Should Tasers be considered a deadly wapon?

Question

You hear more and more about people dying of being tasered.

law enforcement calls tasers a less than lethal weapon that officers are trained to use to control potentially deadly situations. Well... if a person can die from being tasered, then I think they are " Lethal Wapons". They say that Tasers in itself does not cause a death.... Just like guns " in itself" do not cause death..... the people who use them do !

So are they saying that they DONT ask or give physicals to police officers or other people who are training to use the tasers and being tased as their training???

So if I Taser Someone, & they die, I wont be held Responsible?

You don't consider psychological After effects, side effects.....?? Just like torture can have those kind of effects and is a deffinition of torture.

Amnesty International reports 152 taser-related deaths in the US.

The use of taser weapons by US police has been linked to 152 deaths since 2001.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/mar2006/tasr-m31.shtml

Answer 1

No it is the same as the old billy club. If used properly shouldn't be a problem. The police officer that uses it in a unjustified manor should be prosecuted.

Answer 2

Less lethal? Who is deciding which person gets the "less" lethal death? Death is death - it doesn't matter if it caused by a taser or a billy club. Absolutely, tasers are deadly weapons. Sometimes police have to use deadly force. When they choose to use the taser, they should be making the same choices as when they pull a gun. Am I willing to kill this person? Because the fact is, the taser hit just might kill the person. Police use them freely, thinking, they can hide behind the term "less lethal" - well, that is of little comfort when you are burying someone you love because they were tasered while in handcuffs surrounded by four cops.

Answer 3

The only reason we hear about it is because the taser patrol comes on Yahoo Answers every time an incident happens. I'll say this: I'd rather be tased than shot. I don't know how you feel about that, but I'm sticking to my answer. The taser was not designed to kill, but as is obvious, can when in the hands of the wrong person. Any implement can kill someone, the title of deadly weapon is reserved for implements with the intent to kill, so no the taser is not a deadly weapon.

Answer 4

I have carried a Taser for about three years now and follow the issue of so called "Taser related fatalities" as most others do.

People are quick to jump to conclusions when saying someone died "as a result of" rather than "after" taser deployment.

The media is quick to put an idea in to the public mind that law enforcement is using this highly controversial device when in fact the device has a solid record of reducing officer AND offender injuries with little or no documented cases of long term effects.

Most often when there are fatal results after taser deployment it's due to a secondary issue normally illegal drug consumption that has already impacted the offender to a point of death. For instance, drug dealer is confronted by law enforcement and begins to fight while attempting to swallow his/her drugs. Because the dealer is fighting the officers use a less lethal means of controlling the suspect by taser deployment. With the effects of the drug entering the blood system, physical reaction to the illegal drug(s) goes into effect. Cocaine and methamphetamine consumption are two of the leading killers with overdose.

The media reports a fighting suspect who gets tased but doesn't report the fact that the suspect swallowed a pound of illegal drugs which ultimately had the resulting deadly effect.

The only reason the media manipulates stories is because "sensationalism" sells newspapers...big money to the company don't you think?!

Answer 5

You are incorrect. Law enforcement calls taser a "lesser lethal" weapon, not a less than lethal weapon. While it is possible for people to die after being shot with a taser, the chance of lethality is LESS than would be the case if the officers were to use their guns. Personally, I would rather take my chances being shot with a taser over being shot with a gun. But then again, I don't put police officers in situations where they would need to shoot me with either.

Answer 6

Compared to the .40 or whatever they carry on their hip - yeah.
The corollary to your question is : do people live after being shot ? Yeah, some do. Is that the way to plan on betting your life ?
After the current stops on a Taser, there is no additional after effect, barring ill health,etc. Not true of being shot .
Would you prefer that the suspect get hit upside the head with a club ? After effect again.

So - short of complying with the request to "Halt!"...
yes; non-lethal.

Answer 7

No! Any weapon can be deadly. The Billy clubs they have , a bat , a stick etc.....

"There were 103 Teaser stun gun-related deaths in the United States and Canada between June 2001 and March 2005,"

I would hardly say that is body's piling up!!

Answer 8

If misapplied or applied to some one who is elderly or has a medical condition, they can indeed be deadly. But my guess is that this will be overlooked in favor of keeping them in use. For one, they offer an avenue of excuse when some one does die. Secondly, it keeps this tool in the hands of the government to apply when people control is needed. If deemed deadly, then it becomes the same as a gun and there would be hell to pay each time it was used.

Answer 9

If some dumbass resists arrest or fails to comply with the instructions given to him by a police officer, knowing that he's going to be tased, then the outcome is his problem.

Answer 10

This Taser is for sure more than a teaser and should be viewed as an instrument of torture.