The company's ethics watchdog shot down the plan because it was so bad.
The company's board of ethics put out a public statement decrying the weapon's development and the company's decision to go public with the plan even though they advised against it.
According to the letter, the ethics advisory board initially voted to allow a pilot program to be used only by the police.
The board voted last month to stop the development of the drones until the company addressed its ethical concerns. The board's members were given a "considerable pause" by the announcement.
There is a chance that some or all of the board members will resign over this issue with the company, according to a member of the ethics board.
A lot of us don't want to be hasty and lose the chance to have an influence. Who is there if we all quit?
She told the news site that until now, Rick Smith had been attentive to the ethics board's concerns, which made his decision to announce the stun gun program after it had been advised against all the strangers.
There is one bright side. The debacle shows that the ethics board is more than just rubberstamping projects.
Smith said that the Uvalde shooting and the gun control debate made him think it was the right time to announce the drones.
Smith wrote in the original statement that now is the time to make this technology a reality and to begin a robust public discussion about how to ethically introduce non-lethal drones into schools.
In a "Ask Me Anything" thread posted after the dueling announcements, the CEO said that he may make a decision that the board does not support.
He said that going public against the board's wishes was worth the risk because of the intense discussion surrounding Uvalde.
We'll be following this story very closely to see what happens with the taser drones debate.
The maker of stun guns wants to use drones.
A man burst into flames after being Tased by police.
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