The taseracronym for Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle (“Thomas A. Swift’s electric rifle”, from the novel Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle by Victor Appleton) is a weapon intended for law enforcement agencies such as the Carabinieri and Police (or, with some limitations, also for personal defense) and it is a “electric immobilizer” which, once it hits the target, releases a strong electric shock causing temporary paralysis. The subject, thus immobilized, is then rendered temporarily harmless giving freedom of action to the police or offering an opportunity to an assaulted person to escape from their attacker. The idea dates back to 1969 by the American inventor Jack Cover, but the first devices were designed only in the late 90s. But how exactly does a taser work? And what does Italian law say about it?
How the taser works
The physical principle on which the How the taser works It’s simple: hit an opponent with darts which generate a strong shock electric in order to confuse and immobilize. The electric shock, which in some models reaches up to 50,000 voltsis specially designed to not cause damage from lightning strike permanent; rather it is to cause a neuromuscular paralysis. Basically, once hit, the muscles contract strongly, thus preventing the subject from moving.
How the taser is made
The taser It is normally made up of a “pistol” body, ending with a pair of darts included in a cartridge gas charged. These are then connected, via wires, to a drums. In the versions supplied to the police, there may also be cartridges of replacement, so that we can provide additional shots to the operators or extend the immobilizing effect of the weapon, if this did not immediately have the desired effect. The useful shot, depending on the models, can reach up to 11 meters.
At the shot, in addition to a internal memory able to record the event, the weapon releases some AFID identifierssmall circles of a material that cover the darts on which a code to identify the gun that fired.
What Happens When You Get TASER’d
When we get hit by the TASER, a couple of darts penetrates superficially into the skin so as not to cause serious or permanent damage. At this point the process of releasing the electric shock that paralyzes our muscles occurs: the one produced by the TASER is a high voltage electric shock voltage but low amperage i.e. low current intensity. This aspect is fundamental because it is the current that is dangerous for the life of human beings. The effects of the electric shock will be: dizziness, confusion but, above all, an effect paralyzing lasting a few seconds: the time needed to immobilize a subject or escape from an attack. Since it is therefore designed to produce temporary and not permanent effects, unlike what happens with firearms, the taser is therefore included among the non-lethal weapons.
The (legal) use of the taser in Italy
However, you should know that in Italy the taser is recognized as own weaponthat is, capable of causing harm to people and, for this reason, is subject to the same restrictions as a regular firearm. Outside of law enforcement personnel, therefore, to carry a taser you must be in possession of an appropriate gun license. This is motivated by the fact that the improper use of the taser could cause collateral damage that can seriously harm the person hit: for example, the impact with the ground following the discharge, or the possible worsening of previous heart conditions in the person hit. As with all weapons, a deep knowledge and a high level of training and education are therefore necessary before being able to use them. So can law enforcement use it?
Yes, in Italy the law of 17 October 2014 n.146 established the possibility ofuse of taser on the part of the police. Starting in 2018, experiments began on the use of the electric weapon, following which the TASER arrived in 18 Italian cities as early as 2022.
Taser Trivia
The name “tasers” derives from the title of a novel written in 1911 by Victor Appleton “Tom A. Swift and His Electric Rifle”. The character, an inventor, goes on an adventurous safari in the company of his invention, a electric rifle, to defend himself from the dangers he might encounter. The acronym was very significant for what became the trademark for the invention that, several years later, the American company based in Arizona, TASER inc. (now AXON), developed as a non-lethal alternative to firearms.
By the way, the idea behind the taser is inspired by some Predation techniques used by some animals in nature. This is the case of the electrophorus voltai, an electric eel named in honor of Alessandro Volta, inventor of the battery. Consider that this animal is able to generate over 860 volt, effectively becoming a natural taser, capable of hitting its prey and generating neuromuscular paralysis in them.
