StunGun.com\'s President Sees Bizarre and Controversial News Reports of Stun Gun Use as Typical
As the controversy surrounding stun guns continues to smolder, the focus on law enforcement\'s misuse of stun guns is intensifying in the form of bizarre or controversial news reports.


/Guns and Firearms News Articles/ - BOSTON, Massachusetts - April 15, 2005 - (StunGun.com) As the controversy surrounding stun guns continues to smolder, the focus on law enforcement's misuse of stun guns is intensifying in the form of bizarre or controversial news reports. According to a nationally recognized security expert, this is typical.

"Stun gun use is a hot issue," said Robert Siciliano, president of StunGun.com. "The technology in its current form is alarming to many people even though stun guns save lives. Adverse reactions from the public will grow with the spread of this technology until law enforcement's governing agencies develop responsible guidelines and publicize these."

An expert in personal security and identity theft, Siciliano is author of "The Safety Minute: 01." He has been featured on CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, and CNBC.

In columns on March 13 and April 3, Jim Kouri, CPP, vice president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, drew on Siciliano's expertise regarding law enforcement's use of stun guns. On March 8, KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh interviewed Siciliano about the safety of stun guns and StunGun.com's pertinence to the industry.

In its March 25 edition, the Charlotte Business Journal quoted Siciliano on business developments in the stun gun industry. The Feb. 11 edition of The New York Post mentioned StunGun.com in its business pages.

News reports surrounding law enforcement's alleged misuse of stun guns have run the gamut. Many stories have been bizarre, controversial, or both:

-As reported by Henry Pierson Curtis of the Sun-Sentinel on April 6, a woman wrote a letter to the Orlando Sentinel editor last month calling Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary "fat." Beary had willingly and publicly subjected himself to a stun gun shot to prove the weapon's safety. The woman's letter was in response to his actions.

-NewsTarget.com reported on April 8 that a man in Florida arrested for alleged drug use and soon thereafter hospitalized refused to give a urine sample. According to the report, a police officer used a stun gun to shoot the man, who was handcuffed and secured with leather straps to a bed at the time.

-Angela Rozas of the Chicago Tribune reported on March 15 that an altercation in Berwyn, Ill., between a 17-year-old student and a police officer, both on a high school's grounds, led the police officer to shoot the boy with a stun gun. According to the article, the boy first shoved the police officer. Police charged the boy with aggravated assault. An ABC 7 Chicago report quotes the boy's family's attorney questioning why police are using stun guns at schools.

-The Associated Press reported an earlier high school stun gun incident on March 4. A police officer used a stun gun to shoot a 15-year-old girl who the article reports had become "unruly."

-ABC News and others reported an early March incident at a Chuck E. Cheese in Aurora, Colo. Police employed a stun gun to subdue a man who, accused of not paying for use of the salad bar, allegedly shoved an officer.

"Something obviously went awry in many of these incidents," said Siciliano, "It is understandable for people to raise their eyebrows—especially when journalists craft eye-grabbing headlines such as 'Man Hit with Stun Gun at Salad Bar' or 'Man Shot With Stun Gun for Refusing Urine Sample.' Placement of blame on the instrument, the stun gun, and on law enforcement, in general, is a mistake."

"Those who berate law enforcement for using stun guns might do well to tone down their rhetoric," Siciliano concluded. "Decision-makers have trouble entertaining legitimate solutions, which rarely rise above the din of hyperbole emanating from stun guns' foes."

Arizona-based Taser International is the largest manufacturer of stun guns. Another stun gun manufacturer is North Carolina-based Law Enforcement Associates Corporation. According to an April 13 report by The Associated Press, Stinger Systems, a second North Carolina stun gun firm, has begun shipping its own stun gun, similar to Taser's, to police departments, pri.

As reported in depth by the Charlotte Business Journal, Stinger Systems nixed plans to relocate to Springfield, Mass., home of the venerable firearms manufacturer Smith and Wesson. Former Smith and Wesson executives who were to assume leadership roles at Stinger have since left the North Carolina firm, which Robert Gruder continues to head.

Further Related Resources:


Press Release Contact Information:

Robert Siciliano
StunGun.com
President
P.O. Box 15145
Boston, MA
United States 02215
Voice: 800-788-6486
Fax: 877-232-9669
Website: Visit Our Website