Did You See 60 Minutes Segment on Tasers?

Some villagers have asked what I thought of the 60 Minutes' segment titled, 'Taser: An Officer's Weapon of Choice'. Personally, I thought that it was a puff piece that could have been filmed entirely by the public relations department of Taser International.

The show indicates that only two (2) people have died as a result of being electrocuted by a taser gun. Of course, it seems to me that over 500 people have been killed by taser guns over the past few years ... at a rate of once per week in the United States alone. There is quite a bit of difference between two taser-related deaths and 500+ taser-related deaths. 

I did learn new things from the 60 Minutes' piece. For example, I truly didn't know that the manufacture and sale of taser guns is not regulated like any other lethal weapon. Instead, the regulations is no more stringent than that placed on the manufacture and sale of a screwdriver or a hammer.

Also, I admire the entrepreneurial aspects of the Taser International story. These two siblings in Arizona took an idea ... worked on it in their backyard ... and now they have a multimillion dollar business. You can't argue with their business plan or their aggressive marketing of the taser guns to police departments around the country.  

The scary part is that they are now looking to market the taser guns to households. Scary when you realize that (supposedly) trained law enforcement officers are killing people on a weekly basis with the device.

In case you missed the show ... here is the full 13-minute episode for your viewing pleasure:





What was your opinion of the show?