THE STAR
PETALING JAYA: Buying a potentially lethal stun gun is as easy as ordering electronic devices online. A check by The Star found it so on several locally-based Facebook groups which sold self-defence weapons.
One such group sold a flashlight-shaped stun gun it claimed was used by the Chinese military and police, at just RM120 plus RM10 for delivery via PosLaju.
Within 15 minutes of messaging the group, this reporter was able to purchase a unit, after fulfilling the required mailing address, handphone number and a bank transfer.
“This stun gun can stop an attacker within half second ... We have tested before,” states the product advertisement, which adds that using it for five to seven seconds on a person’s neck could kill them.
A group administration acting as “customer service” assured that in a normal situation a potential victim would not need to shock someone over five seconds.
“If you don’t want to kill someone then shock once or twice and the enemy will run away or lie on the ground,” he said.
Asked if PosLaju prohibited the shipping of potentially deadly weapons, he assured delivery or 100% money-back guarantee.
“We have shipped countless times using PosLaju, even things like katana also can post,” said the “customer service” person.
While local online shopping sites such as Lazada and iLelong do not appear to stock stun guns, several international stores that ship to Malaysia sell them from as low as RM64.50 to RM292 for the more advance projectile models.
The ease of acquiring stun guns via the Internet equals that at local pasar malam and electronic shops in Penang, where the device can be bought for as little as RM40.
The matter was highlighted yesterday in an exclusive report by The Star, which also noted recent crimes committed using a stun gun.
Meanwhile, American self-defence online store DefenceMode101 does have a notice warning that it does not ship to countries where owning a stun gun is illegal such as Sweden and India.
It does not list Malaysia.
For online retailers like Amazon, which does not ship all items available on the site to Malaysia, interested buyers would need to use a mail forwarding service like Vpost via Singapore.
However, shipping such items will be a violation of the service’s terms and may also be blocked by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department.
Stun guns come under the second schedule of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958, along with tasers and control batons.
Violators face up to two years’ prison and whipping under Section 6 of the Act.
