Let’s investigate How Do Stun Guns Work in more detail. Stun guns can actually be classified as part of the energy weapon technology. There are 2 main stun weapon classification in this group:
- Traditional stun weapon technology
- Electro-Muscular Disruption (EMD) weapon technology
We will be concentrating on traditional stun weapon technology in this post. Stun guns have become more and more popular as an effective and easy to use self defense weapon.
In the following paragraphs, we will examine the appearances, sizes, designs and operation of traditional stun gun weapon technology. Answering the question, Do Stun Guns Work?
Stun guns are considered to be a less than lethal or non lethal weapon. Meaning that if used properly in the manner they were designed they will not damage or destroy life.
Exactly How Do Stun Guns Work? Traditional stun weapons operate in a 7-14 Watt range and are designed to interfere with the communication signals within the nervous system of the intended target.
Stun guns primarily affect the sensory nervous system. Kind of like static on the communication lines between the brain and the body, stun weapon technology interferes with the human command and control systems.
Can someone fight through a stun gun? There is a very small portion of the population that can tolerate and fight through the electric pulse created by these seven to fourteen watt devices.
Can a Stun gun kill you? We often view electricity as a damaging and dangerous force to the human body. This is in part due to our natural inherent fear of lightning or an electrical outlet. But it is not the voltage, but the current or amperage that can maim or even kill you.
In small doses, electricity is actually harmless. It is, in fact, one of the most essential components in your bodies everyday operation. You use electricity in almost ever function of your body.
How exactly does a stunning device effect someone? Your brain is consistently sending electrical signals down your nerve cell pathways. This electrical signal tells the nerve cells to release a neurotransmitter communication chemical to the muscles, organs and tissues of your body.
This is what causes your muscles to contract and expand, sensitive nerve cells in your skin activate, creating a touch sensation, sending signals back to the brain, heart and other organs.
Again the basic concept behind traditional stun weapon technology is to disrupt the communication system of the body. So, most stun guns produce high-voltage, low-amperage electrical signals.
In other words this signal or charge carries strong intent behind it, but very little bite. When activated, by pressing the stun gun against the attackers body and depressing the trigger, the high voltage charge passes into the attacker’s body.
Due to the high voltage the charge is able to penetrate through heavy clothing and skin. Unless this high voltage is applied for an extended period of time the charge (around three milli-amps) is not intense enough to damage the attacker’s body.
However, It does introduce confusing information into the nervous system of your attacker. Causing several things to happen:
The stun charge combines with the electrical signals from the attacker’s brain. The random noise of the stun charge is mixed with the electrical signals of the brain, making it very difficult to for the brain to decipher any messages
Next, the central nervous system’s lines of communication are interrupted, causing the brain to have a very hard time telling which muscles to move, causing the attacker to become confused, dazed and unbalanced. It can temporarily produce parallelization.
As revealed, Stun Guns Work! In some stun weapons a frequency pulse is created by it’s generated current, similar to how our own body electrical signals perform. In this case, the current will tell the attacker’s muscles to do a great deal of work in a short amount of time.
Since the signal isn’t directing the muscles to work toward any particular movement. The muscles don’t do anything, depleting the attacker’s energy reserves, which may possibly leave him too weak to move.
In its most basic design stun weapon technology will incapacitate an attacker by applying electricity to a person’s muscles and nerves. Since there are muscles and nerves all over the body, it doesn’t particularly matter where you hit an attacker.
Stun Guns are available in various shapes, sizes, colors, types and voltages and can usually fit in your hand. The length of a stun gun can range from just over 4-inches up to 8-inches in length.
Traditional Stun weapons generally have an external hard plastic shell with formed finger grips and may have a strap that fits around your wrist. The finger grips and strap are designed to make it more difficult for the attacker to strip the stun gun from your hand.
On the business end of the stun gun there are two to four metal probes that must come in contact with the attacker in order to be effective. This is why target practice and training is extremely important.
Many of today’s stun guns have gold plated probes. Why? Simply put gold is one of most efficient conductors of electricity. So in an attempt to improve the performance of traditional stun weapon technology, gold or gold plated probes are used in place of other conductors.
The 2 top outer probes are generally about 2-inches apart and used to make direct contact with the attacker, these two probes are positively and negatively charged electrodes. In order for the current flow a conductor (i.e the attacker) must close the circuit.
The 2 inner test probes are much closer together, This way when the current can’t flow across the outer electrodes, it will flow between the test probes. The electric current leaps between them ionizing air particles, thus producing a spark and crackling noise. This is can be a deterrent to the attacker.
Many stun weapons have begun to rely on the element of surprise, rather than the deterrent warning of the outer probes. Newer models are disguised as flashlights, cell phones, and some other everyday objects.
Now that you have a clear understanding that stun guns work. Let’s investigate some of the many different types available on the market today.
There are many different stun weapon design styles to choose from:
- Slim designs
- Mini designs
- Baton stun weapons
- Trigger Stun Guns
- Stun guns that look like a Lipstick Case
Traditional stun weapons can range from 100,000 volts up to a monstrous 625,000 volts. Lately they market has seen and explosion in voltages and now voltages are in the millions. I expect this to continue to climb, but remember it is the amps not the voltage that does the stopping.
Simply understanding the above answers to the query of these Non lethal weapons are much more effective if you learn to target vital areas of the body. Attacking smaller targets makes it harder to miss the attackers body.