While they don't have the same capabilities as a firearm, stun guns can serve as both a deterrent and defensive weapon. A bill before the Iowa legislature would allow students to carry a stun gun on campus for use in self-defense situations.
A bill being considered in the Iowa Statehouse that would allow college students to legally carry electroshock weapons on campus is being met with resistance.
State Rep. Matt Windschitl, a Republican from Harrison County, said it's legal in Iowa for anyone older than 18 to carry a weapon producing a nonprojectile, high-voltage pulse designed to immobilize a person. He said it should not be prohibited at public colleges and universities.
While we here at Restricted Arms prefer firearms over stun guns, we'll count the bill as a good first step. For those who like to tout stun guns as superior to firearms for self defense, we point you to this bit of data from the Los Angeles Police Department:
LAPD officers fired Tasers just over 1,100 times last year, according to a department report published last month. The devices had the desired outcome — causing someone to submit to arrest — only 53 percent of the time.
Again, better than a sharpened stick, but not nearly as effective as a handgun.
But even this small nod to the self-defense needs of students on campuses where the left (falsely) claims that 1 in 5 women will be sexually assaulted is too much for some.
But some people said they are concerned students may zap each other with stun guns for fun and not use them solely for self-defense.
Well, yes, but they can do that stupid thing off campus right now if they wanted too with potentially little legal blowback. And why do we continue to treat adults, 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds like they're five-year-olds when it comes to self-defense weapons?
