Gardaí want stun guns to quell riots

THE use of electric stun guns should be considered here to deal with violent protests and public disorder, gardaí said yesterday.

The call was backed by Fine Gael justice spokesman John Deasy, who said gardaí needed non-lethal weapons to face rising violence.

Such weapons have been introduced on a year-long trial basis in Britain, and have been used in the US for around 20 years. Taser guns disable people by causing temporary paralysis with a 50,000-volt charge.