Maryland ban sought on personal-use Tasers, lack of training cited

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - You shouldn’t be able to carry a Taser for self-defense if you’re not working in law enforcement or security, a Baltimore delegate says.

So the delegate, Talmadge Branch, wants to ban the sale of Tasers to civilians.

“This is a Pandora’s box,” said Branch, D-District 45. “It’s an accident waiting to happen.”

“All buyers get is a booklet, and no training. And given that we have had multiple deaths from police-use Tasers in Maryland, that’s not good.”

But Towson University junior Angela Glovier, who carries pepper spray on campus for protection, says she has considered adding a Taser to her self-defense arsenal — and should be allowed to buy one legally.

“I don’t think they should take any form of protection away from women,” Glovier said. “I walk on campus alone at night. It could be my last line of defense against a predator.”

The bill would make Maryland one of a half-dozen states that restrict Tasers for personal use.

Taser international Inc., based in Scottsdale, Ariz., manufactures Tasers and said the devices have been widely available for years and caused few injuries.

State Del. Jill P. Carter, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said all Marylanders should be able to continue to buy Tasers for self-defense.

“Given that all the deaths or injuries that have occurred in Maryland have come from the police use of Tasers, I don’t think that’s a good enough reason to take them out of the hands of citizens,” said Carter, D-Baltimore. “I think it’s more important that we look at the safety of Taser use by police.”

Branch’s bill also would impose new requirements for training of police who use stun guns.

Six people died in Maryland in 2007 after being stunned by Tasers while in police custody.

sjanis@baltimoreexaminer.com

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