Despite claims to the contrary, Tasers can cause death, as in the cases of a Louisiana man who was shot nine times with 50,000 volts in January and a Winnepeg man who died yesterday after police tased him. Since 2003, there have been more than 300 Taser-related deaths in the U.S. and Canada. And last weekend, security tased a pot smoker at a Sammy Hagar concert in Connecticut.

Baron Pikes of Winnfield, Louisiana had an outstanding warrant for a cocaine arrest. When police attempted to apprehend him outside a shopping mall on January 12, the 247-pound African-American man resisted. So they tased him not once, but nine times. It's likely that he was dead after the seventh shot. The officer, Scott Nugent, who is white, was dismissed and may be charged with homicide.

Tasers fire compressed nitrogen in pointed probes, delivering an electrical charge that results in instant loss of muscular control and coordination when they hit the body. The Taser - which stands for Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle - was invented by Jack Cover in 1974. The company is based in Scottsville, Arizona.

One Internet seller contends that Taser "is non-destructive to nerves, muscles and other body elements. It simply affects them in their natural mode. More importantly, no deaths have ever been directly attributed to the Taser." They sell Tasers from $300-600. Tasers are legal in every state except for Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. Only New Jersey bans police from using Tasers.

At the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut on July 20 , police used electrical force on Raymond Croke, who was allegedly smoking "a green, grassy plant-like substance believed to be mariuana" during the Sammy Hagar show. He was tased and arrested for possession. WTF?

Clip: "Don't Tase Me, Bro"

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