The grips are going to feel basically the same. You might be able to tell them apart in a blind test if you had some time and your wits about you, but in the middle of a fight or struggle your brain is not going to notice the difference.
This cop just had a brain fart in the middle of a stressful event. From the video I saw he clearly ment to draw his taser, testimony says he announced “taser” and from the video I saw he looked shocked that he’d fired his weapon instead of his taser. It was a mistake but not one that rises to a charge of manslaughter or negligence.
Appropriate response would have been a payout to the family and better training for the officers. Then rioting!
From: Mehserle: 'I'll Forever Be Sorry For What Happened':
Mehserle’s critics say that it’s impossible that Mehserle could mistake a heavier gun for a lightweight, bright yellow Taser, to which he replied, “Unless you've been there, for me, I didn't really understand it until it happened.”
Mehserle, now 28, acknowledges drawing and holstering his Taser twice in the two and a half minutes he was on the BART platform before the shooting.
“That wasn't a split second decision there. I had time to pull out, look and warn him with it,” said Mehserle.
BART officers had just started carrying Tasers three weeks before the shooting. On the day of the shooting, “My Taser was just to the left of my center line belt buckle and my gun was to the right on my right hip,” said Mehserle.