Monday, October 03, 2005
The stun gun market needs accountability and competition
Less-lethal technology needs to be a part of law enforcement’s future. But the high-profile attention certain stun gun manufacturers attract through what some see as questionable business practices unfairly threatens the further adoption of all less-lethal technology.
A broadening government investigation threatens a major stun gun manufacturer, whose weapons’ safety is attracting increasing debate among law enforcement officials and the general public. Other manufacturers should embrace the stun gun market’s current state of flux as an opportunity to increase their market shares before the window of opportunity closes. Companies such as Stinger Systems and Law Enforcement Associates Corp. have received attention for their stun gun–related products this past year.
On Sept. 28, BusinessWeek reported that a current Securities & Exchange Commission investigation into TASER International, Inc. has become formal and widened. According to the article, SEC authorities are looking into “possible stock manipulation by outside parties.” The story also touches on a dip in law enforcement agencies’ orders.
By continuing along its current path, the stun gun industry may inflict irreversible damage upon itself and severely handicap any manufacturer’s credibility in the marketplace. To wrest control of this recently robust market, others in the stun gun industry who face fewer problems and manufacturer possibly safer stun guns must launch aggressive campaigns in short order.
Recent stories in the Charlotte Observer and The Arizona Republic report on coroner and medical examiner findings that have tied electroshock from a large manufacturer’s stun guns to the deaths of at least two people.
The controversy surrounding one large company is becoming the unofficial face of the entire stun gun industry, and this is a shame. Stun gun technology, done right, can be safe. The rest of the industry needs to communicate, on a massive scale, their commitment to responsible stun gun technology.
According to the Arizona attorney general, as quoted in a Sept. 28 article in The Arizona Republic, TASER International, Inc. is making changes to its marketing practices.
Any effort to be safer with stun guns is welcome, but it may be a case of "too little, too late" for some. It’s no wonder human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and others have been so critical of the stun gun industry.
Less-lethal technology needs to be a part of law enforcement’s future. But the high-profile attention certain stun gun manufacturers attract through what some see as questionable business practices unfairly threatens the further adoption of all less-lethal technology.
A broadening government investigation threatens a major stun gun manufacturer, whose weapons’ safety is attracting increasing debate among law enforcement officials and the general public. Other manufacturers should embrace the stun gun market’s current state of flux as an opportunity to increase their market shares before the window of opportunity closes. Companies such as Stinger Systems and Law Enforcement Associates Corp. have received attention for their stun gun–related products this past year.
On Sept. 28, BusinessWeek reported that a current Securities & Exchange Commission investigation into TASER International, Inc. has become formal and widened. According to the article, SEC authorities are looking into “possible stock manipulation by outside parties.” The story also touches on a dip in law enforcement agencies’ orders.
By continuing along its current path, the stun gun industry may inflict irreversible damage upon itself and severely handicap any manufacturer’s credibility in the marketplace. To wrest control of this recently robust market, others in the stun gun industry who face fewer problems and manufacturer possibly safer stun guns must launch aggressive campaigns in short order.
Recent stories in the Charlotte Observer and The Arizona Republic report on coroner and medical examiner findings that have tied electroshock from a large manufacturer’s stun guns to the deaths of at least two people.
The controversy surrounding one large company is becoming the unofficial face of the entire stun gun industry, and this is a shame. Stun gun technology, done right, can be safe. The rest of the industry needs to communicate, on a massive scale, their commitment to responsible stun gun technology.
According to the Arizona attorney general, as quoted in a Sept. 28 article in The Arizona Republic, TASER International, Inc. is making changes to its marketing practices.
Any effort to be safer with stun guns is welcome, but it may be a case of "too little, too late" for some. It’s no wonder human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and others have been so critical of the stun gun industry.
# posted by IDTheftSecurity.com @ 7:55 AM 
