Word: tasers
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...shocks that cause muscles to contract, leaving the victim writhing and twitching on the ground. In the U.S., for example, Nova Products Inc., in Cookeville, Tenn., sells a Police Special to law agencies that delivers 75,000 volts from two metal tips at the end of the prod. Air Taser Inc., in Scottsdale, Ariz., manufactures an air gun that can zap an assailant 15 ft. away with two fishhook-like darts connected by thin wires to the power unit. Stun Tech Inc., in Cleveland, Ohio, produces an electrobelt that wraps around a prisoner's waist. If the prisoner becomes unruly...
...Saudi Arabia despite that country's long history of brutalizing prisoners. American firms must obtain a Commerce Department license to export shock weapons to most countries, and officials say the applications are closely screened to block the items from falling into the hands of human-rights abusers. Yet Air Taser has been negotiating to supply thousands of electric-shock riot shields for crowd control to police in Turkey, where torture is "widespread," according to State Department human-rights reports. South Africa's new CMax prison for hardened criminals is considering buying Stun Tech's shock belt over the protests...
...There are ways to get around" the controls, admits Commerce Under Secretary William Reinsch. A license isn't required for exports to NATO countries in Europe, where U.S. stun guns can be reshipped elsewhere. Air Taser has arranged for manufacturing facilities in Russia, Mexico and Taiwan to produce its weapons. Their export from those countries doesn't require U.S. approval...
...with a handgun, which can cause more severe injuries. Indeed, law agencies in the U.S. have used stun guns thousands of times, and there have been relatively few documented cases of serious injuries. "These devices don't kill people," insists Nova's president, John McDermit. Rick Smith, Air Taser's president, has launched a publicity campaign to rebut Amnesty's charges. In restricting stun guns "that could save lives, we're actually degrading human rights," he argues...
SHOCK THERAPY With all the politicians getting tough on crime, it was only a matter of time before car-theft victims got into the act. Now Air Taser's Auto Taser, a $250 steering-wheel lock, lets vengeful car owners dole out their own brand of punishment against would-be thieves. If break-in artists ignore the Auto Taser's wailing alarm, they're greeted with a 50,000-volt "nonlethal" electric shock. Talk about a sting operation...