I read a letter in this month’s ABA Journal complaining because the article last month (In which I was interviewed) did  not discuss Tasers, stun guns, pepper spray and other “non-lethal” weapons.  I won’t go into this in detail now but one comment struck me:  Just because something is called “non-lethal” doesn’t mean it cannot kill.  All of these weapons can kill under certain circumstances. Tasers and stun guns, for example, can kill a person with a heart condition.  As for pepper spray, if someone is allergic to it, the allergy could also be life-threatening.

Oh, by the way, I will talk about the efficacy of these weapons later on but you should know:  These weapons are neither as easy to use nor as foolproof as it looks on TV or in the movies.  Bottom line:  know what you are doing and what your tools are capable of doing to and for you.