Journal of forensic and legal medicine
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Until recent years the Republic of Ireland had one of the most restrictive regimes on firearms access with the Irish police (An Garda Siochana) consistently refusing to grant certificates for a wide range of guns including handguns, high calibre rifles and shotguns capable of holding more than three cartridges. In 2004 the High Court ruled that this policy was without legislative backing and since then the police began to issue certificates for firearms where the applicant is not disentitled under law from possessing a gun. ⋯ Consideration is given to experiences in other jurisdictions and international research on firearm suicide prevention. Finally some recommendations for changes in legislation, policy and protocol in the Irish context are presented.
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Deaths have occurred after law-enforcement incidents involving applications of electronic control devices (ECDs) (including TASER devices). An "excited delirium" syndrome (reported in the literature prior to the development of ECDs currently in use), however, includes several factors that may be related to such deaths in custody. In this review, potential detrimental effects of ECDs are compared with possible changes due to excited delirium. ⋯ ECD use is unlikely to be a common cause of ventricular fibrillation, but other events that are generally associated with excited delirium (e.g., drug use) may be related to subsequent ventricular fibrillation or asystole. Metabolic or respiratory acidosis may only be serious consequences of long-duration or repeated ECD applications. On the basis of current available information, factors other than ECDs themselves may be more important when death occurs after the use of ECDs.