French police love the Taser gun, but American colleagues are increasingly reluctant to carry the device

The American-made Taser gun is rapidly conquering the hearts of the French men of law and order. French police have already 1,300 Taser guns in use, the Gendarmerie will soon get 700 of them, and the government is requesting tenders for arming prison guards with Tasers.

The Taser gun is designed to temporarily paralyze a person, and works up to a distance of 6.5 meters. The gun sends an electronic 50,000 volts shockwave through the body, which affects the nervous system of the person at the receiving end.

Publicly, French police love the Taser because “it makes their work easier and gives them more respect“, but equally relevant is the comment that Tasers have “reduced injuries to officers by 82%“.

With a total Taser penetration of 2,000 (and counting), the French police force will have nearly half the amount of Taser guns as the American and Canadian police force combined.

And it’s in America where the Taser could already be on the way out. In the USA, the gun is said to be linked to dozens of deaths across the country. Commercial interests are so high that the makers of the Taser gun have even filed a lawsuit against a medical examiner, challenging her rulings that have linked the weapon to two deaths.

As a result, police, who initially hailed the Taser as a life-saving alternative to firearms, are growing increasingly reluctant to carry the device.

Amnesty International is fiercely opposed to the use of the Taser gun, and wants a moratorium until an independent investigation proves that no risks are involved with it. Amnesty claims that, since 2001, over 150 people have been killed by a Taser gun in the USA.

There are no French figures available yet. But if the Amnesty figures are correct, France could statistically have 75 Taser deaths in the next five years.

First recorded abuse of the Taser gun in France. This girl accidentally ended up in a riot in Lyon, and was tasered twice by police after she was arrested. (Commentary in French)

Source (France) | Source (USA) | Taser website | Anti-Taser campaign in France