Guilford County Sheriff B.J. Barnes at yesterday’s community meeting on Tasers in schools:
Barnes said he believes stun guns are safer than pepper spray. Stun guns disrupt the nervous system and cause muscles to contract. The 5-second, 50,000-volt shock causes a stunned person to “freeze up.”
“Pepper spray has been attributed to more deaths,” Barnes said. “The spray lasts about 45 minutes and the Taser shock about 5 seconds. We need this stopgap. We do not want to use the .45-caliber handgun. It leaves a mark.”
Not sure why Sheriff Barnes is pointing out that last fact, since leaving a mark —and worse —- is the primary purpose of the .45-caliber handgun. But feel free to interpret for yourselves, dear readers.
