I’ve been critical of Tasers in the past. Now, one more reason is that the company is advising it not be aimed center mass:
Taser International is advising police agencies across the nation not to shoot its stun guns at a suspect’s chest.
The Arizona-based company says such action poses a risk — albeit extremely low — [...]

Just ask the police:
Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson Tuesday urged the county council to pass a bill prohibiting a private individual from using an electronic control device for personal protection.
Johnson said the devices, best known under the brand name TASER, are too dangerous for individuals to use.
Johnson said that the bill would expand the [...]

A police officer reader gives us the skinny on Tasers here. Worth the read.
And takes me to task for being anti-LEO. Which I am not. I do, however, frequently criticize their techniques and judgment. And I simply think Tasers are overused and are often used when unnecessary (some times with deadly consequences). That’s not being [...]

I was one of the earlier critics of police use of Tasers. Mostly because the perception that they were non-lethal (which is not always true) would lead to their more widespread use. Now, a study from the American Journal of Cardiology:
The rate of in-custody sudden death increased 6.4-fold (95% confidence interval 3.2-12.8, p = 0.006) [...]

JR reports a Texas legislator wants a license for Tasers.

That’s a bit of hyperbole. I’m using gun-ban-speak. But this was amusing:
The ATF lost 76 weapons and hundreds of laptops over five years, the Justice Department reported Wednesday, blaming carelessness and sloppy record-keeping.
Thirty-five of the missing handguns, rifles, Tasers and other weapons were stolen, as were 50 laptops, the internal audit found. Two of [...]

The new thing:
I’ve been to everyone’s Avon-type tupperware-style parties, purse parties, clothing parties, boutique parties and I felt like why not have a self-defence party? Why not have a Taser party, because without self-defence you won’t have any of the other stuff.
Well, my preference would be for them to get some more tactical Tupperware.

So says Michael Silence. I don’t really have an issue with the number of Tasers. Rather, I take issue with the fact police tend to use them when it’s not necessary.

So, the kid gets off: A University of Florida student who was shocked with a Taser after persistently questioning Sen. John Kerry will avoid criminal charges by apologizing and complying with terms of a voluntary 18-month probation, authorities said Tuesday.

In comments here, Rachel asks:
This is only vaguely related, but I’m interested in what you all think for situations where a workplace explicitly bans the presence of guns. Say you were considering something for self-defense, but technically you wouldn’t be able to carry a gun to and from work, and that to and from is [...]

Speculating about AC’s future.
What games can humans still win? Uhh, poker?
I’ve got to wonder what kind of moron would Tase an adult holding a baby
How to get out of plastic handcuffs. I personally carry a key for the real kind.
Messing with surveillance cameras.
Oddly missing is take cover and return fire.

Dave Hardy is saying that some police chief organiations are worried about the new “lady taser” being used against police:
“If a police officer or a civilian is stunned with a Taser there are a whole array of things that can happen and most of them are very bad,” said Jim Pasco, executive director of the [...]

Insty is talking Tasers and self defense. And Tasers are for sale on Amazon. I noticed the seller says:
Before activation customer must pass a felony background check with a separate cost of $9.99.
Found it odd.
Update: From the NYT article:
As for people using Tasers while committing crimes, executives have designed an elaborate [...]

Tasers. Personally, I’ll stick with the G30 in basic black.

I’ve posted on my issues with Tasers (more specifically their application) before. Well, this is a new one:
“Taser! Taser!” Cassidy shouted as she sent a two-pronged wire, packing 50,000 volts, at Crouch’s chest. What happened next stunned everyone.
A Taser probe pierced the pocket of his khaki shirt — and ignited the butane lighter inside. [...]

I’ve not covered Taser deaths for a while. That is because they seem to have dropped off a bit. That said:
Yesterday, stun gun maker Taser International (TASRE) announced that a wrongful death lawsuit against the company had been dismissed with prejudice, which sent the stock up about 11% yesterday. And there was today’s [...]

Michael notes that the Birmingham mayor has ordered the police to halt the use of Tasers until more research is done on the impact of the weapons.

In Illinois, there is now a 24 hour waiting period for Tasers and other stun guns. And background checks.
Speaking of Tasers, Les wrote a while back:
People today are naming their sons Colt and Ruger to evoke toughness and an Old West sensibility. In a dozen years or two parents who want their kids to [...]

The mis-use of tasers is recurring theme here at SayUncle. Here’s another instance:
When a Rochester police officer arrested a man more than two and a half years ago, he thought he fired his taser gun.
But he didn’t, he actually shot the man with a .40 caliber pistol.
Now, that man, a 34-year-old refugee from Sudan, [...]

TriggerFinger has a doozy:
Police departments say the evidence is clear. Study after study indicates high-voltage Tasers are “less lethal” than other weapons, and that’s why they use them, officers say. Some departments defend their use by saying Tasers aren’t lethal at all.
But when a Taser is in the hands of a private citizen, that [...]

Heh.
Via Tom.

To study the recent deaths of people from Tasers and other stun guns, a professor plans to test them on pigs to see if they die from the shock or other causes:
A professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison plans to study whether stun guns alone can kill pigs — or whether other medical factors must [...]

Florida is looking for a ban on the police use of Tasers:
Two senators called for a statewide ban Friday on police use of Tasers – at least until medical studies can verify their effect on people – but law-enforcement officials said the electric shock is much better than using a nightstick or handgun in a [...]

Actually, the experts are worried that some choose to defend themselves with a less than ideal weapon:
After the “crazy person” came to her house banging on her door and asking if he could come in, local resident Marty Taylor decided it was time for her to get a gun.
But even after she found out [...]

Increasingly, it’s not a taser problem but a cop problem. The NYT:
TOLEDO, Ohio – Police have suspended their use of stun guns following the death of a suspect who had been shocked nine times.
Lucas County Sheriff James Telb said Wednesday the department will not use Tasers again until more safety studies are conducted. He [...]

In SC, an officer used a taser on a 75 year-old nursing home patient. I’m all for tasers provided they’re used when appropriate. However, tasering an elderly lady who could have very likely been controlled in another manner is atrocious.

I’m not generally much for sports, personally, but this headline caught my eye. Ute fans angry at police for electrical shocking.
Basically, the home team won the game and the crowd came out into the field to celebrate (hey, it’s a college bowl, so I’ve seen it happen before). In response, the Salt Lake PD [...]

A forensic pathologist says that Tasers may not be as safe as the manufacturer and police would have you believe:
“It is my opinion, as a forensic pathologist, that a stun gun (as a device that can deliver an electrical current to the human body) has the potential to contribute to death when there is either [...]

John G. Tarsikes, Jr.:
Bernard Kerik, President Bush’s first choice to lead the Homeland Security Department, exercised stock options of $6.2 million he received from Taser International, which sold stun guns to the department – and seeks more business with it. It’s all about the money.
Maybe the rush to get the newest technology on the streets [...]

Conventional wisdom regulates machine guns because they’re too dangerous for regular Joes to have even though such ownership is Constitutionally protected. They call it a revenue measure but that is clearly not the case. Some weapons may be regulated because they aren’t dangerous enough:
Tasers, an incapacitating electro-shock weapon popular among law enforcement agencies [...]

Us anonymous guys in pajamas have no credibility, or so factions of the media say. When the media choose to be anonymous, it’s an editorial. In this particular case, that’s a good thing as I can’t see how someone would want to take credit for something so damn stupid. This Times Herald [...]

I have contended before that issuing police Tasers and other probably-not-lethal devices would result in using these devices when they weren’t absolutely necessary. In Nashville, that seems to be what is happening:
A Tennessean review of police reports for the first seven people shocked with Tasers since 45 stun guns were distributed to officers on [...]

A while back, I opined that carrying non-lethal weapons could make someone be more inclined to resort to the use of those weapons even though doing so was unnecessary. I got a lot of flack for that. I should point out that the police in Oklahoma have doubled the use of tasers in [...]

From Jacksonville, FL:
[Sheriff's Office] To Be Armed With Automatic Weapons, Tasers
That’s the headline. Interesting. I wonder what kind of automatic weapons.
[E]very officer will now have access to an automatic AR-15 and will be armed with a taser.
An automatic AR-15, huh?
Police said the new semi-automatic rifle was chosen for several reasons…
Wait. Automatic or [...]