Cell Phone Stun Guns Give You The Element of Surprise

If you are attacked, the element of surprise can give you the advantage over the confrontation. That's why a cell phone stun gun can help you with that advantage.

Cell phone stun guns are designed to look like ordinary cell phones. Most look like Blackberry's or hand held daily organizers.

Because they look like harmless cell phones, it will be easy to surprise an attacker. Remember, the purpose of this stun gun or any other non-lethal self defense products, is to give you time to escape. Don't stand around to see if the attacker is going to get back up. Use it, then run for safety.

Cincinnati Woman Uses Her TASER Against Attacker

BY JENNIFER BAKER • JBAKER@ENQUIRER.COM • JANUARY 14, 2010

A woman grabbed by a man Wednesday night at the main library in downtown Cincinnati used a Taser stun gun on him before he was arrested, police said.

Aaron Crutcher, 20, was booked into the Hamilton County jail just before 8:30 p.m. on two counts of assault and one count each of disorderly conduct and menacing.

According to Cincinnati police, he grabbed a woman at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, 800 Vine St.

She happened to be armed with a Taser stun gun, which she fired at him, records show. He began punching her in the chest.

Library security personnel and Cincinnati police intervened and took him into custody. He screamed and threatened the woman and library staff, court records show.

Taser International, which supplies 15,000 law enforcement agencies with equipment, markets a new model of its stun gun designed for use by private citizens.

It’s small enough at 6 inches long and weighing about 7 ounces to be stashed in a purse or backpack, according to the Arizona-based company’s Web site. The Taser C2 ranges in cost from $299 to $349. It’s less powerful than the police version.

Some states, including Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and New York, ban private citizens from owning Taser stun guns, according to Taser International.

Taser International has sold more than 205,000 stun guns for private citizens since 1994, said Steve Tuttle, spokesman for Taser International.

If the woman doesn’t receive her Taser back from police, the company will replace it for free, he said.

“As long as it’s used in self-defense properly, it’s covered with a lifetime warranty,” he said.

Pepper Spray Shapes and Sizes

Pepper spray is becoming a common self-defense tool that is carried by women, leading to new innovations in style, packaging and effectiveness of pepper spray. Some people prefer to carry a very small pepper spray canister so as not to call attention to it. Others choose a large dispenser so that it can be plainly seen in order to ward off any potential problems. Within these categories there are a number of types to choose from.

In the small pepper spray category, there are many ingenious designs on the market. One of the latest designs is a pepper spray canister that looks exactly like a lipstick tube form the outside. This allows a woman to retrieve something from her purse easily, not letting her potential assailant know that she is reaching for a self-defense weapon. Other small pepper sprays are shaped to look like fountain pens. These can be carried in the pocket and even taken to work without anyone realizing that they are there for self-defense.

Other small canisters are shaped to fit into the hand or to slip easily into a pocket. These may be no more than four inches in length, carrying enough spray for a few seconds of use.

Some pepper spray units are made to fit into specific places. These include key ring pepper sprays that come with a ring clip. There are also pepper sprays that have a visor clip attached to keep them close at hand in the car. These sprays can give a driver peace of mind when they are out running errands or when they have a long commute.

Many smaller pepper sprays come with cases that come in a variety of colors and designs. Some women prefer to have a black case that will look more intimidating. Others want to have a case that is their favorite color or a color that will match their purse or their other key rings. All of these options are available in pepper spray covers. The colors and designs come in leather, faux leather and vinyl coverings.

The larger pepper spray varieties also come in a number of shapes, sizes and colors. Many of the largest pepper sprays are in an intimidating black and may have a larger black case around them. These are often made and carried in order to ward off any trouble by showing the weapon to the potential attacker.

Some of the larger pepper sprays have a bright red top or are entirely bright red as a warning color. This can be an effective way of telling an attacker that what the potential victim has in her hand is dangerous.

Larger pepper sprays may have a belt loop hook to allow them to be hung from the belt loops in order to keep the spray close at hand. This is often an option chosen by joggers who want to carry protection with them but who also need to keep their hands free. This is also an option for students who have books to carry but don‘t want to be caught unprotected in a parking lot.