2008-11-17

Ready Aim Tase

JAMES QUIGG, DAILY PRESS
Lisa Lawrence gives a test shot to her Taser.

A group of mostly women gather at a friend’s home and pass around products they consider purchasing.

But this is not a cheerful Tupperware party — it’s a serious Taser demonstration.

Lisa Lawrence, of Apple Valley, takes time to explain to everyone exactly how to hold, handle and use the Taser C2, a personal Taser for use by the general public.

Lawrence, a retired California Highway Patrol captain, started her business, ReadyAim.com, when she read about an Apple Valley woman who was kidnapped from a gas station at gunpoint and sexually assaulted.

“I thought to myself, ‘If she would have had a Taser, that may not have happened,’ ” Lawrence said.

A Taser C2 shoots out two small probes connected to thin wires, emitting a 50,000-volt electrical pulse into an attacker. The jolt causes the muscles to contract, incapacitating the aggressor.

Once in hand, the device also can be used as a contact stun-gun.

The personal Taser provides people with a form of protection that is not lethal and allows victims to get away from danger, Lawrence said.

Lawrence’s aunt, Robin Blackwell-Bradley, of Orange County, helped her start the business. Lawrence and Blackwell-Bradley set up demonstrations for companies as well as private citizens.

“I thought that they were a wise investment,” said Gary Stater, owner of Gary Stater Realty. He purchased four of the personal protection devices for his staff. The Taser C2 models run about $350.

It is not uncommon for Stater and his employees to encounter squatters when they enter foreclosed properties, he said.

It’s just a matter of time before someone living inside a vacant property becomes belligerent, so having the Taser will help keep Stater’s employees safe, said Penny Wanspen, office manager for the realty company.

Lawrence saw the effectiveness of the non-lethal device during the latter part of her 22-year career with the CHP.

“A lot of times the officers didn’t even need to use the Tasers,” she said. “Suspects complied just by seeing it.”

But having the device is not enough and Lawrence makes it a point to give new and potential customers all the information they need to be comfortable using the Taser.

The device demonstration made all the difference for Stater and his staff.

“I have to be honest, I had my Taser for a full week before the rest of the staff and I would not have been comfortable using it had it not been for Lisa’s training,” Stater said. “Now that I have fired it — and she taught us the proper stance and we shot at a target — we saw how effective it really was.”

For information, visit ReadyAim.com or call 887-2307.


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