Post by Woody Williams on Jan 4, 2006 19:45:11 GMT -5
Cops seize stun guns: Owner told police he needed Taser to fend off wildlife
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Alberta wildlife can breathe easy after authorities seized a Taser gun
at Windsor airport -- the owner told police he used it to fend off bears
and other creatures in the western wilderness.
"He carried it with him when he was alone, in case he had an altercation
with an animal," said Staff Sgt. Ed McNorton.
McNorton said the man, a miner from Fort McMurray, Alta., had the Taser
in his luggage when it went through an airport X-ray machine Monday.
Security personnel noticed it and called police, he said.
It was one of two stun gun seizures in four days by area police.
On Dec. 30, Leamington police seized a stun gun during a routine traffic
stop. Const. Kevin O'Neil said officers stopped a car carrying three
people on Oak Street and found an open liquor bottle inside. They
searched the vehicle and discovered a Scorpion SP100 brand stun gun
capable of delivering 100,000 volts of electricity.
"They go through clothing, jackets and everything else," said O'Neil.
Police don't know where the trio got the gun.
He said it's about the size of a cellphone. It was in a vinyl holster
with a belt clip and works on a nine volt battery. According to the Self
Defense Products Inc. website out of the United States, which sells the
gun, they're on sale for $16.95.
OLDER MODEL GUN
McNorton didn't know what brand the miner's gun was, but said it was an
older model that the owner had for some time.
Both guns require close contact with the individual receiving the shock.
McNorton said there is another type of stun gun that can be used from a
distance. It fires something similar to darts that are connected to
wires, he said, which convey the shock.
McNorton said the Windsor police tactical unit uses taser guns.
Leamington police don't have them, said O'Neil, but the force is trying
to get them into place this year.
Windsor and Leamington police both said they rarely seize this kind of
weapon from the public. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're not
here.
"With the Internet it is available," said McNorton. "If you made a
concentrated effort, you could find one. There always seems to be a
way."
McNorton said carrying a taser gun is illegal in Canada. He said the one
seized at the airport didn't have batteries in it, but that doesn't
matter.
"You still can't have it," said McNorton.
The trio that Leamington police stopped are charged with possession of a
prohibited weapon. The driver is also charged with having more than the
legal limit of alcohol in his blood. O'Neil said police won't release
their names until their first court appearance on Feb. 2.
Possession of a Taser carries a maximum 10-year sentence for a first
offence, he said.
McNorton said the miner was not charged but his stun gun will be
destroyed.
He said Tasers are allowed in some parts of the United States, but the
rules vary from state to state. Sgt. Eren Stephens of the Detroit police
said they're illegal in Michigan.
The Scorpion SP 100 website says a stun gun attacks the muscular and
neural system with a high voltage, low amperage shock.
With three to five seconds of contact, a person's neuromuscular system
is overwhelmed, causing loss of balance and muscle control, confusion
and disorientation.
The person will fully recover in five to 10 minutes.
A stun gun's effect on bears and other critters is less certain.
"I haven't heard of any studies done on that," said Windsor police Sgt.
Greg Jolie.
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Alberta wildlife can breathe easy after authorities seized a Taser gun
at Windsor airport -- the owner told police he used it to fend off bears
and other creatures in the western wilderness.
"He carried it with him when he was alone, in case he had an altercation
with an animal," said Staff Sgt. Ed McNorton.
McNorton said the man, a miner from Fort McMurray, Alta., had the Taser
in his luggage when it went through an airport X-ray machine Monday.
Security personnel noticed it and called police, he said.
It was one of two stun gun seizures in four days by area police.
On Dec. 30, Leamington police seized a stun gun during a routine traffic
stop. Const. Kevin O'Neil said officers stopped a car carrying three
people on Oak Street and found an open liquor bottle inside. They
searched the vehicle and discovered a Scorpion SP100 brand stun gun
capable of delivering 100,000 volts of electricity.
"They go through clothing, jackets and everything else," said O'Neil.
Police don't know where the trio got the gun.
He said it's about the size of a cellphone. It was in a vinyl holster
with a belt clip and works on a nine volt battery. According to the Self
Defense Products Inc. website out of the United States, which sells the
gun, they're on sale for $16.95.
OLDER MODEL GUN
McNorton didn't know what brand the miner's gun was, but said it was an
older model that the owner had for some time.
Both guns require close contact with the individual receiving the shock.
McNorton said there is another type of stun gun that can be used from a
distance. It fires something similar to darts that are connected to
wires, he said, which convey the shock.
McNorton said the Windsor police tactical unit uses taser guns.
Leamington police don't have them, said O'Neil, but the force is trying
to get them into place this year.
Windsor and Leamington police both said they rarely seize this kind of
weapon from the public. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're not
here.
"With the Internet it is available," said McNorton. "If you made a
concentrated effort, you could find one. There always seems to be a
way."
McNorton said carrying a taser gun is illegal in Canada. He said the one
seized at the airport didn't have batteries in it, but that doesn't
matter.
"You still can't have it," said McNorton.
The trio that Leamington police stopped are charged with possession of a
prohibited weapon. The driver is also charged with having more than the
legal limit of alcohol in his blood. O'Neil said police won't release
their names until their first court appearance on Feb. 2.
Possession of a Taser carries a maximum 10-year sentence for a first
offence, he said.
McNorton said the miner was not charged but his stun gun will be
destroyed.
He said Tasers are allowed in some parts of the United States, but the
rules vary from state to state. Sgt. Eren Stephens of the Detroit police
said they're illegal in Michigan.
The Scorpion SP 100 website says a stun gun attacks the muscular and
neural system with a high voltage, low amperage shock.
With three to five seconds of contact, a person's neuromuscular system
is overwhelmed, causing loss of balance and muscle control, confusion
and disorientation.
The person will fully recover in five to 10 minutes.
A stun gun's effect on bears and other critters is less certain.
"I haven't heard of any studies done on that," said Windsor police Sgt.
Greg Jolie.
