Whether it’s for self-defense or a good laugh, a stun gun is a good item to have around.
Dustin Campbell, from St. George, bought a Taser while traveling through Las Vegas. After startling a handful of people lounging in the living room, he turned to me, clicking the Taser slightly on and off, and said, “Hey Robby, I have a new idea for your column.”
I asked a woman to use Campbell’s Taser on me. I figured I could get the perspective from how an attacker, who would generally have the upper hand in strenth, would feel going against someone with a Taser.
I wanted to know how comfortable Heather Dake, Dixie Sun News A&E editor, felt in handling a Taser on someone. After a few good shocks, I would also know whether or not I still felt confident entering Dake’s bubble while she was holding something which could easily knock me off my feet.
As far as safety precautions go, I set a mat on the ground, so I wouldn’t hurt myself if I fell. Also, I made sure to use the restroom beforehand because I learned in some minor research that often times, people getting tased will soil themselves.
Facing Dake, I waited as she learned how the Taser worked, clicking the shock button and switching the flashlight feature on and off. When Dake said she was ready, I approached her and she started backing up, laughing hysterically.
I grabbed her arm to encourage her to get it over with. She seemed more afraid of Tasing me than I was. I moved in close, trying to provoke her more, but instead of using the Taser, she tried kicking me and held the Taser up to whack me with the back end.
I backed off and stood still so she would come after me. After a little convincing, she finally got the courage and went for it.
She jabbed me in the ribs on my right side, and I felt the surge throughout my whole body. It felt like an egg beater drilling into my side. The volts tightened up my muscles just for a second and I jumped up and fell on my back onto the mat.
The photographer was displeased with the quality of the light in the photo, so we had to do it again. This time I was afraid of the Taser, but I wanted to get it done and over with.
I approached Dake again, this time screaming inside and whelping a little out loud. She didn’t want to do it again, so both of us were tip-toeing about doing the deed. I reached out again, to encourage her to shock me and she jumped back and told me to hold still.
She teased me a few times, stabbing at me without turning the button on. I would jump back every time. Finally, she jabbed me again, but only slightly. I got a little jolt, but nothing exciting. I turned to talk to my friend, figuring Dake wouldn’t do it immediately after the last one, but she did, cutting my words short and knocking me over.
At this point, my muscles felt exhausted, like I had been working out at the gym. The pictures still weren’t coming out great.
We agreed to do a last shock for good measure. I was used to it by now as I just waited for Dake to make things happen. After a little more bantering about the act, she jabbed me in the all too familiar area of my right side, sending me once again to the ground.
My bathroom time before didn’t get the job done entirely, so I had to change my pants.
The overall pain involved was only in the jolt. Other than that, the soreness lasted a couple days, and the prong marks stayed on my ribs and belly for two weeks. I don’t think I would feel too comfortable shocking someone else, but I wouldn’t mind getting shocked at the same level again.
Keep your ideas coming on www.facebook.com/requestrobby and you may see a few short stories pop up over the summer.
