A provincial inquiry into the use of Taser stun guns was given a peek Wednesday at the type of electro-shock weapons that could be available in the future.
The arsenal of weapons, including the "fire and forget'' Taser gun was shown to the Braidwood inquiry by animation instructor Jay Page, a private citizen who had come to Vancouver equipped with information downloaded from the website of U.S. manufacturer Taser International.
During the short presentation, Page demonstrated some of the other products that Taser International has promoted on its website, including:
- A sensor-activated wall of Tasers that could shoot without anyone actually pulling the trigger.
- A Taser XREP projectile, which is "self-contained, wireless, and fires from a 12-gauge shotgun," the company website states.
It is products like these that have Page concerned.
"I believe that this onset of automated weapons technology in the civilian domain is unprecedented," Page told reporters outside the Inquiry.
"We have to be vigilant against it. I think it is abhorrent."
The inquiry is currently looking into Taser use by law enforcement in general and will later look specifically into the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, who died after being hit with a Taser last fall at the Vancouver airport.
The Assembly of B.C. Municipal Police Chiefs, who finished their testimony on Wednesday morning, did not see Page's testimony.
Police Chief Bill Rich said he could not wade in on the Taser situation because he is not an expert.
"The point is other experts are saying (Tasers are) safe, within certain degrees," he said.
CTV reported last week that police have no system in place to check the electrical output of their stun gun weapons.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Peter Grainger
