tazer gun 23 by Article Announcement
Published Date: 15/08/08
Tazer Gun
Electroshock weapons are the subject of much controversial debate. The Tazer Gun, otherwise known as the Stun Gun, was invented way back in 1969 but has only been used recently on a big scale. The Stun Baton and Electroshock Belt are other innovations of the same idea. Some projectile weapons are disguised as pens, cell phones, flashlights or umbrellas.
Advocates of these sorts of weapon say that they are a better alternative to death or injury by firearms. The basic idea of the Tazer Gun is to fire an electrode producing an electric shock, which immobilizes the victim, blocking nerve signals and muscle movement. The firing range can be up to ten meters and some models are able to penetrate up to Level 3 Body Armor.
The gun was defined as a non-lethal device but that has been revised due to a number of deaths occurring after Tazer Gun use. Amnesty International reports that there have been 150 deaths involving the weapon. Many civil liberties groups campaign against the gun on the grounds that it is not safe and it is unethical. Despite this criticism, several police forces have adopted this method of apprehending criminals across the world. The US National Institute of Justice however, is taking the matter seriously and has launched a study into the cases of Tazer Gun caused fatalities on people in police custody.
Even schools, which increasingly see acts of violence in their classrooms, have become involved. Several American states have sanctioned the use of the Tazer Gun by the security staff operating in school buildings. The gun has been also used in situations where a student was threatening self-harm and intervention was required. Any use of the weapon on minors is contentious of course and has resulted in litigation.
The motive behind such weapons is a good one no doubt, and no one could foresee such complications as have arisen. Some people like the principle and would like to see the improved efficiency of the weapons, rather than banning them. It's to everyone's advantage that criminals are arrested with the minimum of force and that everyone works towards that goal. They will not be appropriate for all circumstances but it's an idea worth pursuing. Ethical guidelines, when lawyers get involved can become murky, but that is no reason to give up finding a resolution. There will always be criminals and they need to be dealt with, and the public has to be protected. This might be a way of removing firearms from circulation.
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