back to article Fem-rage shocker: Woman zaps ex-boyf with pink taser

The debate over the appropriateness of Taser flying-cattleprod stun weapons took a new turn this week. Those fearing that the crippling electric weapons might be used inappropriately will be alarmed, but it's possible that the jitter-jolt blasters may become more popular in some quarters. My own destiny - pink taser billboard …

COMMENTS

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  1. Disco-Legend-Zeke
    FAIL

    Deadly Weapon

    The first time somebody dies in a domestic situation will be the end of Tasint.

    It's quite one thing when a cop kills someone with pocket electrocution kit, he has his buddies to lie for him, and a whole legal system to back him up, but when some innocent citizen is killed, the lawyers will feed on it forever.

    Tasint ADVERTISES their product as non lethal, and all the "underlying conditions" in the world will not get them off the hook.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      Funny

      I think it is a problem with UK and US. Tasers have been legal and freely available since always in Poland. And still are. Surprisingly I've never heard about any issues.

      Maybe proper, working education and penal systems help? Especially the latter?

      1. Pablo

        Tasers? You sure?

        Are you sure the devices you're thinking of are projectile weapons? I would think it more likely they are contact shockers, somewhat confusingly called "stun guns", despite the fact that they don't shoot anything. These have been available "since always" in the US too. But to be fair, I've never been to Poland, so maybe you're completely right.

      2. ElReg!comments!Pierre

        Taser (TM) in Poland?

        Are you talking about the needle-shooting device as referred to here, or about the lesser widely-available "contact" prods?

        In any case, you're right, it's mostly a matter of education. And in the US as well as in numerous other countries, marketting and FAUXNews (or the local equivalents) play a big role in educatiion. A pink glittering gadget marketed as benign is going to be used in a wide and disproportionate manner. I mean, Taser marketing campaign unambiguously push their product as an equivalent to the good old "groin, meet knee" technique. Though rather unpleasant, a knee to the 'nads never caused any death to date (AFAIK), and it's been widely used for the past few millenia. The Taser(TM) gun has been around for, what, 10 years tops? And see with what results. Now that it's cute and fashionable, it's bound to get worst.

        Modified 12 gauge guns firing rubber bukshot are also legal -and rather less likely to cause death or permanent injury than a Taser-, yet they don't sell them in Barbie(TM) version.

  2. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

    Another danger

    You noticed the pink thingy in her handbag, you assumed it was her new sex toy, you decided to surprise her with it...

    1. A1exF

      R.E. Another danger

      A most cunning stunt.

  3. Admiral Grace Hopper
    Go

    Tasers don't tase people, people do

    And as a style point, can you stoke a cauldron? The fire it's sat over, maybe, but not the cauldron.

  4. Aaron Harris
    Badgers

    Why Men

    Why should it just be the men that are running scared, didn't the Sparky woman in charge of the Tas, try zapping the "other woman" but managed to miss and hit the gallant gent by mistake?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    hillarious

    good for her. should be more women out there zapping those two timing jerks. Shame she didn't use a knife but if she did, it wouldn't have made headlines.

    1. Trevor Pott o_O Gold badge

      um...

      ...yeah. You're stable. Seems to me this guy had a good reason to leave this girl and seek a better life elsewhere. How do I know? Rather than pursue any rational course of action (of which there are several, even in the US,) she went to his house and tried to tase his new girlfriend.

      If you honestly approve of that course of action, please do me a favour and don’t breed. Maybe if we weed out the unstable types who think revenge = justice the world would slowly start to improve.

  6. NogginTheNog

    Every cloud

    Just think if she hadn't bought a Taser she might just've gotten herself a nice little handgun and shot someone instead...

    1. Elmer Phud
      WTF?

      yeah but no but

      What if ex-bf knew this and was the one with the nice little handgun?

      The defence rests, m'lud.

    2. (AMPC) Anonymous and mostly paranoid coward
      Terminator

      I agree

      The world will be measurably safer if disgruntled lovers just point electric high voltae sex toys at each other, instead of handguns. kinky ?... yeah a bit.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Dead Vulture

    The inverse of "Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Company"

    ... since that the Company promised to pay £100 to customers for whom the carbolic smoke ball did not cure their influenza.

    I don't think the lawyers would settle for £100 following a Death by Pink Taser.

  8. Gleektastic
    Grenade

    this is...

    shocking stuff!

    1. sabba
      Thumb Up

      Definitely.

      Especially now she has been 'charged'

    2. brimful
      Alert

      I'm

      shocked

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Hopefully

        She'll be grounded.

  9. JeffShortland

    Oh America..

    should people be allowed to own and (in necessary cases) operate personal defensive equipment? sure.. should the grose american public? welllllll.....

    Not that I want to imply that women act irrationally with guns, knives, stun guns, mace, tasers... men do just as dumb things with them, only when the boys use them, its to reinact jackass. women - reinacting bad self defense class videos.

  10. Darren Lovell

    Premeditated assault?

    IANAL but I think that tasers can work against a woman if she's attacked. When she's confronted/attacked by her assailant and she manages to use the taser on them, I can easily see a greasy weasel of a lawyer turning her use of the taser into assault, especially if the assailant is injured from being tasered. An even more greasy weasel of a lawyer will probably try to call for charges of aggravated assault on the basis that the woman's carriage of a taser is premeditated use of a weapon.

    I reckon anybody using a taser would probably end up in more trouble than those attacking them.

    1. Cameron Colley

      A quick look at the NRA literature says perhaps not.

      It may just be that only the stories where the victim isn't charged get into the press, and certainly they will be the only ones on the NRA website, but it would appear that in the US you are actually allowed to defend yourself with force -- even deadly force -- should you need to.

      In the UK on the other hand, simply swearing at someone who wants to assault you could get you arrested and charged.

  11. Hombre sin nombre

    Why is this news?

    Had she gone after him with a perfectly legal and normal handgun, this would not make the news. What is the infatuation with the Taser?

    1. h 6

      Uh

      Uh, the IT angle, perhaps?

    2. ElReg!comments!Pierre

      This is news because

      "Had she gone after him with a perfectly legal and normal handgun"

      That's precisely the point. She most probably wouldn't have used a gun. Or a knife, for that matter. The problem with tasers is that they are marketed as benign, so people naturally tend to use it as an alternative to a slap in the face, not as an alternative to killing someone.

      That's what happened with police forces and rent-a-cops around the globe, and is becoming to reach the "civil society" too. You're mad at your neighbour (or at the skank who stole you boyfriend) but fear that they might retaliate if you punch them? Well, just get a Taser!

      That's why it's newsworthy: it's the beginning of a new trend, and a proof that the general population is not necessarily smarter than the average rent-a-cop (yeah, I was shocked, too).

    3. (AMPC) Anonymous and mostly paranoid coward
      Black Helicopters

      Read ze news

      I think the infatuation comes from all those shock-horror stories of police force's ineptitude in the use of "non-lethal" weapons. It's kind of reassuring to know that jilted lovers can also zap people. Perhaps zap people who are wearing pacemakers, mentally handicapped, intoxicated, epileptic or just incapable of handling the 10 KV joy ride. When we are accustomed to the idea of people settling their differences with miniature pink cattle prods, then gun control might even catch on. Lets face it, most handgun homicides don't even make the front page anymore.

      You will only pry my taser from my burnt, still-quivering fingers!

  12. Russell Howe
    WTF?

    srsly

    That neck looks like a prime candidate for photoshopdisasters

  13. Marcus Aurelius
    Paris Hilton

    I for one

    Will start wearing my electrically grounded underwear from now on.

    Paris, because nothing shocks her...

  14. Luther Blissett

    I will control my own pink rabbit

    Isn't that marketing slogan of Taser a tad metaphysical for the average US customer?

  15. Ru
    Paris Hilton

    Surely the thing you should really be worried about

    is the terrifying horde of lightening-gun wielding giraffe-women as pictured in the advert. She can't possibly be all human.

  16. John Tserkezis

    Where have I heard this before?

    "There's an owner background and identity check before the weapon can be activated"

  17. Robin

    Hello?

    "Walker's former squeeze"

    Is this Hello magazine or something?

    1. david wilson

      Helllloooo

      >>"Is this Hello magazine or something?"

      Quite.

      I only come here to read the rantings of people who got kicked off the Daily Mail forums for excessive paranoia.

      28 comments, and it doesn't look like anyone's even *tried* to blame New Labour for this yet.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Dead Vulture

    "attempted to electrocute"

    So the taser is now a lethal weapon? Or did you mean to write, "attempted to administer an electric shock".

    Stop mis-using the word electrocute (to KILL with electricity). What's next, "I executed my friend with a light slap on the back" ?

    1. ElReg!comments!Pierre

      Hop, a very good example

      I couldn't hope for a better demonstration. People see the Taser as the equivalent of "a light slap on the back". That's a bit worrying. Hopefully I can retaliate with a light kiss on the forehead. With my 12 gauge and rubber buckshot.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Headmaster

        Mis-read

        Actually, I wasn't attempting a direct comparison of the Taser to a slap, but the words electrocute and execute.

        The Taser can be lethal and is a very dangerous weapon, but nowhere is it indicated that the intent was to kill. Indeed if the intention had been to kill it seems unlikely they would have used a notionally non-lethal weapon. So the use of the word 'electrocute' is incorrect.

        Those who have down-voted my post don't appear to appreciate the language lesson ...

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

  19. pctechxp
    Happy

    Re: Why is this news

    Because it has an IT angle as it refers to an electronic device.

    I'm all for tasers to be used against burglars etc. but this really isn't an appropriate use now is it and the marketing is somewhat inappropriate.

    If you are buying a self defense device why would the colour matter? have to agree with the author these should not be sold as a fashion accessory.

    Should be available in Gunmetal Grey only.

  20. Eduard Coli
    Grenade

    Tase et tu Hombre

    With some digging you may find that only the civvy versions of the Taser require a background check or have the microdot ID system. The long arm of the law and private armies do not have them. One would think it would be a useful piece of evidence to have Taser IDs in all of them but there you go. Some of the civvy models also only do one zap cycle where as police and private armies can keep on zapping till the battery is zapped.

    Taser is only non-lethal if used in a specific manner, they are plenty lethal in situations where the victim is zapped by multiple Tasers and/or repeatedly zapped. For your proof please observe the sorry situation in the case of the late Mr. Dziekanski and foibles of arguing with Canadians.

    Hombre, the issue is important because Tasers are being pushed to the public as non-lethal when they can in fact be deadly. You can get a Taser with less fingerprinting, permitting, tongue printing, etc.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      non-lethal..

      Tasers are just as non-lethal as a stick, or a fist, or a handbag with a brick in it. Honestly, if you're going to start bleating about Tasers you may as well start demanding background checks before allowing Joe Q Public out of the front door of their home. Or perhaps we could all be fitted at birth with some sort of government-approved manacles that can be ceremoniously removed on our 21st birthday (provided we have satisfactory signed reports from persons of authority)?

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Tasering Male Staff - Ouch!

    'nuff said

  22. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Taser International background checks...

    ...are reportedly a joke. There have been reports of convicted "molesters" (?) being released from prison and immediately ordering up a Taser-brand taser. And I've seen other related news that the company they employ to do these background checks simply goes through the motions. But I only know what I read in the media.

  23. heyrick Silver badge
    Flame

    They can take it...

    "Salesmen have even gone so far as to say things like "TASER products are giving women the power they need to take control"."

    If they really think they need tasers to take control, then they're welcome to take it. Come, get it, walk away with it, make it your own.

    [I picture an island full of angry, bitter, defective women - and not one single man to blame - ought to be interesting... series <whatever> of Big Brother??]

  24. Craig 28
    Dead Vulture

    Alternatively...

    What happens when an assaulter uses a taser in contact stun mode to surprise someone? Or some clever sod disables the confetti spray?

    There is no such thing as "non lethal" there is only "Not designed to be fatal". Hell you could probably kill someone with a paintball gun if you did it right (or wrong depending on whether it was intentional). Frankly Taser Int should be sued for false advertising.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Coffee/keyboard

    Shit...

    "leaving him twitching in the dirt with his skeleton flashing on and off through his skin."

    You made me blurt coffee all over my laptop =O/

  26. Daniel Wilkie

    Well...

    To be fair, and it appears nitpicky, but I think it's classed as "Less Lethal" rather than "Non-Lethal" - in the same way as a Baton round is Less-Lethal. IE, it should just knock you on your arse in a great degree of pain, but if it hits you in the head it will kill you.

    Same way as they don't market "Stab Proof Vests or Bullet Proof Vests" anymore, they're stab resistiant vests or body armour ;)

  27. Bert 1
    FAIL

    Tabloid opportunity missed...

    Can I be the first to mention that she should be described as a "stunner".

  28. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    The moderatorix's taser...

    would be in pink leather. with studs, sharp studs, and a long 'wrist strap' with pointy bits to be used as a whip when the battery runs down.

    I think I need a lie down now.

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