Word: stun
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...Taser—more generally called a stun gun, since Taser is a registered trademark—is a type of non-lethal weapon introduced to subdue fleeing or dangerous suspects. It fires two tiny electrodes, connected to the unit by wires, into the skin of the target and generates an electric current designed to prevent the brain from controlling the muscles. In the past decade, police officers in major cities have been using Tasers more frequently. Although the introduction of Tasers may help reduce the number of wrongful deaths, the fact that the weapon will not kill suspects does...
...humans valiantly fended off the vicious hordes, using their guns to stun the monsters. Wave after wave of zombies rushed toward their stronghold, and with each charge, broke down part of their defenses...
...tactic is to simply relabel torture implements that are on the E.U.'s list of banned products. For example, electroshock weapons like stun belts - which are placed around detainees' limbs and emit a shock if they get out of line - are sometimes renamed "stun cuffs," Amnesty says. Another scheme is to sell "dual-use" items, such as leg shackles and stick batons, which are allowed to be exported for policing and security purposes. The trade in dual-use products is meant to be closely monitored, but Amnesty says little is being done to make sure the devices are not being...
Only a few manufacturers are named in the report. An official at one company known to produce such items, the Belgian firm Sirien, denied any wrongdoing in an interview with TIME. Sirien makes products like electric-shock stun shields and S-200 projectile stun guns - devices that export manager Erwin Lafosse insists save lives. "If you want to ban electroshock pistols, then policemen will have to use firearms to defend themselves," he says. "The problem with Amnesty International is that they only see the bad side to everything. Yes, these can be used to torture someone...
Frank Coll, head of another firm in Spain called Nidec, which was named in the report, says his company removed its stun cuffs from its website after receiving a letter from Amnesty International alerting it to the new law in 2006. "That was the end of the story for us - we have not sold this item at all," he says. (See TIME's coverage of the 2010 World Economic Forum...