Greens oppose stun guns

NSW Greens MP Lee Rhiannon has called on the NSW Labor government to drop a current trial of taser stun guns after one of the weapons caused the death of a teenager in the United States on November 1. It is expected that the NSW government will announce before next March's state election that stun guns will be given to 7000 NSW police on general duties.

The stun guns cause two metal probes to be shot into a victim, discharging 50,000 volts for five seconds. Those on the receiving end typically fall to the ground, wet themselves and lose control of all motor functions. An Amnesty International report released earlier this year reported 156 deaths caused by police use of stun guns.

From GLW issue 689