Texas HB 418 - Requiring that Use of Tasers Meet Deadly Force Justification

**TXCharlie** · 01-08-07, 02:24 AM

Just wondered your opinion of HB 418, which has been introduced in the Texas Legislature on 12/21/06 by Texas State Representative Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth)

You're probably not gonna like it...
Text: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs...l/HB00418I.htm
Tracking: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLoo...80R&Bill=HB418

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to restricting the justified use of a Taser by a peace
officer and certain other persons.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter E, Chapter 9, Penal Code, is amended
by adding Section 9.54 to read as follows:

Sec. 9.54. USE OF TASER. A peace officer, or a person
acting in a peace officer's presence and at the officer's direction,
is justified in using a Taser against another person only if the officer or person is justified in using deadly force against the other person under Section 9.51(c) or (d) or Section 9.52.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.

So the obvious question is, why pack a Taser when it'd be just as easy to justify using your Glock if this bill passes? - And a Glock has a lot more shots than a Taser!

**bmf95b** · 01-08-07, 02:26 AM

Then why not just bust a cap in someones ass...

**jmur5074** · 01-08-07, 03:03 AM

That won't pass

And if it does, I feel sorry for any cop in TX.

And, if it does pass, TX will see a rise in officer injuries, and suspect deaths.

**USMCMP** · 01-08-07, 03:11 AM

I am working on becoming a cop in TX and I guess I will just carry extra mags for my Para instead of a Taser.

**BEB** · 01-08-07, 03:31 AM

Anyone want to give Lon a piece of your mind?

Capitol Office
Room EXT E2.708
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0740
(512) 463-1075 Fax

District Office
1305 W. Magnolia, Ste C
Fort Worth, TX 76104
(817) 924-1997
(817) 924-6788 Fax

Committee Assignments

Agriculture & Livestock
Law Enforcement

http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist90/burnam.htm

**conalabu** · 01-08-07, 05:03 AM

So, the best tool we have ever been issued for resistors is now a deadly force option? Stupid. Just stupid.

**PersiusOne** · 01-08-07, 05:50 AM

Who (in their right mind) would *ever* agree to pass something that stupid!? GRRRRR - I just see this as a sign of things to come in the future.

The Taser is one of the most invaluable tools I work with, hands down, and gets the job done. TX is the last place I would imagine to try and pass something this lame.

....mad

**TXCOP** · 01-08-07, 07:47 AM

Well, I don't have a taser anyway so it's not a big deal for me. OTOH this guy's an asshole.

**Star Man** · 01-08-07, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by conalabu

So, the best tool we have ever been issued for resistors is now a deadly force option? Stupid. Just stupid.

+1,000

**Copper51** · 01-08-07, 03:51 PM

What an idiot. I guess they won't need tasers in TX, they already have a tool for dealing with deadly force, A GUN. This guy should be locked up with a crazy man and told to cuff him. After he gets his butt kicked, tell him how effective the taser is, but this isn't a deadly force situation.

**bak407** · 01-08-07, 05:03 PM

It is not yet in the books. It is only a bill, yet to clear. I don't see this passing. I am sure that the Taser company has several highly paid attorneys already on top of it. If this were to pass, it would most likely signal the end of Tasers. We should all write to this a-hole and explain the facts to him. And then do the same with some other TX law makers, so they know how strongly the law enforcement community feels about this.

**Ducky** · 01-08-07, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by bak407

It is not yet in the books. It is only a bill, yet to clear. I don't see this passing. I am sure that the Taser company has several highly paid attorneys already on top of it. If this were to pass, it would most likely signal the end of Tasers. We should all write to this a-hole and explain the facts to him. And then do the same with some other TX law makers, so they know how strongly the law enforcement community feels about this.

Great idea. If the originating asshole won't listen to reason, make sure his cohorts know the story and why it's such a bad idea.

**TXCharlie** · 01-08-07, 05:27 PM

And write the papers... I intend to submit editorials tonight. I think the voters should be embarassed to have him in office.

Damn Democrats

**Caveman** · 01-08-07, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by TXCharlie

Just wondered your opinion of HB 418, which has been introduced in the Texas Legislature on 12/21/06 by Texas State Representative Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth)

Democrap Representative...

Why am I not surprised... Oh, I'm sure the ACLU is pulling his puppet strings along as well.

"You should have the same restrictions on Tasers that you have on a gun."

**TXCharlie** · 01-08-07, 08:38 PM

My Editorial to the Dallas Morning News... Same going to Star Telegram, etc - Let's see if they print it:

Possibly the most bizarre law in the history of the Texas Legislature, HB 418, has been submitted by Rep. Lon Burnam (Democrat - Ft Worth).

The law, if passed, would only allow Police Officers to use Tasers in situations where deadly force is justified - yet Tasers have been proven hundreds of thousands of times to be as non-lethal as any tool a Cop has at his disposal (even pepper spray and fists).

Rep. Burnam, in submitting this irrational law, may be signing the death warrant for thousands of suspects who might have lived if Tasered instead of shot, because taking away the Taser option in the early stages of a struggle allows the situation to escalate out of control.

Why would a cop even use a Taser in situations where the use of his gun is also justified? The short range of the Taser requires an officer to get in the “danger zone” of a possibly armed suspect, is much less reliable than a gun in stopping a suspect, and only has four shots (whereas a 9mm Glock 17 features eighteen shots).

Only in an extremely small number of cases has the Taser ever been associated with a suspect’s death (the suspect was almost always overdosed on drugs, and probably would have died anyway). Cops even get shocked with Tasers as a routine part of their training with no adverse affects.

Rep. Burnam should be recalled before he can do any more damage.

**TXCharlie** · 01-08-07, 10:49 PM

Surprise surprise...

Here's some YouTube of this butthole:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDmmedWRDDM

**spcwes** · 01-09-07, 04:51 AM

Originally Posted by jmur5074

That won't pass

And if it does, I feel sorry for any cop in TX.

And, if it does pass, TX will see a rise in officer injuries, and suspect deaths.

Don't, that will just be that much worse on the POS bad guys because in TX they have what you might call a history of woopin ass and that will be what happens when you take the tasers out. And that is what will happen, they will go bye bye.

**TXCharlie** · 01-09-07, 09:29 AM

Ha! Good point!

Our grandmas usually skip the Tasers and start shooting too

**Coloradocop** · 01-09-07, 01:32 PM

Glad it isn't like that here... If they made it that way I'd ditch the Taser... I'm not going to mess with a less-lethal when someone is trying to kill me. May as well just lighten my load at that point and go to the pistol.

They changed our Use-of-Force on the carotid compression technique recently... now it has to be deadly force situation before we can use it (which essentially means it will never be used again, since no one will get in a wrestling match with the suspect who is trying to shoot them).