Stun Gun & Taser Abuse

Stun gun & Taser abuse has been in the news alot lately and I just want people to understand that these self protection devices are weapons and could potentially be fatal if used in the wrong way. Let me be perfectly clear on this subject, the use of a stun gun, pepper spray, taser or any other self protection device should be used only if you, or a person near you is being threatened and then, only use what force is appropriate to deter the assault. There have been instances that people have been tasered multiple times even after the person is down, people have died from Taser attacks because in most cases (not all) the devices have been used too much or too often.

Use of these devices should be limited to only the amount necessary to escape or prevent the attacker from harming others and that is it! Multiple stuns or shocks can interrupt a persons heart rhythm or cause sudden cardiac death! Do not use tasers or stun guns to subdue someone that has gasoline or other accelerants splashed on themselves, as this could cause the person to burst into flames as we have seen in the recent case of the Australian man who was tasered.

Of course I am speaking in general terms here, but one shock or stun should be sufficient to put the attacker down and enable the victim to get away. If there are multiple assailants your best bet is to use pepper spray so that you can hit your attackers from a distance and flee, put some distance between you and them if possible and always notify the authorities or 911. So instead of relying solely on shock weapons for your defense perhaps having the combination of both shock weapons and pepper spray available to you at the same time might be more prudent.

At some point the physical condition of the person targeted has to be calculated, for instance, age, there was a case in the news recently about a 72 year old woman who was tasered by police, and another story of a pregnant mother who was also tasered. It all goes back to what I have said in previous posts that common sense should play more of a role in the decision making process on whether or not to use an electrical device to subdue a person of questionable physical condition. If the person that needs to be subdued is in some way incapacitated either by age or pregnancy or some other obvious condition, wouldn't it be better for the person to be subdued to be incapacitated with pepper spray rather than something that could stop his or her heart?

Even with all the negative news reports of taser abuse either by private citizens or by the police I am still an advocate in the use of stun guns and stun weapons because it at least gives the person a fighting chance. Stun guns have provided women and men with a normally safe way to stop an attack without the use of lethal force. Stun guns and weapons if used in a common sense way, and only as a measure of last resort, then the stun gun can serve a positive role in society, it is however, the misjudgements of a few people who choose the wrong method to subdue someone without regard for age or physical condition that the abuse of these weapons occurs.