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Should we let civilians have Tasers? (Stock image / December 4, 2012) |
"My question [about someone using a stun gun for defense] would be, when can you use them?" Lawlor asks. "Could you use one against a Cowboys fan at a sports bar?" (Obviously, that's coming from a loyal New York Giants supporter.)
It is legal in Connecticut to own and keep an electronic defense weapon in your home. A representative of Hoffman's Gun Center in Newington, one of the largest gun stores in this state, says they do occasionally sell a Taser for home defense use (at a price of more than $300), but the buyer must then contact the manufacturer to have the device activated.
Taser officials say they now require identity verification and a criminal background check for private individuals who buy the company's electronic weapons before the stun guns can be made ready to fire.
While Connecticut law enforcement types may have originally supported banning electronic weapons from the hands of private citizens, they seem to have changed their tune.
In 2011, officials of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association favored creation of a stun-gun permitting system similar to the one now used to allow people to carry handguns.
"Although it would require some additional work for police agencies, there would be a benefit to public safety in that citizens reluctant to carry firearms could provide for their own defense using less lethal devices," the chiefs said in written testimony submitted at a legislative public hearing. "We further appreciate that user error would be less likely to be fatal than with a firearm."
Wilson says that, while he personally would recommend a pistol for folks worried about their public safety, he's all in favor of legalizing stun guns.
According to Wilson, using one of those on a bad guy would be "better than begging and pleading with a rapist or a murderer."
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