Should police carry Guns or tasers?

[William769]

Poll question: Should police carry Guns or tasers?

[AX10]

1. Police should be allowed Tasers ONLY if there are strict guidelines...

to use them to deal with VIOLENT suspects.

[William769]

3. I voted for guns & here is my reasoning.

I am retired Lawenforcement. Although I belive that most cops want to do the right thing, there are some bad apples.

My experience tells me that police officers would think twice before using a gun over a taser.

[AX10]

4. I must agree with you on that. A gun kills, period.

A Taser can be used to inflict pain easily and it can be abused. OC spray is better in that if I'm hit by a corrupt cop, at least I can fight back, with a Taser, I have no control over my body and am at the mercy of a corrupt cop, just like the Third Reich.

Police will be much more careful about hitting someone with a firearm.

[madeline_con]

5. There are guidelines. They're ignored....

It seems too darn easy for these guys to prod the crap out of everybody from an unruly 6 year old girl to a guy with a heart condition begging for his life.

Maybe for every time the taser is used, the user has to take a jolt down at the cop shop.

[AX10]

6. Maybe, you know after this summer my faith in the police has...

plummetted, sadly. This is very disturbing to see police use a weapon in such mundane cases. The taserists may not show up on this thread. If they do I will be ready to fight it out.

I'm fortunate that in Connecticut (I still trust my CT Officers) we don't have too many towns with tasers and our standards for our police are much higher than those in what seems to be the Red States.

[madeline_con]

28. They got this "nonlethal" idea in their heads...

Forgetting you can beat a guy to death with a pillow if you do it a certain way. :eyes:

[AX10]

35. That's a good idea. For every taser hit a cop gives...

they must recieve one too. That's fair. Maybe it will keep them from using them too often.

[T Town Jake]

2. BOTH.

n/t

[JVS]

34. agreed

[jody]

7. Tasers have a range of about 21 feet and are of questionable use against

a person trying to injure/kill you.

Handguns are the most effective/efficient tool for self-defense and will continue to be the first choice for law enforcement officers and law-abiding citizens.

[AX10]

8. Gun VS. Gun is fair, but if a suspect if merely being slow to comply...

with orders or refused to put their hands behind their back, there is no reason for the usage of a Taser. The taser should be used ONLY to deal with violent suspects. It's better to get a violent suspect down with a taser than to have to wrestle them to the ground

see this example of responsible leadership:

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11177198&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=222077&rfi=6

"With this device the Phoenix Police Department reduced its shootings by 70 percent," Vanderpool said. "It will be used in those situations where a Deputy would normally wrestle with a subject to subdue them, this will help to cut down on injuries."

[jody]

11. Special cases don't convince me that tasers are inherently bad.

Law enforcement officers can abuse any tool including guns, tasers, batons, and sprays. The solution is to train officers how to properly use such tools so first the officer is protected from an assault and second the person resisting arrest is not harmed.

[AX10]

15. While that is true, the taser is the new 'toy' so to speak and it's being.

abused. No excuse for this abuse along with any other abuses too. Tasers should be used only to subdue violent people, end of story!

[jody]

23. What method do you propose to subdue a person resisting arrest?

I suspect you and I disagree on the definition of a "violent person".

Police officers often are not accompanied by a partner so the burden of proof is on you to recommend tools and methods to deal with people who resist arrest.

Until you come up with a tool more effective than the generally nonlethal taser, I'll stand by my support of tasers used by trained officers.

[Liberal In Texas]

24. A radio.

Yes, a radio. Call for back-up. Four or five guys can pretty much subdue anyone.

[jody]

26. LMAO! Do you know that law enforcement offices are understaffed?

Would you help if an officer asked you for assistance?

Most suspects would escape if officers did not have some tool to help them subdue a suspect. Do you prefer that an officer use a club and beat the suspect until he/she was senseless?

[AX10]

30. True, especially if they are those 'big, burly' types.

[William769]

9. I love your 2 pics!

[jody]

12. Thanks, copy them and use freely because I cobbled them together. n/t

[bigwillq]

10. Guns (nt)

[HereSince1628]

13. Not routinely.

[AX10]

16. Not routienely?

.

[HereSince1628]

22. Well, I spelled it different, but yes. I am of the opinion that police

do not need to be armed with guns or tasers on a routine basis.

[AX10]

32. It's nice to know that there are actually many anti-taser people...

on this board.

[Swamp Rat]

14. Neither n/t

[Liberal In Texas]

17. I like the British method. No guns. Not unless specifically issued

for special reasons. (I know, the recent "execution" of the suspect in the Tube looks like they're cowboys, but they're really not.)

Most times, explosive situations can be taken care of without the use of firearms or tasers. The cop who stops you for speeding rarely needs a gun.

One of the problems, of course, is that so many people here have their own personal firearms. That is wrong as well. (OK, flame me.)

Guns are only good for one thing. Killing.

[AX10]

18. Guns are good for self defense in REAL life threatning situations only.

.

[Liberal In Texas]

19. If the perp doesn't take the thing away from you and use it ON you.

The self-defense motive has been proven to be a myth. You are more likely to hurt yourself, a member of your family, or have a criminal steal the thing than you are to use it as self-defense.

[Selatius]

20. That's because we have poor education practices with firearms

The only reason why so many people, including children, are killed is due to improper storage/handling of firearms in the home, and this is due to ignorance on apart of the owners/parents who keep these weapons around. Education is the answer. The Swiss are far, far ahead of the US on this point.

Banning guns entirely won't stop the smuggling of weapons into the US. It would be like Prohibition over again.

[Liberal In Texas]

21. I agree, actually. And if a gun is properly stored and has a trigger lock

etc. it is probably going to be worthless for self-defense if your home is invaded by some criminal.

[AX10]

29. If properly trained how to use a firearm and if we respect the power...

they hold, then we can safely own them.

[Wizard777]

25. Actually I have a problem with some carrying either one.

But That problem would go away if some of the IAD's would quit accepting, Yes I saw his finger and thought it was loaded as a justification for homicide.

[Jose Diablo]

27. Both

The policemen need a gun so they can shoot down a remaining bowling pin if they leave one standing, while off-duty of course. It is quite a sight to see a bowling pin hit with a round from a .357 S&W. The pin sort of explodes. Any way, without a gun, how can they do that?


Now as for the Tasers, not complaining mind you because it is a step in the right direction. BUT, 50,000 volts is too weak, it will only kill someone with a weak heart or if they are hit many times while held down.

I think a newer, better Tasers should be developed. Something with a bit more voltage, say 100,000 would be a good start. The truth is though, with any battery operated Taser there will be an upper limit of the power the device can deliver. A 100,000 volt Taser would definitely kill more cleanly, yet in the never ending quest for progress, I am sure a call would be made for the 1,000,000 Taser.

Now this Taser, at 1,000,000 volts, will for sure kill anything it hits, and maybe carbonize the perps too. Maybe a chemically powered Taser could reach these voltages, a battery won't. Now that, is where we can really sit back and say job well done. For a Taser that would not only kill, but eliminate all evidence by reducing the perp to ashes, THAT is when we can say the police have a good weapon. They wouldn't even need to process a report in this case, just sweep-up the ashes, thus improving their efficiency to new heights.

Yep, I'd say the police need both guns and Tasers.

[AX10]

33. Are you serious?

:wtf:?

[darkism]

31. Neither n/t