New Taser three times as shocking

28 Jul 2009, 8:32 am   -   Source: AAP
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Australian police have not yet been issued with the new triple-stun Taser gun. (File Getty)

Australian police have not yet been issued with the new triple-stun Taser gun. (File Getty)

US police have been offered discounts to trade in their old Tasers for a new version of the controversial weapon which can shock three people without reloading.

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Taser International has unveiled its first new stun gun since 2003, a device that can shock three people without reloading.

Older Taser stun guns, in use by 14,200 law enforcement agencies throughout the United States, have to be reloaded after one shot, which can be a problem for an officer who has missed a target or has more than one suspect to subdue.

Scottsdale, Arizona-based Taser unveiled the new device to hundreds of law enforcement officers and distributors at its annual conference on Monday. It costs $US1,799, compared with $US799 for the older model, although Taser spokesman Steve Tuttle said there will be "very generous" trade-in programs for law enforcement agencies.

The new stun gun is not yet available. Tuttle said the company would announce the release date in the next month.

Like the older models, the new stun gun shoots two barbed wires that deliver electrical current for several seconds, temporarily immobilising people from a distance.

Human rights groups contend Tasers cause heart attacks. Tuttle said the company has won 96 of 97 wrongful-death lawsuits filed against it and is appealing after being found 15 per cent responsible in the one suit it lost.

Amnesty International has said two minors have been killed by Tasers in the US this year and 351 deaths have been caused by a Taser in the US since June 2001. The human rights organisation says on its website most of people who have been killed by Tasers were not carrying weapons.

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