Amnesty International USA raises safety concerns about the taser shotgun

February 7, 2008
George McGinn - AHN

New York, N.Y. (AHN) - A new Taser shotgun capable of firing untethered rounds has raised the same unresolved concerns Amnesty International USA has with conventional Tasers. Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, issued a statement in response to the introduction of the Mossberg Taser X12 LLS shotgun, which he said fires an "eXtended Range Electronic Projectile" capable of delivering an electrical shock to a target.

The XREP, which is not tethered to the gun, can be fired up to 65 feet, doubling the distance of traditional Tasers. "This weapon should not be introduced into the field before comprehensive, independent medical research on its safety has been completed," Cox said. "Using this shotgun before there is adequate research is putting the cart before the horse, with public safety the potential loser."

Cox said more than 290 people have died in the United States after being shocked with traditional Tasers. And according to a statement filed with the U.S. Justice Department inquiring into deaths in custody, out of 291 cases, Amnesty International has identified only 25 people who were reportedly armed with any sort of a weapon when they were electro-shocked. Such weapons did not include firearms.

"This should be a time to examine why these deaths are happening, not to experiment with newfangled ways to use the technology," he said.

The XREP's projectile has a 20-second default shock time, which is four times longer than that of the traditional device. "Most people who have died after being stunned with regular Tasers were subject to multiple or prolonged shocks," Cox said. "This new technology also raises medical questions about how electroshock interacts with the blunt impact of a powerful projectile."

According to Taser International's Web site, its proprietary new radial ammunition key technology prevents the system from accepting lethal 12 gauge rounds, eliminating the possibility of loading lethal ammunition during high stress situations.

Taser's press kit states that "Taser technology saves lives every day and numerous independent medical studies conclude that Taser Electronic Control Devices (ECDs) are the among the safest and most effective use-of-force options available. Taser technology dramatically reduces injury rates to suspects and officers, thereby lowering liability risk and improving officer safety and community security."

Amnesty International concerned by safety implications of taser shotgun

February 1, 2008
PRNewswire-USNewswire

Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, released the below statement today in response to the introduction of the TASER X12 LLS Mossberg(r) shotgun, which fires an eXtended Range Electronic Projectile (XREP) that can deliver an electrical shock to a target. The XREP, which is not tethered to the gun, can be fired at a distance of up to 65 feet -- approximately double the range of traditional TASERs.

"The electroshock shotgun raises similar unresolved safety questions as traditional TASERs, but introduces new concerns, as well. This weapon should not be introduced into the field before comprehensive, independent medical research on its safety has been completed. Using this shotgun before there is adequate research is putting the cart before the horse -- with public safety the potential loser.

"More than 290 people have died in the United States after being shocked with TASERs. This should be a time to examine why these deaths are happening, not to experiment with newfangled ways to use the technology.

"The XREP's 20-second default shock time -- four times longer than that of the traditional device -- is worrying. Most people who have died after being stunned with regular TASERs were subject to multiple or prolonged shocks.

"This new technology also raises medical questions about how electroshock interacts with the blunt impact of a powerful projectile."

New shotgun taser coming, safety committee told

January 30, 2008
Sue Bailey, THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA – Coming soon to a police force near you: the Taser shotgun, capable of firing a debilitating electronic zap from 20 metres – twice the reach of current 50,000-volt stun guns. Taser International chairman Tom Smith described the new weapon as he took tough questions Wednesday from MPs studying the safety of his company's devices. Taser shotguns are being tested in the U.S. and will likely be available by next year, he said. Police forces all over the world, including Canada, have expressed interest.

Smith appeared before the Commons all-party public safety committee probing events around the death Oct. 14 of Robert Dziekanski. The agitated Polish immigrant died soon after being shocked and subdued by RCMP officers at the Vancouver airport. His ordeal, caught on videotape by a civilian witness, unleashed international outrage.

Smith was repeatedly pressed by Liberal and Bloc MPs on whether police should only use Tasers as a last resort before firing their guns. "I'm going to rely on use-of-force experts who say: 'You don't take a Taser to a gun fight'," Smith replied. He said the idea that Tasers are a last resort before the use of lethal force is a widespread misunderstanding of mysterious origin. "Our position has always been that it's an intermediate device . . . similar to pepper spray or the baton. It's not a substitute for a firearm and was never intended as such."

There are now more than 6,500 Tasers in use across Canada by police and correctional officers.

Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh, former attorney general of B.C., said he was given a much different sales pitch nine years ago when the province was grappling with whether to adopt the new stun guns. "I was told this would be a weapon of last resort before the gun," he told reporters. "The policing community at least gave me the assurance, if I remember correctly . . . that it would be used sparingly."

Reports of "usage creep" – including that delivered last month by the Commission for Complaints Against the RCMP – are feeding concern that Tasers are being abused on even passive suspects with sometimes deadly results, Dosanjh said. He wasn't convinced by Smith's claims Wednesday that there is no direct link between Tasers and the deaths of 16 Canadians soon after they were zapped. Two more cases, including Dziekanski's, are still under review. "They don't have any conclusive Canadian scientific studies," Dosanjh said. Nor are there cross-country statistics on how often police are using the weapons, or how injuries to police and suspects have been affected.

Smith said any risk posed by the devices is far outweighed by the decreased risk to police and suspects. He said he has heard from police officers around the globe: "Thank you for this tool. I didn't have to get hurt." Smith repeatedly described the Taser as "one tool in the tool box. There's no perfect solution." But for those with lingering concerns, there is a sure-fire way not to have to deal with stun guns or police force of any kind, he added: "Don't fight with police."

Smith and his brother loved the Star Wars movies growing up and designed the Taser after two friends were shot in a "crazy road-rage incident," he told MPs. "My brother and I started our company with the mission of protecting life."

But the deaths of about 280 Americans soon after they were Tasered has kept company lawyers busy to the tune of about $5 million in yearly legal fees, he said. Smith stressed that the Taser has never been directly blamed for a death, although it has been cited as a contributing factor in 30 cases.

Amnesty International Canada and other critics have called for Taser use to be suspended until an independent, comprehensive study is done on health effects.

The RCMP directed its officers last month to use the Taser only on people who actively resist them. The Mounties describe stun guns as intermediate weapons but have stressed it's wrong to zap a person for passively resisting officers by acting like dead weight, or making an officer lift, pull, drag or push them to maintain control.

MPs are expected to hear from the RCMP, customs officials and airport workers before drafting a report to Parliament. The committee's work is in addition to a B.C. public inquiry and several other reviews of the circumstances surrounding Dziekanski's death.