Tasers can be an extremely useful non-lethal personal security device, but they always must be used with extreme caution. The truth is that a taser is a very powerful weapon. But if you are faced with being raped or mugged or your home has been invaded, there are very few alternatives that are more effective for defending yourself. So just what is a taser? A taser is an "electroshock weapon" that utilizes electricity to disrupt voluntary control of the victim's muscles. Many police departments and law enforcement agencies are starting to use tasers because they see it as a more acceptable alternative to shooting someone.
“Bjornstad, who was jolted for 1.5 seconds as part of his training, said all of his muscles contracted and the shock was like a finger in a light socket many times over. “Anyone who has experienced this will remember it forever…You don’t want to do this. It is very uncomfortable…and that’s an understatement.” (The Olympian, 14 October 2002)
“It’s like getting punched 100 times in a row.” (The Olympian, 2 March 2002)
“It felt terrible…it hurts. I’m going to think twice before I use this on anyone.” (Mobile Register, 8 April 2002)
“It’s the most profound pain I have ever felt. You get total compliance because they don’t want that pain again.” (Associated Press, 12 August 2003)
“They call it the longest five seconds of their life…its extreme pain, there’s no question about it.” (The Kalazazoo Gazette, 7 March 2004)
While tasers are supposed to be "non-lethal", the reality is that hundreds of victims have been killed by tasers. The truth is that when a situation turns physical, it can be way too easy, even for trained police, to go overboard.
The following YouTube video is of Police taser training in Riverside, Ohio. Police Officers there are required to be tased before they can carry a taser. By experiencing how incredibly painful it is, hopefully it will make them a little bit more hesitant to deploy it.
One of the disturbing trends in the United States is the increasing use of tasers by police officers in schools.
It has been documented that police officers patrol schools with tasers in Kansas, Minnesota, Kentucky, Virginia and Florida.
In 2004, the parents of a 6 year old child in Miami sued the police because they actually tasered their little boy.
But even with all of the abuses, the truth is that a taser is an effective, non-lethal way to escape a dangerous situation.
Deploying a taser for three to five seconds will deliver a high voltage shock to your attacker causing a loss of balance and muscle control, confusion, and disorientation
It will bring him to his knees and making him incapable of further aggressive activity.
And sometimes that is all you need to get out of a bad situation.
