“Don’t tase me, bro,” screamed student Andrew Meyer last week – just before police did exactly that. The incident happened after the University of Florida student asked a question during a speech by Senator John Kerry.

This event – available for all to see on YouTube – and the “tasing” of an autistic teen darting around in traffic after bolting from a counselling session – has sparked renewed debate over appropriate use of Tasers.

The question is not just in what circumstances you can justify using Tasers (see “Why police should go easy with the Taser”), but how safe they are. As Taser …