Tasers from Martial Arts suppliers

[Ian Osborne]

In today's commentry, Randi says:

These stun devices are available by mail, on the Internet, from dealers in martial arts equipment for as little as US$20, and they use a simple 9-volt battery! Just why teachers of martial arts would be selling such items, makes one wonder, doesn't it?

Why? Surely self-defense devices are quite at home in martial arts stores, as are personal attack alarms and other such items bought by people interested in personal security? Even if a taser has been misused by Yellow Bamboo, it doesn't hold that they're sold with cheating martial artists specifically in mind. Perhaps Mr Randi is being a little too sceptical here?

[NoZed Avenger]

Originally posted by Ian Osborne
In today's commentry, Randi says:



Why? Surely self-defense devices are quite at home in martial arts stores, as are personal attack alarms and other such items bought by people interested in personal security? Even if a taser has been misused by Yellow Bamboo, it doesn't hold that they're sold with cheating martial artists specifically in mind. Perhaps Mr Randi is being a little too sceptical here?

I took it as a small joke regarding the effectiveness of the martial arts instruction on defending yourself -- i.e., the students still need tasers.

N/A

[Aoidoi]

Originally posted by NoZed Avenger
I took it as a small joke regarding the effectiveness of the martial arts instruction on defending yourself -- i.e., the students still need tasers.
That's how I took it as well, but I also had Ian's response. Just because you're a martial artist doesn't necessarily mean you are required to beat someone down in self defense. A taser or louiseville slugger tend to improve one's chances in a fight.

[Ian Osborne]

Originally posted by Aoidoi
A taser or louiseville slugger tend to improve one's chances in a fight.

True enough. Most martial arts weapons are adaptations of everyday objects from medieval times, eg. the nunchuku is a rice flail. It could be argued that the taser is just a modern continuation of this tradition, but for my money, even this is over-complicating the issue. Surely it's easier to believe the tasers sell to people who have an interest in protecting themselves (because they've just been mugged or beaten up, perhaps) and are looking for 'something', without really knowing what? The logical place for them to look is a martial arts store, so who can blame the storekeeper for stocking them? Not everyone who walks through the door is a martial arts expert, or even a martial artist, and not everyone's dedicated enough to invest the time and effort in the training required.

[Rolfe]

Just a thought - it might be legitimate to sell a taser to a martial artist who wanted to train against someone armed with such a weapon?

Rolfe.

[MemeHacker]

The martial arts suppliers I found that were selling Stun Guns (and they were not common*) typically sold things like crossbows, swords, handcuffs, and lockpicks also. Even as a joke Randi's comments make no sense.

He also used the term " dealers in martial arts equipment," interchangebly with " teachers of martial arts," which just makes me wonder how sharp he really is.

*When I google searched "martial art supply" only one of the first 10 hits carried stun guns (in a police equipment subsection that included lockpicks and handcuffs). Inversely, searching "stun gun" none of the hits were "martial art" suppliers though one of them carried some additional martial arts weapons (along with crossbows, animal repellent, hidden cameras, tear gas, etc . . ).

[thaiboxerken]

He probably wrote it without really thinking twice about it. Not a big deal. The real point is that the YB gang can, and probably do, have a stun gun.

[UnrepentantSinner]

I'm sorry to be a pedant, but a stun gun is not the same thing as a Taser.

Tasers (http://www.taser.com/) fire two darts that penetrate the skin and shock the individual they contact.

Stun Guns (http://home.howstuffworks.com/stun-gun.htm)(WARNING Pop Ups) create an arc of electricity which contacts the individual and creates a circuit through their body shocking them.

[JSFolk]

Looking at the Taser literature, I see no indication that the "darts" (they call them "probes") are designed to break the skin.

Between the Taser and the Stun Gun, I would tend to think it was a Taser used in the YB demo, as there was nobody physically contacting the "attacker" while he was on the ground, and he was still convulsing.

[richardm]

Originally posted by MemeHacker
*When I google searched "martial art supply" only one of the first 10 hits carried stun guns

I googled "Martial art supply" and got some very unusual weapons indeed.

Then I realised I'd typed "marital art supply" by mistake :D

[Hannibal]

Sad and predictable Richard.....funny though!:D

[BillyJoe]

richard,

Originally posted by richardm
I googled "Martial art supply" and got some very unusual weapons indeed.

Then I realised I'd typed "marital art supply" by mistake :D You are a LIAR.....

Reply to googling "marital art supply"

Did you mean: "martial art supply"

No standard web pages containing all your search terms were found.

Your search - "marital art supply" - did not match any documents. And you wasted my time.......

BillyJoe :cool: