Lawmakers and Advocates Introduce Stun Gun Bill

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A group of Vermont lawmakers and the heads of disability and civil rights groups are pushing legislation that would create new rules governing police use of electronic stun guns.

Advocates held a news conference on Tuesday to unveil a bill that would set up statewide training and rules for law enforcement officers using Tasers and similar devices.

The effort follows the death last year of Macadam Mason, a Thetford man who died of a heart attack after a state trooper hit him with a Taser.

Attorney General William Sorrell and the Orange County state's attorney announced last month that Senior Trooper David Shaffer was justified using the stun gun on Mason last June because the distraught man failed to comply with orders and made threatening movements toward the trooper.

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