Police Take Aim For More Stun Guns

That was the headline in a recent Edmonton Sun newspaper article. It reports a Canadian police agency's view that conducted energy weapons are not harmful and cannot be traced to any death. Here is the article in part:


Police groups want to arm more officers with stun guns while opposition MPs renew calls to restrict use of the controversial weapons.

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Canadian Police Association appeared in Ottawa yesterday to convince the public stun guns are essential tools that save lives.

"We are here to address the inaccurate and incomplete information that is circulating in the public related to the use of conducted energy weapons by police," said Thomas Kaye, vice-president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

"There is no evidence, either scientific or medical, that a conducted energy weapon has been the direct cause of death anywhere, at any time, on any person."


Our view:

We don't have the oversight that a police bureau would have in assessing stun gun and TASER usage and their effects. We can make the following points:

1. The media often confuses stun guns and TASERs as though they are one. Stun guns must be administered directly to a person's skin or clothing to be effective. TASERs emit two darts on tethered electrified wires that attaches on to a person's clothing or skin from a distance of 15-25 feet, depending on the model. Both emit a similar low amperage high voltage charge. It is the low amperage that makes these non-lethal and allows the general public to buy TASERs for self-defense.

2. In the highly charged atmosphere of a police-perpetrator encounter, adrenaline flows are high. This results in occasional over-zealous use of weaponry, both in firearms and so called non-lethal weapons such as stun guns, TASER and pepper spray. To think otherwise is not realistic.

3. In this same charged atmosphere, the perpetrator is sometimes agitated and out-of-control, high on stimulant drugs or sometimes simply delusional and acting wildly and inappropriately. This makes that person more susceptible to medical emergencies of the heart and nervous system when these conducted energy weapons are applied.

4. Any impartial reading of the data suggests one conclusion: TASERs have gained overwhelming acceptance in the western world's police agencies. It is the preferred alternative to lethal force in subduing an out-of-control suspect in many situations. Like anything, it not not 100% safe in all conditions. It must be used with restraint and with good judgment.