The Myth Of Taser Deaths

The Myth Of Taser Deaths

Tasers (a brand of stun gun) used by police have been wrongly blamed for some high profile deaths in recent years. However, subsequent investigations have shown that the deaths were mainly caused by outside influences and not the stun gun itself. Most of the individuals who died after contact with a stun gun were under the influence of mind-altering drugs like cocaine. According to research, the presence of cocaine in the bloodstream increases the “shock” from a stun gun by 50 to 100 percent.

Source: Ten researchers led by Dr D Lakkireddy from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio, and reported in the August 2006 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

So, it isn’t actually the stun gun, but the presence of “illegal” drugs that was the catalyst. Without the presence of drugs in their system, they would have experienced a mild shock. The charge generated from a stun gun alone cannot cause death. Two to five milliamps simply isn’t enough amperage to cause death to a human being. However, when that amperage is increased by outside influences, the stun gun, or the user can’t be blamed.