Controls urged on 'lethal' tasers by Amnesty Int...

news.bbc.co.uk...
Amnesty urges restraint with the use of Taser guns.Potenially lethal,a 50,000volt charge is shot through two darts that have a range of just over 20ft.The schock is a paralising one and rarely deadly,however the issue is as much about the over use(trigger happy) than the lethal cosequence.A nine year old girl in Argentina,was still shot at even after she had been handcuffed,a pregnant woman did'nt get much of a better treatmeant..
[edit on 30-11-2004 by Horus_Re]

[edit on 30-11-2004 by Horus_Re]

I heard this one on the news this morning.

The bottom line, IMHO, is that tasers are still several orders of magnitude less dangerous than a gun that fires bullets. I know which one I'd rather be shot by, assuming I got myself into a situation where I needed to be "brought down".

I normally have alot of time for Amnesty, but in this case I think they need to get a grip...

seems like you might have just heard it but not seen the actuall abuse.they showed a man just stepping out of the car unarmed and being shot at ...to me he looked like a big Mother bear ;I think the cop just thought to himself I wanna see how fast I'll bring this one down..you know what I mean...
It was uncalled for,really...

Even so, I'd rather be wrongly shot by a taser than by a gun

There's never any excuse for abuse, and those responsible need to be brought to account for their actions.

Police sometimes find themselves in these split-second decision situations...I can't see a problem giving them one additional non-lethal (or: "highly unlikely to be lethal", if you prefer) option.

Remember the guy carrying a table leg who was shot dead? Perhaps he'd be alive today if the police had been carrying tasers.

As a non lethal weapon,full proof...maybe you have a point,but there have been atleast 70 deaths from this thing,and the part where you mention that the 'assailant' might have asked for it through his or her actions..well that's not completely true in ALL the cases.Tell me what a nine year old girl who had been handcuffed already and possed no threats and still got the shock of her life..justifies your reasoning in the matter..
When I was in Canada in 88' we were involved in a car accident that had already happend,we just brushed one of the cars and kept going,but a flat tier needed repairing so we pulled out on the next exit.It was late at night so it was dark,I had the croos in my hand to loosen the flat tier's bolts,but in a flash some seven police cars appeared from out of the blue and they all were pointing their guns at me.They thought we caused the accident and made a run for it.We could'nt stick around because the driver had already a DUI to his name...One wrong move from me whit that wrench in my hands and a slightly trigger jitter and we would'nt be talikng about it now....
So do i prefer a stun gun yes!!! do i want to be shot at with it for stepping out of a car that might have exceeded the speed limit..Catagorically NOT..