Stun Guns for Self Defense

A stun gun is a weapon used for subduing a person through electric shock. Stun guns are generally used for self-defense, or by law enforcement to subdue an out-of-control person. Stun gun technology uses a temporary high-voltage current to override the body's muscle-triggering mechanisms. The energy stored in the gun is dumped into the attacker’s muscles causing them to do a great deal of work, very quickly. This rapid work cycle quickly depletes the attacker’s blood sugar by converting it to lactic acid, he is unable to produce energy for his muscles, and his body is unable to function properly.

The stun gun also interrupts the neurological impulses that control voluntary muscle movement. When the voltage from the stun gun overwhelms the attacker’s neuromuscular system, he loses his balance.

 Stun guns have two metal prods or electrodes that transfer the current to the target. The recipient that is touched with a stun gun feels great pain instantly and can be momentarily paralyzed because his muscles are receiving an electrical shock. Both electrodes must touch the subject for the stun gun to be effective.

The voltage in stun guns can range from around 50,000 volts to over 1,000,000 volts; with the most common being in the 100,000 to 500,000 Volt ranges, but the amperage in stun guns is relatively low at around 2mA to 4.6mA (electrical current above 100mA is considered to be potentially lethal). However, because the amount of current in stun guns is relatively low, they are considered non-lethal to humans.

According to many sources, a shock for half a second duration will cause intense pain and muscle contractions startling most people greatly. Two to three seconds will often cause the subject to become dazed and drop to the ground, and over three seconds will usually completely disorient and drop an attacker for at least several minutes and possibly up to ten or fifteen minutes. Should the attacker be touching you, the current will NOT pass to your body!

When I first got one of these stun guns, I was not convinced they would really work so I tried a 100,000 volt model out on myself (I would not recommend anyone else out there try this) let me tell you, in under 2 seconds it hurt like hell and it knocked me on my ass. I'll never doubt their effectiveness again.

Commercially available stun gun varieties are…

A stun baton, which resembles an ordinary nightstick combined with a cattle prod. It has probes on one end that administer an electric shock by contact. In some types of stun batons, the sides of the baton are electrified also; this stops the subject from grasping the baton and pulling it away from you.

Small handheld stun guns are the most popular and come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with the most common ones being about the size of a handheld walkie-talkie. Some stun guns are even disguised as other objects, such as cell-phone stun guns or pager stun guns.

Stun gun flashlights are designed as working flashlights that also have the ability to administer an electric shock with its business end.

A Taser is a well-known type of stun device, with the main difference being that a taser is designed to administer an electric shock through two projectiles attached to wires. The electrical current travels through the wires to deliver its payload to the target.

Well folks, there’s plenty more where that came from. I could go on talking about stun devices for another two pages, but this is just an article not a full length novel, so I’ll end it here and pick it back up in one of my follow up articles.

SA Rubin is the owner of North American Security Products, LLC. A company dedicated to providing you with the means to protect and defend yourself against crime. For more information on Stun Guns, visit www.naselfdefense.com where you'll find a complete line of Self Defense Weapons and Personal Security Products. Copyright: 2006

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