02-12-2008, 07:10 PM
>The Tazer really isn't the evil it's made out to be. It induces massive involuntary muscle contraction which renders the target helpless, but undamaged. There are isolated cases where the target of tazering has suffered some complications, but presumably so would targets riddled with bullets, or bludgeoned with nightsticks.
Personally, I think the focus should be on officers training and reaction. Having said that however, a taser or taser like device IMO, can not be simply dismissed as harmless.
I've also seen the footage where volunteers try out being tased, and survive with no permanent ill effects afterwards. But here's the important thing, they volunteered. They know they will get tased. It's also in a more controlled environment.
To me it can be a big difference between someone who knows a tasing is imminent, compared to someone who is severely under stress, may or may not have other health factors, and generally not expecting a tasering. So out in the field, 'isolated' cases is probably more the norm. In general the public probably do not expect a tazing is imminent.
To be clear, I am not saying tasers are 'eeevyil' and should be taken away forever, which makes the world safe and pretty flowers should replace all those icky evil weapons. That is of course unrealistic on so many levels. I am saying, the human body is a remarkably complex piece of work. It can be both amazingly tough and fragile. To say that a taser leaves someone undamaged, is not really accurate.
There can be a world of difference between a controlled lab conditions tasing, and one done under field condition.
(As for Best Buy, I find most of them are only slightly better than Circuit City. But that's not saying much.)