DETROIT, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Michigan legislators are considering a measure that would make the state the 45th to allow residents to carry stun guns for self-defense.
The Michigan Senate approved the measure 35-3 in October, and the House, which has a 63-47 Republican edge, has referred it to a judiciary committee, the Detroit Free Press reported Thursday.
If the measure becomes law, state residents with a valid concealed pistol license could buy and carry stun guns, subject to the same restrictions placed on handgun carrying.
"You could use it when you could use a gun, and you must have all the training that goes into a concealed pistol license," Republican state Sen. Rick Jones, who introduced the legislation, said. "I think it's just common sense that someone would rather use electricity than a gun when they can."
Stun guns, which deliver an electrical charge to temporarily incapacitate a person, have been blamed in lawsuits for some deaths.
It is illegal for residents to possess stun guns in Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island.
