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Police and human rights groups are wary of pocket-size taser.

Article Excerpt
As debate continues about when and how police officers should use Tasers, the stun gun manufacturer has begun selling a new consumer version to the public.

The law enforcement version of the Taser is intended to serve as a less-lethal alternative to guns. But critics say Tasers can cause serious injury and death and are used too freely.

Police officers shocked in training have suffered compression fractures and other injuries, and suspects in police custody have been injured or have died after being shocked, giving rise to lawsuits against Scottsdale, Arizona-based Taser International, Inc., and law enforcement agencies. (Allison Torres Burtka, Electric Shock from Tasers Can Injure and Kill, TRIAL 16 (May 2005), www.justice.org/publications/ trial/0505/newsl.aspx.)

The company announced its first shipment of the consumer version, the C2, in July, for sale at sporting goods stores and Amazon.com at a base price of $299.99. The C2 differs from the law enforcement version in that it has a shorter range (15 feet, rather than 35 feet) but delivers a longer shock (30 seconds, compared with the law enforcement version's 5-second shock). Both pack a 50,000-volt charge.

The company touts the C2's "light, sleek, hand-held design that can fit in a pocket or purse." It comes...