Can The public carry Tasers?

[LarryP]

Wondering what the law is on buying & carrying a taser?

[Flyby]

As long as your not prohibited from owning a firearm you can purchase and carry a Taser in MN.

http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/pubs/taserreg.pdf

Under Minnesota law, energy-conducted weapons are called “electronic incapacitation devices”
(EICs) and are regulated in the same chapter as tear gas and tear gas compounds.1 In Minnesota,
a person may possess and use an EIC with reasonable force to defend him or herself or his
or her property.2 Additionally, the electronic incapacitation device must be labeled with or
accompanied by clearly written instructions as to its use and the dangers involved in its use.
Persons under the age of 18, as well as persons who are prohibited from possessing a
firearm, may not possess or use an EIC.3 Minnesota law also prohibits the use of an EIC
against a peace officer.4 When used in the commission of a crime, an EIC is considered a
weapon.5

I carry a taser C2 when I'm on campus in Mankato.

[Thunder71]

Yep... I've thought about it for both my wife and I, but that's about as far as I've gotten since it's a good chunk of change for a single shot device.

[chunkstyle]

And you can't even buy the full power LE version.

[LarryP]

Do they have to contact the skin to work right? What about jackets and other outer ware etc?

[sgruenhagen44]

I think I will stick with a handgun. Smaller and more shots. I would take an LCP over a taser any day.

[Exjay]

And you can't even buy the full power LE version.

I disagree.

[matthew.allen]

The primary difference between the civilian x26 and the LE x26 is not power. The LE version cycles for 5 seconds per trigger pull, an the civilian one cycles for 30 seconds per pull, giving you time to drop the taser and escape. I believe the C2 is the same.

To answer the other question I saw, you do not need direct contact between the probes and skin, but they do need to get close enough to arc into the skin. So loose/baggy clothes and winter weight jackets are a real issue when using tasers.

For my money, a single shot device that may not work through winter coats is not what I'll use as a primary means of defense. Although they are a great option for people who are unwilling to carry a firearm, or as another tool for law enforcement, in addition to a firearm, and other less-lethal options.

[falgore]

I personally would not want civilians carrying tasers. I do not mind them carrying firearms. Why not tasers? they would be under false assumptions that it would not kill their intended targets.

I can tell you now, you would kill me, Due to defective electrical system in my heart. The electricity would short my heart, due to current passing into the lower chambers, bypassing the sinus node.

Also anyone else with heart disease of any kind would also be at high risk of dieing.

Would you want to be charged with involuntary manslaughter for murder? resulting in death of the person you tased?

Personally Think tasers should be listed as more dangerous than guns due to the assumptions it would not kill. People would be willing to use it more often than they would the gun due to lack of fear that it would kill. Only to be surprised the one they tased died.

Just to give you an idea kids at our high school use to go around and shock people with hand held tasers, Just for kicks and entertainment, to see how people would react.. several were knocked unconscious, before school banned it . this was back in 92'

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/09/05/t ... elerating/
If they are talking about restricting police departments then they absolutely need to restrict civilians.

here its deemed excessive force when used by police
http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/o ... -55622.pdf

many civilians would be more willing to use it out of misguided assumptions that if they did tase a person wrongfully just to be on the safe side, that there would be no consequences of their actions. So since they have it just tase for hell of it and ask questions if their targets deserved it later.

[rtk]

[falgore]

:?

Since this is loaded comment, I am going to assume it was related to my post?

If so, how were you confused, so I can clarify.

[matthew.allen]

I personally would not want civilians carrying tasers. I do not mind them carrying firearms. Why not tasers? they would be under false assumptions that it would not kill their intended targets.

I can tell you now, you would kill me, Due to defective electrical system in my heart. The electricity would short my heart, due to current passing into the lower chambers, bypassing the sinus node.

Also anyone else with heart disease of any kind would also be at high risk of dieing.

Would you want to be charged with involuntary manslaughter for murder? resulting in death of the person you tased?

Personally Think tasers should be listed as more dangerous than guns due to the assumptions it would not kill. People would be willing to use it more often than they would the gun due to lack of fear that it would kill. Only to be surprised the one they tased died.

Just to give you an idea kids at our high school use to go around and shock people with hand held tasers, Just for kicks and entertainment, to see how people would react.. several were knocked unconscious, before school banned it . this was back in 92'

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/09/05/t ... elerating/
If they are talking about restricting police departments then they absolutely need to restrict civilians.

here its deemed excessive force when used by police
http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/o ... -55622.pdf

many civilians would be more willing to use it out of misguided assumptions that if they did tase a person wrongfully just to be on the safe side, that there would be no consequences of their actions. So since they have it just tase for hell of it and ask questions if their targets deserved it later.

Well, that certainly cleared things up for me

[falgore]

anyone have chart comparison between a ER defibrillator and a taser? I am curious to see how close they come, if at all, when it comes to changing the rhythm of the heart.

Or the current level used by electro-shock treatment for the brain.

People tend to forget the body is a bio "electrical" system. excessive voltage/ amperage is always bad, used in a non medical purpose.

PS I get paranoid as hell, when I see an officer with one, anywhere near me.

I am considering going before city council, to get them removed or have policy of dire consequences, if they can't prove it wasn't to stop an imminent threat to life.

[ree]

falgore,
If someone reserves their use of a Taser for when they are in fear of death or great bodily harm and the tased person dies, it's not an excessive use of force, even if death was not the intent. What you are expressing concern over is people who might use a Taser or other energy conducted weapon (ECW) with less discretion, i.e. in situations where they didn't fear GBH or death.

I suspect that most "normal" people (i.e. those who don't drop $350 on a Taser to use as cool parlor toy, zapping those who merely annoy them) will only use it in situations where they experience fear of a degree that justifies use of lethal force. While I'd love to see people be educated in use of force law, most people simply don't think it's reasonably justified to zap people who happen to be following them a little closely on the street at night on the chance that they might be about to do something bad. Most people tend to wait until too far into an bad situation before taking action.

Putting a Taser in someone's hand is unlikely to magically make someone trigger happy enough to start zapping people such as yourself, who are probably minding their own business and staying out of other people's way, especially lone individuals at night in dark, remote places where they feel vulnerable to victimization. Yes, I'm speculating, but believe I'm probably correct. We don't seem to have a rash of prosecutions (in MN or nationally) for negligent homicide or worse because a [non-police] individual Tased an innocent person causing death. Either the press is really bad at their job or most people are exercising good judgement.

[TTS]

falgore,

I think you are lumping all electroshock weapons together.... Taser has been through the ringer and come out clean every time. They have over 3 million uses with no criminal liability to date and I don't know of any civil cases that were won either. Tasers can kill people, however if you remember before Tasers, officers had to use batons and choke holds to subdue suspects. Both were far more dangerous than Tasers.



Facts:
Tasers do not "knock you out"
Tasers dont work by "shocking you"
Tasers interrupt your voluntary nervous system signals (not those that control your heart, lungs, etc.)
Tasers are not Non-Lethal they are Less Lethal