Taser warning misunderstood, says maker

The Australasian distributor of Taser stun guns says a warning to avoid firing the weapons at the chests of offenders has been misinterpreted.

George Hately says the directive from Taser International recommends avoiding firing the weapon at a number of areas of the body, including the face, neck, groin and chest.

But he told AAP the advice to avoid the chest where possible was not because of medical concerns or fears the stun guns are lethal.

"They're simply trying to minimise controversy for police officers and police departments," he said.

"The advice is that if an officer has time they should pick the ideal target zones, which are the large muscle groups but if they haven't got time to be selective they should deploy the Taser as best they can.

"So they're not being told not to shoot the chest at all, just to pick a better spot if the situation allows that."

However, Brisbane criminal defence lawyer Jim Coburn insists the directive confirms fears the stun guns are lethal and should be scrapped.

Mr Coburn said the official warning was a "spectacular" disclosure of the possible health risks from firing the devices into a person's chest and seriously undermined Queensland police and state government assurances the devices are safe.

He said the instruction to avoid firing a Taser into a person's chest effectively rendered the weapons useless as a fast, non-lethal device to restrain a violent suspect.

"Frontline officers have to live with the distress of contributing to the death of a member of the community if the person suffers a fatal reaction to a Taser strike," Mr Coburn said in a statement.

"The state government should now source a viable, non-lethal alternative for the police to utilise in such circumstances."