Controversy continues to dog a non-lethal weapon called the Taser shotgun.
The "X12" Taser shotgun is made by Taser International of Scottsdale, Arizona and fires a battery-packed 12-bore shell with forward-facing barbs that deliver a debilitating electric shock.
In August last year, New Scientist revealed research that showed an early version of the weapon was both difficult to aim accurately, putting victims' eyes at risk, and sometimes delivered a shock for more than five minutes, rather than 20 seconds.
Such issues were part of the reason that the Taser shotgun went into a programme of testing in the labs of the UK Home Office's Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB).
The weapon is still being tested at the HOSDB lab and has not been approved for use by UK police forces.
Yet it emerged in July that the weapon had been fired by police attempting to subdue a killer named Raoul Moat in an armed standoff in Northumbria, in the north of England.
It turned out that Pro-Tect Systems of Daventry, Northamptonshire, a company set up in 2000 to import US-made Taser stunguns of all types into the UK, had supplied the unapproved Taser shotgun to the Northumbria police.
Yesterday, the UK Home Office issued a statement revoking Pro-Tect's licence to sell any Taser weapons. "Pro-Tect breached its licence by supplying X12 Tasers direct to police that were only available for supply to the Home Office Science and Development Branch," the Home Office says. Its licence expires on 30 September.
It may seem harsh, but the breach of Pro-Tect's licence - issued under the UK Firearms Act - is described by Sky News as "very, very serious indeed".
The Home Office says Pro-Tect may seek a judicial review of its decision. A Pro-Tect spokesman said: "For legal reasons we are not issuing any comment on this."
The Taser shotgun is already in use in a number of US police departments. This account by Taser International describes one example of its use in 2009.
Via : newscientist
The "X12" Taser shotgun is made by Taser International of Scottsdale, Arizona and fires a battery-packed 12-bore shell with forward-facing barbs that deliver a debilitating electric shock.
In August last year, New Scientist revealed research that showed an early version of the weapon was both difficult to aim accurately, putting victims' eyes at risk, and sometimes delivered a shock for more than five minutes, rather than 20 seconds.
Such issues were part of the reason that the Taser shotgun went into a programme of testing in the labs of the UK Home Office's Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB).
The weapon is still being tested at the HOSDB lab and has not been approved for use by UK police forces.
Yet it emerged in July that the weapon had been fired by police attempting to subdue a killer named Raoul Moat in an armed standoff in Northumbria, in the north of England.
It turned out that Pro-Tect Systems of Daventry, Northamptonshire, a company set up in 2000 to import US-made Taser stunguns of all types into the UK, had supplied the unapproved Taser shotgun to the Northumbria police.
Yesterday, the UK Home Office issued a statement revoking Pro-Tect's licence to sell any Taser weapons. "Pro-Tect breached its licence by supplying X12 Tasers direct to police that were only available for supply to the Home Office Science and Development Branch," the Home Office says. Its licence expires on 30 September.
It may seem harsh, but the breach of Pro-Tect's licence - issued under the UK Firearms Act - is described by Sky News as "very, very serious indeed".
The Home Office says Pro-Tect may seek a judicial review of its decision. A Pro-Tect spokesman said: "For legal reasons we are not issuing any comment on this."
The Taser shotgun is already in use in a number of US police departments. This account by Taser International describes one example of its use in 2009.
Via : newscientist
