Taser Guns

Thesis Statement

The Taser guns play a very significant role in the continuum of force. Taser gun effectiveness surpasses the efficiency of regular firearms.

Discussion

Today law enforcement agencies throughout the United States use non-lethal weapons on the job. Less-than-lethal weapons are defined as," technological devices to stop and disable armed, dangerous, and violent subjects without resorting to the use of firearms. "Non-lethal weapons have mainly been used in on-the-street confrontations like, hostage rescues, prison riots, suicide interventions and civil disturbances (Jeffrey, 780-89).

These less-than-lethal weapons have been used the most when lesser force can suppress the aggressor, when lethal force isn't appropriate and if lethal force could cause collateral damage to property or bystanders. Although there are some draw backs to these new weapons like a false sense of security and strength they tend to be better then hand to hand combat or traditional non-firearms like flashlights or batons (Kroll, 6305-6307).

What is a Taser stun gun?

The Taser gun has been described as a 'less lethal' alternative to traditional weapons. The Taser is a hand held weapon used to incapacitate a suspected criminal. This gun is coloured yellow to prepare suspects for the possible use. “These Taser guns release two darts- barb-tipped up to 21 feet” (Efimov, 1277-1279). These darts, once fired will deliver 50,000 volts into the suspect's body, rendering them helpless for up to 5 seconds.

Why are they being introduced?

Tasers were introduced to the NYPD 10 years ago and police here in England are being trained to use them. “The Taser guns are being hailed as having 'awesome stopping power' and obviously are not as dangerous as a pistol or machine-gun” (Raymond, 195). There have been many mistakes made by police officers with guns, and often innocent members of the public are sometimes caught up in the action. The Taser guns have a laser attached which prevents anyone other than the suspect being fired at. The laser confounds any human error.

When are they used?

Taser guns are only used when a suspect is getting away or is posing a threat to others. However, the Taser is never used in the following circumstances. There are six general categories of less-than-lethal weapons that currently exist or are in development: electrical shock, chemical, impact projectile, physical restraint, light, acoustic."(Hart) TASER is an acronym for Thomas A. Swift's Electrical Rifle, which is a high voltage, low amperage hand-held projectile firing gun. On impact it pulsates current by a wired dart that can reach its target from up to fifteen feet away and penetrate up to two inches of clothing causing temporary incapacitation” (Vilke, 14-19).

The TASER only puts out a low number of watts so it's not harmful to subjects with pacemakers and also cannot be modified to produce a lethal charge. “The most well known chemical weapon is pepper spray, which contains partly cayenne pepper and usually ten percent oleoresin capsicum” (Jeffrey, 780-89).

These non-lethal weapons are not ideal for use in enclosed crowded areas or CQB. Law enforcement officials commonly use physical restraints on ...