UF student Andrew Meyer is tased at a John Kerry speech after asking Kerry some tough questions.

Tasers were introduced as less-lethal weapons to be used by police to subdue fleeing,  or potentially dangerous subjects. However, following instances of Taser use which have resulted in severe injury and death, I believe tasers should be banned. Certainly, as a libertarian, I don’t support a federal ban on tasers, but would encourage local advocates of civil rights and liberties to encourage their local authorities to ban the instruments.

At NolanChart, Michael McDonnough presents a plethora of evidence of taser abuse by officers. Tasers are used by roughly two-thirds of the nation’s law enforcement agencies, but the consequences are drastic:

•A study from Rosalind Franklin University of Medical Science found that tasers (not surprisingly) impair cognitive functioning;

•The instruments are being used by officers to enforce police orders, to retaliate against handcuffed suspects who are being difficult, and as punishment in prisons;

•Thus, tasers have become weapons of choice for officers in essentially any situation they feel the need to use the taser.

Lord Acton would agree with me: Eliminate the taser from the hands of its abusers.