Saturday, January 14, 2006
Opportunity for Rehabilitation of Less-Lethal Technology’s Reputation Exists Even as Problems Mount for the Industry
Reports in early December of last year said a rival less-lethal weapon maker was in talks to become the stun gun manufacturer of choice for Arizona’s Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. This is right in the industry's largest manufacturer's backyard. Reports about a possible stock delisting for Taser International Inc. cast the development in an interesting light.
The Arizona Republic and reported that Joe Arpaio, sheriff of Arizona’s Maricopa County, reportedly began to test stun guns from another manufacturer, Stinger Systems Inc., a company that touts safety as one of its product’s defining features. Writers at Web sites such as The Motley Fool weighed in on the situation.
Also according to wire service reports that ran on “ABC News,” CNN, the New York Post, and elsewhere, Taser International Inc. had received a letter from the NASDAQ Stock Market. Articles claimed that the stun gun manufacturer’s stock may have been subject to delisting because of the company’s delays in filing a quarterly report; and that the Scottsdale, Ariz.–based company planned to attend a hearing on the issue. Since, the company's stock listing has been relisted.
You have to wonder how often this sort of thing happens as a matter of course. Were the publicized plans to appeal merely savvy public relations in response to bad news, or was the company really in a bind? The question is critical, and the answer would reveal a lot about the the stun gun industry's circumstances.
A number of industry pundits have questioned whether other stun gun manufacturers have the clout on other stock markets to truly compete. If the NASDAQ delisting comes to pass, many people may end up going back to the drawing board.
Many of the same wire stories that reported the possible NASDAQ delisting also repeated an oft-cited Amnesty International statement that 129 deaths are related to stun guns. Human rights groups such as Amnesty, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference have all either issued statements or taken action in response to safety concerns over stun gun use.
On Nov. 28, The Miami Herald reported that a 35-year-old woman in Fort Myers, Fla., died shortly after showing no visible effects from the direct shot of a stun gun. The same day, CourtTV reported that a former Maricopa County deputy, Samuel Powers, has filed a liability case against Taser International. He alleges that a shock from the company’s weapon in July of 2002 ended his 15-year career there.
Circumstances in the stun gun industry right now are ripe for a major market shake-up. The market really needs a stirring—and a positive one. More competition will keep this market honest, and well-publicized honesty is the only thing that will regain the public’s and investors’ trust when it comes to less-lethal technology. That public trust has been severely damaged by many months’ worth of concerns over safety and profitability.
Reports in early December of last year said a rival less-lethal weapon maker was in talks to become the stun gun manufacturer of choice for Arizona’s Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. This is right in the industry's largest manufacturer's backyard. Reports about a possible stock delisting for Taser International Inc. cast the development in an interesting light.
The Arizona Republic and reported that Joe Arpaio, sheriff of Arizona’s Maricopa County, reportedly began to test stun guns from another manufacturer, Stinger Systems Inc., a company that touts safety as one of its product’s defining features. Writers at Web sites such as The Motley Fool weighed in on the situation.
Also according to wire service reports that ran on “ABC News,” CNN, the New York Post, and elsewhere, Taser International Inc. had received a letter from the NASDAQ Stock Market. Articles claimed that the stun gun manufacturer’s stock may have been subject to delisting because of the company’s delays in filing a quarterly report; and that the Scottsdale, Ariz.–based company planned to attend a hearing on the issue. Since, the company's stock listing has been relisted.
You have to wonder how often this sort of thing happens as a matter of course. Were the publicized plans to appeal merely savvy public relations in response to bad news, or was the company really in a bind? The question is critical, and the answer would reveal a lot about the the stun gun industry's circumstances.
A number of industry pundits have questioned whether other stun gun manufacturers have the clout on other stock markets to truly compete. If the NASDAQ delisting comes to pass, many people may end up going back to the drawing board.
Many of the same wire stories that reported the possible NASDAQ delisting also repeated an oft-cited Amnesty International statement that 129 deaths are related to stun guns. Human rights groups such as Amnesty, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference have all either issued statements or taken action in response to safety concerns over stun gun use.
On Nov. 28, The Miami Herald reported that a 35-year-old woman in Fort Myers, Fla., died shortly after showing no visible effects from the direct shot of a stun gun. The same day, CourtTV reported that a former Maricopa County deputy, Samuel Powers, has filed a liability case against Taser International. He alleges that a shock from the company’s weapon in July of 2002 ended his 15-year career there.
Circumstances in the stun gun industry right now are ripe for a major market shake-up. The market really needs a stirring—and a positive one. More competition will keep this market honest, and well-publicized honesty is the only thing that will regain the public’s and investors’ trust when it comes to less-lethal technology. That public trust has been severely damaged by many months’ worth of concerns over safety and profitability.
# posted by IDTheftSecurity.com @ 4:06 AM 
