Bans on so-called stun guns and tasers are becoming all the rage. Coaldale may join Philadelphia as the only Pennsylvania town to ban the devices, or at least limit their effectiveness in the hands of the commoners. Naturally, agents of the government are exempt from their own rules.

[Solicitor Michael S. Greek] said he wants to make a distinction in the law that differentiates the stun guns police will handle and what is available to the public. He likened it to the difference in strength between a container of Mace people carry for personal safety and the type of Mace a police officer carries.

Any civilian Coaldale resident found to be using a stun gun would face summary charges.

It would not be illegal for a resident to buy such a gun; it would be illegal only to use it in the borough, Greek said.

So stun guns and mace are so bad that they need special rules for the public. But they are okay for police officers to use on people. What's more, it's not illegal to own or possess a stun gun, just to use it. So if you're being raped in Coaldale, don't reach for that stun gun or you'll be summarily charged. In Philadelphia you might even face more prison time than your attacker.