( – promoted by odum)

During Saturday evening’s WCAX gubernatorial debate, when questioned by Mark Johnson once again about the issue of state police Taser stun guns, included within his answer Brian Dubie mentioned that these weapons were among those considered to be nonlethal.

WCAX gubernatorial debate archived video (stun gun question at 28 minute mark), here.

Why, when even Taser International and also many police departments using these weapons these days are no longer making such claims amidst growing evidence that have proven otherwise over at least a half-dozen years, is Brian Dubie insisting that Taser stun guns are nonlethal? Could it be that he is either mis or ill informed on the subject?

Maybe Brian Dubie should attempt to sell his nonlethal stun gun theory to the families, friends and colleagues of the victims who were alive until they had been tasered by stun guns at the hands of police both across the nation as well as elsewhere within the world.

Let us only hope no one has to die within Vermont after being tasered by police in order to finally convince Brian Dubie and others that Taser stun guns are actually potentially lethal, something which others have found out after it was far too late to do anything to prevent such tragedies.

Further reading on the subject (and merely the tip of the iceberg):

• Tasers “are now recognized by Minneapolis police as potentially lethal”, here (via Star Tribune);
• Use of ‘nonlethal’ force may be a factor in many deaths, here (via St. Petersburg Times);
• Amnesty International 12/16/2008 report on Tasers and industry ‘non-lethal’ claims, here;
• Taser Settled 10 of 52 Cases It Said Were Dismissed, here (via Bloomberg);
• Training incident spurs Taser lawsuit, here (via Lawrence Journal-World);
• Autopsy links Taser to Cardall’s death, here (via Salt Lake Tribune);
• Watsonville man shocked by Taser, injured in 2006 reaches $2.85M settlement with stun-gun maker, here (via Santa Cruz Sentinel);
• Safety: In Stun Gun Training, Officer’s Spine Is Fractured, here (via NY Times);
• Cops raise Taser safety claims: Metro officers hurt during training sue company, say warnings didn’t suffice, here (via Las Vegas Sun);
• State trooper from Grafton suing over Taser injury, here (via Worcester Telegram).