Stun Guns Subdue Mentally Ill Safely

In a culture where using lethal force to subdue a mentally ill or underage citizen is unacceptable, the stun gun is making a name for itself – in a positive way.

Public Schools
Sadly, students in the public school systems across America are becoming more and more violent. School Resource Officers (SROs) are facing students who are increasingly destructive and dangerous. Many SROs are armed with firearms in keeping with their status as members of a law enforcement agency. Other SROs, who are not part of the local constabulary, may or may not pack a 9 mm weapon, depending on the community. Virtually all officers do carry pepper spray along with handcuffs on their utility belts.

Increasingly, SROs are now adding stun guns to their weapons list. The reasons are pretty clear given that no one wants to see a youngster of any age cut down. The trouble is that not only are the acts of violence more heinous, they are being committed by students in lower and lower grade levels, including elementary school. Sadly, primary school kids make the news for bring serious weapons to class along with pencils and rulers.

SROs are committed to supporting a safe environment for learning – and teaching – and that means they are required to intervene in dangerous situations on a regular basis. Rather than blowing away an armed middle school student, they are opting to intervene using a stun gun. The result: situation defused and no lasting damage done to anyone.

Mentally Ill Citizens
Inside mental institutions, if somebody goes berserk and starts breaking up the joint, the guys in white coats show up en masse, tackle the patient, and shoot him up with Thorazine or some other tranquilizer. Good plan – if it works. What if nobody can get close enough or if the patient has a weapon like a heavy lamp base or a knife? Then what?

And what about a situation in the real world – outside a hospital – when somebody loses control and becomes a very real danger to himself or others?

That’s where Tasers and other non lethal weapons are particularly useful. Tasers can interrupt some behaviors from a distance of up to fifteen feet, making it possible for law enforcement or security personnel to get close enough to subdue the individual with a minimum of danger.

Dozens of reports describe non lethal interventions when unhappy individuals are ready, willing, and able to commit suicide. The barbed probe of a Taser, followed by the high voltage charge, can significantly interfere with the intent is self-inflicted damage. The goal is to interrupt self defeating behavior long enough for officials to remove the weapon before it can be used.

Stun guns are also useful when an upset causes someone to become a threat to another person. The instability of domestic situations is notoriously dangerous for officers who respond to calls for help. In such cases, both the perpetrator and the victim can turn on deputies.

Having a stun gun available as an intervention tool provides a viable option that does the job but does not endanger lives.