Can we finally stop calling French fries freedom fries?
Recently, French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters that he'd like to arm 100,000 of the country's police cruisers with stun guns from Rule Breakers recommendation TASER International
I thought American-style police action was outre des limites in France. Stun guns in the holsters of French police? Why not serve apple pie with a nice glass of California pinot noir?
But no one should be surprised at Sarkozy's interest in doing business with TASER. He's been frequently criticized for his pro-U.S. views and is sometimes sarcastically referred to in the French media as "l'americain."
If he wins -- Sarkozy has a slim four-point lead over his opponent in current polling -- history says he'd be inclined to better arm French law enforcement.
For example, as a member of outgoing President Jacques Chirac's cabinet, Sarkozy was responsible for efforts to combat terrorism and organized crime, among other things. He's also called the Lebanese group Hezbollah a terrorist organization.
All that bluster could make for a not-so-small windfall for TASER. Do the math. As recently as July, TASER pegged the cost of an X26 with a TASER Cam at $1,200 per pistol. Multiply that by 100,000, and you're at $120 million.
But that's hardly a realistic figure. Rare is the government that spends hundreds of millions in short spurts. Rarer still is the government that doesn't demand a steep discount for huge orders, which means that, even if Sarkozy is elected and gets approval to arm his officers with stun guns, cabinet ministers will push for bargain prices.
As if that actually matters. Any meaningful progress overseas, which accounts for just 14% of TASER's revenue, ought to be welcome to investors, who have watched sales bounce around like a rubber ball on concrete. Earning fans overseas -- especially the skeptical French -- is worth almost any discount.
Now, who's hungry for French fries?
A stunning array of related Foolishness awaits:
• TASER has a tough task ahead after taking a bullet in the first quarter.
• Don't be stunned by TASER.
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Fool contributor Tim Beyers, ranked 5,504 out of more than 28,300 ranked players in CAPS, is a sucker for growth stocks and a regular contributor to Rule Breakers. Tim didn't own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this article at the time of publication. All of his portfolio holdings can be found at Tim's Fool profile. His thoughts on growth stocks, Foolishness, and investing in general may be found in his blog. The Motley Fool's disclosure policy is a shock to Wall Street's system.
