Bus protection? Taser?

[John316]

Howdy folks.

Here is my question of the moment. I know that we have covered this before, but I have further questions.

I am considering carrying a taser when we travel. If there ever is an "issue" I really don't want to seriously hurt somebody. I can use mace, but the problem with that is, mace is inside of the bus....rough. Anyways, there are states that the taser isn't legal in.

Some of you guys know if a taser is "unloaded" (no cartridge) and everything is separated (like the stuff in a tub in the bay). Would that be legit to go through states that prohibit them?

Some of you law enforcement gents want to chime in?

Thanks.

God bless,

John

[thomasinnv]

i have friends that travel in and out of canada.  as most know, you cannot take guns into canada and they don't allow mace either.  they have cans of wasp/hornet spray on board for protection.  just as effective as mace without all the questions from border patrol, and it will shoot a solid stream usually 15' to 30'.  i don't own any guns and i have a can of spray within reach of the drivers seat and front door.

[luvrbus]

John, check out defense products 101 when we bought ours I think there was just 7 states where they were illegal to carry open most of the 7 would allow home use so I took that as ok for bus use buses are your 2nd home

[steve wardwell]

 still like my wasp spray because it's very effective against the most common occurring pest we probably all encounter almost daily well, bears of course!

[Ed Hackenbruch]

I think that most states consider your bus as a domicile when it is parked and plugged in to power and water.  When it is moving it is considered a vehicle......different laws then apply. Boondocking might be a gray area since you are not moving but also are not plugged in.

[cody]

You guys got to change the subject, libby thinks tasers are marital aids lol.  Geeze I get whacked alongside the head over the simplest things, (she walked by) lol  Libby says I got to clear up this lol, when they used the paddles on me in the ER she told everyone that I had gotten tasered lol.

[wal1809]

My opinions on tasers are low.  Here is why.  There are two kinds of applications, drive stun and then firing the darts.  Just a month ago I completed the training to use a taser.  It is difficult to say the least to get a good shot with the darts.  It is not a matter of hitting the target.  The darts come out at an 8 degree offset from each other with the spread getting wider and wider as the traveled distance increases.  What is best is a dart in the torso and the legs.  Torso being one hemisphere and the legs another.  If that hit is achieved the target will get a full dose of what I call lightning.  I've had it done to me and believe me there is no way possible for a human to fight through that.  If the darts are close then yes but when the upper and lower hemispheres are connected with the darts, no freaking way.

Here is why a taser has no use to me as a family defense weapon.  Way too difficult to get the right hit on target without constant and massive amounts of training.  The biggest reason I don't like them as home defense.  We have all seen on TV when somebody gets tased.  They pass out and fall to the ground.  Does not happen like that.  You lock up and fall to the ground and the tasing lasts for 5 seconds.  When it is done there is absolutely no effects after the 5 seconds.  The 5 seconds of the taser is there so a back up officer can get the suspect handcuffed while he is under the 5 second taser effects.  It is a 2 man control tool. 

So if your in your bus/ house and you tase somebody first you have to hit the upper and lower hemisphere with the darts, if you drive stun him you have to hold onto him or he will fall away from the taser and it is no longer useful.  Once you have tased him he is riding lightning for 5 seconds.  When that is over you have to get him for another 5 seconds or he is in no way stopped.

As I was riding the taser I knew where the darts were located on my body as they hit me at 800 FPS.  So if I knew the end of the 5 seconds was near I could have grabbed the wire as soon as it was over and broke the wire as they are very very fragile.  Now If an assailant gets free your in some serious doo doo.

My opinion is this, If you choose to defend yourself do it all the way.  There is no nice clean way to defend yourself.  That is why I am no fan of a taser as a home defense mechanism.

[trucktramp]

Get yourself a flare gun.  It uses a 12ga shell, will most likely set the perp ablaze, and (the added bonus) it will light up the night sky and notify others of your distress.  I don't know  if I would  discharge it inside a bus though unless I was considering an insurance claim.   My first choice would be a hand gun or short barreled shot gun that is locked up but easy to access.

[Depewtee]

In my opinion the TASER brand electronic control devices are very good tools for personal protection IF the user is properly trained.  While it is true the law enforcement versions use a five second "burst," the civilian versions have a default burst of ten seconds with a thirty second burst available by activating the trigger two more times.  Both the law enforcement and civilian versions will deliver a continuous burst as long as the operator has the trigger activated.  The theory behind the two different versions is the intended outcome of the use of the TASER.  For law enforcement, the idea is that the TASER will provide "a window of opportunity" to take a suspect into custody.  Although it would seem longer would be better, many organizations are concerned about "cruel and unusual punishment."  I do not readily buy into that argument.  I was a certified TASER instructor for five years and a certified Master Instructor for another four years.  I have been exposed to the effects of the TASER more times than I can count.  Additionally, I have exposed over two hundred persons to the effects of the TASER in training and a handful more in a real environment.  My description of exposure to the TASER is it is more uncomfortable than painful.  For civilian use, the premise is you deploy the TASER on the aggressor, set it on the ground, and place as much distance between you and the aggressor as you can.  Over the years, TASER has experimented with the burst cycle and it has been as long as one minute.  In either application, it is imperative you are well trained, understand how the device operates, and have a Plan B. In fact, best case scenario is you stay aware of your surroundings and avoid situations where a TASER would be needed (I understand that at times these situations are unavoidable).

The TASER International website has a wealth of useful information - http://www.taser.com.  To answer the original question, there are a handful of states that prohibit TASERs.  From the TASER International website they are

It is legal in the United States except in Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Additional cities, counties, and countries might have other restrictions on the use or possession of the TASER C2 device so check all applicable laws and regulations carefully. Federal law prohibits carrying or shipping TASER devices out of the U.S.

I have attached three documents that explain in more detail restrictions on carrying TASERs (file sizes were too large, so here are the links to the documents state statute chart, memorandum of law, and state statute summary). 

Brian S.

P.S. - The C2 is the newest civilian model, but I still prefer the X26C.

[cody]

I retired in 2000, tasers were still relatively new and the state was concidering them but at that point had adopted a wait and see position so I didn't get the thrill of the fun.

[Len Silva]

My position would be to turn the whole bus into a taser.  Flip a switch and light up the skin with 20,000 volts or so.  It's not going to hurt you inside the bus, but you can bet nobody is coming in.

[wal1809]

I would have to agree with depewtee.  If your going to use one you have to get good training.  It is not a point shoot trouble goes away type of tool.  If you know what your doing and can use it with a reaction plan then great.  If your plan is point and shoot only them your going to lose the battle in the end.

Depewtee where did you retire from?  I am right on your hiney so far as retirement.  Few more years and yehaw !!!!

[Depewtee]

Wal1809,

I am still active at several levels, although now it is mostly contained to training.

Brian S.

P.S. - PM me and I can send details - nothing "secret squirrel," just some things better off not on the 'net.

[Paladin]

My position would be to turn the whole bus into a taser.  Flip a switch and light up the skin with 20,000 volts or so.  It's not going to hurt you inside the bus, but you can bet nobody is coming in.

Len are you serious on this? I can't tell. It seems this was discussed before on here or another car forum I'm on. Either way, in the 90's it was presented for cars and the liability issues were huge.
I'd love to do it on my cars though, especially on the hood of my GTX! Back in high school in the 70's I used to build all sorts of electrical devices which did such things but I got in trouble when I knocked the electronics teacher across the room with a small hand held, 9v battery powered box. Essentially a beefed up DC-DC converter. It almost got me kicked out of school.

This all sort of reminds me of Home Alone where he sticks the charcoal heater on the door knob.

[wal1809]

I can't say I blame you depewtee.  I would not have asked had I not assumed you were retired.  I try to keep that part of my life off the net too.

One thing I can't understand though!!  How the he!! Did you ride a taser more than once?  Not me ever again.  It ain't that it hurts but it feels like a tornado a hurricane and a volcano are all trying to rush through your body at the same time.  Never again.