Truckers and Tasers

The Tupperware-style parties, the combo stun-gun-MP3-players, the pink models for her, and the poker-and-Playboy themed charity events were just the start. Taser International's newest marketing technique: selling their stun guns in truck stops.

"Anybody's that's traveling does have concerns about personal safety. For the trucker away from his family, he might want one or think that his wife could use that while he's gone, or his daughter at college could use one," Taser exec Steve Tuttle tells the Toledo Blade. "It fits with our vision of getting our products into more mainstream stores."

The deal with Westlake, Ohio-based TravelCenters is "the first in which the defense technology company will sell its products in a retail setting other than sporting-goods stores or licensed firearms dealers," according to the Blade. "TravelCenters will sell the devices at its TA and Petro truck stops."

The C2 Taser model, designed for personal use, sells for about $300 without frills, or $350 for one with a laser sight that pinpoints where the barbs will go.

"They're nonlethal and they're really catching on," said Theresa Cleland, owner of Cleland's Outdoor World on Airport Highway.

Customers who buy Tasers at TravelCenters shouldn't expect to be able to use them immediately. Taser requires that buyers pass a $10 background check before giving them a code to activate the weapon.

(Keep on truckin': Taser Times)

by Noah Shachtman for Wired.com

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