Basically, a firearm is any weapon designed to be easily carried by police and used while on duty, which makes it an important part of police gear. A police officer is at great risk if he goes on patrol without ammunition or a weapon. As well as endangering his life, this omission hinders his ability to perform his duties. Police should always move around with a shotgun; it is always useful. The minimum safe distance for firearm rounds is considerably greater than the accurate range; guns may be dangerous or lethal beyond their accuracy range.

Tasers are electroshock weapons used to incapacitate targets via shocks that temporarily impair the target’s ability to resist.  They fire two small, barbed darts at 55 meters per second, designed to puncture the skin and remain attached. Police officers and bystanders frequently mistake the attack for unconsciousness and mistake the delivery of “neuromuscular incapacitation,” which occurs as the result of disruption of voluntary control of muscles during the attack. Tasers can cause localized pain or strong involuntary muscle contractions, depending on how it is used or the connections for the darts.

Loud noises generated by repeated firearm usage may lead to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). NIHL can result from long-term exposure to noise or from high-intensity impact noises such as gunshots. Individuals who shoot guns often have a characteristic pattern of hearing loss referred to as “shooter’s ear”. One ear is typically worse than the other and they frequently have a high-frequency hearing loss. A shooter’s ear near the shoulder will be protected from the sound wave caused by the gun’s barrel, but the other ear will remain exposed and more susceptible to the full impact of the sound wave. Tasers are less lethal since the likelihood of serious injury or death is low as compared to the use of firearms whenever this police gear is deployed.

As police gear, tasers provide a safety benefit to police officers. The use of a TASER device has a greater deployment range than baton swats, pepper spray, firearms, or empty hand techniques. As a result, police are able to keep a greater distance. Tasers ensure more safety and less possibility of serious injury, damage, or death on both the user and the victim.

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