I'm getting sick and tired of seeing Taser (NASDAQ:TASR) get the short end of the media bias stick. Over the weekend, a story buried three pages deep in The Miami Herald's local section had an impassioned headline:
Woman Shot With Taser in Lawmaker's Office
At first, I was refreshingly surprised to see the story tucked inside. I'm used to Taser making the front page over the simplest of skirmishes. However, after reading the short, five-paragraph story, I was incensed.
A 52-year-old woman walked into the office of U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on Friday and brandished a knife. Police arrived at the scene and got busy with the Taser only after the woman was about to turn the knife on herself.
Fair enough? Let's revisit that headline, then.
Woman Shot With Taser in Lawmaker's Office
I can argue about the choice of "shot" over less severe choices in the verb wheel like "stunned" or "restrained" or "hit," but my point is deeper than that. Didn't a Taser just save this woman's life? If an officer had been forced to physically lunge at the knife-wielding woman, couldn't this incident have come to a brutally horrific conclusion?
This is a win for Taser, yet it somehow gets buried in the paper with an unflattering headline.
Taser Saves a Life
Is that too much to ask? I realize that the publication is reeling from negative publicity at the moment. A disgraced politician blew his brains out in The Miami Herald's lobby two weeks ago. The irony is that that incident might have had a more peaceful resolution if Tasers had been involved. Still, is it too much to ask to give Taser some credit when the credit is due?
Taser Thwarts Suicide Attempt
Cops Credit Taser in Resolving Tense Standoff
That's why I was glad to see the company file a lawsuit against USA Today parent Gannett (NYSE:GCI) after a newspaper story in June claimed that the electrical output of Taser's x26 stun gun runs between 2,100 and 3,600 amperes. That exaggerated the stun gun's power substantially. If Taser can't fight the battle of the bias, at least it can make sure that it's able to clear its name when someone blows the facts.
Smaller companies in the alternative-weaponry sector like Lampered Less Lethal (OTC BB: LLLI), StingerSystems (OTC BB: STIY), and Law Enforcement Associates (AMEX:AID) are all trading in the low single digits. It's not a coincidence. Yes, some of those players lack the fundamentals to appreciate organically, but it sure seems as if conventional journalism just won't give the niche a balanced chance to succeed.
Sure, the smoking guns will point out that Smith & Wesson (AMEX:SWB) is also trading for about $5 a pop these days, but the point is that you never see that company's brand singled out in a crime story headline.
Last year, Taser was recommended as a worthy stock in our Rule Breakers newsletter service. It hasn't gone so well. Thankfully, half of the 22 recommended stocks have risen by better than 20%. The average return has more than tripled the S&P 500's performance. Just imagine how much greener the scorecard would look if Taser were to gain wider market acceptance.
So, come on, media heads. Give Taser a (ummm, pardon my own inappropriate choice of words here) shot.
Want to learn more about Taser and the growth stocks that have fared far better? Go for a free trial subscription to Motley Fool Rule Breakers.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz does feel that Miami is a safer town under Taser's watch, even as Hollywood types are filming the Miami Vice flick around town. He does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this story.The Fool has a disclosure policy. He is also part of theRule Breakersnewsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.
