Taser in Talks With Sharper Image to Sell Stun Gun
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Taser International Inc., the stun gun maker whose shares have more than tripled this year, said Friday that it was in talks with Sharper Image Corp. about distributing a new consumer version of the weapon. Taser’s shares rose 19% on the news.
Taser is talking to several retailers, not just San Francisco-based Sharper Image, about distributing the guns, and it will sell them on Taser’s website, President Thomas Smith said.
About 40 million U.S. households have guns, and a significant number of those may be interested in buying a less lethal weapon like the Taser, an analyst said. The price of the Taser, which could be higher than $700, and state legal barriers may limit how many consumer Tasers the company is able to sell.
In California, owning a stun gun is legal. But some people, including those under age 16 and those convicted of a felony, cannot possess them.
“Certainly, the consumer market represents a significant opportunity for Taser,” said Dick Ryan, an analyst with Feltl & Co. in Minneapolis.
“But it’s hard to get a sense of what kind of penetration into the consumer market they could get.”
Shares of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Taser rose $6.67 to $42.09 on Nasdaq.
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