Damn! Did I start this?
Yes, tasers are classified below a firearm in lethality. No, not everyone tased is killed. But I will still say that a lot more independent (not funded by Taser International or the DOJ) research is needed. There has been entirely too much whitewashing for my tastes.
I just do not buy into the theory that applying umpteen thousand volts, even at a minuscule amperage, is not, at best, highly dangerous. I am also not convinced that the electricity applied only effects the skeletal musculature and not that most critical of muscles, which, incidentally, is electrically controlled, the heart.
There have also been some whispers (undocumented rumors) about the taser being used to elicit confessions. Most of those rumors, so far, have only been whispered about other countries. If any of them are ever proven true, I, for one, would call for either a total ban on the manufacture of tasers or a ban on their export.
Hopefully, someone will come up with some sort of device that will accomplish what the taser accomplishes without inflicting a huge amount of pain and without the risk of death or severe injury that the taser carries.