What is a stun gun?
Stun guns are hand-held electronic self defense weapons that produce a high voltage,
low amperage pulse that can immobolize an individual for several minute with no
permanent damage. These self defense weapons are powered by ordinary 9 volt batteries,
and can administer a stunning charge of between 50,000 and 1,000,000 volts, while the
amperage of the charge is between 2 and 5 milliamps (1000 milliamps can kill a person).
This low amperage is what makes the stun gun a non-lethal device, but the high voltage
charge is what results in incapacitating an individual.
Types of Stun Guns
What is generally called a Stun Gun is a 2 pronged electrical device that must be put in
physical contact with an attacker, even contact through clothing will work.
A Taser is a type of stun gun that uses compressed air cartridges to fire 2 prongs with attached wires,
and the electrical charge is then conducted down the wires to incapicitate the individual - most
Tasers also have the 2 electrical contact points on the weapon as a backup. Stun Batons are
batons that have the electrical contact points on a longer club to provide a greater reach for
the weapon. Mini Stun Guns disguised as flashlights or cell phones are also available.
