If you were to believe the reasoning of representatives from Taser International you would be led to believe that Tasers don't kill people, people kill people. Thankfully, British Columbia's Supreme Court didn't accept the company's arguments and threw out a bid to quash a public inquiry report that found its products can kill.
In recent years there have been numerous examples of people dying after being hit by energy weapons. In most cases, some underlying medical condition is often to blame, but there can be little doubt that the weapon, especially if misused, can lead to death.
Following the inquiry into the death of a Polish immigrant in a Vancouver airport in October 2007, commissioner Thomas Braidwood concluded that Tasers have the capacity to affect the heart and trigger a fatal arrhythmia. He said it's difficult to quantify that risk, but admitted its low.
It was no surprise then when the Arizona company that makes the weapon fired back taking legal action to have the inquiry's findings thrown out. After all, numerous law enforcement agencies rely on its product to help keep the peace.
The company argued Braidwood's findings ignored dozens of medical studies provided by Taser International, but B.C. Supreme Court Judge Robert Sewell said the retired judge did look at the opinions of medical experts and his findings were reasonable.
Braidwood is not calling for a ban on Tasers, nor should he. But he suggested restrictions be placed on their use to avoid a repeat of what happened when an excited and disoriented Robert Dziekanski was shocked multiple times by RCMP officers.
The fact remains that Tasers are a viable alternative to deadly force. There will still be times when officers are called on to use a firearm, but it has to be reassuring for them to know they can use the Taser to bring a suspect under control so he or she can't harm others or themselves. That makes them worth their weight in gold.
