Let's talk about tasers .......

[Stinky The Clown]

...... supposedly, they're an alternative to deadly force (guns).

But it seems to me they've become an excuse to use more force with less discretion.

I will start out stating an assumption. I am assuming we have mostly good people involved in street level law enforcement.

But there is surely some percentage of them that are nuts. Perhaps psychopathic. Minor megalomaniacs, probably. John Waynes. Not unlike the rent-a-cop minimum wage guy who hassles kids at the mall while carrying a lfashlight in a holster so he look big. He probably has a roll of quarters taped to his inner thigh, too ...... and drives a '94 F150 with big tires.

And we give them tasers.

And they use them. Whenever someone doesn't react instantly to their commands, issued like a SWAT team up against the Crypts.

We have had deaths from the use of tasers.

And there's my real concern. Citizens died at the hands of police who are often shown to have overreacted.

Dead.

Citizens.

Do you think, if we didn't have tasers, the same people would have been shot with guns?

[KamaAina]

1. Don't tase me, bro!

you knew it was coming... :P

edit: header

[cleveramerican]

2. GREAT EDITORIAL in this months "CAR AND DRIVER"

on this very subject.
I wish I knew how to cut and paste it here

[jody]

3. IMO the problem is Taser Intl claims tasers are non lethal and have been tested however all test

subjects have been healthy people who have signed a release form, see http://www.taser.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/Controlled%20Documents/Warnings/LG-FORM-VOLUNTER-001%20REV%20B%20Volunteer%20Exposure%20Release.pdf

Except for actual field use, tasers have never been tested on pregnant women, people with heart conditions, people on prescription medications, etc.

In other words, there is zero evidence that tasers are non-lethal on non-healthy people.

[BlooInBloo]

5. Yah - it's been tested on pregnant women....

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/223578_taser10.html

EDIT: Fucking cops.

[Th1onein]

4. To answer your question, a resounding NO!

And that's what the issue comes down to, pure and simple, in my books.