Attorney General Terry Goddard Supports Taser Legislation

(Phoenix, Ariz. – January 26, 2005)  Regarding the stun gun legislation proposed today by Arizona House Speaker Jim Weiers, Attorney General Terry Goddard had this comment:

"My office is working on two issues in the Arizona State criminal code affecting stun guns.

"First, I want to provide more legal protection to law enforcement officers by allowing them to use deadly force, if necessary, to defend themselves if threatened with a Taseror other stun gun.  

"Second, I want to make sure that a person who uses a stun gun in the commission of a serious crime such as a rape, robbery or carjacking is appropriately punished. Under current law, a criminal might argue that a stun gun is a non-deadly, non-dangerous weapon, and if the court were to agree, the criminal would receive a lesser sentence. I don’t want any criminal using a stun gun to be able to slip through that legal loophole."