LANSING, MI — Legislation that would permit civilians to use Tasers gained bipartisan support in the Michigan House on Thursday, but MLive readers aren't as unified in favor of the bills.

The House nearly unanimously passed Senate bills 29, 30 and 93. The Senate, which originally approved the bills last October, has to sign off on some technical changes before they head to Gov. Rick Snyder for his signature.

The bills would allow citizens to possess and use electro-muscular disruption devices, more commonly known as Tasers, with a concealed pistol license and training.

Current Michigan law allows only certain people to use electroshock guns, such as law enforcement and corrections officers.

One reader brought up the fact that more than just law enforcement and corrections officers can carry under current law. Others, such as licensed private investigators, private security police and aircraft pilots and crew members may carry the weapons if they have been trained and are using the device while performing official duties.

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Some MLive readers support the legislation as giving citizens more options and freedom to protect themselves.



musicman7261



I prefer carrying my 9 mm..but I am happy that Michigan

approved an "effective" non-lethal form of personal protection for those

who choose not to carry a firearm. Pepper spray is really quite unreliable and there is too much chance

that the chemical can drift back and incapacitate the user. The

personal Taser is very well designed and is equipped with a laser that

will assure that you hit your target. Sometimes just the laser itself

can be a deterrent. I think this will be a great thing.

dunewalker



Someone who has taken training to carry a lethal weapon

certainly has the training to handle non-lethal defense. You would

think that there would be praise for the allowance of non-lethal

weapons, but no. Still scare tactics. NOTE: I arm my driving age girls with pepper spray with training and have provided them with tactical knife training. When they reach 21 - its CCW. I want them to be able to defend themselves AND OTHERS when necessary.

Others, however, expressed public safety concerns.

afrommi

It is sad that Americans feel they are not safe without carrying a gun or a taser. It seems the ability to reason with decent

people is slowly creeping away from our civility. I learned at an early

age that to successfully solve conflict is to reason the issue and

choose the course that will display the golden rule. Do unto other what

you would like them to do to you. If you hurt no one, then you will

not be hurt. And is someone persist in hurting you it will be on

his/her conscience.





Steve Washington Tasers kill a lot of innocent people. Hundreds have been

killed by tasers, even law enforcement persons who have experienced

being taser during a training class. Tasers are deadly, but the

lobbyist don't want you to know about this.



Some readers contested the view that Tasers are deadly. Amnesty International

in February that since September 2001, at least 500 people have died in the United States after being shocked with a Taser either during an arrest or while in jail.

"Most of the deaths have been attributed to other causes. However, medical examiners have listed Tasers as a cause or contributing factor in more than 60 deaths, and in a number of other cases the exact cause of death is unknown," the organization said in a press release.

Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, contends the weapons are relatively safe. To demonstrate that, he volunteered to be shot with a Taser in front of legislators during a committee hearing in 2008. A video of the event is on YouTube.



Another point of contention: Some readers called me out for using the word"Taser," which is a brand name, and not the only kind of electroshock gun. They're right, but Taser is like Kleenex or Dumpster, it's one of those commonly recognized words that work great in headlines.

Meanwhile, legislators and residents also are

to Michigan's concealed weapons law.

Email Melissa Anders at manders@mlive.com. Follow her on Twitter: @MelissaDAnders.