Are TASER Self Defense Products Designed to Kill? Answers Supported by Research and Reason - By: Dan Reyes

Have you been bearing in mind buying TASER weapons for self defense purposes, but not knowing whether or not these weapons are really lethal is keeping you from making a decision? Perhaps you are in the company of thousands of citizens who explore the online world daily for a transparent and authoritative conclusion…only to notice that there are opposing points of view about the subject matter. Research no more. We have the response deciphered for you.

Are TASER products designed to kill? The most educated response is: "not really". Emergency medicine research workers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine (working together with researchers from the Louisiana State University, University Medical Center in Nevada, and Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia) studied nearly 1,000 cases of TASER weapons use all through the United States. Their research results revealed that there were either no injuries or only mild injuries (scrapes and bruises) in the vast majority of the cases (99.7%) of TASER weapons' use. Though there were indeed two events of head injuries (resulting from falls) and even one case in which the person was hospitalized with a condition "of unclear relationship to the TASER", these three occurrences altogether were only 0.3 percent of the totality of cases (these findings were offered in 2007 at the American College of Emergency Physicians’ Research Forum in Seattle, Washington).

In spite of these statistics, you may still ask yourself about those occurrences in which people have actually passed over after being subjected to the TASER product's electric discharge. Although those lamentable incidents are quite undeniable, later studies have revealed that there is no decisive evidence to endorse the opinion that TASER self defense devices really were the cause of those deaths, a conclusion that harmonizes with the research results of a report published in 2008 by the U.S. National Institute of Justice ("Study of Deaths Following Electro Muscular Disruption: Interim Report"). In most cases it hasn’t been clear if extreme police force (combined with the bodily stress that comes with the verbal altercation, physical struggle or physical restraint) has been the responsible factor.

The same study found that no medical evidence exists to defend the notion that TASER self defense products may cause cardiac dysrhythmia when deployed reasonably. On the other hand, the medical dangers of repeated or uninterrupted electric discharges are still unknown, so the TASER weapon must be used that way only for self defense situations in which your life (or that of a loved one) is in serious danger, and when the benefits of using it repeatedly or continuously far outweighs the probable risks for the offender.

That concern is even more important when taking into consideration the wellbeing of assailants who suffer medical problems such as heart conditions: although there are no definitive conclusions on their specific case, these individuals are still thought to be the most vulnerable to the effects of these self defense devices.

However, you have to ask yourself: What are the chances of someone with a heart condition attacking you, anyways? Possibly too low to be concerned about…particularly in any situation in which your life might be at risk.

Would you actually hesitate using TASER self defense products against someone who is threatening to murder a dear family member of yours, just because he (the offender) might possibly be inflicted with a heart condition? In our judgment, your protection must always be your first interest anyways, since the one who might pass on or be gravely harmed is YOU (or your loved one), NOT the mugger.

We must clarify that we unquestionably have a great respect for all life and believe in the possibility of criminals to be reformed. However you have to bear in mind that self defense is your basic human right, too. Your life (and that of your loved ones) should be respected and protected too.

Loss of life by TASER self defense weapons is not the most probable result for the offender who is willing to endanger your life, as studies have revealed. Instead, secondary injuries might be a more probable outcome, although those injuries are not considered to be directly attributable to the TASER’s electric stimulation. For instance, the criminal may drop to the ground after receiving the electric shock, and may endure impact injuries, bruises, cuts and abrasions. The assailant could also suffer muscles or tendon tears, as well as stress fractures, as a result of muscles contractions. But if you refrain from using a TASER because of that…what are you going to use instead?

If we turn to logic we will find that those secondary injuries may also result from using any other kind of self defense tactics. For example, a criminal may fall down to the ground and suffer impact injuries after the would-be-victim used his martial arts skill to defend himself/herself. With a firearm you can even kill the provoker, which is even worse. A non lethal TASER device is definitively a more effective and trustworthy self defense weapon as opposed to all of the above. And because it was the aggressor who put your life in jeopardy in the first place, it would not be rational to let a criminal damage you (or a loved one) just to guard him from falling down and suffering some fractures.

Additionally, it must be taken into account that ANY weapon, used the wrong way, can potentially murder somebody. A baseball bat can be used to kill somebody. A pencil can murder somebody, used to stab your opponent. Many more criminals have died as the result of being attacked by the defender with shotguns and knives, regardless of the presence or absence of medical problems. In the worst case scenario, TASER self defense weapons are less lethal ways of defending yourself, your loved ones…and the offender himself.

TASER self defense products have been tested on thousands of police officers and voluntary citizens, without arousing any life-threatening health complications (if TASERS were lethal weapons, police officers wouldn’t consent to take part in these trials, would they?). However, you must keep in mind that police officers are professionals, and they have taken all the indispensable precautions during these experiments, so please, do not try it at home. TASER weapons are not toys, but serious self defense weapons.

In conclusion: Are TASER self defense products designed to murder? Our educated opinion is NO…at least not in the vast majority of cases. On the other hand, we seriously suspect that in your darkest hour, in a situation in which your life (or that of your dear family members) might be in mortal danger, you will not be wondering whether or not TASER weapons are lethal. You will even wish you had bought one just in time…before it was too late.

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