Posted: Dec 14, 2020 6:00 AM AT | Last Updated: December 14, 2020 Tasers fire darts with wires attached to them. The wires deliver an electric shock to a person, temporarily immobilising them. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette/Canadian Press) In the hands of police, stun guns like Tasers are designed to save lives, but when the weapons don't incapacitate someone there can be fatal consequences — from officers using lethal force to a person continuing to harm themselves. In New Brunswick and in Nova Scotia, at least two people have died in recent years after the weapons didn't immobilize them. Nova Scotia RCMP say stun guns are effective 87 per cent of the time at making a person comply with police orders, including instances when the weapon is simply drawn and not fired. Last year, its officers in the province drew their stun guns 59 times, firing them in 17 cases.