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Re:SWAT-Team Nation: The Militarization of the U.S. Police by stcredzero on Tuesday August 13, 2013 @01:39AM (#6204179)
As an (fire-)armed citizen, so called "less lethal" weapons are not particularly practical to cart around, or wield while checking out a bump in the night while also carrying a flashlight, so I have not seriously studied them and e.g. the way they're deployed and used by police.

The C2 TASER is a flashlight.

I would not go around my house searching for the bad guys, in any case. You hole up in your safe room and dial 911 from behind cover. Massad Ayoob recommends against going on the prowl to search out the bad guys. The pros don't even do that alone without backup. He notes that it's also a good way to get yourself shot when the cops do arrive on the scene.

Re:SWAT-Team Nation: The Militarization of the U.S. Police by hga on Tuesday August 13, 2013 @09:09AM (#6205432)
The C2 TASER doesn't look like it would be easily used with a handgun. I've got a small Surefire with an activation button in the back and a lanyard so I can let go of it if needed.

One needs to distinguish between "a bump in the night" that might be an intruder but probably isn't, and a known intruder. It's impractical to call the police for every instance of the former, and nowadays down right unwise unless absolutely necessary ("Don't talk to the police"). But I would of course hole up and call them if I'm sufficiently certain.

Re:SWAT-Team Nation: The Militarization of the U.S. Police by stcredzero on Tuesday August 13, 2013 @03:08PM (#6207610)
> The C2 TASER doesn't look like it would be easily used with a handgun.

No, you should have a light attached to your handgun, or use the technique of separating centermass from your light. The point I was making is that the C2 Taser is its own weaponlight, which you indicated you didn't know.

> One needs to distinguish between "a bump in the night"...I would of course hole up and call them if I'm sufficiently certain.

Going forth in the dark of night and presenting yourself to an intruder is probably not going to be the best strategy, especially if it's an intruder. Your home safety plan should probably include procedures for identifying an intruder without putting yourself in harm's way. For myself, I can usually tell by the sound. If I can't, I'm locking the door and I have a means of blocking it as well. If they bust through, then they face the consequences.

In California, the law is that a citizen has a "duty to retreat." You can only legally use deadly force against someone if you've already tried to do so, or you think it's not an option.