Stun study ready soon: Minister

February 5, 2009
By ANTONELLA ARTUSO, Toronto Sun

Community Safety Minister Rick Bartolucci says he expects a report soon on the use of electronic stun guns in Ontario and he'll decide then whether there should be restrictions involving minors.

The family of a 14-year-old girl has filed a lawsuit against the Ontario Provincial Police alleging she was zapped by officers in a Sioux Lookout jail after ignoring an order to stop peeling paint off the cell wall.

"I'm not going to make a knee jerk reaction," Bartolucci said yesterday. "I'm going to wait for the results of that study to come out."

Bartolucci said officers should have the "tools" necessary to react when individuals, "regardless of age," pose a threat to themselves or others.