Greg Meyer Taser Collection
name: label: Creator
content: Cover, Jack
label: Donor
content: Meyer, Greg
topic: label: Topic
content: Weapons
label: Topic
content: TASER
label: Topic
content: Nonlethal weapons
label: Topic
content: Stun guns
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Collected donated by Greg Meyer, 2013.
creator: label: Creator
content: Cover, Jack
label: Donor
content: Meyer, Greg
setName: label: See more items in
content: Greg Meyer Taser Collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: Papers relating to the invention, development, use, and popularization of the Taser, a nonlethal weapon invented by Jack Covers.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: John "Jack" Cover (1920-2009) was born in New York, New York. He joined the United States Air Force in 1942, and served as an aeronautical engineer and an aircraft engineering officer. During World War II he was awarded the World War II Victory Medal and American Theater Service Medal. Cover was released from active service in 1946, after which he earned a B.S and Ph.D at University of Chicago. He worked at North American Aviation (NAA), as a contractor for NASA, and was part of the the team that won the Prime contract for NAA from 1961-1962 on the Apollo Moon Landing Program. 

As a result of a growing push for law enforcement agencies to use non-lethal weapons in the 1960's, Cover developed and later patented iwhat would become known as the TASER. He named the device the Taser, an acronym for Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle. Cover formed Taser Systems. Inc. in 1970 and the Taser was patented in 1974 as a "Weapon for Immobilization and Capture (US 3,803,463). The device was adopted by the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1970s as an alternative to lethal weapons in subduing suspects, particularly those under the influence of drugs or who posed harm to themselves.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.3 Cubic feet (1 box
)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1946 - 2009
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1311
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Notes
label: Type
content: Test reports
label: Type
content: Patents
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Articles
label: Type
content: Design drawings
label: Type
content: Eulogies
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into one series.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed by Austin Arminio, intern, 2016.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Notes
label: Genre/Form
content: Test reports
label: Genre/Form
content: Patents -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 1950-2000
label: Genre/Form
content: Articles
label: Genre/Form
content: Design drawings -- 1950-2000
label: Genre/Form
content: Eulogies
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Papers relating to the invention, development, use, and popularization of the Taser, a nonlethal weapon invented by Jack Cover. The collection includes biographical information about Cover, Cover's initial concept paper, design drawings, notes and writings, photographs, papers relating to the patenting of the Taser, test results, training materials on the use of the Taser, articles and printed materials, notes to law enforcement officers, response to controversy surrounding the use and misuse of the Taser, and a eulogy. Interaction and use of the Taser by law enforcement mostly focuses on the Los Angeles Police Department.