Tasers are essentially electric shock guns. They are aimed with a laser target and shoot metal barbs attached to wires into a person and the gun then sends electric impulses that disable muscles temporarily. They are officially classified as non-lethal weapons. Police like them because they are less likely to be injured when taking down a criminal suspect. However, they have resulted in hundreds of unintentional deaths. In some cases, Tasers have been used as torture devices. In the hands of a criminal, they can be debilitating offensive weapons used in robberies. Tasers are becoming standard issues in police departments across the country. Tasers can kill, maim, or injure. The Athens Georgia alternative Newspaper Flagpole recently ran part 2 in a series on Taser abuses and dangers written by renowned UGA Criminal Law Professor Donald E. Wilkes, Jr. See Part 1 in the series here.
