FFS!
This is just a newspaper version of clickbait, I’d say. Getting people riled up over something that’s unlikely to be seen on the streets, with the owner being sued out of existence if someone got hurt.
Remember the South African “Blaster”?
Car mounted, laterally firing flame throwers to deter carjackings.
Remained legal, but the high price killed it off in 2001. Police also speculated that the carjacker would simply shoot the driver first before approaching the vehicle.
Unfortunately, all the evidence suggests that the USA has more than enough paranoid sociopaths to be attracted by such a device. 