Stun gun makes its debut as a musical Zappa

[Kiwi]

Richard Wray, Las Vegas
January 10, 2008

DEBORAH Kerr in The King and I recommended whistling a happy tune when afraid, but now fearful Americans can sing along to their favourite tracks while shooting anyone who causes them consternation with a 50,000-volt electric charge.

The annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is no stranger to bizarre gadgets, but the iTaser, as it has been dubbed, must rank as one of the oddest. It combines a Taser stun gun with an MP3 player and earphones.

As to which tracks anyone toting such a device might download onto the one-gigabyte player in the gun's holster, anything by Sparks or Frank Zappa must be fairly high on the list.

Arizona-based Taser International says the new device is particularly designed to sell to women — with red, pink and even leopard print designs intended to make carrying a stun gun fashionable. A spokesman in Las Vegas said the inclusion of a music player would encourage purchases by women wanting a form of self-defence while out jogging but would otherwise choose to take an iPod.

Half a million Tasers are already in use globally, despite warnings from Amnesty International that they have been linked to more than 70 deaths in the US. A further 18 people have died after being stunned by a Taser in Canada.

Taser International, however, maintains that the devices merely stun people.

GUARDIAN