OntheWilderSide

Tasers – potentially lethal and easy to abuse | Amnesty International

Amnesty International has said that industry claims that Taser stun guns are safe and non-lethal do not stand up to scrutiny. The organization called on governments to limit their deployment to life-threatening situations or to suspend their use.

The call came as the organization released one of the most detailed reports to date on the safety of the stun gun. The report “USA: Less than lethal?” is being published as the number of people who died after being struck by Tasers in the USA reached 334 between 2001 and August 2008.

“Tasers are not the ‘non-lethal’ weapons they are portrayed to be,” said Angela Wright, US researcher at Amnesty International and author of the report. “They can kill and should only be used as a last resort.

“The problem with Tasers is that they are inherently open to abuse, as they are easy to carry and easy to use and can inflict severe pain at the push of a button, without leaving substantial marks.”

Amnesty International’s study – which includes information from 98 autopsies – found that 90 per cent of those who died after being struck with a Taser were unarmed and many did not appear to present a serious threat.

USA: ‘Less than lethal’?: The use of stun weapons in US law enforcement

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Index Number: AMR 51/010/2008
Date Published: 16 December 2008
Categories: USA

USA: Stun weapons in law enforcement

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Index Number: AMR 51/129/2008
Date Published: 16 December 2008
Categories: USA

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USA: List of deaths following use of stun weapons in US law enforcement: June 2001 to 31 August 2008

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Index Number: AMR 51/146/2008
Date Published: 16 December 2008
Categories: USA

Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, News, To Study Up On Nonviolence Tagged: | police, Taser