wfaulk wrote:Which would be fine if police would just not use them as compliance devices. But they do. And people die. The police should be trained to view tasers as (at least potentially) deadly weapons, and they should be required to fill out the same weapon discharge paperwork for using a taser as they do for using their traditional firearms.
Yes, Tasers can be lethal, as can forcible takedowns, restraint holds, and baton strikes. Police are trained and expected to use reasonable and necessary force to carry out an arrest, and until the immobilizer ray becomes a reality, the Taser has a place on that spectrum.
For civilian carry, however, I find it harder to think of scenarios where Taser deployment is likely to be both justifiable and effective. If an aggressor is menacing, but not actually attacking, escape is the best option, possibly with pepper spray to facilitate. In case of an unarmed physical attack, manual defense skills or a contact stun gun would probably work better. If deadly force is involved, survive by whatever means are necessary.
