“Bolawrap” which has earned the nickname “Lasso Gun” is being produced by the company, “Wrap Technologies”. It is a hand-held device that is used by the US police departments to subdue “non-compliant individuals” and other people they perceive as a threat. But as the weapon is only being sold to the law enforcement departments, and the military and is currently a regulated firearm, the firm intends to make Bolawrap available to mental health institutions, hospitals, homeowners, teachers, schools, and other professionals.
Records discovered by Vice show that Wrap Technologies has even received interest to use its lasso gun to help restrain “non-compliant” individuals from at least one hospital.
The exemption of the Company’s lasso guns from the National Firearm Act (NFA) is required by the process that is getting them into hospitals, schools, and other non-police or military entities. That is where Wrap’s lobbying of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and explosives comes in, as records from October 2021 investor call saw “Tom Smith”, the company’s since-resigned CEO and President informing stockholders about the new step taken by the company regarding deregulation of its latest model to broaden its sale prospects.
These powerful guns whip ropes around the targets, like cowboys with lassos. The idea has started catching on among cops to restrain suspects. According to some reports, the latest model of the company, BolaWrap 150 is the same as previous lasso guns except that it utilizes an airbag-like mechanism to release its cord rather than gunpowder.
Vice added that this policy is a tried-and-true one used by Smith, who founded Taser International with his brother in 1993. He was able to deregulate the stun guns of the company under the NFA after switching its products from gunpowder to a compressed gas propellant. Smith was appointed as CEO of Wrap in March 2021 and left in the late January of this year.
The company, Wrap has yet to achieve the success of Taser, whose dangerous stun guns are used as non-lethal gun alternatives by the police all over the country. Taser changed its name in 2017, five years after Smith left the company to “pursue opportunities to join other boards”.