That'll Teach Ya!

[Ranger Ron]

Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 22nd anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife Toni. What I came across was a100000-volt, pocket/purse-sized taser The effects of the taser were suppose to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety....

WAY TOO COOL!

Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded two triple-a batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing!
I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button AND pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the blue arch of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs. Awesome!!!

Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Toni what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave.

Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two triple-a batteries,... right?
There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target. I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat.

But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised.
Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, taser in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst

would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water.

Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.
All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference; pretty cute really and loaded with two itsy, bitsy triple-a batteries) thinking to myself, "no possible way!"

What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best..... I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as to say, "don't do it master," reasoning that a one-second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad....

I decided to give myself a one-second burst just for the heck of it.

I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and

HOLY MOTHER WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION!!!!!!

I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner and then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs.

The cat was standing over me making meowing sounds I had never heard before, licking my face, undoubtedly thinking to herself, "do it again, do it again!"

Note: If you ever feel compelled to "mug" yourself with a taser, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one-second burst when you zap yourself. You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged

from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor. A three second burst would be considered conservative.

SON-OF-A-GUN.... that hurt like heck!!! A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent

reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. How did they up get there??? My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I am still looking for my testicles?

I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return.

[nadnklipsch]

Ranger Ron that just made my day.

[VAK]

Ron,

You brought back so very many memories...

When I was still working the road, some of our guy's were issued the tasers (shoot tasers) while others weren't. Those who were and who went to the certification class had the utmost respect for them, those who didn't, had little respect for them. Now this was before all of the video's made them famous. So, cut to shift change, midnight shift, briefing room, debate between a few officers on whether on not it would take a tweaker out or not...

I was in my office speaking with the zone sergeants and handing out assignments for the evening and we could hear the debate becoming a bit heated down the hall. In fairness to some of the senior officers, no I am sure they were egging it on too. So, the sergeants and I head down the hall in time to see one of our officers get popped in the upper thigh (it was later explained that they didn't want to get his vest). So, he gets hit and falls, hitting his head on a table and much to my suprise, hitting it over and over again as he convulsed for a few moments. Now, as he's laying there and one of the officers ask "So, you can keep zapping him?" and zaapppowww this officer begins convulsing again.

The sergeants and I were somewhere between stunned at the stupidity for volunteering to get zapped, shocked at how much he was twitching and the debate of whether we just go ahead and turn around and go back to the Watch Commanders Office so we could avoid the fight that was surely to follow. I chose the latter and let the sergeants clean up the mess. But I've been a believer in those zappy machines ever since. I can as I am sitting here picture you as you zapped yourself, coming up off your recliner, twisting in the convulsive state and falling ever so gently to the floor in a maniacally contorted position and as much as I don't want to, I am laughing so hard I can barely breath....

Phenomenal post.