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Nevada bill would let some teens have stun guns
By ELIZABETH WHITE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - A bill to regulate the use of stun guns in Nevada would allow teens 14 years or older to possess the weapons - a provision that worried some who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
AB123, passed earlier without opposition in the Assembly, would codify new regulations on stun guns, allowing civilians to keep them only for self-defense and prohibiting convicted felons from having them.
"We're doing this to bring the Nevada Revised Statutes in line with current technology regarding less-than-lethal stun devices," said Frank Adams, director of the Nevada Sheriffs and Chiefs Association. "What we're trying to do is deal with these things as they become more prevalent in the community."
Adams said the bill would help keep the weapons from being used during crimes. But others said that allowing teens to have the weapons, even if they must get their parents' permission, could be dangerous.
"I'm not sure a 14-year-old is responsible enough to take a life-or-death situation into their own hands," said Fritz Schlottman, a Nevada Department of Corrections administrator.
Schlottman said students who get into a fight might start "blasting each other," adding that the appearance of the device is misleading and could lead to shootings with firearms.
"It looks like a gun except for two yellow stripes," he said. "So it gives you a false sense of security. If you pull it on a criminal, you're going to have a shooting. ... If you pull it on a police officer, you're going to have a shooting."
Sen. Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, wondered if the guns, which have enough power to disable a grown man, could hurt teens.
Lt. Stan Olsen, a lobbyist for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said the guns wouldn't kill the teens, but added that its advocates aren't married to the provision that lets juveniles have them.
Judiciary Chairman Sen. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, asked the committee if it wanted to amend out the language governing juveniles, but no motion was made.
Under the bill, it would be a category B felony for felony convicts or fugitives to possess or use the guns, and it would be a category D felony for illegals and those who have been in a mental health facility to have the weapons.
Little was said about a national controversy surrounding law enforcement use of the guns. Under the bill, officers who use the guns on duty would be exempt from the restrictions.
Following multiple deaths in Northern California after police officers' use of Tasers - the brand name of the device used most often in law enforcement - public safety officials throughout the country have been moving to restrict, and in some cases ban, the use of stunning devices in their departments.
Police chiefs in Jacksonville and Chicago have taken Tasers out of officers' hands pending further study. The Georgia Legislature is considering banning the use of the stun guns by residents and police.
Scottsdale, Arizona-based Taser International defends the devices, saying they do not generate enough electrical current to stop the heart and blaming the deaths on intoxication or health problems exacerbated by police chases.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2005/apr/21/042110256.html
By ELIZABETH WHITE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - A bill to regulate the use of stun guns in Nevada would allow teens 14 years or older to possess the weapons - a provision that worried some who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
AB123, passed earlier without opposition in the Assembly, would codify new regulations on stun guns, allowing civilians to keep them only for self-defense and prohibiting convicted felons from having them.
"We're doing this to bring the Nevada Revised Statutes in line with current technology regarding less-than-lethal stun devices," said Frank Adams, director of the Nevada Sheriffs and Chiefs Association. "What we're trying to do is deal with these things as they become more prevalent in the community."
Adams said the bill would help keep the weapons from being used during crimes. But others said that allowing teens to have the weapons, even if they must get their parents' permission, could be dangerous.
"I'm not sure a 14-year-old is responsible enough to take a life-or-death situation into their own hands," said Fritz Schlottman, a Nevada Department of Corrections administrator.
Schlottman said students who get into a fight might start "blasting each other," adding that the appearance of the device is misleading and could lead to shootings with firearms.
"It looks like a gun except for two yellow stripes," he said. "So it gives you a false sense of security. If you pull it on a criminal, you're going to have a shooting. ... If you pull it on a police officer, you're going to have a shooting."
Sen. Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, wondered if the guns, which have enough power to disable a grown man, could hurt teens.
Lt. Stan Olsen, a lobbyist for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said the guns wouldn't kill the teens, but added that its advocates aren't married to the provision that lets juveniles have them.
Judiciary Chairman Sen. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, asked the committee if it wanted to amend out the language governing juveniles, but no motion was made.
Under the bill, it would be a category B felony for felony convicts or fugitives to possess or use the guns, and it would be a category D felony for illegals and those who have been in a mental health facility to have the weapons.
Little was said about a national controversy surrounding law enforcement use of the guns. Under the bill, officers who use the guns on duty would be exempt from the restrictions.
Following multiple deaths in Northern California after police officers' use of Tasers - the brand name of the device used most often in law enforcement - public safety officials throughout the country have been moving to restrict, and in some cases ban, the use of stunning devices in their departments.
Police chiefs in Jacksonville and Chicago have taken Tasers out of officers' hands pending further study. The Georgia Legislature is considering banning the use of the stun guns by residents and police.
Scottsdale, Arizona-based Taser International defends the devices, saying they do not generate enough electrical current to stop the heart and blaming the deaths on intoxication or health problems exacerbated by police chases.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2005/apr/21/042110256.html
