Tase me, bro!
That became this reporter’s rallying cry after The Daily assigned me the unenviable task of becoming the first civilian to get zapped by the new “Taser Grenade.”
First off, the grenade’s 50,000-volt charge, as you might imagine, is extremely unpleasant. Every voluntary muscle in the body yanks tight, as a sizzling crackle of electrons fills the air, making it impossible to move. Its white-hot barbs even leave burn marks on the skin as a surge of electricity scorches your flesh.
Needless to say, I screamed like a little girl. (Swipe to the previous video page for my full humiliation).
Fresh out of Taser’s R&D lab in Scottsdale, Ariz., the Taser Grenade, or 40mm HEMI (short for “human electro-muscular incapacitation”) projectile, works much like a grenade. But instead of blasting deadly shrapnel, it releases tiny metal barbs that latch onto skin or clothing, creating a “circuit” for the massive jolt of paralyzing electricity.
Since they can be shot out of the same grenade launchers soldiers attach to their M-16s, and cops use to fire tear gas canisters, these powerful projectiles allow authorities to “tase” someone from afar.
The Taser Grenade was designed to zap bad guys from up to 150 feet away. “It’s assured incapacitation at great distances,” said Kevin Williams, director of government and military programs at Taser.
Unsurprisingly, police departments are eager to add the Taser’s electrifying new invention to their nonlethal arsenals.
“In a volatile situation we want to be behind cover at a safe distance,” said Sgt. Doug Scholtz, who heads a SWAT team in Chandler, Ariz. “It will be very beneficial to law enforcement.”
Beneficial to law enforcement and painful to perps. Trust me, I learned the hard way.
That became this reporter’s rallying cry after The Daily assigned me the unenviable task of becoming the first civilian to get zapped by the new “Taser Grenade.”
First off, the grenade’s 50,000-volt charge, as you might imagine, is extremely unpleasant. Every voluntary muscle in the body yanks tight, as a sizzling crackle of electrons fills the air, making it impossible to move. Its white-hot barbs even leave burn marks on the skin as a surge of electricity scorches your flesh.
Needless to say, I screamed like a little girl. (Swipe to the previous video page for my full humiliation).
Fresh out of Taser’s R&D lab in Scottsdale, Ariz., the Taser Grenade, or 40mm HEMI (short for “human electro-muscular incapacitation”) projectile, works much like a grenade. But instead of blasting deadly shrapnel, it releases tiny metal barbs that latch onto skin or clothing, creating a “circuit” for the massive jolt of paralyzing electricity.
Since they can be shot out of the same grenade launchers soldiers attach to their M-16s, and cops use to fire tear gas canisters, these powerful projectiles allow authorities to “tase” someone from afar.
The Taser Grenade was designed to zap bad guys from up to 150 feet away. “It’s assured incapacitation at great distances,” said Kevin Williams, director of government and military programs at Taser.
Unsurprisingly, police departments are eager to add the Taser’s electrifying new invention to their nonlethal arsenals.
“In a volatile situation we want to be behind cover at a safe distance,” said Sgt. Doug Scholtz, who heads a SWAT team in Chandler, Ariz. “It will be very beneficial to law enforcement.”
Beneficial to law enforcement and painful to perps. Trust me, I learned the hard way.
