History of the TASER brand

NASA scientist Jack Cover invented the first TASER energy weapon with inspiration from his favorite childhood story. Now three decades later, the TASER brand is one of the most reliable less-lethal devices for public safety. Follow this timeline to learn more about the history of the TASER brand over the past half century.

1967

After reading a newspaper article about a man who survived while being temporarily immobilized after accidentally walking into an electrified fence, nuclear physicist and NASA scientist Jack Cover began experimenting with using electricity as a non-lethal weapon. The result of his garage experimentation led to the development of a weapon that would fire electrically charged projectiles at a target.

1974

Jack Cover’s first TASER device was shaped like a flashlight and used gunpowder to propel two wire-tethered projectiles toward a target. As the projectiles impacted the target, an electrical circuit was formed to provide electricity from the device to the target to immobilize the target. Because the TASER device used gunpowder to propel the projectiles, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) classified this new device as a Title II firearm. Over the next 15 years, some police agencies began to use Cover’s TASER device, but sales to law enforcement and civilians were hampered by the firearm classification and strict regulations of the technology.

1993

Brothers Rick and Tom Smith were on a mission to reduce gun violence after former high school football teammates were killed in a senseless act of road-rage violence in December 1991. Rick contacted Jack Cover and began tinkering with a new redesign of Cover’s TASER device. AIR TASER, Inc. was formed with the goal of developing a non-firearm TASER device.

1994

AIR TASER officially released its new redesigned device: the AIR TASER 34000. The AIR TASER 34000 was designed to address several problems that hindered the original TASER device invented by Cover. Importantly, the AIR TASER 34000 was a non-firearm that utilized compressed nitrogen to deploy the projectiles instead of gunpowder. The AIR TASER 34000 was first available to consumers via The Sharper Image, a premier retailer of advanced consumer electronics at the time.

1995

AIR TASER followed up the release of its AIR TASER 34000 with a new Sports Defender model in an all-yellow color (the AIR TASER 34001). The Sports Defender model was the first energy weapon to ever feature a yellow handle. The color yellow (now known as “Axon Yellow”) has become synonymous with TASER-brand energy weapons. Learn more about the Axon Yellow color.

1998

AIR TASER changed its name to TASER International, Inc. to reflect its growing sales to law enforcement customers both domestically and internationally. A year later, the ergonomically handgun-shaped ADVANCED TASER M26 was released with an advanced electrical waveform that caused neuromuscular incapacitation (NMI) by stimulating both the sensory nerves and the motor nerves in a target, causing involuntary muscle contractions. By 2000, more than 500 law enforcement agencies were using or testing the ADVANCED TASER M26.

2000s

The ensuing decades saw tremendous domestic and international expansion of TASER energy weapon sales. By 2010, more than 15,000 law enforcement agencies in over 50 countries had made initial purchases of TASER brand devices for testing or deployment. The 2000s also saw the release of the TASER X26 (2003), TASER X12 with TASER eXtended Range Electronic Projectiles (XREP) (2007), TASER X3 (2009), TASER X2 (2011), and TASER X26P (2013) devices. Check out the Evolution of the Energy Weapon for more information about some of these innovative TASER devices.

2017

To reflect the company’s evolution from a less-lethal weapons manufacturing company to a full solutions provider of software, connected devices, and wearable cameras, TASER International changed its name to Axon Enterprise. A year later, Axon released the TASER 7 (2018).

2023

Axon announced its Moonshot Goal, an ambitious plan to cut gun-related deaths between police and the public by 50% in 10 years. Through extensive research, customer feedback, and development, Axon released the most advanced energy weapon ever: the TASER 10 (2023). Marking the first key innovation unveiled following announcement of the Moonshot Goal, the TASER 10 is a paradigm shift in energy weapon technology, providing more opportunities and at a greater distance, to achieve an effective connection with a target and avoid an escalation to lethal force.

TODAY

The TASER brand and the iconic Axon Yellow handles are famous around the world, appearing prominently in pop culture and the media. Research has shown that TASER energy weapons are the most effective option for applying less-lethal force, with the lowest likelihood of injury to officers and subjects. TASER energy weapons are now used daily to help keep communities safe throughout the world, including approximately 5 million field deployments over the last 25 years.