Is it just my imagination or are tasers considered the sexiest of all self defense products? And by that I mean when police officers use pepper spray it's no big deal. If he uses a stun gun he may get a little notoriety. But when a police officer uses a taser it makes newspapers, it makes radio and makes television news. All because they are sexy.

There still a lot of mystique around tasers. They make good news stories

Just the other day here in Colorado Springs police were chasing down a suspect. He was armed and considered very dangerous but he had not shot at police officers. He would not obey their commands to stop. He was getting ready to climb a fence and probably get away when one of Colorado Springs finest shot him with a taser. He was rapidly put into custody and hauled off. No one was hurt and that's a good thing.

Every day around the country that scene is replicated thousands of times literally where law enforcement officers have used a nonlethal alternative to deadly force to subdue an assailant. Sometimes they can do it with a pepper spray, sometimes with a stun gun. Tasers have been proven to be nearly 100 percent effective in independent tests.

Is there a reason why so many law enforcement agencies carry tasers? In my humble opinion it is because they are so effective. The two electrified darts can travel up to 15 feet away. They allow you to disable an assailant from a safe distance. They use EMD technology that overrides the central nervous system from the darts but that taser gun doubles as a stun gun after the cartridge has been fired.

Because of my business, I notice these things. The next time you see a police officer see if he can find his taser on his utility belt. According to the latest statistics from Taser International more than 15,800 law enforcement agencies in over 40 countries carry and use the taser stun device.

Starting in January of 2011 there is new packaging for the taser C2, which is the most popular of all the tasers with more than 225,000 sold. It includes a new training cartridge, a target and a holster. It is called the C2 gold kit. Before the taser can be activated a background check needs to be accomplished. It used to cost the consumer $9.95 but now it is done free. So the gold kit represents excellent value in your self defense strategy.

Tasers are the most effective self defense product in the world. Aren't you getting one?