Snakes may have venom, but at least they are mere reptiles and not human beings that can press buttons to use a taser on a fellow man (or woman). Using tasers to fight terrorism seems like a silly idea unless you are making an arrest in a situation that involves direct conflict. Using tasers on an airplane to stop potential terrorists while in their seats is just plain insane.
From Wired:
A Canadian company called Lamperd Less Lethal is promoting the EMD Safety Bracelet. It's equipped with electro muscular disruption technology, which effectively short-circuits the central nervous system. Zap someone and they'll be completely immobile for several minutes.
The technology isn't new -- cops and security guards have been using it for years in tasers. What's new is the marketing approach. Lamperd is hawking the EMD bracelet as the ideal tool for fighting terrorists intent on taking over an airplane. [...]
Beyond preying on people's fears and insulting our intelligence, Lamperd is selling a product that's a horrible idea in the first place. Do you really want those bracelets on your flight? If hijackers get their hands the transmitter, they'll zap anyone standing in their way. Who's to say that in the chaos of an emergency a crew member will have time to identify the threat, activate the correct bracelet and fire the EMD pulse before the terrorist has control of the plane?
And then there's the possibility of random craziness. What if a flight attendant loses her cookies and zaps a passenger who wants to keep the whole can of CranApple juice? What about drunk passengers? Do you want the lush in 36D getting his hands on what is essentially a bracelet-mounted stun gun?
Flight attendants will and have thrown people off of planes for wearing t-shirts they don't like. How are we supposed to know that they won't use tasers on people that...gee, I don't know, are religious and pray?
If any, and I mean any airline gives this product more than a nanosecond of thought, then I am finished flying with a company that would jeopardize my safety in that way. It's bad enough that they jeopardize millions of passengers in others already.
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