The “Don’t tase me, bro!!” video clip was one of 2007’s biggest hits on YouTube. In 2008, you might see even more of these scenes playing out, right in your own 'hood.

Taser International is marketing its new Taser C2 as a consumer-friendly device that will drop someone on their back from a range of 15 feet. It’s the company’s mission to make tasers more “trendy and fun,” especially for women, and so the C2 comes in hip, fashionable designs — leopard print and hot pink for starters. There's even an MP3 player that attaches to the device. So if someone comes creeping up on you while you’re jamming the latest 50 Cent track, you can deliver a quick dose of NMI: neuromuscular incapacitation. And yes, this is all perfectly legal… so long as you’re not using it to stun that jerk who cut you off in the Starbucks parking lot.

The Taser C2 discharges two small aluminum darts that have fish-hook type points to penetrate the skin of a would-be attacker. There's an electrical line attached to the darts, so once you’ve hit someone, the charge stays active for 30 seconds — giving you time to run like hell. Or, I suppose you could stick around and deliver another zap using the C2’s “drive-stun” direct-contact mode. Or would that just be mean? Tell us what you think.