I often hear people refer to stun guns as Tasers; in point of fact, they are different. Tasers are made by Axon, formerly TASER International, and shoot electric darts on a wire. Stun guns emit an electric charge and work by coming in contact with a perpetrator.
Tasers are most often used by police officers, as they are more expensive than the typical stun gun. The name TASER is an acronym for “Tom A. Swift’s Electronic Rifle”.
This morning, while listening to a local radio station in Richmond, Virginia, a news report said that a local woman was in trouble for using a Taser on her son to wake him up. This would be a very rude awakening, but the news reporter went on to say that the woman actually used only the sound to wake to son. This means she was actually using a stun gun without putting it in contact with the boy.
When I work various shows, I often, sometimes usually, hear people refer to stun guns as Tasers. When speaking with them, they often do know the difference. When I speak about them, I’m always careful to refer to them as stun guns, because if Taser heard me call stun guns Tasers, they could sue me for selling stun guns as Tasers. They are very protective of their product identity, as they should.
My local radio station, which is in the news business, does not know the difference between Tasers and stun guns.
But you do!