepper spray.  A good 10, 15 feet is all you need.  Well, that and the ability to aim.  Kind of hard to hit somebody when you can’t.

The only downside to tasers is you get one shot with it until you have to reload.  So make it count.

Stun Guns Vs. Pepper Spray

When it comes to taking care of yourself, there’s a lot of ways of going about it.  Some people buy shotguns.  Other people get security systems.  And there’s the occasional nutjob that finds the biggest and meanest chihuahua on the planet and actually thinks that that will do something for him.

Bottom line: we all have our ways of coping with fear and insecurity.  While you certainly entitled to get a license to kill or turn your house into a miniature fortress, the rest of us would like something a little less drastic.  That’s the nice thing about stun guns and pepper spray: they’re both a lot more economical than firearms or security systems and don’t suffer from the stigma that comes along with them (being a triggerhappy lunatic or paranoid recluse).

So what’s the advantages of picking up a can of pepper spray or a stun gun?  Well, each has its own pros and cons.  And since I’m a big fan of bullet points, we’re to enjoy a few right here:

Pepper Spray

Pros

• Can fit just about anywhere (purse, handbag, glove compartment, nightstand)
• Range (usually 8-12 feet)
• Switch targets quickly

Cons

• Back flow (keep in mind which way the wind is going!)
• Limited supply
• Burning eyes/mouth/nose may or may not stop your attacker quickly

Stun Guns

Pros

• Portable
• Instant take down power
• Good battery life

Cons

• Limited range
• Rain/water could damage circuitry
• Have to hold down the on button for it to work

For me, the main difference has always been range.  Hands down, you get more range from a can of pepper spray than you do a stun gun.  Being able to spray someone in the eyes from three yards away is definitely nice when compared to how up close and personal you have to be with a stun gun. However, I can tell you from personal experience that a stun gun will disable pretty much anybody instantly, regardless of size.

The trick is getting close enough to tag the guy.

Stun Guns

Today, we are going to be talking about stun guns and all the fun that they entail. Now normally, I’m not one to get a kick out of taking somebody down. Not exactly my idea of a good time. I’d much rather be hanging out with friends, watching movies, dodging traffic, etc. Y’know, relaxing.

However, I absolutely feel that a person should be informed as how to take care of herself. It may not be a particularly fun topic, but it’s one of those things that you need to know. Kind of like driving, only without the licensing and DMV.

Anywho, stun guns. There’s a lot of misunderstandings about these little widgets out there, and more importantly a lot of misused terminology. Taser, taser gun, stun gun–what’s the difference? In essence, a taser provides you with range (usually around 15 feet), whereas a stun gun requires you to be up close and personal with your attacker. Now if you’re like me, you might not be the greatest shot on the planet (as fun as Halo is, it’s not quite the same as real life). So while you only get one shot with your taser, you’ll be able to use a stun gun for as long as the battery holds out.

You might ask why should I let myself get that close to someone looking to harm me. Well, for one, stun guns are a lot more economical than tasers (usually by a factor of ten). Second, you might miss with a taser. Third, a stun gun can used just about anywhere on a body to take someone down.

As I’ve said before (or if I haven’t, I should have), personal self defense may not be your favorite hobby in the world. That’s fine. But everybody should know how to take care of themselves. You owe yourself that much.

Say Hello to Me

My, how time flies. Hard to believe that two weeks have already come and gone. Guess I’ll have to keep up better for next week, won’t I?

Okay, this week’s topic: knowing yourself.

Seems pretty simple, doesn’t it? Nothing too complicated; or at least, it shouldn’t be. I mean, we live with ourselves all day, everyday. It’s not like we get a chance to take a vacation from ourselves on the weekends (as much as some of us may wish otherwise). So what’s the point?

The point, quite simply, is that you need to know yourself. Your strengths, your weaknesses, your virtues, your vices. However much it may hurt, we all need to take a good, long look at ourselves and evaluate where we stand. Because as much as others give advice or offer words of wisdom, the fact is that, in the end, we’ll only listen to ourselves. Certainly we may give weight to what others tell us–a trusted mentor, an old friend, a wise sibling–but they cannot make decisions for us.

The key is to understand yourself. Learn to work around your weaknesses and maximize your strengths. A sprinter doesn’t challenge a marathoner to the Boston Marathon. Why? Because that’s not where his strength lies. The most successful people in life learn to adapt to their weaknesses and move past them, not dwell on them.

Anywho, this intent of this blog is not to encourage you to looking for trouble. Quite the contrary–it’s my fervent hope that none of you will ever need to use my products. But I also believe in being prepared.

Call it what you like: preparation, vigilance, watchfulness. Whatever word you use, it the price that must be paid for peace of mind, knowing that you have done everything in your power to take care of yourself.

Getting Started

If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

Sound familiar? It should. This is the basic philosophy of self defense. Taking care of yourself is not something to leave to the experts. The experts don’t know you, your family, or your pets. They deal in generalities. We deal in specifics. That’s the way we go through life, so that’s the way we talk about life.

The first step of success in anything life is mindset. If you think you can do something, you can. If you don’t think so, you can’t. Simple as that. So you need to condition yourself to naturally approach life with a “how can I take care of this” attitude, rather than asking “who can take care of me?” This will put you on the road to self-reliance, the ultimate form of independence.

That’s what it’s all about.