The Law: Stun Gun

Calm and smiling, the blonde young woman turned to the Miami gas-station attendant, raised what looked like a gray flashlight—and fired. "I fell on the floor and couldn't move," recalled William Lawson. "It was like sticking your finger in a wall socket . . . the worst pain I ever felt." Though he did not know it at the time, Lawson, 27, had been felled by a brand-new, high-voltage weapon called the stun gun. More properly known as a Taser,* the gun was developed for law-enforcement use. No police force has yet bought it, but thugs are apparently less cautious about...