Taser International, whose electrical guns are
used by thousands of police departments nationwide, says that a federal
study endorses the safety of its guns, but the laboratory that
conducted the research disagrees. Taser said last month that the
government study, whose full results have not yet been released, found
that its guns were safe. Since that statement, the company's stock has
soared and its executives and directors have sold $68 million in
shares, about 5 percent of Taser's stock and nearly half their
holdings. But the Air Force laboratory that conducted the study now
says that it actually found that the guns could be dangerous and that
more data was needed to evaluate their risks. The guns "may cause
several unintended effects, albeit with low probabilities of
occurrence," the laboratory said last week in a statement released
after a symposium on Tasers, as the company's guns are known, and other
weapons intended to incapacitate people without killing them. Taser
said Wednesday that it stood behind its October statement. Tasers
are pistol-shaped weapons that fire electrified darts up to 21 feet,
shocking suspects with a painful charge. More than 5,500 police
departments and prisons now use Tasers, compared with only a handful
five years ago. Amnesty has called for police
departments to stop using the guns pending an independent inquiry into
their safety. The group will release a report next week documenting
police abuse of Tasers.[more]
Pictured above: TASER International Advanced M-Series Taser. Available for $399.95 from RemainSafe.com [shop here]
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