Guns, taser or pepper spray for security on the road?

Content from: Texas RV Travel Blog

I was on a RVing forum this weekend and there was a discussion going on about guns and other forms of self protection. Specifically, what women with children camping alone should have for protection. I never carried anything for protection when camping. I always thought guns were for bears and mountain lions and they did not hang out at Lake Travis in Texas.

The only time I even thought about protection is when my son and I went to Arizona and my girlfriend rented a party barge. We cruised around a huge lake and found a great place to camp. Besides for some bad luck with the barge engine, we had a great time. When we took the barge back to the marina, we were watching the TV and saw that a bear had mauled someone on the lake, close to where we were camping. My girlfriend and I looked at each other and said, “Bears? They have bears here?” I felt so stupid.

Well, we decided we would not be camping again until we had some sort of protection. We knew we could not get a gun immediately, so we went looking for alternatives like mace pepper spray. Then I remembered this joke that was going around about bears and pepper spray:

We advise that campers and hunters wear noisy little bells on their clothing so as not to startle bears. We also advise carrying pepper spray. You should also be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat. Black bear droppings are smaller and contain lots of berries and squirrel fur. Grizzly bear dung has little bells in it and smells like pepper spray. LOL

After we finished laughing, we decided we needed a stun gun. We went looking for a sporting goods store, hoping to find what we needed there. We spent most of the day looking for the right stun gun or taser.

While we were shopping, my son grabbed a taser and said, “I wonder if this hurts?” Before I could stop him, he stunned himself, right there in the middle of the store. We decided that neither a gun nor stun gun was a good idea for us with this crazy adolescent child around.

While considering our options, I was talking to a couple that were in the store. They were looking to buy a stun gun that day because they were leaving for home in their RV and they said it could not be shipped to where they lived in Wisconsin.

I asked the clerk in the sporting goods store if this was true, and he told me that there are several states that allow the purchase and use of fire arms but not stun guns nor tasers. I was surprised to find that Hawaii, Michigan, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and New Jersey will not allow their residents to purchase stun guns.

I do not see the sense in this. If you can shoot and kill someone who is attacking you, why would the government not allow you to stun them? A stun gun or taser does not kill but only incapacitates people. Ask my son, he will tell you. LOL

The purchase of guns is so regulated now that people are buying them on the streets. Now some states are limiting other, non-lethal, choices. How are we to protect ourselves? What do you think about the limits on our personal freedom of choice of weapon?

If you need self-protection and do not live in the above named states, you may want to visit Self Defense Security Surveillance Protection, sponsor of this post. They have all sorts of gadgets for securing your home, family and business.

San Antonio Lawmaker Wants to Regulate Stun Guns

Stun guns and tasers are not just for police. But one lawmaker here wants the state to regulate these weapons to help keep you safe.

The San Antonio Police Department says there is nothing to protect them from a criminal using a stun gun or a taser. That is why they want to see the laws changed.

A taser can deliver 50,000 volts of electricity.

State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer staged a taser demonstration Thursday with police to make a point. "We have no law today that outlaws or requires any sort of licensing that sets up rules as to how citizens can acquire and obtain tasers."

So Martinez Fischer has filed a bill, that if passed, would have the public treating tasers like concealed handguns. "So in other words, if you are going to have a taser, you have to apply through the Department of Public Safety. You have to undergo training, just like you do for your concealed weapon, and you have to qualify."

Officers say a taser has the potential to do a lot of harm to the public and to police.

That is why Martinez Fischer doesn't want to see stun guns getting into the wrong hands.

Right now this stun gun bill is going through the law enforcement committee.

If passed, anyone caught carrying a taser without a permit could go to jail.

Posted By: Maritza Nunez

Board puts off vote on Taser use in hospital

Christiana Care would be the first Delaware hospital to outfit its constables with Taser weapons under a plan being considered by the state Board of Examiners of Constables.

The board, which this week delayed a decision on allowing the weapons, will not vote until the Council on Police Training has an opportunity to consider the adoption of uniform statewide standards for Taser use by police officers, said Col. Thomas F. MacLeish, Delaware State Police superintendent and chairman of the examining board. That discussion is scheduled for an April 17 meeting.

Jeff Benyo, Christiana's director of public safety, said the request to arm constables was not due to a recent rash of violence at local hospitals.

"It's just another option or tool that's available out there that's been shown to be effective," he said.

No other hospital in the state has plans to equip its security officers with Tasers or electronic stun guns.

But at the national level, there's been a slight increase in discussions about adding those weapons to hospital security measures, said Tom Smith, president of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety, a 1,600-member organization of professionals who direct security and safety programs in health care institutions.

The association has not taken a position on the issue. Smith said less than 5 percent of hospitals have security personnel equipped with Taser weapons.

"If the threat level gets beyond the point where the patient can't be controlled, the rules of engagement are different," Smith said. "It occurs when the patients can't be controlled using the typical patient-restraint techniques [such as physical holds]."

Smith said a hospital needs to consider the response time of its local police agency and whether it experiences a high number of assaults.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services do not consider the use of weapons as a safe, appropriate way to intervene in health care settings. Those weapons include pepper spray, Mace, nightsticks, Tasers and stun guns.

MacLeish has said that Christiana already has general approval from the board for its constables to carry firearms, although none of them currently does. He favors allowing the use of Tasers, with proper training.

Last month, state police were called to Christiana Hospital near Stanton after a contractor allegedly punched his supervisor and attacked him with pepper spray and a knife.

And recently at Wilmington Hospital, a patient who did not want to be discharged grabbed a nurse and struck an officer.

Christiana Care uses about 40 privately paid constables to provide security at both of its hospitals.

Its policy calls for Tasers to be used on people who pose an imminent risk of violence to others.

"Our staff is highly trained already," Benyo said. "This is giving them another option. It's a secondary option."

Rita Marocco, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Delaware, said using a 50,000-volt Taser on patients who already have serious health problems could put them more at risk.

"I think it's a bad move," she said. "Police officers are still struggling to figure out how to use them properly and they've had them for years."

She said better training for constables would eliminate the need for Taser weapons.

"You cannot replace good training with objects that are going to cause potential harm," she said. "They need to put that money toward training to deal with an unruly patient."

This article contains information from the Associated Press. Contact Hiran Ratnayake at 324-2547 or hratnayake@delawareonline.com.

christiana Care seeks to equip constables with electronic guns
By HIRAN RATNAYAKE, The News Journal

Texas Bills Would Limit Use of Stun Guns

Feb. 27--AUSTIN -- State Rep. Lon Burnam is taking his effort to put more oversight to how law enforcement agencies use Tasers or other stun guns back to the drawing board.

Burnam, a Fort Worth Democrat, scrapped his original bill to limit the use of electroshock weapons by police and replaced it Monday with four separate pieces of legislation that would require uniform training standards and reporting procedures for all police agencies in the state. The package would also require officers to obtain medical help for anyone they use a stun gun on and prohibit their use by anyone without proper training.

Another lawmaker, state Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, filed a bill that would place a one-year moratorium on police use of stun guns so that state officials can evaluate their effectiveness.

Burnam said his legislation would better ensure that the weapons are used safely by both police and civilians.

"It can be a great tool for law enforcement if used correctly, and that's why a statewide training program is so important," Burnam said. "I think both law enforcement and civilians recognize the importance of proper training and monitoring of Taser use."

But Charley Wilkison, a spokesman for the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, warned that the initiatives by the two Democrats could have unintended and even deadly consequences for officers and suspects.

"You have to ask if these edicts from the top of the mountain would be better than having local law enforcement agencies that are responsive to their local communities setting the policies and guidelines for and standards for the use of these devices," said Wilkinson, whose organization represents about 15,000 Texas officers.

Coleman said his bill to halt the use of stun guns would force Texas police to review policies, which would result in greater public safety.

"At times, Tasers have been used improperly by law enforcement officers to subdue individuals who do not pose a serious danger to themselves or others, including the mentally ill," Coleman said.

IN THE KNOW

What they'd do

Bills filed Monday that would affect the use of Tasers and other stun guns by police and civilians:

House Bill 1933 by Burnam would require every Texas law enforcement agency to develop a policy for stun-gun use.

House Bill 1934 by Burnam would direct the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education to create a statewide training program for the weapons' use by officers.

House Bill 1935 by Burnam would prohibit civilians from carrying a stun gun without a license and training.

House Bill 1936 by Burnam would require police to summon medical help for anyone they use a stun gun on.

House Bill 1304 by Coleman would place a one-year moratorium on police use of the shock weapons.

Texas Bills Would Limit Use of Stun Guns

Feb. 27--AUSTIN -- State Rep. Lon Burnam is taking his effort to put more oversight to how law enforcement agencies use Tasers or other stun guns back to the drawing board.

Burnam, a Fort Worth Democrat, scrapped his original bill to limit the use of electroshock weapons by police and replaced it Monday with four separate pieces of legislation that would require uniform training standards and reporting procedures for all police agencies in the state. The package would also require officers to obtain medical help for anyone they use a stun gun on and prohibit their use by anyone without proper training.

Another lawmaker, state Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, filed a bill that would place a one-year moratorium on police use of stun guns so that state officials can evaluate their effectiveness.

Burnam said his legislation would better ensure that the weapons are used safely by both police and civilians.

"It can be a great tool for law enforcement if used correctly, and that's why a statewide training program is so important," Burnam said. "I think both law enforcement and civilians recognize the importance of proper training and monitoring of Taser use."

But Charley Wilkison, a spokesman for the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, warned that the initiatives by the two Democrats could have unintended and even deadly consequences for officers and suspects.

"You have to ask if these edicts from the top of the mountain would be better than having local law enforcement agencies that are responsive to their local communities setting the policies and guidelines for and standards for the use of these devices," said Wilkinson, whose organization represents about 15,000 Texas officers.

Coleman said his bill to halt the use of stun guns would force Texas police to review policies, which would result in greater public safety.

"At times, Tasers have been used improperly by law enforcement officers to subdue individuals who do not pose a serious danger to themselves or others, including the mentally ill," Coleman said.

IN THE KNOW

What they'd do

Bills filed Monday that would affect the use of Tasers and other stun guns by police and civilians:

House Bill 1933 by Burnam would require every Texas law enforcement agency to develop a policy for stun-gun use.

House Bill 1934 by Burnam would direct the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education to create a statewide training program for the weapons' use by officers.

House Bill 1935 by Burnam would prohibit civilians from carrying a stun gun without a license and training.

House Bill 1936 by Burnam would require police to summon medical help for anyone they use a stun gun on.

House Bill 1304 by Coleman would place a one-year moratorium on police use of the shock weapons.

Sister of shooting victim works to get guns off Brockton streets

(Isn't it more like - - - 'shooting victim' is actually 'victim' of someone's violence who used a gun' who could have used a knife or a vehicle - so lets round up all illegal knives and cars and let the criminals back out unto the neighborhoods because of social and political programs - Hello! Wake up people it is NOT guns! It is violent PEOPLE!)

By Mike Underwood, Enterprise special correspondent
BROCKTON — The heartbroken sister of shooting victim Jason Fernandes is urging parents to get behind a campaign to rid the city's streets of illegal guns.

“For me, this campaign is very important. Parents should be more on top of their children and should educate them more about violence and guns,” said 30-year-old Elisa Fernandes.

Texas Bills Would Limit Use of Stun Guns

Feb. 27--AUSTIN -- State Rep. Lon Burnam is taking his effort to put more oversight to how law enforcement agencies use Tasers or other stun guns back to the drawing board.

Burnam, a Fort Worth Democrat, scrapped his original bill to limit the use of electroshock weapons by police and replaced it Monday with four separate pieces of legislation that would require uniform training standards and reporting procedures for all police agencies in the state. The package would also require officers to obtain medical help for anyone they use a stun gun on and prohibit their use by anyone without proper training.

Another lawmaker, state Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, filed a bill that would place a one-year moratorium on police use of stun guns so that state officials can evaluate their effectiveness.

Burnam said his legislation would better ensure that the weapons are used safely by both police and civilians.

"It can be a great tool for law enforcement if used correctly, and that's why a statewide training program is so important," Burnam said. "I think both law enforcement and civilians recognize the importance of proper training and monitoring of Taser use."

But Charley Wilkison, a spokesman for the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, warned that the initiatives by the two Democrats could have unintended and even deadly consequences for officers and suspects.

"You have to ask if these edicts from the top of the mountain would be better than having local law enforcement agencies that are responsive to their local communities setting the policies and guidelines for and standards for the use of these devices," said Wilkinson, whose organization represents about 15,000 Texas officers.

Coleman said his bill to halt the use of stun guns would force Texas police to review policies, which would result in greater public safety.

"At times, Tasers have been used improperly by law enforcement officers to subdue individuals who do not pose a serious danger to themselves or others, including the mentally ill," Coleman said.

IN THE KNOW

What they'd do

Bills filed Monday that would affect the use of Tasers and other stun guns by police and civilians:

House Bill 1933 by Burnam would require every Texas law enforcement agency to develop a policy for stun-gun use.

House Bill 1934 by Burnam would direct the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education to create a statewide training program for the weapons' use by officers.

House Bill 1935 by Burnam would prohibit civilians from carrying a stun gun without a license and training.

House Bill 1936 by Burnam would require police to summon medical help for anyone they use a stun gun on.

House Bill 1304 by Coleman would place a one-year moratorium on police use of the shock weapons.

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John Moritz, 512-476-4294 jmoritz@star-telegram.com

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