CONTROL 3.2 GOODS THAT SHOULD BE CONTROLLED 3.2.1 ELECTRIC SHOCK WEAPONS PROJECTILE ELECTRIC SHOCK WEAPONS Images of projectile electric shock weapons (© Robin Ballantyne/Omega Research Foundation). Projectile electric shock weapons fire darts – connected by electrical wires to the launch device – at an individual and can be used from a distance of several metres. The darts attach to a person’s body, delivering an incapacitating high-voltage electric shock that causes the subject to lose muscle control (neuro-muscular incapacitation). Projectile electric shock weapons should be strictly limited to “standoff” situations where the only alternative is the use of lethal force or firearms when an officer is facing or trying to prevent an imminent threat of death or serious injury. Regulations should require officers to avoid additional shocks and prohibit continuous or simultaneous shocks with multiple weapons. Regulations should also prohibit the use of such weapons on subjects who are restrained, and on individuals who are more vulnerable, including children, the elderly, and pregnant women. Certain projectile electric shock weapons also incorporate a direct contact electric shock mode (also called drive-stun), where the weapon is held against the body of an individual and the electric shock applied directly, without firing the projectiles. The drive-stun mode causes pain but does not create neuro-muscular incapacitation of the individual, allowing the weapon to be employed as a de facto direct contact electric shock weapon. This capability is prone to abuse, including for torture and other ill-treatment, and therefore this capability should be banned and removed from the design of these weapons intended for law enforcement. 14 COMBATING TORTURE: THE NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE REGULATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT EQUIPMENT Amnesty International | Omega Research Foundation