Photo courtesy www.taser.com

The C2 TASER is the same brand and model used in an altercation on the Hill Saturday night by Mamacitas co-owner Harvey Epstein.

Saturday evening's stun-gun standoff at Mamacita's on the Hill resulted in one arrest and sparked even conflict between the restaurant's owners and parking enforcement agency Colorado Security Services.

The use of the less-than-lethal weapons over the course of the altercation -- a dispute over a minivan booted on what the owners claimed was their own property -- also prompts questions about the increased ownership and use of stun guns among the civilian population.

"The use of a weapon, any weapon, whether it be a handgun or a knife or a baseball bat, is going to be governed by the circumstances," said Commander Phil West of the Boulder County Sheriff's Department concerning the use of a weapon in self-defense.

West described such factors as time of day; size, age, and gender of the attacker versus that of the potential victim; and whether or not said attacker was armed as just a few of the things one has to consider when deciding whether to use such a weapon in self-defense. Other circumstances, however, can make things less predictable.

"They are termed 'less than lethal,' implying that there is still potential for lethality, and, although it's unlikely, if misapplied you could end up killing someone," said Cmdr. West. "The other potential is that anytime you involve a weapon in an altercation, there's the potential that it's going to be turned against you and used on you. There may be an air of false confidence as well -- just because you brought a TASER to the fight, doesn't mean that it isn't going to be turned against you or that the bad guy didn't bring a gun or a knife. A lot of people think that they can pull that trigger, but they're not in that frame of mind."

Cmdr. West went on to describe his best recommendation for self-defense.

"I think in most instances the best thing you can do is just walk away from the altercation and report it to the cops and have professional intervention," he said.

This is not, however, to imply that, when used responsibly, stun guns cannot be used as an effective means of self defense. The C2 TASER device used by Harvey Epstein, co-owner of Mamacitas, during the standoff can be deployed from a range of 15 feet and sends pulses of 400 watts of electricity to temporarily incapacitate whoever or whatever it is fired at. Although anyone is able to purchase and carry a TASER device without going through a licensing or permit process, TASER International is very particular about who is even allowed to turn their device on.

"The TASER C2 can be purchased in 43 states, and when it is purchased it will not work until you bring it home and contact a secure Web site or go through a toll-free number and go through an identification verification," said Steve Tuttle, Vice President of Communications with TASER International. "Once we have verified the identity of the purchaser, we can now run them through a criminal background check. We do a check for felonies, and if there are any felonies then it is an automatic decline in terms of telling that person the code that is unique to that C2 to activate it -- you've just purchased a paperweight, for all practical purposes."

While TASER International checks you out with the identification verification and criminal background check, they also monitor your future behavior with the Anti-Felon Identification (AFID) program.

"When weapon is used, it will disperse 20-30 AFID tags that are really small pieces of confetti that are serialized -- and those numbers would then match back to the owner of that device. Some of them are easy to find, some of them are very difficult to find -- but if law enforcement finds one, they can call us and we can give them our information on the purchaser. It's actually a very rudimentary system that works exceedingly well."

In essence, the use of a TASER device can not only be very effective, it can also be safely monitored from cradle to grave by the manufacturer. So, although Cmdr. West recommends using common sense and alerting police in lieu of getting involved in direct physical confrontations, for those who insist on the use of a stun gun, he has some additional advice.

"I recommend official training be taken by any civilian who owns a TASER," he said. "Whether it's through TASER International or a local instructor."

Contact Lance Vaillancourt about this story at (303) 443-6272, ext. 125, or at vaillancourt@coloradodaily.com.