I didn't actually know too much about these guns or what they could do to threaten our society.
I decided to do a phone interview for Smoke Radio with Steve Ballinger , a press officer from Amnesty UK to find out what their viewpoint is on this.
He was a very interesting interviewee and was clear on where Amnesty stands on this issue.
Lethal weapons only for special trained officers
They do not actually oppose the introduction of Taser guns full stop but they are campaigning to ensure that only the specially trained officers will be given them.
The Amnesty International UK Press Release says:-
"Stun guns are potentially lethal electrical weapons. The pistol-shaped Taser delivers 50,000 volts of electricity into a person’s body. The result is excruciatingly painful, causing a person to fall to the ground and, at times, lose control of their bodily functions."
Death from a Taser gun
Since 2001, Amnesty have found that over 300 people in the United States have died after being shot by a Taser gun.
This itself is enough to convince me that this weapon should not be introduced in the police force in England and Wales.
Amnesty investigated the death of a man from the the U.S. who was believed to have suffered an extremely painful death after being shot by a Taser.
Amnesty Press Release
Here are the guidelines from the Amnesty International press release for the introduction of stun guns in England and Wales:
Officers carrying Tasers are trained to firearms officer standards on an ongoing basis
Roll-out is highly restricted and then only to specially trained officers
The Home Office has demonstrated how the use of Taser will be consistent with its obligations under international human rights guidelines and what policies and procedures are in place to prevent misuse of electro-shock weapons.
As usual, I am in agreement with Amnesty on this issue.
I do believe that the police force have a duty to protect themselves and citizens but the introduction of these guns could cause more damage than good.
After interviewing the people of Harrow at the local shopping centre, some very interesting viewpoints were given.
One lady was concerned for those with pacemakers as it could be life threatening if they were to be shot at.
Another was worried about them being used in public places such as in a football match. She said that innocent people could be hurt if they were shot on accident.
This is why Amnesty have issued this press release and have had discussions with the Home Office.
If Taser guns are to be used by the police force, it should only be for those who are specially trained and in circumstances where no other option is left.
2 comments:
Tasers Are A Life Saver...
Everyone is entitled to an opinion but it is sad that someone without expertise to write an negative article about Tasers. In the light of full disclosure we are international trainers in self-protection and have trained thousand in the use of Tasers for the last 9 years.
Tasers are NOT lethal, research has proven, they do not stop the heart, even someone with a heart pacemaker is not effected by a Taser shot..
Hundreds of thousands of bad guys have been shot by Tasers. Although Amnesty International reports 300 people have died after being Tased. These death had noting to do with being shot by a Taser. Stop and think... When you look at the numbers, these assailants may have died because of the exertion of fighting with the law officers, many were under drugs which might actually caused the deaths. Out of six hundred of thousands people, 300 might have died of natural causes. Yes, so called Taser deaths make the headlines, remember the media policy “if it bleeds it leads”, but the press never report the follow up. When taken to court, Taser International proves the deaths had nothing to do with the Taser shot. In fact, Taser has never lost a court case. The only court appointed blame was a recent case where they prosecutors could NOT prove any relationship with the death after being Tased. The Judge said Tasers, although there was no proof, may have something to do with the death and charged Taser with 10% of the blame.
Remember, Tasers are used as an alternative to shooting a criminal. Many thousands of these crooks would be dead today if not for Tasers. To give you an idea. In 2005 Miami Florida Police shot and killed 19 bad guy. In 2006 Tasers were issued to the officers and only one criminal was shot and killed with a gun. They were able to subdue the rest with Tasers without deaths.
Recently 1,000 Tasers were issued to the UK law officers, and of course, each officer IS trained with the use of the Taser. Every officer must be shot with a Taser before being issued their unit. And to prove a point, tens of thousands law officers have been shot with a Taser during training... none were ever died and none even were sent to the hospital. The bottom-line... Tasers has saved thousands of bad guys from death and protected many hundreds of thousands citizens from rape, robbery or death.
Tasers Are A Recipe For Life!
Dr. Tag Powell
Tag@TigerTasers.com
http://TigerTasers.com
I have no expertise in Taser guns but have studied Amnesty's press releases and studies in quite a bit of detail. If you read my blog again you will see that I do not oppose having them introduced in the police - I was saying that my view is that only the specially trained officers should be armed with them. I also did not suggest that they could hurt someone with a pacemaker - part of my work is to go into the area and interview people. I was just saying what some conerns were. I appreciate that Tasers have saved the lives of many people and thats why I feel that specially trained police should have them and use them if they really have to.
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