taser launches 'stylish' stun gun

from bbc: US stun gun maker Taser is unveiling a sleeker version of its controversial weapon aimed at safety and fashion conscious members of the public.

Available in pink, blue, silver and black, the gun fits into a handbag like a mobile phone. It will be launched at a Las Vegas electronics fair on Monday.

Taser guns temporarily incapacitate a target with up to 50,000 volts.

Critics have linked their use to dozens of deaths, but Taser says they save lives by reducing the use of firearms.

The gun has however been at the centre of fresh controversy this weekend over the death of a man in Florida after police used a Taser to subdue him.

Its use by police in the UK has also sparked debate. Late last year a man in the north of the country died three days after being shot with a Taser.